"LI  B  RAR.Y 

OF  THE 

U  N  IVERSITY 
OF    ILLINOIS 

920.0773 

AM 

1899 


ILUMR  HISTORKAl  SWVEY 


PA 


ALBUM  OF  GENEALOGY 


AND 


BIOGRAPHY 


COOK  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


WITH     PORTRAITS 


ELEVENTH    EDITION,     REVISED    AND    IMPROVED 


CHICAGO 
LA  SALLE  BOOK  COMPANY 

SUCCESSOR  TO 

CALUMET   BOOK   &  ENGRAVING   CO. 

1899 


THE  CALUMET  PRESS 


PRINTED  BY 

THE  CALUMET  COMPANY 
166-170  SOUTH  CLINTON  STREET 

CHICAGO 


PREFACE 


'  E  BELIEVE  the  time  has  arrived 
when  it  becomes  the  duty  of  the 
people  of  this  county  to  perpetuate 
the  names  of  their  pioneers,  to  fur- 
nish a  record  of  their  early  settle- 
ment,  and   relate  the  story  of  their  progress. 
The  civilization  of  our  day,  the  enlightenment  of 
the  age,  and  the  duty  that  men  of  the  present 
time  owe  to  their  ancestors,  to  themselves  and  to 
their  posterity,  demand  that  a  record  of  their  lives 
and  deeds  should  be  made.    In  biographical  history 
is  found  a  power  to  instruct  man  by  precedent,  to 
enliven  the  mental  faculties,  and  to  waft  down 
the  river  of  time  a  safe  vessel,  in  which  the  names 
and  t  actions   of  the   people  who  contributed   to 
raise  this  country  from  its  primitive  state  may  be 
.^preserved.      Surely    and   rapidly   the   great  and 
oaged  men,  who  in  their  prime  entered  the  wilder- 
Mness  and  claimed  the  virgin  soil  as  their  heritage, 
are  passing  to  their  graves.     The  number  remain- 
ing who  can  relate  the  incidents  of  the  first  days 
of  settlement  is  becoming  small  indeed,  so  that 
actual  necessity  exists  for  the  collection  and  pres- 
ervation of  events  without  delay,  before  all  the 
early  settlers  are  cut  down  by  the  scythe  of  Time. 
To  be  forgotten  has  been  the  great  dread  of 
-mankind  from  remotest  ages.     All  will  be  forgot- 
<X  ten  soon  enough,  in  spite  of  their  best  works  and 
^»  the  most  earnest  efforts  of  their  friends  to  preserve 
the  memory  of  their  lives.     The  means  employed 
-  to  prevent  oblivion  and  to  perpetuate  their  mem- 
^»ry  have  been  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  intel- 
.   ligence  they  possessed.     The  pyramids  of  Egypt 
;  were  built  to  perpetuate  the  names  and  deeds  of 
i^  its    great    rulers.      The    exhumations  made   by 
the  archaeologists  of  Egypt  from  buried  Memphis 
indicate  a  desire  of  those  people  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  their  achievements.     The  erection  of 
the  great  obelisks    was    for  the  same  purpose. 
Coming  down  to  a  later  period,  we  find  the  Greeks 
Romans   erecting   mausoleums    and    monu- 


ments, and  carving  out  statues  to  chronicle  their 
great  achievements  and  carry  them  down  the 
ages.  It  is  also  evident  that  the  Mound-builders, 
in  piling  up  their  great  mounds  of  earth,  had  but 
this  idea — to  leave  something  to  show  that  they 
had  lived.  All  these  works,  though  many  of 
them  costly  in  the  extreme,  give  but  a  faint  idea 
of  the  lives  and  characters  of  those  whose  memory 
they  were  intended  to  perpetuate,  and  scarcely 
anything  of  the  masses  of  the  people  that  then 
lived.  The  great  pyramids  and  some  of  the 
obelisks  remain  objects  only  of  curiosity;  the 
mausoleums,  monuments  and  statues  are  crumb- 
ling into  dust. 

It  was  left  to  modern  ages  to  establish  an  intel- 
ligent, uudecaying,  immutable  method  of  perpet- 
uating a  full  history — immutable,  in  that  it  is  al- 
most unlimited  in  extent  and  perpetual  in  its  ac- 
tion; and  this  is  through  the  art  of  printing. 

To  the  present  generation,  however,  we  are  in- 
debted for  the  introduction  of  the  admirable  sys- 
tem of  local  biography.  By  this  system  every 
man,  though  he  has  not  achieved  what  the  world 
calls  greatness,  has  the  means  to  perpetuate  his 
life,  his  history,  through  the  coming  ages,  for  the 
benefit  of  his  posterity. 

The  scythe  of  Time  cuts  down  all;  nothing  of 
the  physical  man  is  left.  The  monument  which 
his  children  or  friends  may  erect  to  his  memory 
in  the  cemetery  will  crumble  into  dust  and  pass 
away;  but  his  life,  his  achievements,  the  work  he 
has  accomplished,  which  otherwise  would  be  for- 
gotten, is  perpetuated  by  a  record  of  this  kind. 

To  preserve  the  lineaments  of  our  companions 
we  engrave  their  portraits;  for  the  same  reason 
we  collect  the  attainable  facts  of  their  history. 
Nor  do  we  think  it  necessary,  as  we  speak  only 
truth  of  them,  to  wait  until  they  are  dead,  or  un- 
til those  who  knew  them  are  gone;  and  we  need  be 
ashamed  only  of  publishing  the  history  of  those 
whose  lives  are  unworthy  of  public  record. 


1 022429 


PREFACE. 


The  greatest  of  English  historians,  MACAU- 
LAY,  and  one  of  the  most  brilliant  writers  of  the 
present  century,  has  said:  "The  history  of  a 
country  is  best  told  in  a  record  of  the  lives  of 
its  people."  In  conformity  with  this  idea,  the 
GENEALOGICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  ALBUM  of 
this  county  has  been  prepared.  Instead  of  going 
to  musty  records,  and  taking  therefrom  dry  sta- 
tistical matter  that  can  be  appreciated  by  but  few, 
our  corps  of  writers  have  gone  to  the  people,  the 
men  and  women  who  have,  by  their  enterprise 
and  industry,  brought  the  county  to  a  rank  sec- 
ond to  none  among  those  comprising  this  great 
and  noble  State,  and  from  their  lips  have  ob- 
tained the  story  of  their  life  struggles.  No  more 
interesting  or  instructive  matter  could  be  pre- 
sented to  an  intelligent  public.  In  this  volume 
will  be  found  a  record  of  many  whose  lives  are 
worthy  the  imitation  of  coming  generations.  It 
tells  how  some,  commencing  life  in  poverty,  by 
industry  and  economy  have  accumulated  wealth. 
It  tells  how  others,  with  limited  advantages  for 
securing  an  education,  have  become  learned 
men  and  women,  with  an  influence  extending 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land.  It  tells  of  men  who  have  risen  from  the 
lower  walks  of  life  to  eminence  as  statesmen,  and 
whose  names  have  become  famous.  It  tells  of 
those  in  every  walk  in  life  who  have  striven  to  suc- 
ceed, and  records  how  success  has  usually  crowned 
their  efforts.  It  tells  also  of  many,  very  many, 
who,  not  seeking  the  applause  of  the  world,  have 
pursued  "the  even  tenor  of  their  way,"  content 
to  have  it  said  of  them,  as  Christ  said  of  the 
woman  performing  a  deed  of  mercy — "They  have 
done  what  they  could."  It  tells  how  that  many 


in  the  pride  and  strength  of  young  manhood  left 
the  plow  and  the  anvil,  the  lawyer's  office  and 
the  counting-room,  left  every  trade  and  pro- 
fession, and  at  their  country's  call  went  forth 
valiantly  '  'to  do  or  die, ' '  and  how  through  their 
efforts  the  Union  was  restored  and  peace  once 
more  reigned  in  the  land.  In  the  life  of  every 
man  and  of  every  woman  is  a  lesson  that  should 
not  be  lost  to  those  who  follow  after. 

Coming  generations  will  appreciate  this  vol- 
ume and  preserve  it  as  a  sacred  treasure,  from 
the  fact  that  it  contains  so  much  that  would  never 
find  its  way  into  public  records,  and  which  would 
otherwise  be  inaccessible.  Great  care  has  been 
taken  in  the  compilation  of  the  work,  and  every 
opportunity  possible  given  to  those  represented  to 
insure  correctness  in  what  has  been  written;  and 
the  publishers  flatter  themselves  that  they  give 
to  their  readers  a  work  with  few  errors  of  conse- 
quence. In  addition  to  the  biographical  sketches, 
portraits  of  a  number  of  representative  citizens 
are  given. 

The  faces  of  some,  and  biographical  sketches 
of  many,  will  be  missed  in  this  volume.  For  this 
the  publishers  are  not  to  blame.  Not  having  a 
proper  conception  of  the  work,  some  refused  to 
give  the  information  necessary  to  compile  a  sketch, 
while  others  were  indifferent.  Occasionally  some 
member  of  the  family  would  oppose  the  enter- 
prise, and  on  account  of  such  opposition  the 
support  of  the  interested  one  would  be  withheld. 
In  a  few  instances  men  could  never  be  found, 
though  repeated  calls  were  made  at  their  resi- 
dences or  places  of  business. 

LA  SALLE  BOOK  COMPANY 


ADDENDA. 


The  preparation  of  this  volume  has  involved  the  labor  of  several  years.      Since  the  pages 
were  stereotyped,  time  has  wrought  many  changes. 

Several  of  the  subjects  of  biographies  have  passed  away.     Among  these  are  : 

ELLIOTT  ANTHONY page  375 

A.  G.  BURLEY, 227 

DR.  A.  W.  BURNSIDE 205 

I.  N.  CAMP 546 

E.  H.  CASTLE 544 

J.  D.  CATON,               115 

JACOB  FORSYTH, 87 

C.  M.  HENDERSON, 391 

JOHN  JENKINS        ..........  208 

EDSON  KEITH,            53 

T.  E.  LEWIS 297 

ORRINGTON  LUNT,              503 

WILLIAM  MCGREGOR, 361 

JAMES  MCMAHON,               .....••••  181 

GEORGE  M.  PULLMAN,    .........  231 

REV.  MINER  RAYMOND 178 

K.  G.  SCHMIDT 335 

COL.  J.  A.  SEXTON,           251 

WILLIAM  B.  SNOW 540 

JOHN  SOLLITT,            199 

CAPT.  J.  F.  STAFFORD, 341 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UiVERSITY  OF  ILLW     5 


JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


(JOHN  WENTWORTH.  Probably  no  man 
I  was  held  in  more  affectionate  remembrance 
(2/  by  the  early  settlers  of  northern  Illinois  than 
he  whose  name  heads  this  article.  Nor  could  an 
individual  be  chosen  who  could  more  fittingly  be 
called  a  type  of  American  growth  and  greatness. 
Towering  to  a  height  of  six  feet  six  inches  and 
being  in  his  younger  days  rather  slender,  he  ac- 
quired the  name  of  "  Long  John,"  by  which  he 
was  still  familiarly  known  after  he  had  gained  a 
more  portly  figure  and  a  most  imposing  presence. 
The  Hamptonia,  published  at  New  Hampton 
Academy,  thus  epitomizes  his  public  life  : 

"Mr  Wentworth,  all  through  his  editorial  and 
official  life,  has  shown  himself  not  only  a  man 
of  decided  convictions,  but  has  proved  on  many 
notable  occasions  that  he  had,  under  the  most 
adverse  circumstances,  the  courage  to  follow 
them.  He  has  ever  looked  upon  parties  as  only 
necessary  organizations  for  the  accomplishment 
of  desirable  ends,  and  he  has  no  party  attachments 
beyond  his  assurance  of  right,  always  having 
principles  that  he  wished  sustained  by  the  legis- 
lation of  his  country,  and  always  seeking  po- 
litical organization  that  would  promote  this  object. 
Mr.  Wentworth  has  been  remarkable,  as  a  writer 
and  speaker,  for  conveying  his  ideas  in  the  fewest 
possible  words,  and  for  his  success  in  command- 
ing the  closest  attention  of  promiscuous  audi- 
ences; also  for  his  habits  of  untiring  industry, 


and  for  keeping  such  control  of  his  private  busi- 
ness' that  he  was  ever  independent  of  political 
action." 

The  Domesday  Book  of  1066  shows  that  Regi- 
nald Wentworth — then  called  Rynold  de  Wynter- 
wade — the  ancestor  of  the  Wentworth  family  in 
America,  was  proprietor  of  the  fief  of  Wentworth 
in  the  Wapentake  of  Strafford,  West  Riding  of 
Yorkshire.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  grand- 
son of  John  Wentworth,  junior,  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Continental  Congress  from  New 
Hampshire,  and  signed  the  Articles  of  Confedera- 
tion. He  was  also  a  grandson  of  Col.  Amos 
Coggswell,  who  joined  the  Continental  Army 
under  the  historic  elm  at  Cambridge,  fought  with 
hissix  brothers  through  the  Revolution,  and  aided 
in  forming  the  Society  of  Cincinnati  at  its  close. 

John  Wentworth,  of  whom  this  sketch  is 
written,  was  born  in  the  White  Mountain  region 
of  New  Hampshire,  sometimes  called  the  "Swit- 
zerland of  America,"  at  Sandwich,  Strafford 
County,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  March  15, 
1815.  His  parents  were  Honorable  Paul  and 
Lydia  (Coggswell)  Wentworth.  He  attended 
various  public  and  private  schools  and  academies 
during  his  youth,  where  he  was  ever  ready  with 
new  and  original  work.  In  1830,  while  attending 
New  Hampton  Academy,  he  was  influential  in 
organizing  a  literary  society  for  the  benefit  of  the 
younger  students,  in  which  he  developed  the 


8 


JOHN  WENTWORTH. 


basis  of  that  forensic  talent  for  which  he  was  after- 
wards noted.  As  early  as  1832  he  wrote  articles 
for  the  Democratic  press,  in  defense  of  President 
Jackson's  financial  policy,  which  attracted  favor- 
able attention.  In  that  year  he  entered  Dart- 
mouth College  and  was  graduated  in  1836,  hav- 
ing paid  a  portion  of  his  way  by  teaching.  He 
cast  his  first  vote  for  Isaac  Hill,  the  Democratic 
candidate  for  governor  in  New  Hampshire, 
and  the  same  year,  with  good  recommendations 
and  $100  in  his  pocket,  he  left  home  with 
the  idea  of  settling  somewhere  in  the  West. 
After  a  varied  journey,  made  partly  by  stage, 
partly  by  cars  and  partly  by  canal  and  steam- 
boats, he  arrived  in  Chicago  October  25,  1836. 
He  soon  made  arrangements  to  continue  his  study 
of  law  with  Henry  Moore,  a  pioneer  lawyer  of 
the  city,  but  on  November  23  was  induced  to 
take  editorial  charge  of  the  Chicago  Democrat. 
His  influence  was  so  strong  in  this  stern  advocate 
of  the  people  that  both  citizens  and  owners  urged 
him  to  secure  permanent  charge,  to  which  he 
soon  consented  and  within  three  years  had  paid 
the  purchase  price  of  $2800.  During  these  first 
years  he  was  active  in  city  affairs  and  held  vari- 
ous offices,  writing  on  many  political  subjects, 
besides  makinghis  paper  a  political  power  through- 
out the  Northwest. 

In  spite  of  these  demands  upon  his  time  he  con- 
tinued his  law  studies  and  in  1841  attended  lec- 
tures at  Harvard  College.  He  returned  in  time 
to  take  part  in  the  campaign  of  1842  and  was 
soon  admitted  to  the  bar.  The  election  which 
should  have  been  held  in  1842  was  not  held  until 
August  of  the  next  year,  when  Mr.  Wentworth 
was  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Fourth  Dis- 
trict by  a  large  majority.  Although  but  three 
years  above  the  legal  age  and  without  experience 
in  legislative  bodies,  he  attended  to  his  duties 
as  successfully  as  an  old  parliamentarian  and  was 
re-elected  in  1844,  l846  an(^  1848.  He  declined 
the  office  in  1850,  but  was  again  elected  in  1852, 
from  the  Second  District.  The  Democratic  Re- 
view said  of  his  congressional  career:  ' '  Colonel 
Wentworth' s  political  career  has  been  marked  by 
untiring  industry  and  perseverance,  by  inde- 
pendence of  thought,  expression  and  action,  by  a 


thorough  knowledge  of  human  nature,  by  a  moral 
courage  equal  to  any  crisis,  by  a  self-possession 
that  enables  him  to  avail  himself  of  any  chance  of 
success,  when  on  the  very  threshold  of  defeat, 
and  by  a  steady  devotion  to  what  he  believes  to 
be  the  wishes  and  interests  of  those  whose  repre- 
sentative he  is." 

In  1857  Mr.  Wentworth  was  elected  mayor  of 
Chicago  by  a  large  majority,  and  during  his  term 
and  another  which  he  served  in  1860,  he  adhered 
to  his  old  watchward  of  "Liberty  and  Economy." 
In  each  case  he  found  the  city  in  debt  and  went 
out  of  office  with  money  in  the  treasury.  Dur- 
ing his  first  term  the  first  steam  fire  engine  was 
bought  for  the  city  and  named  "Long  John,"  in 
his  honor.  In  1860  he  had  the  honor  of  enter- 
taining the  Prince  of  Wales,  and  was  assured 
that  in  no  city  were  the  arrangements  more  per- 
fect. In  1 86 1  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  conven- 
tion to  revise  the  state  constitution,  and  in  the 
same  year  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  board  of 
education.  He  was  ever  a  friend  of  education 
and  used  his  influence  to  defend  the  school  funds 
and  school  system  from  various  attacks. 

Concerning  Mr.  Wentworth' s  action  on  the 
slavery  question,  the  famous  abolitionist,  Zebina 
Eastman,  wrote:  "In  politics  Colonel  Wentworth 
has  ever  acted  with  the  old-line  Democratic 
party;  but  when  the  old  parties  became  split  up, 
he  went  with  such  other  Democrats  as  Hamlin, 
Wilmot,  King,  Trumbull,  Fremont,  Blair  and 
others,  into  what  is  known  as  the  Republican 
movement.  To  the  success  of  this  movement 
Colonel  Wentworth  has,  by  public  speeches,  by 
writing  in  his  newspaper,  and  by  efforts  in  every 
other  way,  bent  all  his  energies.  And  if  there  is 
any  truth  in  the  old  adage  that  the  tree  which 
bears  the  best  fruit  is  always  known  by  its  re- 
ceiving the  greatest  number  of  clubs,  Colonel 
Wentworth  is  singled  out  as  one  of  the  most 
effective  laborers  in  the  ranks  of  the  opposition 
to  slavery  extension." 

After  leaving  Congress  Mr.  Wentworth  passed 
many  happy  hours  on  his  extensive  stock  farm  at 
Summit,  Cook  County,  though  he  was  often 
called  upon  by  his  fellow-citizens  to  fill  some 
public  office.  He  was  an  able  writer  on  histori- 


WILLIAM  DOEPP. 


cal  and  genealogical  subjects  and  a  valued  mem- 
ber of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society.  One  of  his 
important  contributions  in  this  line  is  the  Went- 
worth  Genealogy,  in  three  volumes  He  joined 
the  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows  soon  after  coming 
to  Chicago  and  was  a  member  of  the  Calumet 
Club.  He  died  October  16,  1888. 
On  November  13,  1844,  Mr.  Wentworth  was 


married  to  Roxanna  Marie,  only  daughter  of 
Riley  and  Roxanna  (Atwater)  Loomis,  of  Troy, 
New  York.  Five  children  were  born  of  this 
marriage,  but  only  one,  Roxanna  Atwater, 
reached  maturity.  She  became  the  wife  of  Clar- 
ence Bowen  January  27,  1892.  Mrs.  Wentworth 
passed  away  after  many  years  of  delicate  health, 
February  5,  1870. 


WILLIAM  DOEPP. 


fDQlLLIAM  DOEPP,  M.  D.,  who  was  one  of 

I  A/  t^le  most  skillful  physicians  in  Cook 
Y  V  County,  was  born  in  Rodenberg,  province 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  October  17,  1831.  When 
but  a  lad  he  entered  a  drug  store  in  Hanover,  as 
clerk,  this  establishment  receiving  the  patronage 
of  the  royal  family.  Having  decided  on  his  call- 
ing in  life,  he  completed  a  college  course,  and 
later  a  course  in  medicine  at  Marburg. 

In  1856  he  decided  to  come  to  America,  and  by 
acting  as  ship's  surgeon,  secured  free  passage  on 
a  sailing  vessel,  and  after  a  tempestuous  voyage 
arrived  in  New  York,  whence  he  proceeded  at 
once  to  Chicago.  For  one  year  he  followed  his 
profession,  with  an  office  in  Madison  Street,  but 
was  burned  out,  and  in  1858  bought  land  among 
some  friends  in  the  town  of  Bloom,  about  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Chicago.  His  purchase  consisted 
of  wooded  land,  which  he  cleared  and  otherwise 
improved,  at  the  same  time  keeping  up  a  med- 
ical practice.  This  locality  was  still  a  wilderness, 
and  deer  and  wolves  were  plenty.  The  pioneer 
physician  experienced  many  hardships  and  dan- 
gers. He  traveled  on  horseback,  was  frequently 
obliged  to  ford  the  streams,  and  often  lost  his 
way,  where  there  were  no  roads.  Dr.  Doepp 
was  the  only  physician  in  Homewood  for  some 
time,  and  continued  a  general  practice,  which 
extended  over  a  large  area.  With  a  frugality  true 


to  the  training  and  tiaditions  of  his  native  land, 
he  saved  a  fair  portion  of  his  income,  and  wisely 
invested  his  surplus  in  real  estate,  which  he  im- 
proved. He  built  several  business  blocks  in  Chi- 
cago, one  of  them  being  the  Doepp  Block,  at  the 
corner  of  Clybourn  and  Fullerton  Avenues. 

As  a  result  of  following  the  natural  course  of 
his  mind  in  his  early  training,  the  subject  of  this 
notice  was  ever  a  close  student  of  the  natural 
sciences.  He  also  read  voluminously  on  histor- 
ical subjects,  and  gave  close  attention  to  history 
as  it  was  enacted  during  his  lifetime.  He  was, 
withal,  a  keen  lover  of  nature,  and  took  especial 
delight  in  animal  life.  His  taste  in  this  direction 
was  shown  by  the  fine  fish  pond  which  he  main- 
tained, and  by  his  aviary,  which  contained  many 
rare  foreign  birds,  among  them  the  European 
nightingale.  He  also  took  great  interest  in  do- 
mestic animals,  and  was  proud  of  his  choice  herd 
of  Jersey  cattle. 

In  his  home  it  was,  however,  that  he  found  his 
greatest  comfort,  and  he  will  ever  be  remem- 
bered as  a  kind,  loving  father  and  husband. 
With  friends  and  acquaintances  he  was  gentle 
and  considerate,  possessing  that  geniality  of  na- 
ture so  essential  to  the  successful  physician.  He 
was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  and  of  great  in- 
fluence among  his  fellow-citizens.  He  was  a 
liberal  supporter  of  the  German  Lutheran 


10 


A.  G.  DOEPP. 


Church,  with  which  he  was  connected,  and  was 
active  in  the  interests  of  the  Democratic  party, 
and  held  many  local  offices.  He  was  at  one 
time  a  candidate  for  State  Senator  in  his  district, 
but  was  defeated  at  the  polls  by  Mr.  Campbell. 
He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of  his 
village,  where  he  was  popular  with  all  parties. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  chairman  of  the 
village  board.  Although  a  plain  and  unassum- 
ing man,  he  occasionally  made  public  speeches, 
especially  for  the  benefit  of  personal  friends  or 
his  fellow-countrymen.  He  was  a  man  of  robust 
health,  and  suffered  very  little  from  sickness  up 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  when  he  succumbed, 
April  16,  1897,  to  an  attack  of  pneumonia,  which 
had  lasted  five  days. 

Dr.  Doepp  was  married  at  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin, July  13,  1859,  to  Miss  Lillie  Pauline 
Stoltz,  of  that  city.  She  was  born  in  New  Jer- 
sey, of  German  parentage,  and  survives  her  hus- 
band. Ten  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Doepp.  Johannah  is  the  wife  of  William  C. 
Scupham,  a  druggist  at  No.  63  State  Street,  Chi- 
cago. Louis  is  an  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railway.  William  L.  is  a  physi- 
cian of  Chicago,  and  is  connected  with  the  Ger- 


man hospital.  Edward  is  a  physician  at  Blue 
Island.  Frederick  F.  follows  the  same  profession 
at  Homewood.  Augusta  and  Albert  G.  reside 
with  their  mother,  the  son  being  a  dentist,  with 
an  office  in  the  Venetian  Building,  Chicago.  Ju- 
lia, Herman  and  Lillie  are  the  three  youngest; 
the  second  is  employed  by  Bullock  &  Company, 
in  Chicago,  and  the  other  two  reside  at  the  old 
home. 

Frederick  F.  Doepp  was  born  in  Bloom,  Illi- 
nois, October  29,  1867,  and  received  a  common- 
school  education.  He  subsequently  graduated 
from  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  was 
a  clerk  in  a  drug  store  on  State  Street  for  six 
years.  Later  he  took  a  position  in  the  Cook 
County  Hospital,  but  after  a  few  months  entered 
the  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1894.  He  then 
began  practicing  with  his  father,  and  since  the 
latter's  death  has  continued  the  work  alone.  He 
is  also  administrator  of  his  father's  estate.  He 
is  connected  with  Un  Sigma  Un  Fraternity,  and 
is  local  examiner  for  Homewood  Camp,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  His  sister  resides  with 
him.  He  is  now  president  of  the  village  of 
Homewood,  of  which  his  brother  is  treasurer. 


ALBERT  G.  DOEPP. 


GILBERT  GEORGE  DOEPP,  one  of  the  most 
LJ  successful  practicing  dentistsof  Chicago,  was 
I  1  born  February  16,  1872,  at  Homewood,  the 
suburban  home  of  his  parents,  and  received  his 
primary  education  in  that  village.  He  spent  one 
year  at  the  Cook  County  Normal  School,  and 
pursued  a  business  course  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Business  College. 

Dr.  Doepp  is  possessed  of  great  musical  talent, 
and    gave    considerable  time  to   its  cultivation, 


while  pursuing  his  other  studies.  He  took  in- 
struction on  the  violin  at  the  Chicago  Musical 
College  for  three  years,  and  became  a  very  pro- 
ficient and  pleasing  performer.  His  talent  is 
employed  chiefly  in  his  own  amusement  and  for 
the  gratification  and  pleasure  of  his  friends. 

Having  decided  upon  the  profession  of  dentistry 
as  a  life  work,  he  entered  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity Dental  College,  and  was  graduated  in  the 
spring  of  1897.  He  immediately  opened  an  of- 


JOSEPH  SANTA. 


ii 


fice  in  the  Venetian  Building,  where  he  spends 
five  days  each  week,  devoting  one  day  and  much 
of  his  evenings  to  home  patrons  in  his  native 
village,  where  he  continues  to  reside.  He  is  ac- 
tive in  local  affairs,  and  is  the  present  treasurer 
of  the  village  of  Homewood.  Politically  he  sus- 
tains the  Democratic  party,  and  wields  consider- 
able influence  in  his  home  neighborhood.  His 


genial  nature  and  pleasant  manners  make  him 
popular  with  any  who  may  be  privileged  to  meet 
him,  and  his  friends  are  numbered  by  his  ac- 
quaintances. He  is  a  member  of  the  Odonto- 
graphic  Dental  Society,  and  is  active  in  promoting 
the  welfare  of  Homewood  Camp,  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  of  which  camp  he  is  now 
Venerable  Consul. 


JOSEPH  SANTA. 


(JOSEPH  SANTA,  one  of  the  few  survivors 
I  among  the  followers  of  the  Hungarian  patriot, 
(2/  Kossuth,  who,  owing  to  the  failure  of  their 
revolution,  were  expatriated  and  obliged  to  seek 
in  America  the  freedom  for  which  they  fought, 
has  resided  in  Chicago  since  October  i,  1851,  and 
has  shown  by  the  ready  manner  in  which  he  has 
adapted  himself  to  American  ideas  that  he  and 
his  compatriots  were  well  worthy  of  the  repub- 
lican government  for  which  they  contended. 
Mr.  Santa  was  born  in  Fernezely,  in  the  District 
of  Comitat  Szathmar,  Hungary,  January  20, 
1825,  and  is  a  son  of  Andrew  Santa,  who  held  a 
position  in  the  Forestry  Department  of  the  Hun- 
garian Government.  After  completing  the  course 
of  study  in  the  parish  school,  the  son  attended 
the  gymnasium  near  his  native  place  for  six  years 
and  subsequently  followed  his  natural  literary 
bent  by  taking  a  two-years'  course  in  an  academy. 
Thus  he  was  well  equipped  mentally  for  the  battle 
of  life  and  for  two  years  served  in  the  Forestry 
Department  of  the  Government. 

About  this  time  the  people  of  Hungary  were 
becoming  uneasy  under  their  yoke  of  tyranny, 
and,  fired  by  the  hope  of  securing  a  free  govern- 
ment, young  Santa  joined  the  forces  of  the  im- 
mortal Kossuth  and  followed  General  Bern 
throughout  the  Revolution.  At  the  close  of  the 
sanguinary  struggle  he  had  risen  to  the  rank  of 
first  lieutenant,  and  on  the  advice  of  the  general 


in  command,  he  left  Hungary  in  company  with 
about  two  hundred  other  patriots,  taking  refuge 
in  Turkey.  There  they  were  obliged  to  lay 
down  their  arms  and  were  held  as  prisoners  of 
war  for  a  year,  when  they  were  given  their  choice 
of  three  propositions:  to  remain  in  Turkey,  to 
return  to  their  homes,  or  to  emigrate  to  some  other 
country,  their  transportation  to  be  provided  by 
the  Turkish  government.  Having  read  of  the 
struggle  for  liberty  in  America  and  of  the  wel- 
come offered  there  to  the  persecuted  of  all  nations, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  decided  to  make  that 
country  his  future  home  and  accordingly  took  pas- 
sage for  Southampton,  England,  whence  he  con- 
tinued his  journey  to  New  York.  Lord  Stanley 
Stewart,  an  English  philanthropist,  furnished 
passage  for  the  party  of  exiles  from  Southampton 
to  New  York,  and  Mr.  Cochrane,  a  banker  of 
Washington,  recently  deceased,  helped  the  party 
from  New  York  to  Iowa,  where  land  and  the 
necessary  implements  for  farming  were  furnished 
them.  But  reaching  Chicago  late  in  the  year 
they  were  prevailed  upon  to  remain  there  rather 
than  undertake  a  further  journey  across  the  bleak 
prairies. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Santa  was  unable  to  speak 
either  English  or  German,  though  he  wrote  and 
spoke  fluently  three  other  languages.  He  was 
on  this  account  unfitted  to  take  up  work  for 
which  he  was  otherwise  well  qualified,  and  farm 


12 


HANS  LARSEN. 


labor  seemed  his  most  available  opportunity. 
After  a  short  time  spent  in  this  work  in  Du  Page 
County  he  returned  to  Cook  County  and  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Crosby  Distilling  Company, 
where  he  soon  rose  to  the  position  of  second  fore- 
man, remaining  with  the  company  seven  years. 
He  then  learned  the  trade  of  cooper,  at  which  he 
worked  about  eight  years.  His  next  venture 
was  in  the  grocery  business,  his  store  being  lo- 
cated in  what  is  now  Milton  Avenue.  Subse- 
quently he  bought  property  in  Larrabee  Street, 
where  he  erected  a  store  and  carried  on  his  busi- 
ness successfully  until  the  great  fire  of  1871. 
This  terrible  conflagration  destroyed  most  of  his 
savings  of  a  period  of  twenty  years,  all  that  was 
left  him  being  his  real  estate. 

Having  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow-citizens  he  was  appointed  by  Timothy 
Bradley,  sheriff  of  Cook  County,  to  the  office  of 
deputy  sheriff,  and  served  under  Judge  Porter 
until  the  latter's  death,  in  1873.  He  was  then 
selected  by  Judge  Gary  as  bailiff,  and  served  in 
that  capacity  until  July  8,  1890.  Since  that  time 
he  was  not  engaged  actively  in  business,  the  care 
of  his  property  and  his  social  duties  occupying 
much  of  his  time,  until  December,  1898,  when  he 
was  again  selected  by  Judge  Gary  as  his  personal 
bailiff. 


Mr.  Santa  has  ever  taken  a  sincere  interest  in 
the  welfare  of  his  fellow-men,  and  especially  in 
that  of  his  fellow-countrymen.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Sons  of  Herman  and  has 
filled  all  the  important  offices  in  that  society,  in- 
cluding that  of  national  president.  He  has  held 
the  same  position  in  the  German  order  of  the 
Harugari.  He  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church,  and  has  taken  consider- 
able part  in  the  effective  work  of  that  organiza- 
tion, being  at  present  connected  with  Uhlich  Or- 
phan Asylum.  In  politics  Mr.  Santa  has  followed 
the  fortunes  of  the  Republican  party,  having 
joined  it  upon  its  organization.  Since  learning 
the  German  and  English  languages  he  has  be- 
come quite  proficient  in  their  use  and  has  con- 
tinued his  studies  along  literary  lines.  He  has 
contributed  numerous  articles  to  the  German 
press  of  the  city  and  also  to  a  number  of  society 
papers  throughout  the  country. 

July  19,  1853,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
married  to  Miss  Jane  Urquhart,  who  remained 
his  helpmeet  until  her  death  in  November,  1876. 
Of  the  children  of  this  marriage,  three  are  living, 
namely:  William,  Edward  and  Catherine,  the 
last-named  being  now  Mrs.  Frank  Hoist.  All 
are  residents  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Santa  was  married 
a  second  time,  in  1877,  to  Mrs.  Louise  Weise. 


HANS   LARSEN. 


NANS   LARSEN,  one  of  the  successful  busi- 
ness men  and  respected  citizens  of  the  por- 
tion of  Chicago  where  he  is  located,  was 
born  in  Denmark,  March  20,  1858,  and  possesses 
all  the  perseverance,  energy  and  ambition  of  the 
natives  of  the  country  where   he  was  born  and 
spent  the  first  part  of  his  varied  career.     He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  until  twenty-one   years  of  age, 
and  received  the  advantages  of  the  schools  of  his 


birthplace  for  seven  years.  The  most  of  his 
knowledge  has  been  obtained  in  the  vast  school 
of  experience,  and  he  has  profited  by  the  advan- 
tages that  have  fallen  to  his  lot. 

He  has  never  been  above  honest  labor,  and  for 
a  long  time  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  was  em- 
ployed by  the  day  by  other  men.  He  arrived  in 
America  in  1880,  and  traveled  directly  to  Chi- 
cago. His  first  service  was  in  a  lumber  yard, 


FRANK  SPAMER. 


where  he  received  a  dollar  and  one-half  per  day  as 
compensation  during  the  first  year,  and  one  dol- 
lar and  seventy-five  cents  during  the  second  year. 
He  subsequently  began  work  at  the  trade  of  car- 
penter, which  he  followed  two  years,  receiving 
two  dollars  per  day  during  the  second  year. 

Mr.  Larsen  then  decided  to  change  his  mode 
of  work,  and  was  employed  four  years  by  J.  S. 
Kirk  &  Company,  soap  manufacturers.  He  was 
in  the  soda  department  the  last  two  years.  De- 
ciding to  embark  in  the  grocery  business,  he  lo- 
cated at  No.  428  Grand  Avenue,  then  West 
Indiana  Street,  and  was  thus  occupied  six  years. 
When  Mayor  Washburne  was  elected  he  was  ap- 
pointed on  the  police  force  and  served  until  Oc- 
tober 26,  1897.  He  was  first  at  Sheffield  Ave- 
nue, in  the  Forty-first  Precinct,  remaining  there 
five  years.  He  was  for  the  same  length  of  time 
at  Atwell  Street,  Thirty-fifth  Precinct,  and  after 
retiring  from  the  police  force,  established  his  pres- 


ent business,  dealing  in  flour  and  feed.  He  has 
built  up  a  profitable  trade  and  his  success  is  en- 
tirely due  to  his  own  energetic  efforts  and  busi- 
ness ability. 

Mr.  Larsen  was  fortunate  in  the  selection  of  a 
very  suitable  and  helpful  life  companion,  in  the 
person  of  Annie  Carlsland,  who  has  aided  in 
making  his  home  harmonious  and  pleasant.  They 
were  married  in  Chicago,  May  15,  1886.  Of  the 
five  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Larsen,  but 
three  are  living,  Gerhard,  Hazel  and  Esther.  Mr. 
Larsen  is  a  member  of  the  Policemen's  Benevolent 
Association,  and  is  also  connected  with  the  Royal 
League.  He  is  a  stanch  and  thorough  Republi- 
can, and  his  influence  in  favor  of  his  party  is 
made  manifest  at  all  favorable  opportunities.  He 
is  a  self-made  man,  having  started  in  a  strange 
land,  with  no  financial  capital,  and  has  made  his 
own  way  since  establishing  himself  in  the  great 
business  world. 


FRANK  SPAMER. 


f~  RANK  SPAMER,  JUNIOR,  who  is  one  of 
rQ  the  most  enterprising  and  successful  busi- 
I  ness  men  in  Chicago,  is  an  old  and  ex- 
perienced hand  at  his  business  and  holds  an 
enviable  position  among  men  in  his  line.  He 
was  born  May  8,  1859,  in  Beverly,  Massachusetts, 
and  is  a  son  of  Franz  and  Elizabeth  Margaret 
Spamer,  of  whom  mention  is  made  in  another 
article.  He  received  a  fairly  good  education,  and 
being  naturally  apt,  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
books,  as  well  as  the  ways  of  the  great  business 
world. 

Frank  Spamer  attended  the  Newberry  and 
Franklin  Schools  and  took  commercial  law, 
bookkeeping  and  rhetoric  at  the  Athenaeum,  at- 
tending one  winter.  He  was,  later,  at  public 
night  school  and  one  year  in  the  Metropolitan 


Business  College.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he 
left  school  and  began  to  seek  employment.  He 
accepted  a  position  in  the  employ  of  Fred  Kaemp- 
fer,  a  bird  fancier,  and  after  one  year,  entered  the 
service  of  Edward  Buchler,  who  kept  a  foreign 
book  store  at  No.  235  State  Street,  with  whom 
he  remained  two  years.  He  then  became  an  em- 
ploye of  Adams  &  Westlake,  hardware  specialty 
manufacturers.  He  started  in  as  an  apprentice 
and  remained  three  years,  after  which  he  ob- 
tained a  position  with  Leahy  Brothers,  wholesale 
dry  goods  dealers.  He  served  three  years,  and 
was  six  subsequent  months  in  the  capacity  of 
salesman  employed  by  C.  W.  M.  Friedlander. 
He  traveled  three  years  for  the  Cincinnati  house 
of  Enneking,  Hartkemeyer  &  Company,  manu- 
facturers of  tailors'  trimmings,  visiting  cities 


JOHN  BARTELL. 


through  Iowa,  Illinois,  Northern  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin.  Mr.  Spamer  was  occupied  one  year 
with  the  same  duties,  traveling  through  his  old 
territory,  for  the  New  York  house  of  Richard 
Adams  &  Company,  dealers  in  tailors'  trim- 
mings. 

Subsequently,  with  W.  G.  Sheridan,  he  opened 
a  tailor  shop  at  No.  125  Dearborn  Street,  Chi- 
cago, the  firm  name  becoming  Sheridan  & 
Spamer.  The  partnership  was  dissolved  is  less 
than  one  year  and  Mr.  Spamer  entered  into  a  like 
enterprise  with  Peter  Steinmetz,  the  name  being 
Steinmetz  &  Spamer,  located  at  No.  183  North 
Avenue.  This  continued  four  years  and  Mr. 
Spamer  continued  business  alone  at  No.  41  Ran- 
dolph Street,  three  and  one-half  years.  His  last 


move  was  to  enter  into  partnership  with  Peter  F. 
Jensen,  a  corporation  being  formed  in  September, 
1895,  and  continuing  to  the  present  date,  under 
the  title  of  Spamer  &  Jensen  Company. 

Mr.  Spamer  was  married  May  8,  1883,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Ellen  Blackburn,  daughter  of  Adam 
Blackburn,  who  is  mentioned  at  length  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  Their  only  child  is 
Frank  Blackburn,  who  was  born  July  23,  1884. 
Mr.  Spamer  has  a  pleasant  home  at  No.  303 
Sheffield  Avenue.  He  is  a  member  of  Lincoln 
Park  Lodge  No.  611,  Ancient  Free  &  Accepted 
Masons,  and  is  a  firm  supporter  of  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  was  reared  in  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  adheres  to  the  faith 
of  his  fathers. 


JOHN  BARTELL. 


(lOHN  BARTELL,  a  prominent  carpenter  and 
I  builder  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  was  born  in 
G/  Hessen-Cassel,  Germany,  June  2,  1828,  and 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret  Bartell,  both  of 
whom  died  in  the  Fatherland.  Of  their  eight 
children,  four  came  to  America,  namely:  Chris- 
toph,  Katharine,  Louise  and  John.  Christoph 
and  John  came  to  America  in  1846,  sailing  from 
Bremen.  After  a  voyage  of  eleven  weeks  on  the 
sailing  vessel  ."Rob  Roy,"  they  landed  in  the 
United  States  and  located  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land. 

In  this  city  they  worked  at  their  trade  for 
some  years.  Christoph  remained  there  and  be- 
came a  very  prominent  citizen.  He  served  in 
the  state  legislature  during  the  Civil  war  and  died 
in  Baltimore  in  1885.  John  became  occupied  at 
his  trade  in  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  New  York 
and  other  cities  and  made  his  home  in  Baltimore 
until  1856.  He  visited  his  native  land  in  1852. 
In  1856  he  came  to  Chicago  and  was  employed  by 


other  men  until  shortly  before  the  fire  of  1871, 
when  he  began  building  and  contracting  on  his 
own  account.  He  confined  his  operations  mostly 
to  the  building  of  private  residences.  For  thirty 
years  he  has  been  located  at  No.  189  Washington 
Street,  or  in  that  neighborhood. 

He  has  supported  the  Republican  party  since 
its  organization,  but  has  never  sought  public  office 
of  any  kind.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Foresters' 
Order.  Decembers,  1852,  he  married  Miss  Eliza 
Rise,  a  native  of  Bavaria.  She  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1844,  with  her  parents,  Stephen  and 
Dorothy  Rise,  who  settled  in  Baltimore,  where 
both  died  several  years  ago.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bar- 
tell  have  lost  one  child  by  death  and  have  seven 
children  living,  namely:  Henry,  Emma,  Oscar, 
Richard,  William,  Amanda  and  Hattie.  He  is  a 
man  of  excellent  character,  morally,  though  not 
a  member  of  any  religious  organization.  He  is 
well  known  as  a  gentleman,  in  the  best  sense  of 
the  word,  and  has  many  true  friends. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLIF 


JAMES  JOHNSON. 


(From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT). 


MRS.  JAMES  JOHNSON. 


(From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT). 


OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLIN 


JAMES  JOHNSON. 


JAMES  JOHNSON. 


(lAMES  JOHNSON,  who  is  now  living  re- 
I  tired,  is  a  worthy  old  settler  of  Chicago  and 
Q)  one  of  the  wealthy  and  substantial  citizens  of 
the  portion  of  the  city  which  was  once  Englewood. 
His  marvelous  success  is  altogether  due  to  his 
own  efforts.  He  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
January  14,  1832,  and  is  a  son  of  James  and 
Eleanor  (Wilson)  Johnson,  the  former  of  Scotch- 
Irish  and  the  latter  of  English  parentage. 

James  Johnson  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  city  in  which  he  was  born  and  his 
father  dying  when  James  was  a  small  boy,  he  was 
early  forced  to  look  after  his  own  interests  and 
begin  the  battle  of  life.  He  was  for  a  short  time 
employed  in  a  brick  yard.  In  1847  he  came 
west  to  Illinois  and  located  in  Du  Page  County. 
The  following  year  his  mother  came  to  Illinois 
and  brought  with  her  her  two  daughters.  His 
mother  died  in  Englewood  in  the  year  1866 
and  her  remains  were  interred  in  Downer's 
Grove. 

Mr.  Johnson  lived  in  the  region  of  Downer's 
Grove  until  the  gold  fever  broke  out  in  1849, 
when  he  went  to  California,  traveling  from  New 
York  by  boat.  He  remained  four  years  and  was 
blessed  with  very  good  success.  In  1853  he  re- 
turned east,  and  in  Fayette  County,  Iowa,  pur- 
chased a  farm  and  lived  there  nearly  ten  years. 
In  1863  he  entered  the  service  of  the  government 
and  was  in  the  quartermaster's  department  one 
year.  He  then  located  in  Englewood,  which  was 
then  called  Rock  Island  Junction,  and  contained 
only  about  a  dozen  houses. 


He  subsequently  became  occupied  at  making 
hay  in  the  summer  months  and  teaming  and 
general  contracting  in  the  winter.  He  took  the 
contract  for  drawing  the  rock  for  the  Transit 
House  at  the  stock  yards.  He  has  since  resided 
in  this  locality,  having  purchased  property  when 
the  town  was  still  young  and  growing  fast.  His 
land  increased  in  value,  enabling  him  to  live  in 
retirement  since  1885.  When  the  place  was 
known  as  the  Town  of  Lake,  he  was  in  charge  of 
the  fire  station  three  years. 

Mr.  Johnson  has  been  a  Republican  since  the 
party  was  organized  and  his  first  presidential 
vote  was  cast  for  John  C.  Fremont.  He  has 
never  held  public  office  but  was  always  a  promi- 
nent worker  and  influential  in  the  promotion  of 
good  for  his  party.  He  has  for  many  years  been 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  being  a  charter 
member  of  Englewood  Lodge  No.  690,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

In  1860  he  married  Miss  Hattie  Boydston, 
who  was  the  mother  of  his  only  son,  Elmer,  who 
now  resides  in  Nebraska.  November  26,  1879, 
he  married  Mrs.  Louise,  widow  of  Henry  Nie- 
meyer.  Mrs.  Johnson  was  born  October  18, 
1839,  in  Hanover,  Germany.  (See  biography  of 
Henry  Niemeyer  on  another  page  of  this  work.) 
Mrs.  James  Johnson  was  for  some  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Hoff- 
nung  Rebekah  Lodge,  and  was  one  of  the  first 
lady  members  initiated.  She  is  at  present  and 
has  been  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Ladies' 
Aid  Society  of  Ulich  Orphan  Asylum.  Mr. 


i6 


HENRY  KELLER. 


Johnson  was  reared  iu  the  faith  of  the  Methodist 
Church, while  his  wife  is  a  Lutheran.  They  have 
a  pleasant  home  and  enjoy  the  respect  and  con- 
fidence of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnson  possess  pleasant,  genial 
natures,  full  of  hospitality  and  good  will  toward 
their  fellows.  Mr.  Johnson  has  a  sterling 
character,  a  strong  sense  of  the  right,  and  his 


views  on  all  matters  are  tempered  with  justice, 
liberality  and  moderation.  He  is  upright  in  all 
his  dealings,  and  his  influence  is  always  given  to 
those  enterprises  that  promote  the  public  good. 
He  is  a  high  type  of  the  self-made  man,  who  has 
won  success  by  his  untiring  industry  and  un- 
swerving integrity,  and  his  example  is  worthy  of 
emulation  by  this  rising  generation. 


HENRY  KELLER. 


HENRY  KELLER,  who  is  now  living  re- 
tired, is  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  in- 
fluential of  Chicago's  citizens.  He  is  one  of 
the  worthy  pioneers  of  the  city,  having  resided 
within  its  limits  since  the  year  1852.  He  was 
born  August  12,  1831,  in  Hochhausen  on 
Neckar,  near  Mosbach,  Baden,  Germany,  and  is 
a  son  of  Philip  and  Regina  (Fry)  Keller.  His 
grandfather  was  also  named  Philip,  and  both  the 
father  and  grandfather  were  residents  of  the  city 
of  Chicago. 

The  famil3r,  consisting  of  the  grandfather, 
Philip  Keller,  his  son  Philip  and  six  other  chil- 
dren, left  Germany  in  March,  1853.  They 
embarked  at  Rotterdam  in  a  sailing  ship  bound 
for  New  York,  and  though  they  had  a  stormy 
passage,  reached  their  destined  harbor  in  thirty- 
five  days.  The  entire  family  came  directly  to 
Chicago,  arriving  here  about  the  middle  of  May. 
The  Keller  family  was  a  very  old  and  respected 
one  in  the  land  of  its  origin,  and  was  founded  in 
Germany  by  a  very  remote  ancestor,  who  went 
there  from  Alsace-Lorraine.  For  many  genera- 
tions the  members  of  the  family  were  shepherds. 
Philip  Keller,  senior,  grandfather  of  Henry,  died 
in  the  same  year  the  family  settled  in  America,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

Philip  Keller,  junior,  was  a  shepherd  until 
1 842,  and  then  became  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  following 


the  occupation  until  the  year  of  his  emigration. 
He  was  possessed  of  one  thousand  dollars  in  gold 
at  that  time,  and  assisted  his  son  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  1863,  aged  sixty-two  years.  His 
wife  survived  him  ten  years,  dying  at  seventy- 
two  years  of  age.  Of  the  family  born  to  this 
worthy  couple  but  four  are  living.  Johanna, 
who  is  the  widow  of  Joseph  Karl,  became  the 
mother  of  one  son,  Henry.  Elizabeth,  the  widow 
of  William  Gunther,  has  two  children.  Henry 
is  the  next  in  order  of  birth,  and  Katharine  is  the 
wife  of  Adam  Grimer,  of  Chicago. 

Henry  Keller  attended  school  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  fourteen  years,  after  which  time  he 
attended  night  school.  He  was  reared  to  the 
occupation  of  a  shepherd.  During  the  first  two 
years  of  his  life  in  Chicago  he  was  employed  as  a 
butcher  in  the  North  and  South  Markets.  In 
1854  he  opened  a  market  of  his  own  at  the 
corner  of  South  Wells  (now  Fifth  Avenue)  and 
Harrison  Streets,  and  carried  on  business  one 
year,  and  then  moved  to  No.  48  Rees  Street,  on 
the  North  Side,  and  conducted  a  market  at  this 
location  several  years. 

In  1858  he  purchased  a  lot  at  the  corner  of 
Larrabee  Street  and  Clybourn  Avenue,  and  at 
this  place  continued  to  carry  on  business  until 
the  fire  of  1871,  when  he  lost  all  of  his  property, 
with  the  exception  of  his  real  estate,  obtaining 


HEN'RY    KELLER. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 


CAPT.  FREDERICK  GUND. 


but  meager  insurance.  His  loss  was  several 
thousand  dollars.  He  moved  to  Lake  View  sub- 
sequent to  the  fire,  and  located  on  the  corner  of 
Lincoln  and  Fullerton  Avenues,  beginning  busi- 
ness three  days  after  the  fire.  He  continued  to 
conduct  a  market  at  this  location,  and  at  the  same 
time  he  was  keeping  a  market  at  the  corner  of 
Larrabee  Street  and  Clybourn  Avenue,  in  a 
building  which  he  erected  for  the  purpose.  He 
continued  in  business  until  the  year  1894,  when 
he  retired  from  active  life.  Mr.  Keller  has 
always  been  of  a  vigorous  constitution,  enjoying 
the  best  of  health  at  all  times. 

He  has  taken  little  interest  in  politics  beyond 
following  out  the  duty  of  every  American 
citizen,  that  of  voting,  and  upholds  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  a  valued  and  respected 
member  of  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran 


Church.  He  is  connected  with  the  South  Side 
Sharpshooters'  Club  and  since  1885  has  been  one 
of  the  directors  of  theUlich  Orphan  Asylum. 

In  1855  he  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline 
Gunther,  who  was  born  in  Milverstadt,  Prussia, 
Germany.  She  came  to  Chicago  with  her 
mother  in  1852,  her  father  having  died  on  the 
ocean,  while  on  his  way  with  them  to  America 
The  mother  died  in  Blue  Island  in  1853.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Keller  have  three  daughters  and  one 
son  living.  Philip  H.  resides  at  the  corner  of 
Seminary  Avenue  and  Wellington  Street.  Eliza- 
beth is  the  wife  of  William  Lester,  Julia  of 
Albert  Baldwin  and  Emma  is  now  Mrs.  W.  C. 
Jacob.  The  family  is  highly  respected  wherever 
its  members  are  known,  and  the  name  is,  and 
will  always  continue  to  be,  among  the  first  and 
most  prominent  in  the  city  of  Chicago. 


CAPT.  FREDERICK  GUND. 


EAPT.  FREDERICK  GUND,  who  is  a  retired 
city  official,  has  been  identified  with  Chicago 
since  1847,  and  has  resided  on  the  North 
Side  this  entire  length  of  time.  He  was  born 
December  i,  1823,  in  Baden,  Germany,  and  his 
parents  were  Anton  and  Anna  Eva  Gund.  They 
died  in  Germany , the  father  in  1829  and  the  mother 
in  1868.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  children, 
three  sons  and  two  daughters,  but  only  Frederick 
and  his  brother,  John  A.  Gund,  came  to  America 
and  the  latter  died  in  Chicago  in  the  year  1868, 
having  been  in  this  country  a  period  of  twenty 
years. 

Frederick  Gund  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  edu- 
cated in  a  public  school.  He  assisted  in  the 
duties  of  farming  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  standing 
army  of  Germany.  He  served  five  years,  enter- 


ing as  a  private  and  being  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  orderly  sergeant.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1847 
he  sailed  from  Bremen  in  a  small  two-masted 
ship.  After  a  voyage  of  fifty-two  days  he  was 
landed  in  New  York,  and  spent  about  two 
months  with  a  friend  in  Troy,  New  York, 
where  he  was  employed  in  a  brush  factory. 
He  then  came  west  to  Chicago,  and  having 
brought  a  little  money  with  him  from  his  native 
land  he  soon  began  business  and  engaged  a  num- 
ber of  hands  at  making  cigars.  He  continued 
this  business,  with  his  brother  for  a  partner,  with 
good  success  until  1862.  He  then  turned  the 
entire  business  over  to  his  brother  and  receiving 
an  appointment  from  the  mayor  as  policeman  in 
1854,  he  followed  this  occupation  eight  months, 
when  he  resigned.  After  Mayor  Dyer's  election 
in  1856,  he  was  again  put  on  the  force  and  was 


IS 


E.  M.  JOHNSON. 


made  lieutenant.  He  served  as  such  until  1867, 
when  Mayor  Wentworth  was  elected  and  he  was 
promoted  to  the  position  of  captain  and  served 
in  that  capacity  until  the  board  of  commissioners 
was  appointed  by  the  governor.  A  Mr.  Nelson 
was  appointed  to  fill  his  position,  but  after  six 
months  they  sent  for  Captain  Gund.  As  he  was 
then  working  for  the  board  of  public  works  he 
would  not  accept  the  position  until  the  board 
would  employ  the  man  of  his  choice  as  his  succes- 
sor. They  agreed  to  this  and  he  resumed  his  posi- 
tion as  captain.  Upon  the  expiration  of  Mr. 
Country's  term  as  commissioner  Captain  Gund 
was  elected  police  commissioner  and  served  the 
six-year  term,  which  expired  in  December,  1871. 
In  the  fire  of  that  year  he  was  burned  out,  losing 
about  thirty  thousand  dollars.  He  received  prac- 
tically no  insurance  but  still  had  his  two  lots  at 
No.  521  North  Clark  Street,  and  after  the  fire  he 
built  a  small  shanty  to  live  in.  In  the  spring  of 
1872  the  police  commissioner  again  appointed 
him  as  captain,  and  he  served  until  August  i, 
1879,  when  failing  health  caused  him  to  retire 
from  service.  He  had  served  about  twenty-two 
years  in  all  in  the  police  department.  He  has 
since  lived  retired,  looking  after  his  property  in- 


terests, and  has  always  been  active  in  promoting 
the  best  interests  of  the  city  and  country. 

Captain  Gund  acted  with  the  Democratic  party 
previous  to  the  organization  of  the  Republican 
party,  and  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the  lat- 
ter in  Chicago.  He  voted  for  Fremont  and  has 
supported  the  candidates  of  that  party  ever  since. 
He  was  married  in  Chicago  February  9,  1849,  in 
St.  Joseph's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  to  Miss 
Adelheid,  daughter  of  Henry  Wistheim.  She 
was  born  in  Nassau,  Germany,  and  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1847.  They  have  had  seven  children, 
but  four  died  in  childhood.  The  following  are 
living:  Frederick  William,  an  electrician  in  the 
fire  department;  Frank  A.,  traveling  salesman 
for  Durand  &  Kasper:  and  Mary,  wife  of  P.  J. 
Kasper,  of  the  firm  of  Durand  &  Kasper,  whole- 
sale grocers. 

Captain  Gund  is  still  active  and  strong,  and 
although  seventy-five  years  of  age,  is  as  much 
interested  as  ever  in  the  affairs  of  the  world.  He 
is  a  bright  character,  with  an  interesting  manner, 
and  is  thoroughly  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school. 
He  is  honored  by  all  who  know  him  and  respected 
by  all  who  have  heard  the  story  of  his  useful  and 
industrious  life. 


ERNEST  M.  JOHNSON. 


r~RNEST   MORTIMER  JOHNSON  was  for 
1^  some  time  an  employe  in  the  Lake  Shore 
L_   &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company's 
office.     He   was  born  March   23,    1866,   and  at- 
tended school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen 
years,  being  an  attendant  of  the  high  school  and 
Cook  County  Normal  School  for  three  years. 

He  was  employed  by  the  Wilson  Sewing  Ma- 
chine Company  after  leaving  school,  and  was  in 
the  enameling  department  of  that  concern  t\vo 
years.  He  was  then  made  clerk  under  his  father's 


supervision,  at  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad  Company's  freight  office.  He 
remained  in  this  position  until  February  i,  1898, 
when  he  decided  to  take  a  vacation. 

E.  M.  Johnson  was  married  September  24, 
1885,  to  Miss  Millie,  daughter  of  Andrew  St. 
John,  a  native  of  New  York  state.  Mr.  Johnson 
built  a  residence  at  No.  6911  Wabash  Avenue, 
this  being  one  of  the  first  houses  in  the  vicinity. 
He  is  connected  with  Mystic  Star  Lodge  No. 
758,  of  the  Masonic  order,  and  is  a  stanch  up- 


WILLIAM  TEMPEL. 


holder  of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
voting  in  its  favor  at  every  opportunity.  He  has 
never  cared  to  fill  any  public  office,  as  there  are 
enough  men  who  are  more  than  anxious  for  an 


opportunity.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  make  an 
admirable  couple,  both  being  genial  and  hospita- 
ble people,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  assist  those 
in  distress  or  need. 


WILLIAM  TEMPEL. 


TEMPEL  is  the  senior  member 
m  °^  William  Tempel  &  Company. 
They  do  a  real-estate  and  mortgage-loan 
business  and  succeeded  the  firm  of  Knauer  Broth- 
ers, who  established  the  business  in  1855,  on  the 
corner  of  Clark  and  Kinzie  Streets.  Mr.  Tempel 
was  born  in  Steinheim,  Province  of  Westphalia, 
Prussia,  July  i,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  Frantz 
Tempel,  further  mention  of  whom  is  made  in  the 
biography  of  Anton  Tempel,  on  another  page  of 
this  volume. 

William  Tempel  is  the  second  son  of  his  father. 
He  attended  school  in  the  land  of  his  nativity 
until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
In  the  fall  of  1853  he  embarked  at  Bremen  Har- 
bor on  a  sailing  ship  and  after  a  voyage  of  eighty- 
five  days  landed  in  New  York.  He  remained  in 
that  city  two  months  and  continued  his  journey 
to  Chicago,  arriving  in  this  city  in  March,  1854. 
Mr.  Tempel  opened  a  restaurant  soon  after  his 
arrival  at  the  corner  of  Van  Buren  and  Sherman 
Streets,  where  he  continued  in  business  two  years. 
He  then  left  Chicago,  going  directly  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in  business  for  a  few 
months.  From  there  he  went  to  New  Orleans,  and 
there  kept  a  market  in  St.  Mary's  Market  Place. 
On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  he  was 
ordered  to  enlist  in  the  Confederate  Army  or  leave 
the  country.  Choosing  the  latter,  he  did  not  take 
time  to  close  out  his  stock,  but  left  on  the  last 
north-bound  boat  but  one  that  left  the  south  in 
safety,  in  the  night.  At  Baton  Rouge  the  boat 
was  fired  on,  but  without  any  serious  results. 


Mr.  Tempel  repaired  to  St.  Joseph,  Missouri, 
and  there  started  a  fruit  store.  That  city  soon 
became  too  hot  for  such  a  pronounced  anti- 
slavery  and  Union  man  and  he  left  his  business 
a  second  time  and  fled  from  the  city  by  a  boat 
bound  for  St.  Louis,  which  was  fired  upon  by 
Rebels  at  Jefferson,  Missouri.  On  returning  to 
Chicago  he  opened  a  grocery  store  on  South  Hal- 
sted  Street  at  the  corner  of  what  was  then  Wright 
Street,  but  soon  after  removed  to  the  North  Side 
and  located  at  the  corner  of  Division  and  North 
Clark  Streets.  He  conducted  a  general  store, 
dealing  very  profitably  in  groceries  and  provi- 
sions, also  having  a  large  stock  of  flour,  feed  and 
charcoal.  This  business  he  continued  with  suc- 
cess until  the  fire  of  1871  destroyed  all  his  sav- 
ings, leaving  him  destitute  of  property,  with 
the  exception  of  some  real  estate.  He  got  no 
insurance.  His  establishment  was  at  that  time 
the  only  store  between  Division  Street  and  Evans- 
ton. 

Immediately  subsequent  to  the  fire  Mr.  Tern- 
pel  rebuilt  his  store  building,  and  inside  of  three 
weeks  had  purchased  a  stock  of  goods  and  re- 
opened his  establishment  for  the  accommodation 
of  his  numerous  customers.  He  continued  the 
business  successfully  one  year  and  in  1872  re- 
moved to  the  corner  of  Wells  and  Eugenie  Streets 
and  continued  in  the  same  line  of  business  as  be- 
fore, at  the  same  time  keeping  the  Farmers' 
Home.  He  subsequently  purchased  property  at 
the  corner  of  Burling  and  Center  Streets  and 
engaged  in  business  at  that  location.  His  estab- 


20 


AUGUST  HOEFER. 


lishment  was  of  the  same  nature  as  that  he  had 
formerly  conducted  and  he  did  a  prosperous  busi- 
ness, accumulating  a  handsome  competence.  In 
1882  fire  destroyed  his  business  and  residence 
and  he  retired  from  active  business  life  and  lived 
retired  until  recently,  when  he  engaged  in  his 
present  business.  He  is  an  ambitious  and  enter- 
prising man  and  has  always  taken  a  lively  in- 
terest in  public  affairs.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
principle  and  has  held  no  public  office.  He  is  a 
genial,  pleasant  gentleman  of  the  true  order,  hav- 
ing ever  been  possessed  with  a  manner  to  inspire 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow-men. 

April  n,  1864,  Mr.  Tempel  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  Schabokrzky,  who  was  born  in  Bo- 
hemia and  came  to  Chicago  in  1856.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tempel, 
namely:  William  F. ;  Minnie,  wife  of  Robert 
Erbe,  head  cutter  for  Jacob  L.  Cohn  &  Com- 
pany; Tillie,  wife  of  Jacob  Spielman,  president 
of  Spielman  Brothers  Company,  manufacturers  of 
vinegar  and  yeast;  Anna,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  S.  Orth, 
a  physician  and  surgeon  connected  with  the  Alex- 


ian  Brothers'  Hospital;  and  Charles,  who  died 
in  infancy.  They  all  reside  in  the  beautiful  flat 
building  at  No.  1764  Wrightwood  Avenue,  which 
Mr.  Tempel  bought  in  1896.  Mr.  Tempel  is  in- 
dependent in  his  religious  opinions  and  is  not  a 
member  of  any  church  organization.  He  is  a 
man  of  high  principles  and  unstained  honor,  re- 
spected by  all  who  come  in  contact  with  him  and 
one  of  the  worthy  citizens  of  Chicago.  The 
mother  of  Mrs.  Tempel  died  when  she  was  still 
a  child,  and  her  father  died  in  1882  of  suffoca- 
tion, when  Mr.  Tempel  was  burned  out  on  Bur- 
ling and  Center  Streets. 

Mr.  Tempel  has  witnessed  many  improvements 
in  the  city  and  has  been  closely  identified  with 
its  business  interests,  contributing  in  a  material 
as  well  as  influential  way  to  many  of  the  changes. 
He  is  a  friend  to  education  and  has  allowed  his 
family  all  the  advantages  to  be  obtained  by 
money  and  the  times.  He  is  especially  happy 
and  companionable  in  his  home  life,  and  his  at- 
tractive home  is  the  abode  of  a  genuine,  open- 
handed  hospitality. 


AUGUST  HOEFER. 


G|  UGUST  HOEFER,  who  was  a  prominent 
I_l  citizen  of  Chicago  for  several  years,  was  born 
/  I  August  19,  1840,  near  Burbrach,  Koeller, 
in  Prussia,  Germany.  His  father,  Henry  Hoefer, 
was  a  coal  miner  in  his  native  land,  and  died  in 
Chicago  in  1868.  August  Hoefer' s  mother  died 
in  Germany,  and  his  father  married  a  second 
time,  his  wife  dying  in  Bensonville,  Douglas 
County,  Illinois.  In  1865  Mr.  Hoefer  and  family, 
consisting  of  two  daughters  and  three  sons,  came 
to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Chicago. 
The  children  were  named:  August,  William, 
Sophia,  Emma  and  Henry. 

August  Hoefer  was   educated    in    the   parish 


school  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  confirmed  in 
the  church.  He  learned  the  trade  of  baker, 
which  he  followed.  After  coming  to  America  he 
worked  as  a  journeyman  until  1869,  when  he 
started  a  bakery  at  No.  308  North  Avenue.  He 
was  burned  out  in  the  fire  of  1871,  losing  every- 
thing. He  again  started  on  the  adjoining  lot, 
and  baked  his  first  bread  December  2  of  that 
year,  making  the  first  bread  baked  in  the  burnt 
neighborhood.  He  continued  in  business  and 
prospered.  In  1872  he  purchased  a  lot  at  No. 
227  North  Avenue,  and  built  the  present  building, 
which  comprises  a  bakery,  store,  residence  and  a 
large  hall  known  as  Hoefer's  Hall.  In  1882  he 


JAMES  SMEATON. 


21 


retired  from  active  business,  having  accumulated 
a  handsome  competence,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Hoefer 
spent  a  year  in  San  Jose,  California.  He  subse- 
quently became  an  insurance  agent,  and  con- 
tinued four  years.  He  died  Decembers,  1891, 
mourned  by  family  and  friends.  He  was  a  valued 
member  of  New  Chicago  Lodge  No.  506,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  was  a  charter 
member  of  Sophia  Rebekah  Lodge  No.  96.  He 
was  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
was  a  valued  and  consistent  member  of  St.  Paul's 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  He  was  inde- 
pendent in  his  political  views,  voting  for  the  man 
who,  in  his  opinion,  was  best  adapted  to  fill  the 
office  to  the  first  interests  of  the  people. 

Mr.  Hoefer  married  Miss  Catharine  Nicholson, 
October  10,  1868.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hoefer  were 
blessed  with  eleven  children,  but  all  are  now  de- 
ceased. Mrs.  Hoefer  was  born  in  Hussum,  in 
Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  March  5,  1845. 
Her  father  died  when  she  was  a  small  child  and 
she  came  with  some  friends  to  the  United  States 


in  1865.  She  is  identified  with  a  number  of 
societies  and  benevolent  organizations.  She  is  a 
charter  member  of  Sophia  Rebekah  Lodge  No. 
96,  and  belongs  to  the  German  Hospital  Ladies' 
Society,  the  Ulich  Orphan  Asylum's  Ladies' 
Society  and  the  Odd  Fellows'  Old  People's  Home 
Society.  She  is  Past  Grand  Treasurer  of  the 
State  Rebekah  Assembly,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  of  Illinois,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Advisory  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Odd  Fellows' 
Old  Folks'  Home  of  Illinois,  and  the  Ladies' 
Society  of  Pastor  John's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  she  is  a  past  officer. 

Mrs.  Hoefer  gives  much  of  her  time  and  means 
to  the  advancement  of  charitable  societies,  and 
has  a  large  acquaintance  throughout  the  state. 
She  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  her  many  friends, 
for  her  many  excellent  qualities  of  head  and 
heart.  In  everything  that  tends  to  promote  the 
best  interests  of  society  generally,  Mrs.  Hoefer 
takes  an  active  part,  and  faithfully  discharges 
every  sacred  duty  to  friends,  society  and  church. 


JAMES  SMEATON. 


(I  AMES  SMEATON,  one  of  the  successful  cut 
I  stone  dealers  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  one 
Q)  of  the  prominent  citizens,  was  born  in  Perth, 
Scotland,  August  14,  1857.  His  parents,  Andrew 
and  Jennie  (Taylor)  Smeaton,  came  to  Chicago 
in  March  of  the  year  1873. 

James  Smeaton  learned  the  trade  of  stone  cut- 
ting in  Chicago  and  was  first  with  Henry 
Kerber  four  years.  He  worked  on  the  old  post- 
office  subsequent  to  that  time,  and  then  visited 
Europe,  remaining  away  a  year.  On  coming  to 
Chicago  the  second  time  he  was  unable  to  find 
employment  and  again  returned  to  Scotland, 
where  he  remained  eighteen  months.  But  his 
longing  for  Chicago  became  so  strong  that  he 


located  here  once  more  and  became  one  of  the 
employes  of  Henry  Kerber  again.  He  continued 
with  him  until  he  opened  a  yard  for  stone  cutting, 
for  his  own  interests,  at  the  corner  of  Nineteenth 
Street  and  Wentworth  Avenue.  This  was  April 
of  the  year  1882,  and  he  was  located  at  that  place 
until  1888,  when  he  removed  his  business  to  the 
corner  of  Forty- seventh  Street  and  the  Fort 
Wayne  car  tracks,  at  Stewart  Avenue.  He  is 
still  established  at  that  location  and  is  conducting 
a  very  profitable  business. 

Mr.  Smeaton  was  married  August  21,  1878, 
to  Miss  Annie  Black,  daughter  of  William  and 
Martha  (Redgate)  Black.  Mrs.  Smeaton  was 
born  in  Ireland  and  emigrated  from  her  native 


22 


ATZEL  BROTHERS. 


land  in  1872.  Her  children  are  accounted  for  as 
follows:  James,  born  June  10,  1880;  Annie,  April 
3,  1882;  William  Black,  October  n,  1883;  David 
Taylor,  January  3,  1885;  and  Jennet  Taylor,  No- 
vember n,  1888. 

Mr.  Sineaton  was  made  a  Mason  in  Kirkcaldy 
Lodge  No.  73,  in  Scotland.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Thomas  J.  Turner  Lodge  No.  409, 
of  Chicago,  and  was  a  charter  member  of 


Fidelity  Court  No.  37,  Independent  Order  of 
Foresters.  He  is  a  stanch  upholder  of  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  supports 
the  candidates  of  the  party  in  every  practical 
manner.  He  is  a  Presbyterian  in  religious  belief, 
and  his  wife  sympathizes  with  him  in  his  views. 
They  have  a  fine  family,  and  are  devoted  to  their 
children  in  every  manner,  morally  and  practi- 
cally. 


ATZEL  BROTHERS. 


GlTZEL  BROTHERS,  who  are  engaged  in 
LJ  the  flour  and  feed  business  at  Nos.  556-558 
I  I  South  Canal  Street,  belong  to  one  of  the 
oldest  German -American  families  of  the  city,  and 
are  both  natives  of  Chicago.  Their  father, 
Tobias  Atzel,  was  -born  November  5,  1813,  in 
Alsace,  then  a  part  of  France.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  place,  and  in  1833 
came  to  the  United  States,  having  sailed  from 
Havre  in  a  sailing  ship  which  took  sixty-five 
days  to  make  the  voyage  to  New  York. 

He  traveled  on  to  Buffalo,  and  there  served  a 
regular  apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  trade. 
In  May,  1836,  he  went  back  to  his  native  land 
and  married  Magdalena  Haas  and,  with  his 
wife,  returned  to  America.  He  came  direct  to 
Chicago,  arriving  in  July  of  the  same  year. 
He  at  once  began  working  at  his  trade  and  did 
building  for  some  time.  About  1850  he  kept  a 
grocery  store  and  hotel  on  Jefferson  Street,  and 
in  the  spring  of  1854  removed  to  Du  Page 
County  and  bought  a  farm,  south  of  Hinsdale. 
He  was  engaged  in  farming  about  twenty  years, 
and  then  moved  to  Downer's  Grove,  where  he 
died  in  December,  1894,  his  good  wife  surviving 
him  but  ten  days,  when  she  too  passed  away. 


They  were  many  years  members  of  the  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  Church,  and  Mr.  Atzel  was  one  of 
the  first  members  of  Dr.  Hartmann's  Church  of 
that  denomination. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Atzel  were  the  parents  of  nine 
children,  all  of  whom  grew  to  maturity,  namely: 
Caroline,  now  Mrs.  Peter  Leibundguth,  of  Dow- 
ner's Grove;  George,  senior  partner  of  Atzel 
Brothers;  Thomas,  who  is  now  deceased;  John, 
of  the  firm  of  Atzel  Brothers;  Louise,  deceased; 
Frederick;  William;  Magdalena,  widow  of  Daniel 
Peters,  of  South  Chicago;  and  Henry. 

George  Atzel  was  born  in  Chicago,  April  8, 
1844.  His  primary  education  was  received  in 
the  Skinner  School  on  west  Madison  Street,  and 
while  on  the  farm,  in  DuPage  County,  he  at- 
tended the  district  school  in  winter.  He  grew 
to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  1862 
enlisted  in  the  Union  Army.  He  was  mustered 
into  service  September  6  of  that  year  and  was 
assigned  to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  Twenty- 
seventh  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  entered 
as  a  private,  but  was  soon  promoted  to  corporal, 
and  November  i,  1863,  was  again  promoted  to 
commissary  sergeant.  He  was  never  wounded, 
taken  prisoner  nor  in  the  hospital,  but  was  with 


JULIUS  WAHL. 


his  regiment  throughout  his  length  of  service, 
participating  in  every  engagement  in  which  the 
regiment  took  part.  He  was  mustered  out  of 
service  in  June,  1865,  in  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia.  At  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  he  re- 
turned to  his  father's  farm  and  remained  a  few 
years.  In  1870,  with  his  brother,  John,  he 
entered  the  flour  and  feed  business  on  Canal 
Street,  in  Chicago,  a  few  doors  south  of  their 
present  place  of  business.  For  about  fourteen 
years  they  did  a  large  business  in  buying  and 
selling  horses,  shipping  to  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
George  Atzel  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  1864,  and  has  ever  since 
supported  the  candidates  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  never  sought  public  office,  in  any 
form.  Mr.  Atzel  is  a  member  of  U.  S.  Grant 
Post  No.  20,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  In 
1867  he  married  Miss  Katharine  Leibundguth. 
Their  children  were  six  in  number,  but  three 


died  in  childhood.  Those  still  in  the  land  of  the 
living  are:  Emma,  wife  of  Fred  O.  Schmitt,  a 
druggist  at  the  corner  of  Robey  Street  and  Ros- 
coe  Boulevard;  George  W.,  a  pharmacist;  and 
Edward.  The  members  of  the  family  attend 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  whose  faith 
they  embrace. 

John  Atzel  was  born  June  28,  1848.  He  en- 
listed in  the  United  States  Army  at  the  time  the 
Civil  War  was  in  progress,  in  March,  1865,  and 
served  in  the  One  Hundred  Fifty-sixth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry,  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  married  Miss  Ellen  Leibundguth,  by  whom 
he  has  three  children:  Clara,  wife  of  August 
Drawle,  Nettie  and  John.  Mrs.  Atzel  died  in 
April,  1884,  mourned  by  family  and  friends. 

John  Atzel  is  connected  with  Pleiades  Lodge 
No.  478,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
He  is  a  Republican,  being  loyal  in  every  sense 
to  the  principles  of  his  party. 


JULIUS  WAHL. 


HULIUS  WAHL,  who  is  among  the  promi- 
I  nent  citizens  of  the  city  of  Chicago  and 
Q)  well  known  among  the  business  precincts  as 
an  extensive  real-estate  dealer,  was  born  January 
21,  1848.  His  parents  were  Leopold  and  Helena 
(Meinhardt)  Wahl  and  lived  at  Recklinghausen, 
Westphalia,  Germany,  at  the  time  of  his  birth. 
Leopold  Wahl,  his  father,  was  born  in  Minden, 
Westphalia;  received  a  military  education,  serv- 
ing in  the  army  until  he  was  thirty  years  of  age. 
He  then  received  a  court  appointment,  having 
control  of  the  court  funds  of  the  city  of  Reck- 
linghausen. He  occupied  this  position  until  his 
death  in  1850.  He  was  a  typical  representative 
of  his  native  land,  being  of  rugged  physique  and 
of  medium  size. 


Julius  Wahl  came  to  Chicago  in  1868.  He 
attended  school  in  the  old  country  until  he  was 
fifteen  years  of  age  and  later  spent  five  years  in  ap- 
prenticeship, learning  glass  engraving.  He 
never  followed  this  profession  after  coming  to  the 
United  States.  After  arriving  in  Chicago  he 
delivered  newspapers  for  a  short  time,  after  that 
became  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store,  but  later  ob- 
tained a  position  as  deputy  clerk  of  internal 
revenue  under  Herman  Raster.  After  the  resig- 
nation of  Mr.  Raster  as  collector  he  was  engaged 
as  clerk  for  Waixel  Brothers,  liquor  dealers.  He 
was  clerk  for  the  Germania  Insurance  Company 
one  year,  and  from  1872  to  1884  was  deputy 
clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  Cook  County. 
During  1 885  he  was  in  the  law  office  of  Rosenthal 


A.  D.  STEVENS. 


&  Pence,  after  which  he  began  to  deal  in  real 
estate  for  himself.  He  opened  an  office  in  1886 
at  No.  8 1  Clark  Street,' remaining  at  this  loca- 
tion three  years.  He  was  subsequently  two 
years  at  No.  92  La  Salle  Street,  Illinois  National 
Bank  Building,  four  years,  Hartford  Building  one 
year,  and  at  present  has  his  office  at  Room  701, 
No.  167  Dearborn  Street.  He  has  handled  lands 
in  Georgia,  Kentucky,  Mississippi,  Tennessee, 
Nebraska,  California  and  Indiana.  He  also 
deals  in  lands  in  this  city,  buying  and  exchang- 
ing property  and  making  loans  quite  extensively. 
Julius  Wahl  was  married  in  1874  to  Sophie 
Wienhoeber,  a  daughter  of  George  Wienhoeber. 


Mrs.  Wahl  was  born  and  educated  in  Germany. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wahl  are  Anna, 
Ella  and  Dorothea.  Leopold,  the  second  born, 
died  at  the  age  of  nine  months.  Mr.  Wahl  is  an 
upholder  of  the  principles  and  candidates  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
tensive real-estate  dealers  in  Chicago  and  has 
been  very  successful.  He  rises  from  one  of  the 
oldest  German  families  and  has  all  the  nature 
and  bearing  of  the  true  refined  German.  His 
residence,  at  No.  6919  Calumet  Avenue,  is  one 
of  the  finest  and  most  luxurious  in  that  section 
of  the  city,  and  he  may  be  proud  of  the 
ownership. 


AARON  D.  STEVENS. 


<3|  A  RON  DEFOREST  STEVENS,  who  has 
LJ  for  many  years  been  an  efficient  and  valued 
|  I  employe  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railway  Company,  was  born  May  3, 
1856,  at  Plattville,  Wisconsin.  His  parents, 
Aaron  Deforest  and  Emma  Ora  (Campbell)  Ste- 
vens, were  of  English  birth.  The  paternal 
grandfather  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this 
article  was  Asa  Stevens,  and  his  children  were 
Henry,  Asa  and  others  whose  names  have  not 
been  recorded.  The  maternal  grandfather  was 
Divillis  Campbell,  and  his  children  were  named: 
Robert,  Mary,  Emma,  Margaret,  Charles,  Divil- 
lis, Henry,  Irene  and  Andrew.  Divillis  Camp- 
bell, senior,  was  of  Scottish  birth  and  was  a 
good  representative  of  the  hardy  race. 

Aaron  Deforest  Stevens,  senior,  died  October 
14,  1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  His  remains 
were  interred  at  Sandford,  Midland  County,  Mich- 
igan. He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  was 
born  twenty  miles  from  London,  England.  At 
the  age  of  eleven  years  he  went  to  sea,  remain- 
ing on  the  ocean  six  years.  He  then  settled 


down  in  America,  and  as  he  was  an  enthusiastic 
hunter,  this  country  held  great  attraction  for  him, 
with  its  boundless  prairies  and  immense  amount 
of  game.  He  traveled  all  through  America  and 
finally  located  in  New  York  State,  later  remov- 
ing to  Michigan,  in  1870.  He  remained  in  that 
locality  until  his  death.  He  visited  California, 
and  some  years  later  Florida,  during  the  time 
his  home  was  in  Michigan.  Mrs.  A.  D.  Stevens 
died  at  the  age  of  forty  years,  in  July,  1877. 
Her  children  were:  Emma,  Ora  and  Aaron 
Deforest. 

Aaron  D.  Stevens  attended  a  Catholic  school 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years  and 
was  then  employed  by  the  Buffalo  &  Erie  Rail- 
way Company  as  messenger  boy.  After  six 
months  he  was  made  switchman,  and  remained 
thus  occupied  until  May,  1870.  He  subse- 
quently changed  to  the  service  of  the  New  York 
Central  Railroad  Company,  remaining  until 
November,  1871.  He  then  removed  to  Chicago 
and  was  made  switchman  and  subsequently  yard- 
master  for  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern 


W.  R.  MACSWAIN. 


Railroad  Company,  being  in  the  same  employ 
since  that  time.  He  has  for  fourteen  years  been 
yard-master.  Mr.  Stevens  was  married  Novem- 
ber 12,  1876,  to  Nancy  Jane  McLemore,  of  Ken- 
tucky. Her  children  are  accounted  for  as  fol- 
lows: Francis  Sunderland,  born  October  4,  1877, 
is  in  the  bridge-building  business.  Frederick 
Deforest  was  born  April  29,  1892.  The  father  of 
Mrs.  Stevens  is  Jefferson  McLemore  and  her 
mother  Nancy  Frances  (Crawford)  McLemore. 
They  resided  in  Hopkins  County,  Kentucky, 
at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  their  daughter, 


the  wife  of  Mr.  Stevens,  which  occurred  April 
12,  1859,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1873.  They 
come  of  very  old  Kentucky  families  and  the  Craw- 
ford name  is  a  time-honored  one. 

Mr.  Stevens  is  a  very  genial  gentleman,  being 
a  type  of  the  old  school  and  a  credit  to  the  name 
he  bears.  He  has  never  sought  public  favor  in 
the  form  of  office,  but  uses  his  influence  and  ar- 
guments for  the  benefit  of  the  Democratic  party. 
His  family  is  one  of  importance  among  the  pres- 
ent generation  and  his  life  work  has  been  one  to 
be  remembered  by  men. 


WILLIAM  R.  MACSWAIN. 


pGjlLLIAM  ROBERTSON  MACSWAIN, 
\  A  I  who  is  among  the  most  enterprising  of  the 
V  V  citizens  of  Chicago  and  influential  among 
men  of  his  class  and  standing,  was  born  February 
7,  1850,  on  Spruce  Street,  Portland,  Maine.  His 
ancestors  were  Scotch  and  belonged  rightly  to 
that  sturdy  and  long-lived  race  which  has  ever 
been  renowned  for  the  honesty  and  uprightness 
of  its  people.  The  paternal  grandfather  of  Will- 
iam R.  MacSwain  was  Donald  MacSwain,  who 
located  at  Prince  Edwards  Island  about  1840,  and 
died  there.  He  was  a  miller  and  his  children 
were:  Janet,  who  married  John  McClelland;  John; 
Alexander,  who  came  to  the  United  States;  Anna, 
who  married  Alexander  Gillis;  Swain,  father  of 
the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article;  Allan, 
who  came  to  America  and  located  in  Maine; 
Sarah,  who  married  Mr.  McKenzie  and  went 
with  her  husband  to  Australia;  and  Jennie,  who 
married  John  Beaton. 

The  father  of  W.  R.  MacSwain  was  Swain 
MacSwain,  who  married  Miss  Barbara  Curry. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years  and  was 


interred  at  Hadley,  Illinois.  He  was  born  in  In- 
verness, Scotland,  and  followed  the  occupation 
of  stone  mason.  He  settled  in  Canada  at  the  age 
of  twenty-five  years  and  shortly  afterward  removed 
to  Portland,  Maine. 

W.  R.  MacSwain  was  educated  in  the  public 
school  at  Portland,  which  he  left  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years.  He  at  once  began  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  stone  mason,  serving  an  apprenticeship 
of  three  and  one- half  years  with  Charles  M. 
Brainerd,  and  worked  at  his  trade  a  year  and 
one-half  in  the  city  of  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
He  came  to  Chicago  in  1868  and  after  remaining 
here  six  months  went  to  Will  County,  Illinois, 
and  for  two  years  worked  for  a  salary.  He  sub- 
sequently took  up  the  occupation  of  a  railroad 
man  and  for  three  months  was  switchman  for  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany. He  was  ten  years  switchman  for  the  Lake 
Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company 
and  was  then  made  passenger  conductor  and 
served  two  years.  November  i,  1879,  he  was 
caught  between  two  cars  and  was  disabled  for 


26 


J.  W.  DIECKMANN. 


eight  months.  September  30,  1883,  he  lost  his 
left  arm  in  the  stock  yards,  and  subsequently 
entered  the  coroner's  office  as  deputy,  remaining 
thus  occupied  eight  years.  He  then  changed 
and  was  in  various  offices,  but  in  December,  1893, 
he  entered  Sheriff  Pease's  office  as  jury  clerk, 
later  serving  as  bookkeeper  and  still  later  was 
one  year  bookkeeper  for  John  Symons.  He  then 
entered  the  county  plerk's  office,  under  Philip 
Knopf,  and  is  there  employed  as  clerk  at  the 
present  time. 

Mr.  MacSwain  was  married  July  19,  1873,  to 
Miss  Carrie  Sarah  Clark,  daughter  of  Lorin  and 
Dollie  (Fuller)  Clark.  One  of  the  ancestors  of 
Mrs.  MacSwain,  by  the  name  of  Fuller,  came 
over  in  the  '  'Mayflower. ' '  Chief  Justice  Fuller  is  a 
descendant  of  the  same  ancestor.  The  family  of 


Fuller  became  represented  in  Chicago  in  1865. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  MacSwain  are: 
Dollie  Grace  (now  the  wife  of  John  Symons, 
whose  biography  appears  in  this  work),  and 
Hattie  Barbara. 

Mr.  MacSwain  is  a  member  of  the  order  of 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  connected  with  Custer 
Lodge,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and 
Grand  Crossing  Lodge  No.  52,  of  the  Royal 
League.  He  votes  in  favor  of  the  candidates  of 
the  Republican  party  and  is  ever  an  active  worker 
in  support  of  its  principles,  striving  to  secure 
honest  methods  in  the  conduct  of  its  affairs.  He 
was  reared  a  Presbyterian  and  has  always  been 
loyal  to  the  teachings  of  his  fathers.  He  is  a  man 
of  strong  character,  and  is  honored  and  respected 
alike  by  family  and  friends. 


JOHN  W.  DIECKMANN. 


(JOHN  WILLIAM  DIECKMANN,  who  has 
I  been  an  honored  and  respected  citizen  of 
Q)  Chicago  for  over  forty  years,  is  now  living 
in  quiet  retirement  at  Gross  Park,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  his  former  industry.  He  was  born  No- 
vember 2,  1823,  in  Hanover,  Germany,  and  is 
the  youngest  in  a  family  of  four  children  born  to 
Andrew  and  Ellen  (Budke)  Dieckmann.  The 
parents  were  natives  of  Hanover,  and  passed 
their  entire  lives  in  the  Fatherland,  as  did  two 
of  their  four  children.  John  W.  and  Herman 
became  residents  of  Chicago,  the  latter  locating 
here  in  1859,  dying  some  years  ago. 

Mr.  Dieckmann,  of  this  sketch,  was  reared  a 
farmer  and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools,  and  followed  the  occupation  of  tiller 
of  the  soil  until  he  emigrated.  In  1851  he 
married  Miss  Margaret  Krabbe,  who  was  also 
born  and  reared  in  Hanover.  September  i,  1857, 
accompanied  by  his  wife  and  two  daughters,  he 


sailed  from  Bremen  Harbor  in  the  sailing  ship 
"Alice."  The  voyage  to  New  York  occupied 
thirty-four  days,  with  no  events  specially  im- 
portant to  break  the  monotony  of  the  trip.  Two 
days  after  landing  they  started  for  Chicago,  and 
arrived  October  12.  At  that  time  the  country 
was  passing  through  the  worst  business  depres- 
sion it  has  ever  experienced  and  work  was  scarce 
and  wages  low. 

Mr.  Dieckmann  was  fortunate  and  soon  found 
employment,  but  received  only  fifty  cents  per  day 
for  his  services.  His  good  wife  was  ambitious 
to  succeed  and  assist  in  making  a  home  in  the 
New  World  and  did  washing  for  other  families 
for  the  small  sum  of  twenty-five  cents  per  day. 
Beginning  in  this  small  way  they  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  their  future  success.  The  next  year 
after  their  arrival  Mr.  Dieckmann  rented  some 
land  on  Diversey  Avenue  from  William  B.  Ogden 
and  engaged  in  market  gardening.  In  this  move 


CARL  UNDE. 


27 


he  was  very  successful  and  continued  to  prosper 
until  a  short  time  after  the  fire  of  1871.  During 
that  terrible  conflagration  Mr.  Dieckmann  opened 
his  house  and  with  his  wife  entertained  a  few 
hundred  sufferers  from  the  fire. 

Having  purchased  some  lots  on  the  corner  of 
Ashland  Avenue  and  Roscoe  Street,  he  removed 
to  that  location  and  cultivated  them,  at  the  same 
time  continuing  the  cultivation  of  the  leased 
land.  For  two  years  he  engaged  in  the  milk 
business,  but  abandoned  it  for  the  more  profit- 
able and  congenial  work  of  market  gardening. 
In  1889  he  retired  from  active  labor  with  a  hand- 
some competence,  and  has  since  enjoyed  a  well- 
earned  rest.  Since  he  became  a  citizen  Mr.  Dieck- 
mann has  supported  the  Republican  party,  but  he 
has  never  aspired  to  political  preferment. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dieckmann  six  children  were 
born,  but  two  died  in  infancy  and  four  daughters 
(the  two  oldest  having  been  born  in  Germany 


and  the  others  in  Chicago)  are  still  living,  name- 
ly: Anna,  wife  of  Peter  Wolff,  of  No.  39  Evans- 
ton  Avenue;  Mary,  now  Mrs.  Leonard  Schirmer, 
of  No.  68  West  Madison  Street;  Lena,  wife  of 
Frank  Albrecht,  of  No.  624  Otto  Street,  and 
Katharine,  who  became  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Schultz,  and  resides  in  Denver,  Colorado. 

After  a  long  and  happy  married  life,  Mrs. 
Dieckmann  was  called  to  her  reward  August  3, 
1889,  and  her  remains  were  laid  to  rest  in  Grace- 
land  Cemetery.  Mr.  Dieckmann  has  long  been 
a  consistent  member  of  Bethlehem  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  and  for  many  years  has  held 
the  office  of  secretary.  In  all  religious  and  be- 
nevolent works  he  takes  special  interest.  By  his 
many  acts  of  kindness  and  genuine  uprightness 
of  character  he  has  endeared  himself  to  many 
friends  and  is  held  in  high  regard  by  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  has  so  long  been  a  resi- 
dent. 


CARL  LINDE. 


EARL  LINDE,  who  lives  retired,  has  been 
many  years  a  resident  of  Chicago.  He  was 
born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  October  13, 
1823,  son  of  Christian  Linde,  who  was  a  member 
of  an  old  German  family,  and  served  in  the  army 
in  the  Napoleonic  war.  He  died  in  Germany  in 
1846  and  his  wife  survived  him  until  1865,  when 
she  passed  away.  They  had  six  children,  three 
of  whom  are  deceased.  Christian  and  Carl  live 
in  Chicago,  and  Johannah  is  now  Mrs.  Kroia,  of 
Germany. 

Carl  Linde  was  liberally  educated  in  the  public 
school  of  his  native  town.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  he  began  to  learn  the  tinner's  trade 
and  after  serving  an  apprenticeship  of  four  years 


continued  to  work  at  it  until  he  came  to  America. 
In  May,  1854,  he  sailed  from  Bremen  Harbor 
in  the  sailing  ship  "Jacob  Groeser. "  After  a 
pleasant  sail  of  some  weeks  he  was  landed  in 
New  York.  As  his  brother,  Christian,  had 
located  in  Chicago,  Carl  Linde  continued  his 
journey  westward  to  that  city.  He  brought 
fourteen  hundred  dollars  to  America  with  him, 
but  lost  four  hundred  of  it  in  a  bank  that  failed. 
His  first  work  in  this  country  was  at  his  trade 
at  a  location  on  Lake  Street.  He  worked  twenty- 
five  years  for  wages  and  all  that  period  was  fore- 
man over  a  number  of  other  men  with  the  ex- 
ception of  one  year.  As  he  was  a  skilled  man 
and  reliable  he  received  a  good  salary  at  all 


28 


REV.  PAUL  BRAUNS. 


times.  He  has  lived  retired  more  than  twenty 
years.  His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  1860,  since  which  time  he 
has  supported  the  representatives  of  the  Re- 
publican party  at  all  times  and  places  and  op- 
portunities, in  national  affairs,  while  in  local 
matters  he  votes  for  the  best  man  for  the  office, 
regardless  of  party. 

In    1860    Mr.    Linde  was    married   to  Miss 
Katharine  Kuhirt,   a  native  of  Germany.     Mrs. 


Linde  came  to  Chicago  in  1857.  She  became 
the  mother  of  two  children,  both  of  whom  died 
young.  Mr.  Linde  is  a  member  of  the  Evangel- 
ical Lutheran  Church,  at  the  corner  of  Garfield 
Avenue  and  Mohawk  Street.  He  is  a  good, 
moral  citizen,  of  the  true  and  tried  type,  ready 
at  all  times  to  do  all  in  his  power  for  the  benefit 
of  humanity  in  general.  His  ideas  are  the 
highest  and  he  is  a  gentleman  in  every  sense  of 
the  word. 


REV.  PAUL  BRAUNS. 


REV.    PAUL   BRAUNS,    who  is  pastor  of 
Epiphanias  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
corner  of  Roscoe  Boulevard  and  Clarernont 
Avenue,  was  born  January  27,   1864,  in  Han- 
over, Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Rev.  Otto  and 
Johanna   (Kleinschmidt)  Brauns,  natives  of  that 
place.     The  father  is  a  clergyman  of  the  Lutheran 
Church   and    still   has  a  charge  and  is  actively 
employed  in  ministerial  work. 

Paul  Brauns  was  liberally  educated  in  various 
institutions  of  learning  in  his  native  land,  and 
was  graduated  from  the  gymnasium  of  Goet- 
tingen  in  1881.  He  then  sailed  from  Bremen  in 
the  steamship  "Rhine,"  of  the  German  Lloyd 
Company,  bound  for  America,  landing  in  New 
York  City  after  a  twelve  days'  voyage.  Going 
direct  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  he  entered  the 
Concordia  Seminary,  and  took  a  theological 
course,  graduating  in  1884.  On  leaving  college 
he  went  back  to  Germany  and  after  visiting  his 
parents  a  short  time  studied  nearly  a  year  at 
Leipsic.  Having  received  a  call  from  St. 
Mattaeus  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Chi- 
cago, as  assistant  minister,  he  came  here  in  1885 
and  entered  upon  his  duties.  After  ably  and 


satisfactorily  filling  that  position  five  years,  he 
again  visited  the  Fatherland,  spending  nearly  a 
year  in  Europe. 

In  the  summer  of  1891  he  returned  to  Chicago 
and  organized  the  Concordia  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran Church,  and  in  1893  built  the  present 
large  church  edifice  on  the  corner  of  Belmont 
and  North  Washtenaw  Avenues,  remaining  in 
charge  and  laboring  faithfully  in  the  Master's 
cause  until  1895.  In  May  of  that  year  he  severed 
his  connection  with  the  Synod  of  Missouri, 
Ohio  and  other  states  and  joined  the  Evangelical 
Synod  of  North  America,  and  organized  his 
present  congregation  and  parochial  school.  So 
well  has  he  succeeded  that  the  church  member- 
ship consists  of  about  two  hundred  families  and 
seventy-five  pupils  attend  the  parish  school,  and 
nearly  five  hundred  the  Sabbath-school. 

Mr.  Brauns  is  very  popular  with  his  con- 
gregation. He  is  a  gentleman  of  pleasing  per- 
sonality, a  ripe  scholar,  logical  reasoner  and  a 
fluent  and  forcible  speaker,  possessing  oratorical 
powers  of  a  high  order.  His  influence  is  ever 
exerted  on  the  side  of  right,  and  every  movement 
for  the  moral  or  intellectual  advancement  of  the 


GEORGE  MACAULEY. 


29 


community  finds  in  him  a  stanch  supporter. 
He  keeps  himself  informed  on  public  questions 
pertaining  to  City,  State  and  Nation  and,  being 
independent,  supports  the  man  best  qualified  for 
official  position. 


September  15,  1886,  he  married  Miss  Else, 
the  daughter  of  Rev.  Frederick  Ruhland.  She 
was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  educated 
in  Germany.  They  have  two  children,  Paul  and 
Walter,  and  have  lost  two  by  death. 


GEORGE  MACAULEY. 


SEORGE  MACAULEY,  an  old-time  and 
popular  resident  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  is 
the  eldest  son  of  John  Macauley,  who  came 
to  New  York  City  from  Ireland  in  1847,  ar>d  of 
whom  extended  mention  is  made  in  this  volume, 
in  connection  with  the  biography  of  his  son, 
John  Macauley. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  January 
23,  1825,  in  Rathfriland,  County  Down,  Ireland, 
and  attended  school  there  until  he  was  thirteen 
years  of  age.  He  was  then  put  to  work  in  a  saw 
pit,  where  he  continued  one  year.  After  the 
arrival  of  the  family  in  New  York  he  was 
employed  nine  years  in  that  city  as  a  carpenter. 
He  then  came  to  Chicago  and  spent  the  first  year 
in  this  city  in  the  service  of  Uriah  Foot,  in  build- 
ing the  Richmond  House.  He  was  next  foreman 
for  Horatio  Lombard,  on  the  construction  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  at  the  corner  of  Carpenter 
and  West  Washington  Streets.  Since  that  time 
he  has  engaged  in  building  operations  on  his  own 
account,  and  is  still  actively  engaged  in  business 
as  a  contractor. 

His  first  contract  was  for  the  construction  of  a 
residence  for  Sylvester  Lynn,  at  the  corner  of 
West  Randolph  and  Carpenter  Streets.  He  sub- 
sequently erected  the  Lincoln  School,  on  Larrabee 
Street  near  Fullerton  Avenue,  and  the  Vedder 
Street  School.  Notwithstanding  his  advanced 
age,  he  is  still  very  active  in  the  prosecution  of 
business. 


In  1860  Mr.  Macauley  was  made  a  Mason, 
in  Kilwinnig  Lodge  No.  311,  and  became  a 
charter  member  of  Lincoln  Park  Lodge  No.  611, 
which  was  instituted  October  5,  1869.  In  1873 
he  was  exalted  to  the  Supreme  Degree  of  Royal 
Arch  Masonry  in  Wylie  M.  Egan  Chapter  No. 
126,  which  he  left  to  enter  Lincoln  Park  Chapter 
No.  177  in  1893.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Chi- 
cago Council  No.  4,  of  Royal  and  Select  Masters. 
He  built  the  first  hall  occupied  by  Lincoln  Park 
Lodge,  at  Lincoln  Avenue  and  Center  Street, 
and  was  Tyler  of  this  lodge  from  1876  to  1879, 
inclusive.  Since  1891  he  has  occupied  the  same 
position  in  Chicago  Council,  and  in  Lincoln  Park 
Chapter  since  1893.  He  is  a  member  of  Dr. 
Rusk's  Independent  Militant  Church,  which 
meets  at  No.  40  Randolph  Street. 

In  1862  Mr.  Macauley  visited  a  Masonic  lodge 
of  North  American  Indians,  which  met  in  the 
woods  near  the  Mississippi  River,  nearly  opposite 
La  Crosse,  Wisconsin.  They  were  working 
under  a  charter  from  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Canada. 
This  visit  was  made  in  winter,  when  the  river 
was  covered  with  ice,  not  strong  enough,  how- 
ever, to  bear  the  weight  of  a  man.  Two  friendly 
Indians  ferried  him  across  from  the  Wisconsin 
shore,  one  sitting  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe  to  break 
a  way  through  the  ice,  and  the  other  propelling 
the  boat  with  a  long  pole.  Landing  among  the 
hostile  aborigines,  he  was  introduced  by  his  escort 
as  a  brother  Mason,  and  was  immediately  sur- 


F.  B.  STORMS. 


rounded  by  the  young  warriors,  who,  at  a  signal 
from  their  chief,  the  Master  of  their  lodge, 
carried  him  to  camp  on  their  shoulders.  He 
was  then  given  a  greeting  of  welcome  by  most 
of  the  tribe,  and  soon  all  who  were  Masons 
proceeded  to  a  neighboring  valley.  A  double 
line  of  sentries  was  posted  on  the  surrounding 
hilltops  and  a  lodge  was  opened  in  due  and  ancient 
form  in  the  valley  below.  The  Master  spoke  his 
native  tongue  except  when  addressing  the  Senior 
Warden,  whose  place  was  at  this  time  filled  by 
Mr.  Macauley.  After  closing  the  lodge  they  re- 
turned to  camp,  where  a  feast  of  venison  and  a 
hilarious  time  followed.  Mr.  Macauley  was  again 
carried  on  the  shoulders  of  the  young  Indians  to 
the  bank  of  the  river,  and  ferried  across  to  his 
white  friends  on  the  Wisconsin  side. 

July  4,    1850,  Mr.  Macauley  was  married,  in 
New    York    City,    to   Miss   Charlotte  Eakin,  a 


daughter  of  Charles  Eakin,  who  had  then  been 
deceased  about  four  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mac- 
auley are  the  parents  of  seven  children,  namely: 
Elizabeth,  Charles,  John,  Jane,  Margaret,  Annie 
and  Charlotte.  The  third  and  fifth  are  now  de- 
ceased. The  eldest  married  Albert  Frieze,  of 
Chicago,  and  is  the  mother  of  two  daughters  and 
three  sons.  The  second  married  Mary  Schultz, 
now  deceased,  and  resides  in  Chicago.  The 
fourth  became  the  wife  of  Fred  Whiting,  and  had 
one  daughter,  Mamie,  who  died  in  her  twelfth 
year.  The  youngest  married  Fred  Rinn,  and 
has  a  son  and  daughter. 

Mr.  Macauley  occupies  a  handsome  residence, 
erected  by  himself,  at  No.  195  Lincoln  Avenue. 
He  enjoys  a  very  wide  acquaintance,  is  noted  for 
his  hospitality  and  liberality  and  is  highly  re- 
spected and  esteemed  by  all  who  are  privi- 
leged to  know  him. 


FRANK  B.  STORMS. 


f~RANK  BROWN  STORMS.  Among  the 
rft  early  citizens  of  the  great  city  of  Chicago 
I  ^  was  the  family  of  Storms.  The  members  of 
the  family  all  became  prominent  citizens,  and 
those  still  living  to  bear  the  name  are  a  credit  to 
the  ancient  family.  Frank  Brown  Storms  was 
born  February  26,  1875,  in  Chicago,  and  has  re- 
sided in  the  same  vicinity  his  entire  life.  For 
further  mention  of  his  ancestors  see  biographical 
sketch  of  John  E.  Storms. 

Frank  B.  Storms  attended  school  on  Fifty- 
fourth  Street  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen 
years.  From  the  time  he  was  eight  years  old 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  delivered 
papers,  daily.  He  then  secured  employment  in 
the  cutting  department  of  Sprague,  Warner  & 


Company.  Subsequent  to  the  time  he  left  the 
above-mentioned  employ,  he  entered  the  livery 
business  at  No.  5326  Monroe  Avenue,  dealing  in 
horses,  and  continued  at  this  location  one  year. 
Peter  Craenenbroack  was  his  partner  during  this 
time.  He  was  later  located  one  year  at  No.  5419 
Kimbark  Avenue,  and  is  now  employed  by  Ar- 
mour &  Company  at  the  stock  yards. 

Mr.  Storms  was  married  October  i,  1897,  to 
Miss  Emma  Bischoff,  a  native  of  Freeport,  Illi- 
nois. He  was  in  the  service  of  William  Beale, 
in  the  office  of  the  corporation  counsel  for  a  short 
time.  He  is  one  of  the  highly  honored  citizens 
of  the  vicinity  in  which  he  resides,  and  has  proven 
himself  ever  loyal  to  the  right  and  in  upholding 
all  that  is  for  the  uplifting  of  the  people. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINGiJ 


W.  T.  JOHNSON. 


WILLIAM  T.  JOHNSON. 


fDG>ILLIAM  THOMAS  JOHNSON  is  one  of 
\Al  Chicago's  well-known  and  eminently  re- 
V  V  spected  citizens.  He  is  a  native  of  West- 
moreland, Oneida  County,  New  York,  born 
November  16,  1835,  being  a  son  of  Thomas  and 
Hannah  (Temple)  Johnson,  the  former  born  in 
Scarboro,  England,  in  1805.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  years  he  was  married  to  Hannah  Temple. 
He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and,  being  am- 
bitious for  the  attainment  of  better  things  than 
his  intelligence  and  energy  were  likely  to  produce 
in  his  native  land,  on  account  of  lack  of  opportu- 
nity, he  decided  to  go  to  America,  where  oppor- 
tunities commensurate  with  his  enterprise  were 
to  be  embraced. 

Accordingly,  soon  after  his  marriage,  he,  with 
his  young  wife,  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Oneida  County,  New  York.  His  in- 
dustrious habits  soon  won  for  him  a  substantial 
start  and  in  time  he  became  quite  wealthy  for  a 
tiller  of  the  soil.  To  him  and  his  estimable  wife 
were  born  nine  children:  George,  now  of  Marshall- 
town,  Iowa;  John,  deceased;  Mary  Ann,  wife  of 
John  Holland,  of  Oneida  County,  New  York; 
William  T.,  of  this  notice;  Henry,  deceased; 
Juniette;  James,  of  Oneida  County,  New  York; 
Charles,  deceased;  and  Edward,  also  of  Oneida 
County,  New  York.  Both  parents  lived  to  at- 
tain a  ripe  age,  the  father  dying  April  7,  1880, 
aged  seventy-five  years,  and  the  mother,  March 
29,  1885,  aged  seventy-seven  years  and  two 
months. 

William  T.  Johnson  was  reared  on  his  father's 


farm,  one  of  the  best  in  the  famed  Mohawk 
Valley.  His  educational  advantages  were  limited 
to  the  public  schools,  where  he  was  instructed  in 
the  primary  branches  of  an  English  education. 
When  twenty  years  of  age  he  went  out  from  his 
parental  home  to  seek  fortune  and  position  in 
Chicago,  then  as  now,  the  "Eldorado"  of  the 
west.  He  arrived  in  that  city  a  total  stranger, 
without  even  a  letter  of  recommendation  in  his 
pocket,  but  he  had  what  was  better — unlimited 
capacity  for  work,  and  a  keen  discriminating  in- 
telligence. He  at  once  secured  work  in  the  lum- 
ber yard  of  Hayes  &  Morris,  where  he  worked  a 
year,  first  as  a  common  laborer,  and  later  as 
foreman. 

His  observing  mind,  in  the  meantime,  noted 
that  certain  young  men  of  his  acquaintance  were 
filling  positions  more  desirable  than  the  one  he 
was  in,  and  it  was  then  ambition  urged  him  to 
aspire  to  be  something  more  than  a  lumber  piler. 
With  that  purpose  in  view  he  employed  a  teacher 
to  instruct  him  in  the  intricacies  of  book-keeping, 
and  so  closely  did  he  apply  himself  to  his  task, 
that,  after  a  few  months,  he  was  qualified  to  take 
a  position  at  the  books  of  another  lumber  firm, 
that  of  Shearer  &  Payne,  for  whom  the  well- 
known  W.  W.  Strong  was  general  manager.  In 
this  position  he  continued  a  number  of  years, 
and  then  resigned  to  accept  a  better  position  with 
Mason  &  McArthur,  proprietors  of  the  Excelsior 
Iron  Works.  While  there  he  acquired  much 
practical  knowledge  of  the  iron  business;  and  as 
well,  acquired  an  intelligent  comprehension  of 


W.  T.  JOHNSON. 


the  methods  employed  in  the  safe  conducting  of  a 
large  business  enterprise,  in  which  he  was  almost 
equally  chargeable,  with  the  members  of  the 
firm,  with  the  conduct  of  the  business.  This 
close  relation  with  the  members  of  the  firm  ac- 
quainted him  with  many  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  Chicago  and  the  Northwest,  whose 
confidence  and  esteem  he  possessed  long  before 
he  went  into  business  for  himself.  His  em- 
ployers, recognizing  his  business  ability,  and  his 
strict  loyalty  to  their  interests,  advanced  him  in 
every  way,  and  ere  long  he  had  accumulated  a 
snug  little  fortune,  the  savings  from  his  liberal 
salary.  His  correct  business  and  social  habits, 
and  his  frugality  and  thrift,  observed  of  all  his 
acquaintances,  were  as  good  as  cash  capital  in 
hand,  as  it  commanded  for  him  an  almost  un- 
limited line  of  credit  when  he  came  to  arrange 
for  a  manufacturing  establishment  of  his  own. 

In  1864  he  formed  an  association  with  a  Mr. 
Holden,  and  together  they  built  the  Phoenix 
foundry,  at  that  time  the  largest  in  the  city, 
which  they  profitably  conducted  for  two  years. 
In  1866  Mr.  Johnson  entered  into  a  co-partner- 
ship with  H.  P.  Kellogg,  to  carry  on  a 
wholesale  and  retail  hardware  business  on  Clark 
Street,  near  Monroe  Street,  where  they  were 
when  the  great  fire  of  October,  1871,  swept  away 
the  store.  This  inflicted  a  loss  which  consider- 
ably impaired  their  individual  assets.  As  soon 
thereafter  as  possible,  they  established  a  similar 
establishment  on  Randolph  Street,  where  a  suc- 
cessful business  was  carried  on  until  1891,  when 
the  firm  dissolved,  and  Mr.  Johnson  retired  from 
merchandising.  The  success  of  his  career  in  a 
business  and  financial  sense  may  now  be  partly 
measured  by  his  large  property  holdings. 

Mr.  Johnson  now  spends  his  time  chiefly  in 
planning  and  erecting  building  improvements  on 
such  vacant  lots  and  blocks  as  remain  in  his 
possession  unimproved.  He  has  built  up  many 
entire  blocks  in  business  and  flat  buildings,  and 
is  still  carrying  on  improvements.  "I  was  a 
pioneer  on  this  ground,"  he  has  been  heard  to 
say,  "and  I  shall  not  desert  it  until  every  lot 
feels  the  weight  of  a  good  building." 

Although  Mr.  Johnson's  life  has,  almost  since 


his  arrival  in  Chicago,  been  fraught  with  weighty 
and  incessant  business  cares,  he  has,  withal,  been 
personally  identified  with  many  official  positions 
of  trust.  As  early  as  1890,  he  became  interested 
in  politics  and  in  that  year  took  an  active  part  in 
the  local  campaign  for  Mr.  Lincoln.  Unaided, 
he  succeeded  in  raising  in  the  settled  portions  of 
the  West  Side,  enough  young  men  to  form  a  re- 
spectable company  of  "Wide- Awakes,"  the  first 
company  of  the  kind  in  the  United  States.  The 
night  of  their  initial  appearance  they  marched 
down  Lake  Street,  on  which  street  the  Honorable 
Joseph  Medill  then  lived,  in  a  small  frame  house, 
and  gave  him  a  rousing  serenade.  Mr.  Medill 
evinced  his  appreciation  of  the  honor  by  making 
a  short  speech  to  the  boys,  complimenting 
them  with  a  donation  of  $5  and  a  suggestion 
that  they  could  partake  of  liquid  refreshments  at 
his  expense  at  a  nearby  bar.  That  exciting 
campaign  introduced  Mr.  Johnson  into  politics 
and  he  soon  appeared  in  the  councils  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  as  a  delegate  to  conventions  and 
as  committeeman.  He  very  soon  became  the 
acknowledged  leader  of  a  very  enthusiastic  fol- 
lowing, and  in  1878,  entirely  without  solicitation 
on  his  part,  he  was  nominated  for  the  State 
Senate  and  was  triumphantly  elected.  He  was 
well  received  by  his  associates  in  the  Senate,  and 
assigned  to  some  of  the  important  committees.  He 
soon  won  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  debater, 
and  by  his  logic  and  eloquence  secured  the 
passage  of  every  measure  for  which  he  became 
responsible,  some  of  which  were  of  great  im- 
portance. The  bill  for  registration  of  voters 
was  his,  and  was  passed  and  became  the  first  law 
on  the  subject  in  this  State.  Of  even  more  local 
importance  was  his  park  refunding  bill  for  the 
West  Side,  whose  passage  he  secured  and  which 
proved  of  immense  benefit  to  the  parks  and 
people  of  that  division  of  the  city.  Successful 
as  he  had  been  as  a  Senator,  he  was  not  a  candi- 
date for  re-election. 

In  1880  he  received  the  nomination  for 
county  treasurer  and  was  elected  by  a  large 
majority.  At  the  time  of  his  election  the  tenure 
of  that  office  was  two  years,  but  during  his  in- 
cumbency the  legislature  passed  an  act  extending 


WILLIAM  MARTIN. 


33 


the  time  to  three  years.  He  was  appointed 
railroad  commissioner  by  Governor  Oglesby  in 
1884,  and  so  satisfactorily  did  he  discharge  the 
duties  of  this  somewhat  difficult  position  that  he 
received  the  warmest  commendation  of  all  parties. 
He  also  held  the  office  of  indian  commissioner, 
having  been  appointed  to  that  position  by  Presi- 
dent Garfield. 

Subsequent  to  Mr.  Cleveland's  inauguration, 
the  commissioners  were  holding  a  session  in 
Washington  and,  although  Mr.  Johnson  believed 
the  civil  service  law  a  good  thing,  he,  at  that 
time,  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  new  president 
should  be  allowed  to  choose  his  own  indiau  com- 
missioners and  accordingly  he  offered  a  reso- 


lution that  the  commissioners  resign  in  a  body. 
To  this  his  colleagues  demurred,  but  he  acted 
upon  his  own  convictions  and  tendered  his  resig- 
nation to  the  President,  which  was  accepted. 

Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fra- 
ternity, being  connected  with  Lafayette  Chapter, 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  and  Chicago  Commandery, 
No.  19,  Knights  Templar.  He  was  married  May 
21,  1862,  to  Miss  Kate  A.  E.,  adopted  daughter 
of  Judge  Nathan  Allen.  Three  children  have 
resulted  from  this  union,  namely:  Catherine 
Grace,  wife  of  H.  L.  Bleecker,  of  Los  Angeles, 
California;  Etta  Alice,  who  died  in  1898;  and 
Mabel,  wife  of  Dr.  W.  B.  Marcusson,  of  Rush 
Medical  College. 


WILLIAM  MARTIN. 


fDGjlLLIAM  MARTIN,  deceased,  was  a  man 

I  A  I  who,  having  been  unusually  successful  in 
V  V  various  business  enterprises  in  Chicago,  is 
missed  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  business 
associates.  He  was,  moreover,  a  man  of  intense 
faith  and  interest  in  his  fellow-men  and  made 
friends  among  all  classes.  He  came  of  hardy 
Scotch  lineage,  having  been  born  in  Glasgow, 
May  9,  1860.  His  father,  who  also  bore 
the  name  of  William,  spent  his  life  in  Scotland, 
where  he  was  a  building  contractor.  William, 
the  elder,  died  while  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
his  widow,  Elizabeth  Martin,  emigrated  to  Canada 
about  1869,  but  a  year  later  removed  to  Chicago. 
There  her  son,  William,  then  ten  years  of  age, 
entered  school;  but  owing  to  their  limited  means 
he  was  obliged  to  do  something  to  aid  in  his 
support,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  became  a 
telegraph  messenger.  By  dint  of  hard  study  and 
the  best  use  of  his  opportunities  he  was  able  in 
time  to  take  a  position  as  bookkeeper,  and  by 
rigid  economy  was  able  after  a  few  years  to  go 


into  business  for  himself.  For  some  time  he 
bought  and  sold  on  the  Board  of  Trade,  but 
later  built  up  a  commission  business.  In  all  his 
ventures  he  was  eminently  successful  and  was 
soon  known  in  business  circles  as  a  shrewd,  safe, 
business  man.  He  was  from  time  to  time  engaged 
in  other  enterprises,  being  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  race  tracks  at  Garfield  Park  and  Harlem. 
May  7,  1884,  Mr.  Martin  was  married  to  Miss 
Jessie  Murray,  who  was  born  in  London,  England, 
March  i,  1865.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Walter 
and  Jean  (Dallas)  Murray.  The  former  was 
born  in  Gorlow,  Scotland,  and  the  latter  in  Lon- 
don, England,  of  Scotch  and  English  parentage. 
Walter  and  Jean  Murray  were  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living.  The 
family  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Canada  in  1868, 
and  in  1869  settled  in  Chicago  and  established  a 
boot  and  shoe  business  in  Dearborn  Street.  Jessie 
Murray  was  but  four  years  of  age  when  she  came 
to  Chicago  with  her  parents.  She  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  and  has  spent  all  her  sub- 


34 


WILLIAM  OHLENDORF. 


sequent  years  in  the  city.  She  is  a  woman 
of  great  business  and  executive  ability,  and 
possesses  the  wholesome  genial  nature  of  her 
English  ancestors.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Martin  was  blessed  by  the  birth  of  three 
children:  Jessie,  Aeolia  and  Wilhelmina.  They 
also  found  a  place  in  their  home  and  hearts  for 
two  other  children,  William  and  Elsie,  older  than 
their  own,  whom  they  adopted. 

Mr.  Martin  found  his  greatest  happiness  with 


his  wife  and  family  and  spent  as  much  of  his  time 
as  business  cares  would  allow  in  his  home,  which 
is  still  the  home  of  his  family,  at  No.  540  Adams 
Street.  There  he  will  ever  be  remembered  as  a 
kind,  indulgent,  husband  and  father.  Among 
his  associates  he  was  unassuming  and  never 
sought  favors  from  the  public.  In  politics  he 
was  a  Republican.  His  death  occurred  March 
i,  1898,  and  his  remains  were  interred  at  Rose 
Hill  Cemetery. 


WILLIAM   OHLENDORF. 


(DQlLLIAM  OHLENDORF  has  been  a  resi- 
\Al  dent  of  Chicago  since  1849.  He  was  born 
YV  January  10,  1825,  in  Wulfelade,  Hanover, 
Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Sophia 
Ohlendorf,  both  natives  of  Hanover  and  members 
of  old  and  highly  respected  families. 

Henry  Ohlendorf  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  by 
occupation,  owning  as  well  as  operating  his 
farm,  and  became  possessed  of  considerable  means. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Ohlendorf  were  the  parents 
of  five  sons  and  one  daughter,  and  all  became 
residents  of  the  United  States.  Henry,  the  first- 
born, was  a  soldier  in  the  German  army  and 
married  in  that  country.  He  arrived  in  Chicago 
in  1849  and  subsequently  located  at  Freeport, 
Illinois,  where  he  died  about  1891,  leaving  a 
widow  and  a  family.  Frederick  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1846,  being  the  first  of  his 
father's  family  to  emigrate;  he  settled  in  Mis- 
souri and  still  resides  there. 

William  is  next  in  order  of  birth.  Louis  is 
deceased;  and  Charles  is  living  retired  in  Matte- 
son,  Cook  County.  Sophie  became  the  wife  of 
Charles  Duensing,  who  resides  at  River  Forest, 
with  an  office  at  the  corner  of  Noble  Street  and 
Chicago  Avenue.  Frederick  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1845,  and  in  1848  returned  to  Germany 


and  brought  the  remaining  members  of  the  family 
with  him  to  Cook  County.  The  mother  died  in 
Addison  Township  less  than  a  year  after  their 
arrival,  and  the  father  died  some  ten  years  later 
in  Matteson,  Cook  County. 

William  Ohlendorf  was  fairly  well  educated  in 
the  parish  schools  of  his  native  place,  and  reared 
on  his  father's  farm.  In  the  fall  of  1846  he  sailed 
from  Hamburg  on  the  "Marie  Francisco,"  and, 
after  a  seven  weeks'  voyage,  landed  in  New 
York  City.  He  remained  there  until  the  spring 
of  1849,  when  he  learned  that  his  parents  were 
in  Cook  County,  and  decided  to  come  West.  He 
came  by  river  to  Albany  and  by  canal  to  Buffalo, 
thence  by  lakes  on  the  steamer  "Keystone 
State,"  landing  here  in  May,  1849.  He  had 
been  a  waiter  in  New  York,  and  after  coming  to 
Chicago  obtained  a  position  in  the  old  City  Hotel, 
on  Lake  Street.  He  was  soon  promoted  to  head 
waiter,  and  was  with  Brown  &  Tuttle  when  they 
went  into  the  Sherman  House  as  proprietors.  At 
that  time  John  R.  Walsh,  now  a  wealthy  banker 
in  Chicago,  was  bell  boy  under  Mr.  Ohlendorf. 

In  the  fall  of  1851  he  went  to  New  Orleans 
and  worked  in  a  large  hotel  during  the  winter, 
and  from  there  started  to  Mexico  with  General 
Urajo,  but  owing  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  Rev- 


DANA  SLADE. 


35 


olution  did  not  reach  his  destination.  At  the 
close  of  that  strife  General  Urajo  was  appointed 
by  Santa  Anna,  of  Mexico,  as  Minister  Plenipo- 
tentiary to  Prussia,  and  Mr.  Ohlendorf  accompa- 
nied him  as  interpreter.  He  was  with  him  one 
year  in  Mexico  and  one  year  in  Prussia. 

April  2,  1854,  he  was  married  in  his  native 
village  to  Miss  Sophia  Ohlendorf,  and  on  the  ist 
of  May  started  for  Chicago  with  his  bride.  He 
arrived  in  that  city  duly,  and  began  keeping  a 
grocery  at  the  corner  of  what  is  now  Fifth  Ave- 
nue and  Polk  Street,  and  continued  in  business 
at  that  location  nine  years.  In  1862  he  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Lake  County,  and  for  a  period  of 
six  years  tilled  this  portion  of  land.  He  then 
sold  his  property  and  returned  to  Chicago,  enter- 
ing into  partnership  with  his  brother  Louis,  and 
started  a  lumber  business  under  the  firm  name  of 
Ohlendorf  Brothers.  In  1871  ill  health  caused 
him  to  sell  his  interest  to  his  brother.  When  he 
returned  from  the  farm  he  settled  on  West  Huron 
Street,  corner  of  Armour  Street,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  In  the  fire  of  1871  he  lost  three 
houses  on  Fifth  Avenue.  Having  invested  in 


considerable  property  he  has  done  some  real- 
estate  business  since  retiring  from  the  lumber 
trade,  as  above  mentioned,  but  has  lived  rather  a 
quiet  life.  He  has  always  voted  independently 
in  political  affairs,  endeavoring  to  always  sup- 
port the  best  man  for  public  position,  and  has 
never  had  any  political  aspirations. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ohlendorf  has  been  born  a 
family  consisting  of  six  children,  two  of  whom 
are  deceased.  Those  living  are:  William  C.,  a 
physician  and  druggist,  at  No.  647  Blue  Island 
Avenue;  Henry  L.,  a  pharmacist,  at  the  corner 
of  Evanston  Avenue  and  Irving  Park  Boulevard; 
Alfred  C.,  a  traveling  salesman;  and  Carrie,  wife 
of  W.  Maack,  of  Chicago.  The  members  of  the 
family  are  connected  with  St.  John's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  with  which  Mr.  Ohlendorf  has 
been  prominently  identified  for  years.  He  has 
always  evinced  an  interest  in  matters  arranged 
for  the  good  of  the  public,  and  enjoys  the  respect 
of  a  large  circle  of  friends.  He  has  witnessed  the 
marvelous  growth  of  the  city  from  a  population 
of  about  ten  thousand  to  its  present  importance 
as  the  metropolis  of  the  West. 


DANA  SLADE. 


0ANA  SLADE,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Lawn- 
dale,  and  since  1864  engaged  in  the  grain 
commission  business  in  Chicago,  was  born 
March  21,  1826,  in  Alstead,  Cheshire  County, 
New  Hampshire.  He  is  a  son  of  Samuel  and 
Eunice  (Angier)  Slade,  and  his  paternal  grand- 
father, Samuel  Slade,  senior,  was  a  native  of 
Connecticut,  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution,  who  died  in  New  Hampshire, 
at  the  age  of  ninety- nine  years.  His  wife  was 
Hannah  Thompson,  and  they  were  of  Puritan 
stock . 

Samual  Slade,  junior,  father  of  the  man  whose 


name  heads  this  article,  was  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire.  He  followed  the  same  occupation 
as  his  father,  farming,  and  was  a  soldier  of  the 
War  of  1812.  He  died  in  1856,  and  his  widow 
still  survives  him,  aged  ninety-nine  years. 

Dana  Slade  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  un- 
til he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools.  In  1845  he  went 
to  Boston  to  learn  the  butcher's  trade,  and  in 
1849  went  overland  to  California,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year  at  gold  mining.  In  1850  he 
returned  home  by  way  of  Panama  and  in  1851 
located  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  where  he  was  en- 


R.  B.  JONES. 


gaged  in  the  grocery  business  four  years.  He 
then  removed  to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  hotel  business  until  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War,  when  he  returned  to  New 
Hampshire  with  his  family.  In  1864  he  located 
in  Chicago,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
the  grain  commission  business. 

Mr.  Slade  was  married  in  1860,  to  Miss  Eliza- 


beth Wentworth,  daughter  of  Noah  and  Sarah 
(Buckman)  Geer,  of  New  Hampshire.  He  is  the 
father  of  three  children:  Dana,  junior;  May 
Sybil  and  Samuel.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slade  are 
members  of  the  Unitarian  Church.  Mr.  Slade  is 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason.  He  is  an  independent 
Democrat,  and  his  views  are  very  positive  and 
decided. 


RICHARD  B.  JONES. 


RICHARD  BENJAMIN  JONES,  who  is  a 
natural  and  skilled  machinist,  was  born 
May  i,  1850,  in  Chester,  England,  a  son 
of  Humphrey  and  Charlotte  (Benjamin)  Jones. 
His  parents  are  of  old  and  highly  respected  fam- 
ilies, of  English  stock.  Richard  B.  Jones  is  able 
to  put  in  order,  operate  or  successfully  manage 
any  kind  of  machinery.  If  he  had  taken  to  a 
professional  life  he  would,  undoubtedly,  have 
made  a  success,  as  he  has  force  of  character  and 
power  of  mind  to  follow  out  any  ambition  he  may 
have.  His  talents  are  not  confined  to  that  of  a 
machinist,  but  he  can  turn  his  hand  and  mind  to 
many  things. 

Mr.  Jones  was  the  first  of  his  father's  family  to 
emigrate  from  his  native  land,  and  reached  New 
York  August  3,  1864,  arriving  in  Chicago  twenty 
days  later.  He  was  one  year  in  the  box  factory 
of  David  Goodwillie,  located  at  the  corner  of 
Franklin  and  Ohio  Streets.  In  1865  he  went  to 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  where  he  took  charge  of 
the  machinery  in  his  uncle's  sawmill.  When 
this  business  closed  he  was  made  manager  of  the 
Nicholson  Pavement  Company,  which  held  a 
contract  for  paving  in  Memphis,  and  occupied 
this  position  five  months.  He  was  seized  with  a 
slight  attack  of  cholera,  and,  returning  North, 


entered  the  factory  of  Mr.  Goodwillie  again.  He 
went  in  as  helper,  and  after  a  short  time  was 
given  charge  of  the  machines.  He  was  subse- 
quently made  foreman,  which  position  he  occu- 
pied two  years,  and  was  in  the  same  employ  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  He  then 
divided  his  time  between  Mr.  Goodwillie  and 
L.  B.  Walker,  selling  machinery  for  the  latter, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  was  employed  in  a  new 
establishment  of  Mr.  Goodwillie' s,  where  he  had 
charge  of  the  machinery.  He  continued  in  the 
service  of  Mr.  Walker  until  that  gentleman  sold 
out  to  E.  C.  Preble,  and  Mr.  Jones  continued 
with  him. 

In  1872  Mr.  Jones  formed  a  partnership  with 
G.  A.  Russell,  with  a  plant  located  at  Harbor 
and  Green  Bay  Avenues,  in  South  Chicago.  He 
was  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  boxes  for 
packing  purposes,  while  Mr.  Russell  attended  to 
the  making  of  sash  and  doors.  This  partner- 
ship continued  until  1877,  and  at  the  same  time 
Mr.  Jones  continued  his  business  relation  with 
Mr.  Preble  until  1878.  He  subsequently  went  to 
Dubuque,  Iowa,  in  the  interest  of  Ingram,  Ken- 
nedy &  Day,  owners  of  a  sawmill,  who  desired 
his  aid  in  placing  machinery  and  starting  the 
same.  After  six  months,  however,  he  returned 


R.  B.  JONES. 


37 


to  Chicago  and  to  the  employ  of  Mr.  Preble.  He 
was  sent  to  Muscatine,  Iowa,  in  the  interest  of 
the  Musser  Lumber  Company,  but  on  his  return 
to  the  city  went  back  to  Mr.  Preble  and  gave  his 
attention  more  directly  to  the  outside  business  of 
the  firm. 

At  the  death  of  Mr.  Preble,  in  April,  1881, 
Mr.  Jones  conducted  the  business  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Probate  Court  until  October,  1881. 
In  November  of  the  same  year  a  corporation  was 
organized,  with  Ransom  Richards  as  president 
and  Mr.  Jones  as  superintendent,  which  position 
he  has  since  filled  with  credit  to  himself  and 
advantage  to  the  firm.  He  has  been  in  his  pres- 
ent position  eighteen  years,  proving  his  stability 
of  character  and  power  to  please. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married,  January  i,  1881,  to 
Miss  Frances  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Alpheus 
Mills.  Three  children  were  born  to  them:  Ella 
Frances;  Grace,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
months;  and  Richard  Low,  who  died  at  the  same 
age.  In  November,  1887,  Mr.  Jones  erected  a 
residence  at  No.  6642  Lafayette  Avenue.  He 
has  been  through  all  the  chairs  in  Excelsior 
Lodge  No.  22,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. Mr.  Jones  is  a  Republican,  and  has  never 
sought  public  office  of  any  kind.  His  father  was 
born  in  Crewe,  a  suburb  of  Chester,  England, 
and  died  in  America  in  1889,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
one  years.  He  was  a  bricklayer,  and  was  em- 
ployed twenty-two  years  by  the  Walker  &  Parker 
Lead  Company,  of  Chester.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  June,  1872,  and  entered  the 
service  of  Mortimoer  &  Tapper,  at  the  Grand 
Pacific  Hotel.  He  was  later  a  stationary  engineer 
several  years.  Until  about  1884  he  was  employed 
by  Mr.  Preble  and  then  retired.  When  he  emi- 
grated from  his  native  land  he  brought  his  wife 
and  five  daughters,  beside  a  cousin,  Price  Jones. 

The  father  of  Humphrey  Jones  was  John 
Jones,  who  was  a  bricklayer,  and  lived  in  Ches- 
ter, England.  He  came  to  America  at  an  early 
date.  He  was  occupied  on  furnaces  in  Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania,  and  other  localities,  and 
was  an  expert  at  building  furnaces.  He  married 
Sarah  Low,  and  their  children  were:  Humphrey, 
Llewellyn,  Joseph,  John,  Myra,  and  one  son 


whose  name  is  not  recorded.  Joseph  came  to 
America  and  died  in  Los  Angeles,  California; 
he  was  a  contracting  brick  and  stone  mason. 

Mrs.  Humphrey  Jones  was  born  in  Chester, 
England,  and  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six 
years.  She  was  married  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
years,  and  her  children  are  accounted  for  as  fol- 
lows: Richard  B.  is  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  sketch;  Mary  Ellen  married  A.  B.  Bunting, 
a  grocer,  and  resides  on  Langley  Avenue;  Sarah, 
who  married  William  J.  Willings,  a  grocer, 
resides  on  Fortieth  Street;  Elizabeth  died  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years;  Martha  Ann,  who  mar- 
ried John  Stroebel,  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  lives  in 
Indiana;  Emily  married  Charles  Morrison,  a 
farmer  in  New  Hampshire;  and  Stanley  Walker 
married  Elizabeth  Taylor.  The  last  named  is  a 
grocer  and  resides  at  No.  255  Bowen  Avenue. 

Robert  Benjamin,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
R.  B.  Jones,  raised  horses  for  hunting  and  for 
teaming  in  the  lead  mines  of  England.  He  was 
born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Birmingham.  He 
reared  hunters  for  the  English  nobility  and  coun- 
try gentlemen,  and  was  quite  successful  at  this 
occupation.  He  married  Sarah  Lloyd,  and  their 
children  were  named:  John,  Elizabeth,  Louisa, 
Charlotte,  Edwin,  Sophia,  James  and  Harriet. 
John,  the  eldest,  located  in  Massachusetts  at  an 
early  date,  and  later  removed  to  Hutchinson, 
Minnesota,  to  which  place  he  traveled  with  the 
Hutchinson  family  in  1860.  He  was  thus  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  this  section  of  Minnesota,  where 
he  was  quite  active  prior  to  and  after  the  Indian 
wars  in  the  vicinity,  and  where  his  family  still 
resides. 

Chief  Crow,  the  treacherous  Indian,  who  was 
most  active  and  prominent  in  the  bloody  massa- 
cre of  the  settlers,  ate  dinner  with  Mr.  Benjamin 
only  two  hours  before  the  slaughter  began  on  the 
fatal  day  of  the  outbreak.  This  treachery  was 
amply  punished  later,  however,  at  Mankato, 
where  Chief  Crow  was  one  of  the  culprits  exe- 
cuted. All  of  Mr.  Benjamin's  improvements  and 
personal  effects  were  destroyed  by  the  Indians. 
Mr.  Benjamin  married  Elizabeth  Gardiner,  and 
they  had  seven  children.  Edwin  Benjamin,  the 
first  of  these,  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 


PINCUS  HENOCH. 


1858,  locating  in  Boston.  He  came  to  Chicago 
in  1862,  and  later  removed  to  Reed  City,  Michi- 
gan, where  he  died  in  the  spring  of  1898.  He 
married  Frances  Albright,  and  had  three  chil- 
dren. Louisa  Benjamin  came  over  in  1873,  hav- 
ing married  Robert  Jones,  who  was  not  a  relative, 
in  England.  She  returned  to  England  in  1877, 
and  her  son,  Price,  came  to  America  with  the 
parents  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  sketch , 
as  noted  above. 


Mr.  Jones  is  a  man  of  medium  stature,  endowed 
with  personal  strength  and  mental  energy,  which 
is  a  result  largely  of  his  highly  nervous  tempera- 
ment. He  is  a  man  of  action  and  moves  with 
the  times,  sometimes,  in  fact,  ahead  of  them. 
His  talents  have  turned  to  the  line  of  mechanics, 
as  much  from  early  environments  as  from  choice. 
His  domestic  life  is  ideal,  he  being  blessed  with 
an  agreeable  and  helpful  companion  and  a  talented 
and  interesting  child. 


PINCUS  HENOCH. 


QlNCUS  HENOCH.  Fickle  fortune  seems 
LX  to  pursue  some  men,  and  flee  from  others 
[3  who  are  seeking  it.  Though  not  smiled 
upon  by  this  god  to  as  great  an  extent  as  some 
of  his  old  associates,  Pincus  Henoch  is  perhaps 
as  happy  as,  and  more  contented  than,  those 
men  who  have  a  million  to  worry  over  and  leave 
behind  at  their  death,  perhaps  to  be  squandered 
by  their  heirs.  He  has  been  identified  with  the 
early  growth  of  Chicago's  commercial  interests, 
and  has  been  intimately  associated  with  such 
kings  of  the  dry  goods  world  as  the  Mandel 
Brothers  and  the  Farwells.  While  not  extreme- 
ly wealthy,  Mr.  Henoch  has  always  been  com- 
fortably well  off,  and  is  now  retired  from  active 
business  life,  preferring  to  watch  the  moves  of 
other  and  younger  men,  especially  those  closely 
related  to  him. 

Born  June  12,  1839,  he  is  a  son  of  Solomon 
and  Freda  Henoch,  who  resided  in  the  province 
ofPosen,  Prussia,  Germany,  at  the  time  of  his 
birth.  His  brother,  Elkan,  the  first  of  the 
family  to  leave  the  land  of  his  birth,  came  to 
America  in  1846,  and  now  resides  at  No.  128 
Loomis  Street,  Chicago.  Israel  Henry  was  the 
next  to  emigrate  to  the  United  States,  and  came 
in  1848.  His  son,  Henry,  resides  at  No.  1049 


North  Halsted  Street,  at  the  present  time. 
Maurice  emigrated  in  1852,  and  is  a  liquor 
dealer  in  La  Porte,  Indiana.  Pincus  was  the 
next  to  seek  his  fortune  in  America;  and  Marcus, 
who  joined  his  brother,  Maurice,  came  in  1856. 
The  mother  of  the  family  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1860,  and  died  shortly  after. 

In  his  early  youth  Pincus  Henoch  was  bound 
out,  or  placed  in  apprenticeship,  to  learn  the 
trade  of  tailor.  He  did  not  like  this  business, 
however,  and  soon  abandoned  it.  In  August, 
1854,  he  arrived  in  Salem,  Indiana,  where  his 
brothers  were  conducting  a  store  under  the  title 
of  Elkan  &  Israel  H.  Henoch,  clothiers.  Pincus 
Henoch  was  clerk  for  his  brothers  four  years,  af- 
ter which  time  they  removed  their  place  of  busi- 
ness to  St.  Joseph,  Michigan.  Pincus  Henoch 
was  placed  in  charge,  and  shortly  after,  became 
proprietor  and  continued  there  until  1864.  His 
brothers  then  having  removed  to  Chicago,  Israel 
H.  in  1858,  and  Elkan  in  1860,  and  having  be- 
gun the  manufacture  of  clothing,  Pincus  sold  his 
business  and  came  to  Chicago.  He  took  an  in- 
terest in  his  brothers'  business  and  the  firm  name 
now  became  Henoch  Brothers.  T  hey  were  lo- 
cated at  No.  25  Lake  Street,  and  occupied  four 
floors.  The  store  was  burned  October  9,  1871, 


F.  M.  JOHNSON. 


39 


at  the  time  of  the  great  conflagration,  and  every- 
thing belonging  to  the  brothers  was  burned. 
Pincus  Henoch  then  accepted  a  position  with 
Shackman  Brothers,  in  New  York,  in  which  city 
he  resided  one  year.  He  subsequently  opened  a 
clothing  store  in  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  at  this  location  fifteen  months.  For  a 
short  time  he  was  at  Princeton,  Illinois,  in  the 
same  business,  and  two  years  in  Aurora,  Illinois. 
He  then  removed  to  Sandwich,  Illinois,  and  sold 
out  his  remaining  stock.  Returning  to  Chicago, 
he  established  a  grocery  business  at  the  corner 
of  Twenty-sixth  Street  and  'Armour  Avenue, 
which  he  conducted  two  years.  He  entered  the 
employ  of  Platt  Brothers,  in  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
and  was  an  employe  of  this  concern  from  1881  to 
1891.  He  then  located  in  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  had  charge  of  the  clothing  store  of 
Speicer,  Bing  &  Company  four  years.  At  the 
end  of  this  period  he  returned  once  more  to  Chi- 
cago and  has  since  enjoyed  a  well-earned  rest. 
Since  1894  he  has  resided  at  No.  5648  Dearborn 
Street,  surrounded  by  pleasant  and  agreeable 
neighbors. 


Mr.  Henoch  was  fortunate  in  securing  a 
pleasant,  helpful  companion,  when  he  married 
Miss  Pauline,  daughter  of  Marcus  and  Yette 
(Brand)  Hirsch,  July  18,  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henoch  have  been  blessed  with  six  children, 
all  of  whom  have  proved  a  blessing  to  their  par- 
ents and  a  credit  to  the  name  they  bear.  Solo- 
mon, the  oldest,  was  born  in  Chicago,  February 
25,  1869,  and  resides  at  No.  35 54  Prairie  Avenue. 
He  is  agent  for  a  neckwear  concern  in  the  city. 
Freda,  born  in  Chicago  March  3,  1870,  died  here 
at  the  age  of  six  months.  Marcus,  born  in  Chi- 
cago November  4,  1871,  died  in  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years. 
Selina,  born  in  New  York  January  5,  1873,  died 
at  the  age  of  six  months.  Harry,  born  October 
18,  1875,  in  Aurora,  Illinois,  resides  at  the  home 
of  his  parents,  as  does  also  Milton  Levi,  born 
January  n,  1878,  in  Sandwich,  Illinois. 

Pincus  Henoch  was  made  a  Mason  in  Occi- 
dental Lodge,  at  St.  Joseph,  Michigan,  and  was 
admitted  to  Chicago  Lodge,  but  is  not  active  at 
present.  He  comes  of  a  Hebrew  family,  and  is  a 
staunch  and  loyal  Democrat. 


FRANCIS  M.  JOHNSON. 


r~RANCIS  MORTIMER  JOHNSON,  who 
r^  was  born  on  Sunday,  May  8,  1842,  in  Hick- 
|  ory  Lane,  Niles,  Michigan,  is  one  of  the 
most  valued  and  highly  respected  employes  of 
the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad 
Company,  having  been  in  the  employ  of  that 
company  since  1865.  His  parents  were  Alfred 
Wells  and  Dezire  (Howe)  Johnson,  and  both 
came  from  very  old  families.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  John  Johnson,  and  the  maternal 
grandfather  of  F.  M.  Johnson  was  Frederick 
Howe.  Mr.  Howe  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and  he 


was  born  in  Vermont.  He  settled  in  Syracuse, 
New  York,  subsequently,  and  later  removed  to 
Michigan,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Ber- 
rien  County. 

Mr.  Howe  traveled  through  the  country  with 
horse  teams,  there  being  no  steam  railway  at  that 
time.  His  children  were  named  as  follows:  Alonzo, 
Dezire,  Lucinda,  Francis,  Hezekiah,  Adeline, 
Mary,  Nancy,  Charlotta,  Charles  and  George. 
His  wife's  name  was  Polly  Bliss  before  her  mar- 
riage to  Mr.  Howe.  Alfred  W.  Johnson  was 
born  June  26,  1810,  in  Burlington,  Vermont.  He 


F.  M.  JOHNSON. 


came  to  Michigan  in  1831.  He  had  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  and  joiner,  and  erected  a  res- 
idence in  Niles,  Michigan,  in  Hickory  Lane.  All 
his  children  were  born  in  this  house.  Mr.  John- 
son did  a  great  deal  of  contracting  in  the  vicinity 
of  Niles,  for  building  of  residences  and  other 
erections.  He  was  a  Democrat  as  to  political 
views  and  served  in  the  legislature  two  years, 
about  1847-1849.  He  died  June  9,  1889.  His 
wife  was  born  at  Truxton,  New  York,  Friday, 
May  5,  1815,  and  died  October  18,  1896.  Her 
children  were  nine  in  number:  John  Frederick 
was  born  Monday,  December  17,  1838,  and  resides 
at  No.  5140  Wabash  Avenue;  Richard  Marian 
was  born  Wednesday,  May  13,  1840,  married 
Hattie  L-  Barker,  at  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  and 
now  resides  at  No.  5 140  Wabash  Avenue,  Chicago; 
Francis  M.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth;  Julia 
Estelle,  born  Saturday,  March  9,  1844,  married 
Henry  T.  Kimmell  December  14,  1865.  Her 
children  are:  George  Alfred,  born  February  i, 
1867,  and  Edna  Estelle,  born  December  3,  1869; 
George  Franklin,  born  Thursday,  March  5,  1846, 
died  August  5,  1893.  He  married  Annie  C. 
Cook,  at  Tiskilwa,  Illinois,  December  22,  1885; 
Oliver  Howell,  born  February  12,  1848,  died 
March  24,  1848;  Helen  Isabella,  born  Saturday, 
August  n,  1849,  married  John  A.  Montague 
October  6,  1873,  and  has  one  child,  Charles  M., 
born  March  23,  1876.  Her  home  is  in  Niles, 
Michigan,  where  her  husband  is  a  hardware 
dealer;  Mary  Frances,  born  Friday,  November  3, 
1853,  married  Orson  McKay  October  2,  1883. 
Mr.  McKay  is  an  employe  of  the  Santa  Fe  Rail- 
road Company  and  they  reside  at  No.  4735  Evans 
Avenue;  Charles  Alfred,  born  Friday,  February 
8,  1856,  was  married  at  Marshall,  Michigan, 
August  20,  1883,  to  Bertha  Hopkins  Perritt.  He 
is  the  father  of  one  child,  Alfred  Hopkins,  born 
September  6,  1892.  The  family  resides  at  Niles, 
Michigan,  where  C.  A.  Johnson  is  cashier  at  the 
First  National  Bank. 

Francis  Mortimer  Johnson  occupied  himself  at 
the  same  trade  as  his  father  until  sixteen  years  of 
age.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  October  17,  1862, 
in  Company  E,  Twelfth  Michigan  Regiment. 
He  was  sick  a  large  part  of  the  time  and  served 


in  the  reserve  corps  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  for  eight- 
een months.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and 
his  regiment  was  the  first  one  fired  upon.  He 
was  also  in  battles  along  the  Chickahominy  River. 
November  3,  1865,  he  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice. Mr.  Johnson  was  taken  prisoner  a  Bolivar, 
Tennessee,  but  was  paroled.  After  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War  Mr.  Johnson  located  in  Chicago 
and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Lake  Shore  & 
Michigan  Southern  Railway  Company  and  has 
since  been  occupied  in  the  interest  of  that  con- 
cern. He  entered  as  clerk  in  the  freight  office 
and  remained  in  that  capacity  eighteen  years.  He 
then  took  charge  of  the  out  freight  house  at  Polk 
Street  and  Pacific  Avenue  and  after  eight  years 
was  transferred  to  the  Englewood  east  bound 
freight,  but  at  the  end  of  four  years  this  house 
was  discontinued  and  he  was  returned  to  the  Polk 
Street  house,  where  he  is  at  the  present  writing. 
Mr.  Johnson  was  married  February  15,  1862, 
to  Miss  Marilla  Alwilda  Chipman,  daughter  of 
Holton  and  Lucy  (Hopkins)  Chipman.  Mrs. 
Johnson's  great-grandfather  was  born  in  England, 
and  emigrating  to  America  in  1840,  located  in 
Eugene,  Indiana,  later  removing  to  Bristol,  of 
that  state,  where  he  died  in  1847,  at  the  age  of 
forty-nine  years.  Holton  Chipman  was  born  in 
Vermont,  as  was  also  his  wife.  She  was  married 
in  Ohio  and  died  January  24,  1893.  She  was 
born  April  24,  1809.  Her  children  were  nine  in 
number.  Lucy  Hopkins  married  Caleb  Nash,  of 
South  Bend,  Indiana,  and  their  children  are: 
Alice,  Helen,  Delia  and  Adell;  Philenia  Rosalie 
married  Dr.  J.  N.  Roe,  of  South  Bend,  and 
their  children  are:  Lelia,  Crestus  and  Lennie; 
Rachel  Parthenia  married  John  Brown,  of  Val- 
paraiso, Indiana,  and  their  children  are:  Blanch, 
William  and  Agnes;  C}rnthia  Florilla  married 
C.  S.  Payne,  of  Goshen,  Indiana,  and  their  chil- 
dren are:  Lola,  Hiram,  Chauncey,  Emma  and 
Maggie;  Austia  Ian  the  married  Joseph  F.Thomas, 
of  Edwardsburg,  Indiana,  and  their  only  child  is 
Ella;  Delia  Alice  married  John  Hudson,  of  Sac- 
ramento, California,  and  is  now  deceased;  Cassius 
Holton  married  Wealthy  Rouse,  at  Kendallville, 
Indiana,  and  their  only  child  is  Millie;  Marilla  Al- 
wilda is  the  wife  of  the  man  whose  name  heads 


WILUAM   GASTFIELD. 


this  article,  and  was  born  November  17,  1843,  at 
Eugene,  Indiana;  Milton  Delmer  resides  at 
Rensselaer,  Indiana. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  who  have  done  credit  to  the  rear- 
ing they  received  and  to  the  family  name,  which 
has  never  known  a  tarnish.  Frank  Rollo  was 
born  December  2,  1862,  in  Harris  Township, 
Elkhart  County,  Indiana.  More  extended  no- 
tice of  him  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Ernest  Mortimer  was  born  March  23,  1866,  and 
has  also  space  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 


Though  never  an  office  seeker,  Mr.  Johnson  is 
interested  very  deeply  in  the  welfare  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  in  whose  interest  he  casts  a  vote  at 
all  favorable  opportunities.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Mr.  Johnson  erected  a  residence  at  No.  5817 
Wabash  Avenue  in  the  spring  of  1882.  This  was 
the  first  house  in  the  locality,  and  the  nearest 
house  to  it  at  that  time  was  on  State  Street.  The 
family  is  one  of  the  well-known  and  honored  ones 
of  the  community,  and  each  member  is  a  credit  to 
the  neighborhood  in  which  they  reside. 


WILLIAM  GASTFIELD. 


GASTFIELD,  a  very  old  and 
highly  respected  pioneer  of  Chicago,  has 
resided  continuously  in  Cook  County  since 
1842  and,  except  a  couple  of  years  spent  on  a 
farm,  has  resided  in  Chicago.  He  was  born  in 
Hessen,  Schomberg,  Germany,  January  9,  1828, 
the  only  son  of  Christian  and  Sophia  (Wolf)  Gast- 
field.  The  family,  consisting  of  parents  and  son, 
sailed  from  Bremen  Harbor  in  the  summer  of  1841, 
and  after  a  tedious  voyage  in  stormy  weather 
and  high  seas,  landed  in  New  York  fourteen 
weeks  later. 

They  came  to  Buffalo  by  way  of  the  river  to 
Albany  and  thence  by  canal.  Their  destination 
was  Chicago,  as  they  had  relatives  in  Cook 
County.  Navigation  on  the  lakes  being  closed 
they  remained  in  Buffalo  one  winter  and  in  the 
spring  of  1842,  came  on  to  Chicago.  Christian 
Gastfield  was  a  mechanic,  but  being  short  of 
funds,  was  forced  to  find  employment  as  a  laborer. 
He  died  in  Chicago  a  few  years  after  his  arrival, 
and  his  wife  survived  him  until  about  1850,  when 
she,  too,  passed  away. 

William  Gastfield  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  place.  After  coming  to  Chicago  he 


was  employed  by  Frank  Sherman,  first  working 
in  his  brick  yard  for  a  short  time,  and  then  spent 
two  years  on  his  farm.  He  then  served  at  ap- 
prenticeship of  two  years  at  the  carpenter's  trade, 
with  Jesse  Cutshaw.  He  worked  for  wages  some 
years  before  he  began  building  and  contracting  on 
his  own  account.  He  followed  the  last-mentioned 
business  for  several  years  and,  in  1864,  in  com- 
pany with  Charles  Joerndt,  built  a  sash  and  door 
factory  on  the  corner  of  Curtis  and  West  Huron 
Streets  and  carried  on  a  successful  business  until 
1881,  when  he  sold  out.  He  continued  building 
and  contracting,  and  erected  many  factories  and 
also  extended  his  operations  to  Columbus,  Ohio, 
and  Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Wheeling,  West  Virginia.  He  remained 
active  in  the  business  world  until  about  the  year 
1894. 

In  1848  he  bought  an  acre  of  land  on  Chicago 
Avenue,  when  John  Kuhl  was  the  only  settler 
on  the  prairie  in  that  locality.  He  soon  after 
built  a  small  house,  the  second  on  the  street,  and 
located  on  his  property  and  has  ever  since  resided 
on  it.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
the  affairs  of  the  city,  and  in  1863-4-5-6,  was 


W.  T.  WELBOURN. 


Alderman  for  the  Twelfth  Ward.  Formerly  he 
supported  the  Republican  party,  but  of  late  years 
has  become  more  independent  and  usually  acts 
with  the  Democratic  party. 

Mr.  Gastfield  is  a  member  of  the  Mithra  Lodge 
No.  410,  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
and  Goethe  Lodge  No.  329,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  Humboldt  Encampment  of 
the  latter  order.  He  has  been  married  three 
times.  January  3,  1847,  he  married  Mary  J. 
Cutshaw,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  only 
three  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Gertrude, 


widow  of  Mr.  Ungawiter;  Charles,  who  is  secretary 
of  the  North  Side  Land  Company;  and  Martha, 
wife  of  Charles  Hacker.  The  mother  died  March 
24,  1860,  and  September  8,  1860,  Mr.  Gastfield 
married  Dorothy  Meyer.  By  this  union  there 
are  four  children  living  :  Louis,  Louise,  Edward 
and  Dora.  The  mother  of  this  family  died  March 
4,  1879.  December  17,  1879,  Mr.  Gastfield  again 
took  unto  himself  a  wife,  the  bride  being  Mary 
Swanson.  They  are  members  of  St.  Peter's  Evan- 
gelical Church  and  support  all  that  goes  for  the 
benefit  of  the  people  at  large. 


WILLIAM  T.  WELBOURN. 


fDQlLLIAM  THOMAS  WELBOURN,  a 
I  A  I  prominent  farmer  and  stock-dealer  of  Sum- 
VY  mit,  was  born  June  18,  1860,  in  that  vil- 
lage, his  birthday  being  signalized  by  the  nomi- 
nation of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  president.  His 
parents  were  William  and  Jane  (Nicholson)  Wei- 
bourn,  natives  of  the  town  of  Beverly,  York- 
shire, England.  His  paternal  grandparents  were 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Ward)  Welbourn,  of  the  same 
place. 

Thomas  Welbouru  came  to  America  in  1844, 
and  located  on  Salt  Creek,  Lyons  Township, 
Cook  County ,  Illinois,  and  the  next  year  brought 
his  family  over.  Within  a  few  years  thereafter, 
he  was  fatally  injured  by  a  falling  tree,  which  he 
felled.  Eight  of  his  children  grew  to  maturity, 
namely:  William,  Robert,  Thomas,  George,  John, 
Ann  (now  Mrs.  Monroe  Durfee) ,  Elizabeth 
(Mrs.  Joseph  Knight),  and  Margaret  (Mrs. 
John  Scofield).  Four  of  the  sons,  Robert, 
John,  George  and  Thomas,  served  as  soldiers  in 
the  Civil  War. 

When  William  Welbourn,  senior,  first  came  to 


Cook  County  he  was  employed  as  a  laborer, 
wherever  he  could  find  a  demand  for  his  services. 
He  subsequently  engaged  in  contracting,  and  in 
1860  became  proprietor  of  the  Summit  House,  at 
Summit,  which  hostelry  he  continued  to  conduct 
several  years.  He  was  also  proprietor  of  the 
All-Nations  Hotel  in  Chicago  for  a  period  of  two 
and  a-half  years,  and  then  returned  to  Summit 
and  again  kept  the  Summit  House  two  years. 
He  next  engaged  in  farming,  which  industry 
continued  to  employ  his  time  and  energies  until 
his  death,  in  June,  1896,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  His  children  were  four  in  number 
and  one  of  these  died  in  infancy.  The  others  are 
John,  Alfred  and  William,  all  except  the  last- 
named  being  now  deceased.  During  the  cholera 
epidemic  of  1848  Mrs.  Welbourn  nursed  many  of 
its  victims  and  buried,  without  any  assistance, 
nine  who  succumbed  to  the  dread  power  of  this 
disease. 

William  T.  Welbourn,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  reared  in  Lyons  Township,  and  edu- 
cated in  its  common  schools.  He  began  life  as  a 


SARGEANT  TALBOT. 


43 


farmer,  and  by  his  industry  and  prudent  manage- 
ment has  made  a  flattering  success  of  that  calling. 
At  one  time  he  operated  nine  hundred  acres  of 
land,  and  since  1886,  has  been  an  extensive 
dealer  in  cattle  and  horses. 

He  was  married  December  4,  1883,  to  Miss 
Rosella  M.,  youngest  daughter  of  John  and  Ma- 
tilda (Adams)  Spear,  prominent  pioneers  of  Palos 
Township.  Seven  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Welbourn,  namely:  Jennie,  Rose, 


Harriet  (deceased),  William,  Cora,  Frank  and 
Olive.  Mr.  Welbourn  and  family  are  connected 
with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  League.  He  has  held  the 
offices  of  treasurer,  village  trustee  and  school  di- 
rector several  terms,  and  is  among  the  most  in- 
telligent and  progressive  citizens  of  the  community 
in  which  he  resides.  Politically  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  for  several  years  has  been  a  delegate  to 
the  county  conventions  of  his  party. 


SARGEANT  TALBOT. 


(7JARGEANT  TALBOT,  who  is  a  self-made 
?\  man  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the  word,  was 
s2/  born  January  n,  1819,  in  the  parish  of 
Lorsen,  Suffolk,  England.  His  parents  were 
Thomas  and  Hannah  (Gritts)  Talbot.  His  grand- 
father, Sargeant  Talbot,  was  an  English  over- 
seer. The  maternal  grandfather  was  also  Eng- 
lish, and  came  from  London. 

Mr,  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Talbot  and  their  seven 
children  emigrated  from  their  native  land  in 
1833,  and  located  in  Herkimer  County,  near 
Utica,  New  York.  He  later  purchased  a  farm 
in  Oneida  County.  He  remained  on  a  farm  until 
his  death,  which  occurred  about  the  year  1876. 
He  was  born  in  Sussex,  England,  near  the  place 
where  Sargeant,  his  son  and  the  subject  of  this 
article,  was  also  born.  Mrs.  Thomas  Talbot 
died  about  1875.  Her  children  were:  Eliza, 
Sargeant,  William,  Thomas,  Marie,  Sophia, 
Annie  and  Edward. 

Sargeant  Talbot  received  but  scant  education 
and  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was 
twenty  years  of  age.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  the 
fall  of  1842,  and  went  into  the  employ  of  John 
Gage  as  teamster  for  a  flour  mill,  which  was  lo- 


cated on  Van  Buren  Street,  where  the  bridge 
now  is.  The  mill  burned  in  1856.  He  remained 
thus  employed  until  1853,  and  then  removed  to 
California.  After  three  months  he  returned  and 
purchased  a  farm  on  the  Des  Plaines  River,  one 
mile  south  of  East  Wheeling.  He  owned  two 
hundred  acres  and  remained  on  this  farm  until 
1873,  when  he  sold  and  removed  to  Englewood. 
He  has  since  that  time  been  engaged  in  teaming, 
owning  as  many  as  thirteen  teams  of  horses. 

Being  very  successful,  he  was  enabled,  in  1892, 
to  build  a  three  story  brick  residence  building  at 
No.  6658  State  Street.  Mr.  Talbot  had  resided 
in  the  old  house  on  this  site  since  1882. 

Mr.  Talbot  was  married  April  9,  1842,  to  Miss 
Marie  Copsey,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Tal- 
bot) Copsey.  Mrs.  Talbot  was  born  in  Suffolk, 
near  Cambridge,  England,  November  3,  1824. 
She  died  July  19,  1898,  mourned  by  many  friends 
and  relatives.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Talbot  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children.  Andrew  Jackson,  the 
eldest,  was  born  January  n,  1844,  and  died 
April  9,  1846.  Andrew  Jackson,  named  for  the 
United  States  president  of  that  name,  was  born 
July  22,  1846,  and  resides  at  Arlington  Heights, 


44 


LAURITZ  PAULSEN. 


Cook  County,  Illinois.  Mary  Adelaide  was  born 
March  26,  1848,  married  Charles  C.  Webster, 
a  builder  by  occupation;  they  reside  at  No. 
6448  Morgan  Street,  Chicago.  Frances  Adelaide, 
born  February  3,  1853,  died  on  the  i8th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1853. 

Walter  George,  the  next  in  order  of  birth  of 
the  children  of  Sargeant  Talbot,  was  born  Nov- 
ember 3,  1854,  and  married  Kate  E.  Smith, 
daughter  of  William  Henry  and  Margaret  Ann 
(Quackenbush)  Smith,  May  3,  1887.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  G.  Talbot  are:  Clarence 
Arthur,  born  May  i,  1888;  Robert  Edwin,  June 
17,  1893;  Norman  Webster,  March  26,  1895,  and 
Alice  Adelaide,  October  31,  1897.  William,  the 
sixth  child  of  S.  Talbot,  died  at  the  age  of  two 
years,  while  Clarence  died  when  seventeen  years 
old,  in  October,  1881. 

Mr.  Talbot  is  a  man  of  very  mild  manner,  an 


agreeable  gentleman  to  converse  with,  and  a  man 
of  much  force  of  character.  He  is  not  demon- 
strative, but  is  governed  by  a  quiet,  but  firm  and 
persistent  nature.  Though  never  blessed  with 
educational  advantages  of  the  best,  he  is,  how- 
ever, accomplished  more  than  many  men  who 
have  had  the  best  opportunities.  His  fine  prop- 
erty at  No.  6658  State  Street,  is  but  one  tangible 
proof  of  this  fact.  His  son,  Walter  Talbot,  re- 
sides with  him  at  this  number.  All  that  could 
be  bestowed  by  a  loving  son  on  a  parent  is 
showered  on  his  father  by  Walter  G.  Talbot. 
This  happy  home  suffered  a  terrible  affliction 
when  death  separated  the  loving  mother  from 
those  of  this  earth,  in  July,  1898.  She  was 
highly  respected  by  all  who  knew  her  and  rev- 
erenced beyond  limit  by  her  children.  She  had 
passed  threescore  and  ten  years  at  the  time  of 
her  death. 


LAURITZ   PAULSEN. 


I  AURITZ  PAUIvSEN,  who  has  been  identi- 

I 1  fied  with  the  building  interests  of  Chicago 
t2r  for  many  years,  comes  of  that  strong,  ag- 
gressive Scandinavian  stock  which  has  played 
such  an  important  part  in  the  world's  history. 
He  was  born  in  Denmark  September  16,   1853, 
and  in  his  native  town  received  a  common  school 
education.     At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  was 
apprenticed  to  a  carpenter  and,  for  a  period  of 
five  years,  diligently  applied  himself  to  learning 
the  trade.     He  continued  to  work  as  a  carpenter 
in  his  home  town  until  1881.     In  that  year  he 
followed  the  tide  of  emigration  which  had  been 
flowing  strongly  toward  America  several  years, 
and   journeyed  to   Cleveland,  Ohio,  where    he 


found  work  at  his  trade.  Hearing  of  the  greater 
opportunities  for  gaining  wealth  in  Chicago,  he 
went  to  that  city  the  next  year,  and  was  em- 
ployed twelve  months  by  Palmer  &  Fuller,  in 
Twenty-second  Street. 

Like  all  other  men  who  have  acquired  fortunes 
from  small  beginnings,  Mr.  Paulsen  had  early 
adopted  frugal,  economical  habits,  and  had  al- 
ways saved  a  portion  of  his  earnings.  He  was, 
therefore,  able  to  enter  business  on  his  own  ac- 
count and,  having  by  his  two  years'  residence  in 
this  country  gained  a  knowledge  of  American 
methods  of  building,  he  resolved  to  apply  his 
efforts  in  such  a  way  that  the  profits  should  be 
his  own.  He  therefore  began  buying  lots,  on 


J.  O.  WINDHEIM. 


45 


which  he  erected  residences.  These  he  sold  at  a 
fair  profit,  and  the  plan  was  not  only  advanta- 
geous to  him,  but  also  aided  in  building  up  the 
city  and  furnishing  comfortable  homes  for  many 
of  its  people.  This  business  was  continued  until 
1893,  and  resulted  in  the  erection  of  about  fifty 
houses.  With  part  of  the  capital  thus  acquired, 
Mr.  Paulsen  opened  a  lumber  yard  in  1894  a^ 
No.  781  North  Avenue.  He  carries  in  stock  all 
kinds  of  lumber  required  by  the  builder,  both  for 
rough  and  finishing  work.  His  long  experience 
in  superintending  the  work  of  building  and  also 
as  a  practical  mechanic,  render  his  judgment  in 
the  selection  of  materials  as  good  as  the  best,  and 
he  is  patronized  by  a  large  number  of  the  first- 
class  contractors  in  his  section  of  the  city.  He  is 


the  owner  of  the  property  where  his  yards  and 
office  are  located,  and  also  of  a  modern  residence . 
Though  he  came  to  this  country  comparatively 
poor,  the  subject  of  this  notice  soon  became  im- 
bued with  American  ideas  and  has  shown  a  fair 
share  of  that  enterprise  and  energy  for  which  his 
adopted  country  is  noted  the  world  over.  Not 
only  has  he  acquired  a  competence,  but  has  be- 
come an  honored  and  respected  citizen  of  his  sec- 
tion of  the  city,  where  his  honesty  and  integrity 
are  well  known.  In  politics  he  shows  that  same 
independence  of  character  which  has  marked  his 
business  life,  but  in  national  affairs  he  supports 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
married  in  1881  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  Miss 
Marie  Lassen,  a  native  of  Denmark. 


JOHN  O.  WINDHEIM. 


(JOHN  OTTO  WINDHEIM,  a  pioneer  of  Chi- 
I  cago,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Schottlingn , 
(*/  Hessen,  Germany,  December  19,  1836,  and 
was  reared  on  a  farm  in  his  native  land  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  His  parents 
were  Henry  and  Dorothy  Windheim.  John  Otto 
Windheim  received  a  common  school  education, 
and  aided  in  tilling  the  soil  of  his  father's  prop- 
erty until  they  emigrated  from  their  native  land, 
March  15,  1854. 

Mr.  Windheim  sailed  from  Bremen,  Germany, 
and  after  a  voyage  of  five  weeks  and  three  days 
landed  in  New  York.  He  travelled  direct  to 
Chicago,  where  his  brother,  H.  C.  Windheim, 
was  residing,  arriving  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
month  of  May.  He  had  but  scant  means  at  that 
time,  and  began  life  in  this  country  by  driving  a 
team  for  a  brick  maker.  He  spent  one  year  at 


the  carpenter's  trade  and  acted  as  clerk  in  a  gro- 
cery store  for  his  brother,  two  subsequent  years. 
In  January,  1860,  he  joined  the  fire  department 
and  was  thus  occupied  eleven  years. 

He  was  connected  with  the  U.  P.  Harris  Com- 
pany, and  soon  after  the  great  fire  of  1871  he. 
resigned  his  position  with  the  department,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  occupied  with  teaming 
and  expressing.  He  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  in  favor  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  1860,  and 
has  since  supported  the  Republican  party,  but 
never  sought  for  nor  held  public  office.  He 
still  retains  his  membership  in  the  Firemen's 
Benevolent  Association.  In  1864  he  married 
Sophia  Tegtmeyer,  a  daughter  of  John  Frederick 
Tegtmeyer,  who  was  a  native  of  the  village  of 
Grossendorf,  Hessen,  Germany,  and  who  came  to 
America  in  1846.  By  that  marriage  Mr.  Wind- 


46 


J.    F.  JOHNSON. 


heim  became  the  father  of  four  children:  John  F. , 
who  died  in  childhood;  John  Christopher,  who 
is  captain  of  Truck  5,  in  the  fire  department; 
Sophia,  wife  of  Philip  Boiler;  and  Rica,  de- 
ceased. The  mother  died  September  8,  1883. 
May  1 6,  1885,  Mr.  Windheim  married  Katharine 
Ellen,  widow  of  John  Philip  Tegtmeyer.  She 
is  a  sister  of  the  former  Mrs.  Windheim,  and  by 
her  marriage  with  John  P.  Tegtmeyer  had  six 
children:  John  Frederick,  Edward  Christopher, 
August  and  Henry,  and  two  that  died  in  child- 
hood. The  family  of  Mr.  Windheim  is  connected 
with  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

John  Frederick  Tegtmeyer,  father  of  Mrs. 
Windheim,  had  six  children,  namely:  Christo- 
pher; Dorothy,  widow  of  Henry  C.  Windheim, 
who  lives  at  No.  1 1 2  Canalport  Avenue;  Katha- 
rine E.,  Mrs.  Windheim;  Sophia  (deceased)  and 
Conrad.  Mr.  Tegtmeyer  was  married  to  Dorothy 


Meyerding,  a  native  of  the  same  place  as  himself, 
and  all  his  children  were  born  in  the  Fatherland. 
May  4,  1846,  with  his  family  and  a  number  of 
young  men  and  women,  he  came  to  America. 
They  travelled  to  Bremen  by  team  and  consumed 
eight  days  in  the  journey.  From  that  city  they 
set  sail  for  America  and  were  seven  weeks  and 
three  days  on  the  ocean,  landing  in  New  York. 
They  came  by  way  of  the  Hudson  River  to 
Albany,  and  by  canal  boat  to  Buffalo,  a  tedious 
journey,  occupying  many  days.  From  Buffalo 
they  came  by  steamboat  to  Chicago,  making  the 
trip  in  five  days,  and  arriving  on  the  i8th  of  July, 
1846. 

Mr.  Tegtmeyer  was  an  expert  gardener  and 
worked  at  that  occupation  many  years.  He  died 
in  Chicago  in  March,  1865,  and  his  wife  survived 
him  until  March  15,  1883,  dying  at  the  age  of 
eighty-three  years. 


JOHN  F.  JOHNSON. 


(JOHN  FREDERICK  JOHNSON,  who  was 
I  one  of  the  first  men  connected  with  the  Chi- 
O  cago  City  Railway  Company,  rose  from  a 
mere  clerical  position  to  the  one  of  great  respon- 
sibility which  he  now  holds.  He  has  succeeded 
through  his  own  energies  and  merits  this  and 
much  more.  He  was  born  December  17,  1838, 
in  Niles,  Michigan.  For  ancestry,  see  biography 
of  F.  M.  Johnson,  on  another  page  of  this  vol- 
ume. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  educated  in  Niles,  Michigan, 
attending  school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  six- 
teen years.  October  i,  1854,  he  obtained  a  posi- 
tion in  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad  freight 
office,  remaining  until  1862.  For  a  short  time 
subsequently  he  was  employed  with  John  Berry, 


and  in  1863  he  entered  the  freight  office  of  the 
Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company,  changing 
later  to  the  service  of  the  Merchants'  Union  Ex- 
press Company  until  1868,  when  he  was  employed 
by  the  American  Express  Company.  December 
of  the  year  1869  he  became  clerk  for  the  Chicago 
City  Railway  Company,  and  after  seven  years  in 
that  capacity  was  six  years  treasurer  and  secre- 
tary. Since  1881  he  has  been  in  the  President's 
office  as  assistant  auditor  and  fills  the  position  to 
the  complete  satisfaction  of  all  interested. 

He  has  proven  in  all  circumstances  a  compe- 
tent, energetic  and  trustworthy  man  and  has 
gained  the  admiration  of  all  who  have  come  in 
contact  with  his  fresh,  genial  mind,  whether  in 
one  surrounding  or  another. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINC!; 


H.  B.  LEWIS. 


47 


HENRY  B.  LEWIS. 


HENRY  BYRON  LEWIS,  one  of  the  early 
and  most  respected  residents  of  that  portion 
of  Chicago  known  as  Englewood,  was  born 
February  i,  1825,  in  Eaton,  Madison  County, 
New  York.  He  is  a  descendant  of  Benjamin 
Lewis,  President  of  the  Town  of  Wallingford, 
Connecticut,  and  later  a  resident  of  Stratford,  in 
the  same  Colony.  The  last-named  married  Han- 
nah, daughter  ofSergeant  John  Curtis,  one  of  the 
original  proprietors  of  the  ancient  town  of  Strat- 
ford. She  was  born  February  16,  1654,  and  died 
October  21, 1728.  Her  husband  passed  away  in 
Stratford  about  1700. 

Their  third  son,  James  Lewis,  born  in  1677, 
married  Hannah,  daughter  of  James  Judson;  she 
died  January  20,  1766.  Her  eldest  son,  John 
Lewis,  born  December  20,  1703,  married  Sarah 
Sherman,  on  the  7th  day  of  December,  1727. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Nathaniel  Sherman.  Jud- 
son Lewis,  her  seventh  child,  was  the  grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  His  wife,  Elizabeth, 
was  a  daughter  of  Col.  Samuel  Whiting.  All  these, 
except  Benjamin  Lewis,  were  born  in  Stratford. 

Judson  Lewis  settled  in  Madison  County,  New 
York,  about  1795,  and  died  there.  The  hill  in 
Stratford  on  which  many  of  the  Lewises  lived 
is  still  called  "Tory  Hill,"  and  it  is  conjectured 
that  John,  father  of  Judson  Lewis,  was  a  Tory 
Lieutenant,  as  he  was  styled  Lieutenant  Lewis. 
Col.  Samuel  Whiting  was  a  soldier  in  both  Colo- 
nial and  Revolutionary  wars.  He  advanced 
money  to  pay  off  his  regiment,  and  was  never  re- 
imbursed by  the  colony  for  this  expenditure. 
Through  Colonel  Whiting,  the  subject  of  this 
notice  is  directly  descended  from  Gov.  William 


Bradford,  second  Governor  of  Plymouth  Colony, 
the  line  being  as  follows: 

i,  Gov.  William  Bradford;  2,  Maj.  William 
Bradford,  Deputy  Governor  of  Plymouth,  and 
his  wife,  Alice  Richards;  3,  Alice,  born  Bradford, 
wife  of  Rev.  William  Adams;  4,  Elizabeth,  born 
Adams,  wife  of  Rev.  Samuel  Whiting;  5,  Col. 
Samuel  Whiting  and  Elizabeth  Judson,  his  wife; 
6,  Elizabeth  Whiting,  wife  of  Judson  Lewis;  7, 
Isaac  Lewis,  son  of  Judson  and  Elizabeth  Lewis; 
8,  Henry  B.  Lewis. 

Isaac  Lewis  was  born  in  Stratford,  Connecticut, 
and  when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age  his  parents 
removed  to  Madison  County,  New  York.  In  his 
youth  he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  in  which 
he  became  highly  proficient.  During  our  second 
war  with  England  he  efficiently  served  his  coun- 
try, attaining  the  rank  of  captain.  He  was  thrice 
married.  His  first  wife,  Nancy  Curtis,  bore  him 
two  children:  Lucetta,  who  married  Palmer  Hall, 
and  Thompson  C.,  both  now  deceased.  His 
second  wife,  Lydia  (Gates)  Lewis,  became  the 
mother  of  five  children:  Lucy  Ann,  now  Mrs. 
William  Perry,  of  New  York;  Dwight  M.,  de- 
ceased; Lucinda  Cornelia,  widow  of  Orason  Cham- 
berlain, who  resides  at  Galesburg,  Illinois;  Henry 
B. ,  whose  name  introduces  this  article;  and  Helen 
Maria,  widow  of  Luther  M.  Kent,  who  lives  in 
Englewood.  The  mother  of  this  family  died 
November  25,  1828.  For  his  third  wife,  Isaac 
Lewis  married  Esther  Card.  Their  children  were 
Mary,  who  died  at  the  home  of  H.  B.  Lewis  in 
1869;  Anzellette  and  Alasco  B.  The  last  died  in 
Dubuque,  Iowa,  in  1888. 

Henry  B.  Lewis'  education  was  limited  to  the 


48 


H.  B.  LEWIS. 


public  schools,  and  a  term  of  three  months  in  the 
Morrisville  Academy.  His  range  of  study,  while 
limited  to  the  few  branches  of  learning  taught  in 
the  public  schools  of  sixty  years  ago,  had  the 
merit  of  thoroughness,  as  his  studious  habits 
made  him  highly  proficient  in  the  fundamental 
principles  of  an  English  education.  His  oppor- 
tunities for  acquiring  further  education  were  cut 
short  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  it  be- 
coming necessary  then  for  him  to  enter  upon 
some  employment,  with  a  view  to  establishing 
himself  upon  the  threshold  of  his  career,  then 
just  opening.  The  opportunity  offering,  he  ac- 
cepted a  position  with  the  Utica  Daily  Gazette,  to 
learn  the  printing  business. 

Six  months  later  he  resigned  his  position  to  ac- 
cept a  clerkship  in  one  of  the  mercantile  establish- 
ments of  Hamilton,  New  York,  in  which  capacity 
he  was  employed  one  year,  after  which  he  con- 
ducted a  store  for  his  brother-in-law  at  Pratt's 
Hollow  four  years,  acquiring  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  correct  business  methods,  to  which,  in  a 
considerable  measure,  is  due  the  success  that  has 
attended  his  efforts  throughout  his  long  and  suc- 
cessful business  career.  In  1850  he  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business  for  himself  in  Morris- 
ville, New  York,  which  he  conducted  four  years, 
with  fair  success.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  March, 
1855,  and  for  one  year  thereafter  filled  a  position 
with  Williams  &  Avery,  lumber  dealers.  The 
following  year  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Walter  Lull,  to  deal  in  lumber,  with  office  on 
Canal  Street,  near  Lake  Street.  In  the  fall  of 
1857  he  disposed  of  his  interest  to  his  partner, 
with  whom  he  remained  and  filled  a  clerical  po- 
sition until  May  i,  1858.  That  year  he  estab- 
lished himself  on  Kinzie  Street  and  engaged  on 
his  own  account  in  handling  a  line  of  farming 
commodities,  becoming  at  that  time  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trade. 

In  1860  he  moved  his  place  of  business  to  South 
Water  Street,  at  the  corner  of  Franklin  Street, 
where  he  was  burned  out  in  the  fire  of  1871, 
which  caused  him  serious  loss. 

After  settling  up  his  business  he  turned  his  at- 
tention to  real  estate,  loans  and  insurance,  having 
laid  out  two  subdivisions.  In  1867  Mr.  Lewis 


purchased  property  in  Englewood,  upon  which  he 
located,  being  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  place, 
which  was  then  known  as  Junction  Grove.  Sub- 
sequently Mrs.  Lewis  suggested  that  the  name  be 
changed  to  Englewood,  which  was  accordingly 
adopted.  Mr.  Lewis  at  once  became  active  in 
promoting  the  material  interests  of  the  new  sub- 
urb. He  worked  untiringly  for  its  advancement, 
and  his  efforts  aided  in  producing  results  which 
quickly  converted  an  almost  virgin  prairie  into  a 
closely  settled  community. 

However,  it  is  to  the  cause  of  education  in  the 
city  that  he  has  given  his  best  efforts  and  in  rec- 
ognition thereof  one  of  the  magnificent  public 
schools  of  the  town  of  Lake,  now  in  the  city,  was 
given  his  honored  name.  For  many  years  he  was 
officially  connected  with  the  public  schools,  hav- 
ing served  on  the  district  board  about  ten  years, 
and  six  years  on  the  county  board.  For  three 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Hyde  Park  Board 
of  town  trustees. 

It  was  largely  due  to  Mr.  Lewis' efforts  that 
the  County  Normal  School  was  established  at 
Englewood.  For  two  years  he  ceaselessly  agita- 
ted the  question.  He  carried  the  matter  before 
the  state  legislature  and  induced  that  body  to  pass 
a  law  authorizing  the  directors  of  that  school  dis- 
trict to  levy  a  tax  to  assist  in  securing  the  location 
of  the  school  at  Englewood.  In  other  matters 
Mr.  Lewis  has  been  equally  active.  For  three 
years  he  served  on  the  board  of  directors  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  and  it  was  largely  through 
his  personal  influence  that  Lyman  J.  Gage,  pres- 
ent Secretary  of  the  United  States  Treasury,  be- 
came connected  with  that  institution. 

Mr.  Lewis  assisted  in  establishing  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Englewood,  whose  house 
of  worship  was  the  first  erected  in  that  (then) 
suburb,  and  has  contributed  to  the  building  fund 
of  every  religious  society  there.  In  religious 
faith  he  is  a  stanch  Universalist,  and  he  was  a 
prime  mover  in  founding  the  First  Universalist 
Church  of  Euglewood,  with  which  he  has  ever 
since  been  connected,  and  to  whose  support  he  is 
always  a  liberal  contributor.  His  political  prefer- 
ment is  for  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
with  which  he  has  been  affiliated  since  its  organ- 


EDWARD  OTTO. 


49 


ization.  Mr.  Lewis  was  married  February  24, 
1848,  to  Miss  Nancy  B.  Haughton,  of  Eaton, 
Madison  County,  New  York.  Their  union  re- 
sulted in  the  birth  of  one  daughter,  Helen  I,. , 
now  the  wife  of  William  Withington  Carter,  who 
has  borne  her  husband  three  children,  namely: 
Alice,  Lillian  and  Ruth. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.    Lewis  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding    anniversary    February   24,    1898,  the 


event  being  attended  by  more  than  two  hundred 
of  their  relatives  and  intimate, /riends.  It  was 
an  occasion  that  fittingly  marked  the  fiftieth  mile- 
stone reached  in  the  journey  of  his  happy  wedded 
life.  Although  he  has  passed  the  scriptural  allot- 
ment of  time  to  man,  he  retains  the  freshness,  the 
mental  vigor  of  youth,  and  his  long  years  of  ac- 
tive labor  have  made  but  little  inroad  upon  his 
rugged  constitution. 


EDWARD  OTTO. 


[TOWARD  OTTO.  Though  foreign  born, 
1^  there  are  many  German-American  citizens 
I  who  have  aided  in  the  re-building  of  the 
city  of  Chicago  more  than  many  native  Ameri- 
cans. And  it  is  true  that  many  who  emigrate  to 
America  are  better  acquainted  with  the  country 
than  some  who  have  lived  in  the  United  States 
all  their  lives.  Born  September  20,  1833,  in  the 
city  of  Arolson,  Waldeck,  Germany,  Edward 
Otto  is  loyal  to  the  best  interests  of  his  adopted 
country,  and  is  ready  to  take  advantage  of  all  the 
new  ideas  and  inventions  as  well  as  to  help 
further  them  in  every  possible  manner.  His  par- 
ents were  Frederick  William  and  Minnie  (Stroh) 
Otto,  and  both  came  of  old  and  highly  respected 
families. 

Frederick  W.  Otto  was  the  first  of  his  father's 
family  to  make  his  way  to  America,  and  located 
in  Sheboygan,  Wisconsin.  He  was  a  merchant 
in  that  city,  and  also  at  Centreville.  He  returned 
to  his  native  land  in  1873,  not  being  taken  with 
the  outlook  of  life  in  America.  His  sisters,  Car- 
olina and  Christina,  came  to  America  about  1848, 
and  located  at  Sheboygan.  Edward  was  the  next 
to  emigrate  from  his  native  land  and  came  to 
America  in  1854,  his  brother  coming  one  year 
later. 

Edward  Otto  reached  New  York  November  26, 


1854,  and  traveled  directly  to  Sheboygan,  Wis- 
consin, which  city  he  reached  in  January,  1855. 
He  learned  the  trade  of  piano-maker  in  his  native 
land,  but  followed  it  here  but  a  short  time.  He 
was  employed  in  his  brother's  store,  as  clerk,  two 
years.  He  subsequently  spent  some  time  in  trav- 
eling and  went  first  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  in 
1857,  where  he  witnessed  many  ante- war  fights. 
He  there  saw  James  Lane,  or  "Jimmie,"  as  he 
was  called,  in  his  prime.  He  was  occupied  at 
general  labor,  and  went  to  St.  Louis  in  1859,  sub- 
sequently locating  in  New  Orleans,  and  in  May, 
1 86 1,  returned  to  St.  Louis.  In  May,  1861,  he 
enlisted  in  Company  F,  Second  Missouri  Home 
Guards  Reserve  Corps,  and  served  three  months. 
He  was  mustered  out  by  General  Fremont,  and 
in  August,  1861,  enlisted  in  Company  G,  Second 
Missouri  Volunteers.  The  regiment  was  mus- 
tered in  the  fall  of  1862,  after  the  battle  of  Cor- 
inth, having  been  in  southern  towns  the  balance 
of  the  time. 

In  the  fall  of  1862  Mr.  Otto  returned  to  Wis- 
consin and  was  in  the  service  of  his  brother,  Fred- 
erick, until  the  fall  of  1863,  when  he  located  in 
Chicago.  He  purchased  a  grocery  on  Clark 
Street,  near  Harrison  Street,  with  Henry  Boehle 
as  a  partner;  the  latter  shortly  afterward  sold  out 
to  Mr.  Otto,  who  retained  possession  but  one 


C.    H.    MENZEL. 


year,  subsequent  to  which  time  he  became  an  em- 
ploye in  Stone's  piano-factory  on  Clark  Street. 
For  a  short  time  he  was  in  the  service  of  Kenower 
Brothers,  and  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter 
continuously  from  that  time  until  he  started  the 
sash  and  door  business  in  1866,  on  Archer  Ave- 
nue, near  Twenty-second  Street.  His  partner 
was  Frederick  Matthews,  and  the  firm  name  be- 
came Otto  &  Matthews.  The  partnership  con- 
tinued until  1872,  when  he  bought  out  his  part- 
ner and  conducted  the  business  alone  until  the 
great  panic,  when  business  was  so  dull  that  he 
closed  up  his  factory  for  a  time. 

In  1877  he  opened  again  on  Halsted  and 
Twenty-fifth  Streets,  and  after  one  year  located 
at  No.  3100  Halsted  Street,  with  Frank  Brehm 
for  partner.  He  continued  to  operate  the  two 
establishments,  the  latter  being  a  manufacturing 
venture.  Mr.  Otto  was  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
Brehm  five  years,  and  sold  his  share  in  the  fac- 
tory to  his  partner  in  May,  1884.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  started  in  business  at  the  corner  of 
Wentworth  Avenue  and  Forty-third  Street,  deal- 
ing and  manufacturing.  He  purchased  a  factory 
in  1886,  at  the  corner  of  Halsted  and  Sixtieth 
Streets,  and  kept  both  places  until  1893,  since 


which  time  he  has  lived  retired.  He  erected 
buildings  at  Nos.  243  and  245  Forty-third  Street, 
near  Wentworth  Avenue,  and  traded  them  for 
property  at  No.  7030  Rhodes  Avenue,  where  he 
has  since  resided. 

In  April,  1863,  Mr.  Otto  was  married  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Arnold.  Mrs.  Otto  was  born  Decem- 
ber 3,  1840,  in  Germany.  Her  children  are  ac- 
counted for  as  follows:  Minnie  married  Theodore 
F.  Stoffregen,  of  whom  further  notice  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Johanna  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years.  Edward  is  at  home.  Charles 
is  the  next  in  order  of  birth,  also  at  home.  Louisa 
is  with  her  parents.  Robert  is  the  youngest  liv- 
ing, three  having  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Otto  is  a  Republican.  He  was  instrumen- 
tal in  rebuilding  the  city  after  it  was  destroyed  by 
the  fire  of  1871.  He  is  a  man  of  much  experi- 
ence in  travel,  and  his  desire  for  adventure  led 
him  into  many  dangerous  places  and  positions. 
During  the  days  of  John  Brown  and  James  Lane, 
he  was  in  Kansas  and  was  in  danger  at  one 
time  of  losing  his  life.  Mr.  Otto  is  the  possessor 
of  a  most  pleasant  home  on  Rhodes  Avenue,  near 
Seventy-first  Street,  where  he  resides  with  his 
family. 


CHARLES  H.  MENZEL. 


CJHARLES  H.  MENZEL,  who  belongs  to 
1 1  that  noble  and  representative  class  of  citi- 
\J  zeus  known  as  self-made  men,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  men  in  his  business  on  the  Northwest  Side 
of  Chicago.  He  began  on  a  very  small  scale,  and 
it  was  through  his  own  efforts  and  perseverance 
that  he  attained  the  place  he  now  holds  in  the 
estimation  of  the  people  and  the  business  world 
of  our  city.  He  comes  of  the  sturdy  and  self- 
willed  German  nation,  and  has  all  the  admirable 
traits  and  characteristics  of  his  race.  He  was 


born  in  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  March  31, 
1848.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  commenced 
a  four  years'  apprenticeship  to  the  tinsmith's 
trade,  and  at  nineteen  began  to  work  as  a  journey- 
man. 

In  1869  he  began  life  in  Chicago,  having  come 
to  America  in  that  year.  He  was  employed  by 
others  about  four  years,  and  subsequently  entered 
into  business  with  George  Strauss,  establishing  a 
hardware  store.  They  continued  on  Milwaukee 
Avenue  eight  years  and  later  removed  to  a  situ- 


BERNT  MOE. 


ation  nearer  the  center  of  the  city.  After  one 
year  Mr.  Menzel  erected  a  building  at  No. 
468  West  North  Avenue,  where  he  has  since  done 
a  thriving  and  successful  business. 

Mr.  Menzel  deserves  great  credit  from  the  fact 
that  he  started  as  a  poor  youth  and  has  reached 
his  present  standing  only  through  continued  at- 
tention to  his  own  interests,  and  his  wealth  is 
more  appreciated  by  himself  and  family  from  this 
fact.  He  has  erected  a  very  fine  and  comfortable 
residence  on  Tripp  Avenue,  and  possesses  a 
summer  home  at  Round  Lake,  Lake  County, 
Illinois. 

December  25,  the  day  of  great  joy  to  the  popu- 
lation of  every  Christian  country,  in  the  year 
1874,  Mr.  Menzel  was  married  to  Miss  Eliza 


Petersen,  a  native  of  the  same  land  as  himself, 
who  proved  to  be  a  very  congenial  and  helpful 
companion.  They  became  the  parents  of  four 
daughters  and  one  son,  who  were  named  as  fol- 
lows: Amale,  Magdalena,  Selma,  Henrietta  and 
Charles  N. 

Mr.  Menzel  is  a  well-known  man  in  the  vicinity 
where  he  resides  and  is  highly  respected  and 
honored  by  all  who  are  acquainted  with  him,  in 
a  business  or  personal  manner.  He  favors  the 
Republican  party  by  voting  for  its  candidates, 
and  is  a  communicant  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  thereby  aiding  the  religious  as  well  as 
the  business  and  social  portion  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. He  is  recognized  as  a  man  of  conscientious 
motives  and  sound  judgment. 


BERNT   MOE. 


BERNT  MOE,  who  deserves  great  credit  for 
his  substantial   progress  in  a  strange  land, 
amidst  strong  competition,  passed   away  at 
his  home  on  Scott  Street,  Chicago,  February  10, 
1898.     He  was  born    May  30,  1845,  in  Thrond- 
hejm,    Norway.     He    was  educated  in  private 
schools   of  his  native  land,  and   came   with  his 
parents  to  America  in   1861,  being  then  sixteen 
years  of  age.     They  settled  in   Nioga,  Illinois, 
where  the  elder  Moe  engaged  in  farming. 

In  1862  the  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to 
Chicago  in  search  of  fortune.  He  entered  the 
service  of  William  Waters,  of  Hyde  Park,  as  a 
boy  of  all  work  about  his  employer's  premises. 
The  latter  was  secretary  of  the  land  office  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  and  secured 
a  position  for  the  youth,  in  whom  he  took  a  keen 
interest,  as  office  office  boy  in  his  department. 
Young  Moe  was  industrious  and  studious, 
and  endeavored  to  qualify  himself  for  usefulness 
to  his  employers.  His  fidelity  and  application 


were  soon  rewarded  by  his  appointment  to  a 
clerkship,  for  which  he  was  fully  prepared  by 
previous  study  and  observation.  This  connection 
was  speedily  broken  off,  by  his  enlistment  as 
a  soldier  in  defense  of  his  adopted  country. 

He  enlisted  in  January,  1865,  as  a  member  of 
Company  I,  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Infantry,  and 
continued  with  the  regiment  until  it  was  mus- 
tered out  at  the  close  of  hostilities.  His  youth 
had  prevented  his  earlier  enlistment  and,  though 
he  saw  little  active  service  in  the  field  he  showed 
his  loyalty  and  courage  in  the  most  practical 
manner.  At  the  time  he  entered  the  service,  no 
one  could  tell  how  long  the  war  would  continue, 
and  he  cast  his  lot  with  his  country's  defenders, 
in  hope  of  doing  active  duty. 

On  his  return  to  civil  life,  he  resumed  his  posi- 
tion as  clerk  in  the  offices  of  the  railroad.  He 
won  rapid  promotion,  and  continued  to  hold  po- 
sitions of  trust  and  responsibility  throughout  the 
remainder  of  his  life.  He  was  advanced  from 


GEORGE  NEHER. 


clerk  to  paymaster,  which  position  he  held 
eighteen  years,  but  was  forced  by  ill  health  to 
give  it  up.  He  was  then  given  an  easier  occupa- 
tion in  the  land  office,  as  assistant  land  com- 
missioner, where  he  was  serving  at  the  time  of 
his  demise. 

It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  difficulties  encountered 
by  a  youth  in  his  position  on  arriving  in  America. 
He  had  first  to  master  a  strange  language,  and 
then  to  demonstrate  his  capability  and  integrity 
by  hard  work,  and  won  a  place  in  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  superiors  which  continued  to 
the  end  of  his  life. 

Among  the  treasures  preserved  with  just  pride 
by  his  family  are  testimonials  from  prominent 
railroad  officials,  among  whom  may  be  mentioned 
President  Stuyvesant  Fish,  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  and  E.  T.  Jeffrey,  President 


of  the  Rio  Grande  Western.  The  latter  said: 
"He  is  one  of  the  most  loyal,  faithful  and  trusty 
men  I  ever  came  in  contact  with.  It  was  his 
nature  to  be  loyal  and  true,  and  impossible  for 
him  to  be  otherwise."  Mr.  Fish  said:  "His 
record  with  our  company  is  one  of  which  any 
man  can  be  justly  proud." 

He  was  married  July  6,  1869,  in  Chicago,  to 
Miss  Alphene  Elefson.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  daughters:  Martha  J.,  Bertha  Olive  and 
Laura  Bernice.  Mr.  Moe  was  a  member  of 
Trinity  Lutheran  Church,  with  which  his  family 
is  also  affiliated.  On  his  removal  from  a  useful 
career,  before  the  close  of  his  fifty-third  year, 
his  remains  were  deposited  in  Graceland  Ceme- 
tery. His  memory  will  long  be  cherished  by  a 
mourning  circle  of  friends  and  by  a  deeply  be- 
reaved family. 


GEORGE  NEHER. 


fJJjEORGE  NEHER,  for  a  period  of  forty 
I—  years  a  resident  of  Lyons  Township,  and 
t_J  one  of  its  most  prominent  farmers  and 
dairymen,  was  born  October  15,  1831,  in  Ham- 
bach,  Hessen-Darmsdat,  Germany,  a  son  of 
Lorenz  and  Katherine  (Neher)  Neher.  His 
paternal  grandparents  were  Lorenz  and  Eliza- 
beth (Dorn)  Neher,  farmer  and  wine-growers, 
and  his  parents  were  cousins. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  in  his 
native  place  and  educated  in  its  common  schools. 
He  was  made  of  the  stuff  out  of  which  good 
American  citizens  are  made,  and  was  not  con- 
tented with  his  lot  at  home,  so  resolved  to  remove 
to  the  free  land  across  the  sea,  of  whose  oppor- 
tunities he  had  heard.  Soon  after  attaining  his 
majority  he  set  out,  and  landed  in  New  York 
City  June  5,  1853.  Proceeding  direct  to  Chicago, 
he  reached  this  city  on  the  thirteenth  of  the  same 


month.  He  remained  here  one  year  and  then 
went  to  Michigan  and  was  employed  in  the 
pineries  for  a  period  of  four  years.  Being  indus- 
trious and  prudent  in  the  care  of  his  earnings,  he 
was  now  prepared  to  make  an  investment  on  his 
own  account. 

October  n,  1858,  he  settled  in  Lyons,  where 
his  home  has  continued  ever  since,  and  where  he 
has  won  a  place  for  himself  among  the  respected 
and  prosperous  residents.  For  six  years  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  dairying  on  the  land  now 
owned  by  Mrs.  Katherine  Neher,  and  then 
moved  to  Western  Springs,  where  he  remained  a 
year,  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the  embank- 
ments of  the  Chicago  Burlington  &  Quincy  Rail- 
road at  Western  Springs  and  Highlands.  He 
then  purchased  his  present  farm  and  immediately 
occupied  it.  His  handsome  residence  was  con- 
structed in  1871.  He  is  among  the  most  pro- 


NICHOLAS  SCHOENECK. 


53 


gressive  and  successful  farmers  in  the  township, 
and  the  same  sturdy  character  which  brought  him 
to  America  and  established  him  in  an  independ- 
ent position  has  made  him  a  leader  in  the  social, 
moral  and  material  affairs  of  the  community. 

In  1859  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Lorenz  and  Agnes  (Schuster)  Mitsch, 
natives  of  Germany.  Nineteen  children  were 
given  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neher,  of  whom  only  eight 
are  now  living,  namely:  George,  Frank,  Henry, 
Elizabeth  (Mrs.  Charles  W.  Fredericks),  Anna 
(wife  of  Joseph  W.  Robb),  John,  Abbie  and 


Agnes.     Mr.  Neher  and  family  are  identified  with 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

Mr.  Neher  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  direction  of  local  political  affairs,  and  has 
served  twelve  years  as  School  Director  of  Lyons 
Village.  He  was  Township  Trustee  three  years, 
Postmaster  at  Lyons  nine  years,  four  years  a 
member  of  the  Village  Board  and  two  years  its 
President.  He  supports  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  receives  the  votes  of  all 
classes  of  citizens  when  a  candidate,  thus  proving 
his  great  popularity. 


NICHOLAS  SCHOENECK. 


SCHOENECK.  If  a  residence 
of  considerably  over  half  a  century  and 
active  identification  with  the  upbuilding 
of  a  great  and  prosperous  community  make  one 
a  pioneer,  then  Nicholas  Schoeneck  is  entitled  to 
a  conspicuous  position  among  the  thrifty  and  loyal 
German- Americans  who  "blazed  the  trail"  into 
Cook  County.  He  has  been  here  since  1844, 
and  during  the  past  forty-five  years  has  been  an 
esteemed  resident  of  the  West  Side.  Instead  of 
sitting  idly  by  and  watching  that  portion  of  the 
city  grow  as  other  men  in  his  position  might  have 
done,  he  has  materially  assisted  in  its  develop- 
ment . 

Mr.  Schoeneck  was  born  in  the  village  of 
Shadeken,  near  the  city  of  Meinz,  in  Germany, 
January  17,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and 
Elizabeth  (Lies)  Schoeneck.  His  father  was  a 
wine  merchant  and  was  a  member  of  a  very  old 
and  respected  family.  In  1844  the  family, 
which  then  consisted  of  the  parents  and  seven 
children,  came  to  seek  their  fortunes  in  the  New 
World,  with  its  freedom  of  thought  and  action 
and  bright  prospects  for  those  with  willing 
hands.  The  other  children  were  John,  Jacob  and 


William,  who  have  since  died;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Henry  Weber,  a  biography  of  whom  appears  on 
another  page  of  this  volume;  Philip,  who  now 
lives  on  a  farm  at  Northfield,  Cook  County;  and 
Christina,  wife  of  John  Eiszner,  of  Chicago. 
Nicholas  was  the  fourth  in  order  of  birth. 

In  those  days  sailing  vessels  were  the  only 
means  of  trans-oceanic  transportation  and  the 
trip  from  Antwerp  to  New  York  required  thirty- 
three  days.  The  family  came  direct  to  Cook 
County,  where  the  father  purchased  a  farm, 
which  proved  to  be  a  profitable  investment. 
The  mother  died  on  the  farm  in  Northfield,  De- 
cember 17,  1875,  aged  seventy-five  years,  and 
the  father's  end  came  in  Chicago,  July  14,  1882, 
when  he  had  reached  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty-two  years. 

Nicholas  Schoeneck  was  well  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Germany  and  increased  his  fund 
of  knowledge  after  coming  to  this  country.  He 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  nearly 
twenty-one  years  old,  when  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  learned  the  trade  of  wagon-making  with 
Henry  Weber,  in  whose  employ  he  remained 
forty- two  years,  most  of  the  time  as  foreman  of 


54 


C.  H.  SMITH. 


his  shop.  In  all  that  period  he  lost  only  eighteen 
weeks,  when  he  had  been  disabled  by  an  acci- 
dent. 

In  national  affairs  he  has  usually  supported 
the  Republican  party,  but  in  local  politics  he  is 
independent.  He  is  a  member  of  Germania 
Lodge  No.  182,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  has  been  a  member  of  Harmonia  Lodge 
No.  221,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  over 
forty  years,  and  of  Germania  Encampment, 
No.  40,  same  order,  nearly  as  long. 

October  6,  1855,  Mr.  Schoeneck  was  married 
to  Miss  Sarah,  daughter  of  Philip  Wohlheter, 
who  was  born  April  19,  1838,  in  Alsace,  which 
then  belonged  to  France.  They  have  eight  chil- 
dren living,  and  have  lost  five,  the  oldest  son, 
William,  having  died  in  1898.  Those  living  are: 
George,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  the  United 
States  Express  Company;  Henry,  who  is  mana- 
ger of  Kirk's  soap  factory;  Louis,  also  employed 
by  the  United  States  Express  Company;  Charles, 
who  is  bookkeeper  at  Kirk's  soap  factory; 
Edward,  employed  in  the  American  Exchange 
National  Bank;  Louise,  wife  of  Joseph  Noll; 
Carrie,  wife  of  Henry  Repenning;  and  Emma, 
now  Mrs.  Francis  Foskett.  All  are  residents  of 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Schoeneck  was  brought  up  in  the  Lutheran 
Church  and  the  members  of  his  family  adhere  to 
the  same  faith.  He  was  one  of  the  promoters  in 


the  organization  of  St.  Peter's  Evangelical 
Church,  about  1861,  for  which  he  purchased  the 
site  from  an  Indiana  farmer.  He  solicited  sub- 
scriptions, and  was  himself  a  generous  contributor 
to  the  building  fund.  He  was  made  a  member 
of  the  building  committee  after  the  congregation 
was  organized,  and  was  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School  ten  years.  Ever  since  then  he  has 
continued  to  manifest  a  deep  interest  in  the 
church  and  parish  school,  and  has  given  both  his 
financial  support. 

When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schoeneck  located  where 
they  still  reside,  at  No.  412  West  Chicago 
Avenue,  in  1855,  there  were  but  few  settlers  west 
of  the  river.  That  now  densely  populated  portion 
of  the  city  was  then  mostly  open  prairie,  and  the 
few  scattering  settlers  were  engaged  in  growing 
vegetables.  They  have  borne  their  share  in 
bringing  about  the  wonderful  transformation  that 
has  resulted  in  the  Chicago  of  to-day,  and  are  still 
in  the  enjoyment  of  good  health,  and  relate  with 
much  interest  many  incidents  of  the  time  when 
the  city  was  in  swaddling  clothes. 

In  1892  Mr.  Schoeneck  was  awarded  a  hand- 
some gold  medal  by  the  German  Old  Settlers 
Society,  for  having  served  one  employer  longer 
than  any  other  person  present.  He  is  a  loyal 
citizen,  of  correct  habits,  who  has  always  given 
his  influence  to  every  measure  for  promoting  the 
best  interests  of  society. 


CHARLES  H.  SMITH. 


gHARLES  H.   SMITH,  a  resident  of  Lyons 
Village  for  twenty-five  years  and  justice  of 
the  peace  for  the  past  eleven  years,  was  born 
in  Chicago,  April  19,  1866,  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Mary  (Knieff)  Smith.     He  is  of  German  ancestry, 
having  all  the  sturdiness  of  muscle  and  character 
which,  as  a  rule,  is  found  in  that  race. 


His  father  took  an  active  part  in  the  Revolu- 
tion of  1848,  in  Germany,  and  left  his  native 
country  after  it  was  over.  He  located  in  New 
York,  and  was  very  prominent  as  a  contractor  in 
the  building  of  the  Erie  canal.  Prior  to  the  year 
1857  he  settled  in  Cicero  Township,  where  he 
was  foreman  of  a  stone  quarry,  at  what  is  now 


J.  P.  HANSON. 


55 


Hawthorne,  until  1864.  He  was  a  resident  of 
Lyons  from  1872  until  the  date  of  his  death, 
January  26,  1896. 

From  1867  to  1892  Charles  Smith,  senior, 
was  a  trusted  and  honored  employe  of  Hibbard, 
Spencer,  Bartlett  &  Company,  one  of  the  largest 
hardware  houses  in  Chicago  and  the  West,  as  gen- 
eral salesman,  with  full  charge  of  city  trade.  He 
acted  in  this  capacity  twenty-five  years.  His  wife 
was  a  daughter  of  Henry  and  Sophia  (Sand- 
meyer)  Knieff,  both  natives  of  Germany,  and  pio- 
neers of  Cicero  Township,  this  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Smith  became  the  parents  of  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  seven  survive:  Charles  H., 
Frank  P.,  Katharine  S.,  Mrs.  E.  C.  Becker, 
George  A.,  William  A.  and  Oscar  H. 


Charles  H.  Smith,  whose  name  heads  this  arti- 
cle, has  resided  in  Lyons  since  his  ninth  birth- 
day, being  educated  in  the  public  schools,  with  a 
two-years'  course  in  sciences,  and  receiving  a 
diploma  from  a  course  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's 
Business  College  in  1882.  His  business  career 
began  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age,  in  1884, 
as  proprietor  of  a  general  store  in  Lyons,  which 
he  continued  until  1891.  He  subsequently  be- 
came a  bookkeeper  for  the  Steele-Wedeles  Com- 
pany of  Chicago.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  is  influential. 
He  was  nine  years  clerk  of  Lyons  Village,  served 
three  years  as  school  trustee,  and  is  now  a  village 
trustee.  He  is  a  supporter  of  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  party. 


JOHN  P.  HANSON. 


(JOHN  P.  HANSON,  the  well-known   cigar 
manufacturer  of  Chicago,  was  born  March 


22,  1843,  in  nor  Tonnder,  Schleswig,  Den- 
mark. His  education  was  such  as  the  common 
schools  of  his  locality  afforded,  and  he  remained 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  birthplace  until  he  reached 
his  majority.  In  1864  he  resolved  to  seek  his 
fortune  in  America,  and  following  the  footsteps 
of  many  of  his  countrymen,  emigrated  to  Wiscon- 
sin, settling  in  Racine.  Thence  he  wandered 
West  and  was  employed  by  the  Government  in 
the  building  of  Fort  Lyons,  Colorado.  In  1867 
he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  worked  as  a  mason 
until  1869.  During  that  year  he  suffered  from  a 
disease  which  affected  the  bone  of  his  left  ankle 
and  was  obliged  to  undergo  an  amputation . 

This  misfortune  disabled  him  for  continuing 
the  work  in  which  he  had  been  engaged  and, 
after  due  consideration  he  apprenticed  himself 
to  learn  the  trade  of  a  cigarmaker,  with  Mr. 
Burckhart,  at  what  was  then  No.  33  Milwaukee 


Avenue.  He  worked  faithfully  to  learn  the  busi- 
ness until  October  4,  1872,  when  he  had  made 
sufficient  progress  to  open  a  factory  of  his  own. 
This  he  did,  at  what  is  now  No.  361  Milwaukee 
Avenue.  His  business  prospered,  showing  that 
he  had  made'good  use  of  his  apprenticeship,  and 
in  1879  he  was  able  to  build  a  factory  and 
residence  at  No.  351,  in  the  same  street.  In  this 
building  he  has  since  continued  his  business, 
and  has  aimed  to  have  the  model  cigar  factory  of 
Chicago.  In  fact  it  was  so  pronounced  by  three 
experts  who  were  visiting  this  country  from 
Germany.  His  output  has  greatly  increased  as 
his  product  gained  reputation  and,  as  early  as 
1883  he  manufactured  and  sold  four  million 
cigars.  He  employs  from  sixty  to  seventy-five 
hands,  and  has  two  men  on  the  road  disposing 
of  the  product. 

Mr.  Hanson  has  invested  his  savings  to  good 
advantage  in  various  business  enterprises.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  American 


A.  C.  F.  KOCH. 


Varnish  Company,  and  still  owns  stock  in  that 
concern,  which  is  in  a  prosperous  condition, 
having  in  1897  transacted  business  amounting  to 
$280,000.  He  was  also  a  promoter  of  the  Mil- 
waukee Avenue  State  Bank,  is  one  of  its  largest 
stockholders  and  on  its  board  of  directors. 
Among  the  other  concerns  in  which  he  has  stock 
might  be  mentioned  the  North  Side  Street  Rail- 
road, the  National  Biscuit  Company  and  the 
Chicago  Heights  L,aud  Company. 

He  has  always  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  af- 
fairs affecting  the  cit3r,  and  especially  the  portion 
in  which  his  home  is  located.  Mr.  Hanson  has 
always  been  a  very  industrious  man,  and  this, 
coupled  with  the  most  rigid  economy  in  the  be- 
ginning, accounts  for  his  success  in  life.  While 
still  an  apprentice,  he  was  able  to  accumulate 
three  hundred  dollars,  and  during  the  first  three 
months  of  his  business  career  he  doubled  his  in- 
vestment three  times.  During  the  first  six  years 


that  he  conducted  business  for  himself  he  worked 
almost  night  and  day,  allowing  himself  no  more 
rest  than  nature  absolutely  demanded. 

In  1868  the  subject  of  this  notice  was  married 
to  Miss  Kittie  Rasmussen,  the  ceremony  taking 
place  at  Racine,  Wisconsin.  Their  union  has 
been  blessed  with  twelve  children,  six  of  whom 
are  living,  namely:  Anna,  who  is  her  father's 
bookkeeper;  Freda,  residing  at  home;  Rudolph, 
a  salesman  for  his  father's  factory;  Carrie,  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools;  Jennie,  who  gradu- 
ated in  1898  from  the  Wicker  Park  School, 
having  the  highest  standing  of  any  pupil  in  her 
class;  and  Robert,  who  is  still  attending  school. 
Since  1889  the  family  has  resided  at  No.  24 
Ewing  Place,  in  the  elegant  modern  residence 
which  the  father  built  in  that  year.  Mr.  Hanson 
has  been  an  honored  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  since  1873.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republi- 
can. 


AUGUST  C    F.  KOCH, 


GJUGUST  CHARGES  FREDERICK  KOCH, 
L_l  who  has  been  identified  with  the  city  of 
/  I  Chicago  since  November,  1867,  the  date  of 
his  arrival,  is  a  stone  and  brick  mason  by  trade. 
He  was  occupied  at  his  trade  in  the  city  since 
that  time  until  1897,  when  he  retired  from  active 
labor.  He  has  been  economical,  and  besides 
saving  his  earnings,  he  carefully  invested  them  in 
property  which  brought  returns,  and  now  enjoys 
a  handsome  competence.  When  he  first  arrived 
in  Chicago  he  settled  at  No.  273  West  Chicago 
Avenue,  and  purchased  property  in  1870,  which 
he  still  possesses.  In  1887  he  bought  his  present 
beautiful  home  located  at  No.  583  North  Hoyne 
Avenue. 

In  national  matters  he  has  supported  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  in  local  affairs   has  acted  in- 


dependently. He  is  a  member  of  the  Stone- 
masons' and  Bricklayers'  Union,  having  been 
with  this  organization  many  years.  Mr.  Koch 
was  born  in  Traptaw,  Prussia,  May  10,  1842,  a 
son  of  Christoph  and  Christina  Koch,  both  of 
whom  died  in  the  Fatherland,  the  former  at  the 
age  of  ninety-seven  and  the  latter  at  ninety 
years  of  age.  He  attended  the  parish  school  of 
his  native  village  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  when  he  was  confirmed  in  the 
church. 

After  leaving  school  he  served  a  three-years' 
apprenticeship  at  the  mason's  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  until  he  was  twenty  years  old.  when  he 
entered  the  German  army  in  Koenig  Grenadier 
Regiment  No.  2,  and  served  a  little  over  three 
years,  during  the  Austro-German  War.  He 


J.  G.  WILLIAMSON. 


57 


took  part  in  a  number  of  engagements,  notably 
that  of  Koenig  Kratz,  but  was  never  wounded. 
After  leaving  the  army  he  resumed  work  at  his 
trade  until  he  emigrated. 

October  4,  1867,  Mr.  Koch  married  Miss 
Marie  Gauchaw,  a  native  of  the  same  place  as 
himself,  and  born  April  16,  1848.  October  19, 
1867,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koch  took  passage  on  the 
steamer  "Cimbria,"  at  Hamburg,  bound  for 
America,  and  fourteen  days  later  landed  at  New 
York.  They  came  directly  to  Chicago,  where 
Mr.  Koch  had  two  brothers. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koch  have  three  sons  and  one 
daughter,  namely:  Herman,  a  mason  by  trade; 
Alma,  wife  of  Max  Schultz;  Robert,  a  druggist, 
who  graduated  from  the  Northwestern  University 


as  a  pharmacist;  and  August,  a  cutter  of  cloaks 
in  the  employ  of  Seigel  Brothers,  a  wholesale 
concern.  The  family  is  not  affiliated  with  any 
church,  but  the  parents  were  reared  in  the  faith  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  which  Mr. 
Koch's  family  attend  and  assist  in  supporting. 

Mr.  Koch  was  a  poor  man  when  he  arrived  in 
America,  having  only  his  trade  to  sustain  him, 
but  he  possessed  industry,  the  characteristic  of 
the  German-American  citizen,  and  by  patience 
and  perseverance,  assisted  by  his  estimable  wife, 
steadily  made  his  way  upward  to  his  present  po- 
sition of  affluence.  He  is  a  loyal  citizen  and  al- 
ways uses  his  influence  for  the  advancement  of 
every  worthy  cause,  and  feels  a  just  pride  in  the 
country  of  his  adoption. 


JOSEPH  G.  WILLIAMSON. 


(JOSEPH  GOLDEN  WILLIAMSON,  a  promi- 
I  nent  physician  of  La  Grange,  was  born  March 
O  7,  1839,  in  Pittsburgh,  Peunsylvannia.  He 
is  a  son  of  John  N.  A.  Williamson,  and  is  a 
descendant  in  the  seventh  generation  of  William 
Williamson,  who  sailed  from  Amsterdam,  Hol- 
land, in  the  ship  "Concord,"  in  1657,  and  set- 
tled in  Gravesend,  Long  Island,  where  his  name 
is  found  on  the  assessor's  roll  of  1683.  His  wife 
was  Mayke  Peterse  Wycoflf. 

Nicholas  Williamson,  the  great-grandfather  of 
Joseph  G.  Williamson,  was  born  October  8,  1762, 
and  died  August  8,  1856.  He  was  a  son  of 
Garrett  and  Charity  (Bennett)  Williamson.  He 
was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and  a  store-keeper  at 
Neshanic,  New  Jersey,  and  a  minute-man  during 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  under  fire  from 
the  British  ships  at  Raritan  Bay.  His  wife  was 
Alche  Ditmars.  Garrett  Williamson  was  born  at 
Gravesend,  Long  Island,  March  15,  1728,  and 
died  at  Neshanic,  New  Jersey,  January  17,  1790. 


He  was  a  son  of  Nicholas  andLucresy  (Voorhees) 
Williamson.  Nicholas  Williamson  was  born  in 
Gravesend,  New  York,  in  1680,  a  son  of  William 
Williamson,  the  first  ancestor  in  America,  and 
was  an  agriculturist. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
article,  Douw  Ditmars  Williamson,  was  born  at 
Neshanic,  New  Jersey,  January  4,  1789.  He 
was  a  militiaman  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was 
stationed  at  what  is  now  Jersey  City.  He  was 
comptroller  of  New  York  City  under  several  ad- 
ministrations, and  for  many  years,  until  near  the 
time  of  his  death,  president  of  the  Farmers'  Loan 
&  Trust  Company  of  New  York  City.  He  was 
also  an  elder  of  the  Collegiate  Reformed  Dutch 
Church,  and  died  in  Brooklyn,  New  York,  August 
4,  1869.  His  wife,  Mary  Ann,  was  the  daughter 
of  Capt.  David  and  Jane  (Hassert)  Abeel. 

John  N.  A.  Williamson,  father  of  J.  G. 
Williamson,  was  born  in  New  Brunswick,  New 
Jersey,  February  13,  1814.  He  began  his  busi- 


J.  L.  FEDDERSEN. 


ness  career  as  a  stationer  in  New  York  City,  in 
which  he  continued  until  burned  out  by  the  great 
fire  of  1836,  when  he  removed  West.  He  was 
subsequently  farmer,  pharmacist  and  assistant 
railroad  receiver,  and  died  at  Lafayette,  Indiana, 
August  21,  1887.  His  maternal  grandfather, 
Capt.  David  Abeel,  born  January  13,  1763,  died 
October  i,  1840.  He  was  of  the  fifth  generation 
from  Christopher  Janse  Abeel,  born  in  Amster- 
dam, Holland,  in  1621,  who  settled  in  Beaver- 
wick  (now  Albany),  New  York,  in  1657.  Capt. 
David  was  a  son  of  Col.  James  Abeel,  a 
quarter-master  on  General  Washington's  staff, 
and  his  wife  was  Gertrude  Neilson.  Col. 
James  Abeel  was  born  in  Albany,  New  York, 
May  12,  1733,  and  died  in  New  Brunswick,  New 
Jersey,  April  25,  1825.  He  was  a  son  of  David 
and  Mary  (Duyckink)  Abeel.  The  founder  of 
the  family  in  America,  Johann  Abeel,  was  a  mer- 
chant and  mayor  of  Albany,  1684-85,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  assembly  from  1701  to  1709. 

Joseph  G.  Williamson  was  reared  in  Bound 
Brook,  New  Jersey,  remaining  there  until  sixteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  removed  to  Illinois  with 
his  parents.  He  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  under  private  tutors  and  began  the 
study  of  medicine  in  1861,  at  New  Albany,  In- 
diana, and  during  the  Civil  War  assisted  his  pre- 
ceptor in  the  Military  Hospital  practice  at  that 
place.  For  many  years  he  was  engaged  in  rail- 
roading and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a  ticket 


agent  for  the  Louisville,  New  Albany  &  Chicago 
Railroad  Company  at  New  Albany,  and  receiver 
at  that  point,  later  spending  two  years  in  rail- 
road service  in  Minnesota. 

In  1871  he  located  in  Chicago  and  engaged  in 
real  estate  business,  more  or  less,  until  1879, 
when  he  entered  the  Bennett  College  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery,  and  was  graduated  in  1882.  He 
was  a  resident  of  Hyde  Park  from  1871  to  1878, 
and  for  many  years  lived  at  Hinsdale,  where  he 
was  actively  engaged  in  his  profession,  with  office 
also  in  Chicago.  Since  1894  he  has  resided  in 
L,a  Grange.  Dr.  Williamson  was  married  April 
15,  1865,  to  Charity  A.,  daughter  of  John  Nor- 
man, of  Caldwell,  New  York,  who  bore  him  ten 
children:  Katharine  T.,  Ida  R.,  Mary,  Minnie 
(deceased),  Jessie,  Dow  D.  (deceased),  Nor- 
man E.,  Joseph  G.  (deceased),  Bertha  B.  and 
Jennie  J. 

The  laboratory  of  Dr.  Williamson  is  an  in- 
teresting one.  A  maze  of  static  and  galvanic 
electrical  apparatus,  and  an  X-Ray  machine  of 
the  latest  type,  are  supplemented  by  a  most  com- 
plete collection  of  surgical  devices  and  a  fully 
equipped  and  extensive  pharmacy.  With  the 
aid  of  an  immense  library  he  keeps  abreast  of  the 
advance  in  medicine  and  surgical  methods.  He 
is  a  prominent  Knight  Templar  and  has  taken  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  Free  Masonry.  He  is  a 
true  independent  in  politics,  not  favoring  either 
party,  but  voting  upon  principle  at  all  times. 


JOHN  L.  FEDDERSEN. 


(lOHN  LUDOLPH  FEDDERSEN,  one  of 
I  Chicago's  self-made  business  men,  affords  a 
G/  notable  example  of  what  pluck  and  persever- 
ance will  accomplish  in  all  the  affairs  of  life.  He 
was  born  November  25,  1853,  in  the  kingdom  of 
Denmark,  and  is  the  third  child  of  Andrew  I,. 


Feddersen,  who  died  when  his  son  was  but  five 
years  of  age.  The  latter  remained  in  his  native 
town  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
getting  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Aventoft. 
Having  inherited  that  love  of  the  sea  which 
made  his  Norse  forefathers  rulers  of  the  deep,  he 


P.  C.  B.  PETERSEN. 


59 


secured  a  position  as  cabin  boy  on  a  sea-going 
vessel  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  His  first  trip 
was  from  Hamburg  to  the  West  Indies;  the  jour- 
ney occupying  six  months.  The  next  trip  was 
to  Rio  Janeiro,  which  also  consumed  six  months. 
He  then  started  for  China  and,  six  months  later, 
after  arriving  at  Hong  Kong,  he  was  made  a  full 
sailor.  He  remained  there  three  years  trading 
on  the  coast  of  China.  Subsequently  he  was  pro- 
moted to  second  mate  of  a  Norwegian  ship,  and 
in  that  position  followed  the  sea  about  three 
years.  His  last  cruise  was  from  Hamburg  to 
Philadelphia,  and  he  landed  in  the  latter  city  in 
1875.  He  worked  on  a  farm  in  Pennsylvania 
two  months,  receiving  twenty-five  dollars  per 
month,  and  then  started  for  Chicago,  which  was 
the  goal  towards  which  many  of  the  emigrants 
journeyed.  He  arrived  in  that  city  in  July,  1875, 
and,  taking  whatever  work  was  offered,  was  em- 
ployed about  two  months  in  a  brick  yard.  He 
then  worked  for  the  same  employer  on  a  farm, 
and  in  the  winter  returned  to  the  city,  where  he 
found  work  of  various  kinds  in  the  Union  Stock 
Yards.  He  then  went  to  Lake  View  and  hired 
himself  to  a  gardener,  with  whom  he  remained  a 
year. 

In  1877  he  married  and,  during  the  hard  times 
incident  to  that  year,  found  it  hard  to  make  both 


ends  meet,  but  he  persevered,  establishing  in  that 
year  a  wholesale  fish  business.  This  was  the  first 
effort  at  doing  business  on  his  own  account,  and 
though  at  first  he  had  many  discouragements,  his 
trade  gradually  increased,  and  in  the  course- of 
two  years  his  reputation  as  an  honest  dealer  drew 
to  him  a  lucrative  patronage.  Three  years  after 
his  opening  the  fish  market  he  added  oysters  to 
his  stock,  and  has  built  up  a  large  trade  in  both 
lines.  He  has  been  ruled  throughout  his  busi- 
ness career  by  the  same  careful  methods  which 
made  it  possible  for  him  to  build  up  a  successful 
business,  and  has  acquired  a  comfortable  property. 
Besides  the  house  at  No.  22  Potomac  Avenue, 
where  he  lives,  he  also  owns  a  two-story  flat  build- 
ing at  No.  14  Mormon  Street,  which  is  rented. 

Mrs.  Feddersen,  whose  maiden  name  was  Anna 
Christensen,  was  born  in  Denmark  and  came  to 
America  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Feddersen  have  been  born  five  children, 
namely:  Louis,  who  is  married  and  in  business 
in  Chicago;  Christina,  living  at  home;  Andrew, 
who  assists  his  father;  and  Jens  and  Ludolph, 
both  residing  at  home.  The  subject  of  this  notice 
is  a  member  of  Wicker  Park  Lodge  No.  281, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  re- 
ceived all  the  honors  which  the  subordinate  lodge 
can  confer.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican. 


P.  CHR.  B.  PETERSEN. 


n  CHR.  BRONNUM  PETERSEN,  L.  D.  S., 
Y  has  become,  entirely  through  his  own 
t^  efforts,  one  of  the  prominent  and  respected 
business  men  of  the  portion  of  Chicago  where  he 
is  located,  and  has  obtained  success  in  many 
ways.  He  has  made  a  name  for  himself  among 
the  residents  of  the  Northwest  Side  and  has  se- 
cured the  confidence  of  his  patrons.  He  comes 
of  a  foreign  country,  having  been  born  in  Copen- 


hagen, Denmark,  May  13,  1865.  He  was  the 
oldest  of  a  family  of  two  sons  and  one  daughter 
and  was  educated  in  Kristensen's  Borger  og 
Realskole.  He  was  graduated  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  and  was  then  apprenticed  to  H.  P.  E. 
Nilsen,  Colonialvare  Forretning. 

After  serving  as  apprentice  two  years  with  Mr. 
Nilsen,  who  was  located  at  the  corner  of  Gl. 
Kongevej  and  Bianco  Lunos  Alice,  he  changed  to 


6o 


CARL  JOERNDT. 


the  employ  of  Carl  Dehnfeldt,  in  the  same  busi- 
ness as  Mr.  Nilsen.  He  finished  his  apprentice- 
ship in  three  years  at  the  location  of  the  corner  of 
Lille  Kongensgade  and  Halmstrsede.  He  subse- 
quently entered  the  service  of  C.  W.  Obel,  whole- 
sale tobacco  dealer,  at  Udsalg  in  Frederiksberg- 
gade,  and  was  occupied  one  year  as  shipping  clerk. 
November  5,  1885,  he  left  Copenhagen  for 
Liverpool,  England,  and  two  days  later  embarked 
for  America  on  the  ship  "British  King"  of  the 
American  line,  arriving  in  Philadelphia  a  short 
time  after,  on  November  23.  He  proceeded  to 
Chicago,  reaching  his  destination  November  25. 
Three  weeks  later  he  began  as  clerk  in  the  ser- 
vice of  Christian  Rasmussen,  editor  of  a  Danish 
paper.  In  1891  he  decided  to  study  dentistry 
and  entered  the  Northwestern  College  of  Dental 
Surgery,  and  two  years  later  passed  an  examina- 
tion of  the  State  Board.  He  opened  an  office  for 
business  at  No.  1751  Milwaukee  Avenue,  then 
corner  Hoffman  Avenue,  now  Rockwell,  and  is 
now  at  No.  1730  on  the  same  corner,  where  he 
has  been  located  five  years.  He  has  been  very 
successful  and  has  realized  many  of  the  hopes  and 


ambitions  which  prompted  him  to  establish  him- 
self in  the  business  world  of  the  metropolis  of  the 
West. 

Mr.  Petersen  is  also  connected  with  the  social 
world  of  the  country  of  his  adoption  and  is  a 
member  of  Denmark  Lodge  No.  112,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor,  besides 
which  he  is  identified  with  the  Rathbone  Sisters 
and  is  connected  with  Fullerton  Council,  Knights 
and  Ladies  of  Security.  He  belongs  to  Ivauhoe 
Company,  Uniform  Rank,  in  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  of  which  he  is  treasurer. 

He  is  a  self-made  man  in  every  sense  of  the 
word,  and  deserves  credit  for  the  fact  that  he 
showed  the  courage  to  enter  a  new,  and  to  him, 
wholly  unknown  country,  without  much  knowl- 
edge of  its  people  or  characteristics,  and  without 
friends.  He  has  a  fine  practice  that  has  been 
steadily  increasing.  He  took  out  his  naturaliza- 
tion paper  in  the  Superior  Court  in  December, 
1893,  and  while  he  honors  his  mother  country  he 
is  loyal  to  his  adopted  country,  never  forgetting 
that  we  owe  our  first  allegiance  to  the  country  in 
which  we  make  our  home. 


CARL  JOERNDT. 


EARL  JOERNDT,  who  was  born  in  Mecklen- 
burg-Schwerin,  Germany,  December  24, 
1826, is  a  son  of  Christian  and  Marie  (Lemno) 
Joerndt.  His  parents  had  a  family  of  six  sons 
and  two  daughters,  namely  :  Mary,  who  mar- 
ried William  Koen,  and  died  many  years  ago; 
Carl  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth;  William,  of 
California;  Theodore,  deceased;  August,  of  Pon- 
tiac,  Illinois;  George,  a  resident  of  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington; Frederick,  of  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa;  and  a 
daughter  that  died  in  infancy.  The  family  came 
to  America  in  1853,  and  located  in  Chicago, 
where  both  parents  died. 


Carl  Joerndt  learned  the  cabinet- maker's  trade, 
at  which  he  worked  two  years  after  coming  to 
Chicago.  He  then  engaged  in  carpenter  work 
and  labored  as  journeyman  a  few  years.  In  1865 
he  embarked  in  business  for  himself,  and  formed 
a  co-partnership  with  William  Gastfield.  They 
built  a  planing  mill  at  the  corner  of  Curtis  and 
May  Streets,  and  carried  on  the  manufacture  of 
sash,  blinds  and  doors  fifteen  )-ears,  when  Mr. 
Joerndt  sold  his  interest  in  the  factor}'  and  turned 
his  attention  to  contracting  and  building.  He 
continued  in  this  business  until  1894,  since  which 
time  he  has  retired  from  active  business. 


C.  H.  DUENSING. 


61 


For  forty  years  he  has  resided  on  Chicago  Ave- 
nue, and  is  still  located  at  the  same  house.  He 
has  led  an  industrious  and  honest  life,  as  a  citi- 
zen of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  has  achieved  suc- 
cess through  honest  methods.  He  has  supported 
the  Republican  party  ever  since  he  became  a  citi- 
zen of  the  United  States,  but  never  craved  public 
office  of  any  kind.  He  is  a  member  of  Goethe 
Lodge  No.  239,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

Just  previous  to  his  emigration  from  the  Father- 
land, in  1853,  he  married  Miss  Henrietta  Brun- 
graver,  who  was  born  in  Schwerin.  They  have 
had  ten  children,  but  four  died  in  childhood.  The 


living  are:  Emma,  wife  of  Andrew  Gagel,  of 
Rogers  Park;  Ida,  now  Mrs.  George  Ertz;  Will- 
iam, Albert,  Hulda  and  Etta.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Joerndt  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  and  are  influential  for  the  cause  of  right. 
William  Joerndt  married  Mrs.  Mary  Pottel, 
widow  of  Harry  Pottel,  and  is  employed  in  the 
Chronicle  office,  having  charge  of  the  lineotype 
machines.  They  have  three  children:  Harriet, 
Wilbur  and  an  unnamed  infant,  and  Mrs.  Joerndt 
has  a  son  by  her  first  marriage,  named  Harry 
Pottel.  Albert  Joerndt  married  Miss  Katherine 
Le  Feber  and  is  a  letter  carrier.  They  have  two 
children:  Meryl  and  Gladys. 


CHARLES  H.  DUENSING. 


HARLES  HENRY  DUENSING.  The  ele- 
1  ments  essential  to  make  men  of  mark  in  the 
\J  world  are  as  varied  as  the  individuals  who 
make  up  the  sum  total  of  humanity.  An  im- 
mortal poet  has  said,  "Some  men  are  born  great, 
some  achieve  greatness  and  some  have  greatness 
thrust  upon  them."  It  is  men  of  the  second 
class,  as  spoken  of  by  the  most  renowned  of  bards, 
who  fill  the  greatest  needs  in  the  affairs  of  life. 

Charles  H.  Duensing,  with  whom  this  sketch 
has  to  do,  was  of  humble  birth,  and  of  poor  but 
respectable  parentage.  His  birth  occurred  in  the 
village  of  Mariensee,  province  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  Septembers,  1829.  His  parents  were 
Henry  and  Caroline  Duensing,  both  of  whom 
died  in  Germany.  Of  their  five  children  who 
grew  to  maturity,  three  became  residents  of  the 
United  States,  namely:  Charles  H.,  Henry  and 
Henrietta. 

The  boyhood  of  Charles  H.  Duensing  was 
passed  in  his  native  land,  the  common  schools 
affording  him  the  means  whereby  to  obtain  a 
practical  elementary  education.  As  a  boy  he 
was  sturdy,  practical  and  resolute,  possessing 


many  of  those  dominant  characteristics  of  the 
German  race  which  have  won  success  wherever 
the  forces  of  German  mind  and  heart  have,  with 
fixedness  of  purpose,  taken  hold  of  the  affairs 
of  life. 

He  learned  the  trade  of  wood  turner  with  his 
father  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  years  developed 
into  man's  estate.  Realizing  the  narrowness  of 
opportunities  surrounding  him  in  his  native  land, 
and  longing  for  a  field  of  wider  environment,  he 
decided  to  seek  his  fortune  in  America.  In  April, 
1848,  he  carried  into  effect  his  resolution,  took 
passage  in  a  sailing  vessel  at  Bremen  Harbor, 
and  after  a  long  and  uneventful  voyage  of  forty- 
five  days  landed  in  New  York. 

He  came  directly  to  Chicago,  by  way  of  the 
Hudson  River  and  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo,  and 
the  steamer  "Empire"  up  the  lakes,  arriving  in 
June.  For  two  years  after  his  arrival  in  Cook 
County  he  worked  on  a  farm  in  Barrington  Town- 
ship for  Philip  N.  Gould.  He  then  became 
clerk  in  the  hardware  store  of  Thomas  George, 
remaining  one  year,  after  which  he  worked  a 
year  in  a  mill  in  Kane  County.  Ambitious  to 


62 


WILLIAM  DUXSON. 


succeed  and  desirous  of  improving  his  financial 
condition,  he  went  to  Will  County  and  engaged 
in  retailing  merchandise.  He  also  kept  a  toll 
gate  on  Milwaukee  Avenue  three  years.  His 
next  business  venture  was  keeping  a  hotel  on 
Milwaukee  Avenue,  near  Carpenter  Street,  and 
after  two  years  he  engaged  in  the  commission 
business  for  a  few  years. 

In  1868  he  began  doing  an  insurance  business, 
to  which  he  has  given  his  attention,  practically, 
for  the  past  thirty  years,  combining  with  it  real 
estate  and  loans.  Previous  to  the  last  mentioned 
date  he  invested  a  part  of  his  savings  in  real 
estate,  on  the  corner  of  West  Chicago  Avenue 
and  Noble  Street,  where  he  built  and  made  his 
home  until  1892,  when  he  removed  to  River 
Forest. 

Mr.  Duensing  has  won  success  in  his  long  and 
varied  career,  and  accumulated  a  valuable  prop- 
erty. He  has  ever  been  mindful  of  his  duties 
as  a  citizen,  and  has  found  time  to  aid  in  pro- 
moting the  best  interests  of  his  home  city  and 


his  adopted  country.  Since  casting  his  vote  for 
John  C.  Fremont,  in  1856,  he  has  supported  the 
men  and  measures  of  the  Republican  party.  In 
1865  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  his  ward  and 
filled  the  office  creditably  one  term,  but  has  never 
sought  nor  cared  for  political  honors. 

January  13,  1853,  Mr.  Duensing  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Sophia  Ohlendorf,  whose  family 
history  will  be  found  in  the  article  on  the  life  of 
William  Ohlendorf,  on  another  page  of  this  work. 
To  this  worthy  couple  have  been  born  ten  chil- 
dren, namely:  Mary,  wife  of  Henry  Linnemeyer, 
of  Chicago;  Edwin  H. ,  who  is  with  Mandel 
Brothers;  Malinda,  deceased;  Elmer  C.,  who  is  in- 
terested with  his  father;  Lorina,  now  Mrs.  Hugo 
Meyers,  of  Chicago;  Alwina;  Henrietta,  wife  of 
William  C.  Nelson;  Anna,  wife  of  William  C. 
Noland;  Ottilie,  Mrs.  George  H.  Puchner,  of  Oak 
Park;  and  Elsa.  Mr.  Duensing  and  family  be- 
long to  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  and 
enjoy  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  a  large  circle 
of  friends. 


WILLIAM  DUXSON. 


|ILLIAM  DUXSON,  who  comes  of  the 
well-known  family  of  the  neighborhood 
where  he  resides,  has  lived  in  Chicago 
since  he  was  a  mere  boy,  and  resides  in  the  home 
built  by  his  father  when  there  were  but  few  other 
houses  in  the  vicinity.  For  ancestry  refer  to 
biography  of  Ben  Duxson. 

Born  January  10,  1866,  in  Cambridgeshire, 
England,  he  is  a  son  of  James  and  Jane  (West) 
Duxson.  William  Duxson  was  occupied  with 
his  father  in  the  teaming  business  until  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  twenty  years,  at  which  time  he 
entered  the  service  of  the  Brownell  Improvement 
Company',  and  has  been  with  this  concern,  in 
various  capacities,  since  that  time.  He  married 
a  very  worthy  and  refined  lady,  Mary  Duggan, 
sister  of  the  woman  who  became  the  wife  of  his 
brother,  Ben.  Mrs.  Duxson  is  a  daughter  of 


Thomas  and  Catherine  Elizabeth  (Calan)  Duggan, 
and  was  born  March  i,  1868,  at  the  same  house 
where  her  sister  first  opened  her  eyes  to  the  world, 
situated  at  the  corner  of  Sixty-fifth  and  State 
Streets. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duxson  became  the  parents  of 
one  son,  William  Arthur,  who  was  born  June  9, 
1891.  Mr.  Duxson  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of 
St.  George,  Lodge  No.  410.  He  comes  of  a 
Protestant  family  and,  like  Ben  Duxson,  is  loyal 
to  the  Democratic  party.  He  possesses  a  help- 
mate who  aids  in  making  the  home  pleasant,  and 
a  harmony  exists  which  cannot  be  rivalled.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Duxson  take  pride  in  the  correct  rearing 
of  their  only  son,  who  will  prove  a  blessing  to 
them  and  an  honor  to  the  worthy  name  he  bears. 
The  family  has  always  been  respected  and  its 
representatives  are  citizens  of  the  best  quality. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


(From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT). 


JACOB  GROSS. 


JACOB  GROSS. 


JACOB  GROSS. 


(JACOB  GROSS,  who  lives  in  retirement,  in 
I  his  pleasant  and  luxurious  home  at  No. 
Qp  1730  Deming  Place,  has  resided  in  Chicago 
since  1855.  He  was  at  one  time  connected  with 
one  of  the  largest  banking  and  real-estate  firms 
in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  in  the  faithful  per- 
formance of  all  duties  or  trusts  imposed  upon  him 
and  the  life  of  industry  which  he  has  led,  has  justly 
earned  all  his  honors.  Whether  as  a  brave  soldier 
or  an  able,  ambitious,  public  servant,  he  has  ever 
shown  himself  a  gentleman  and  that  fact  has  thor- 
oughly established  him  in  the  hearts  of  the  people. 
Jacob  Gross  was  born  February  n,  1840,  in 
Jacobsweiler,  Rhenish  Bavaria,  Germany,  and  is 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Barbara  (Lotz)  Gross. 
Henry  Gross  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  died 
when  Jacob  was  but  thirteen  years  old.  He  and 
his  good  wife  had  four  children,  namely:  Kath- 
arine (now  deceased) ;  Gertrude,  now  Mrs.  Adam 
Miller,  Henry  and  Jacob,  of  this  article.  The 
mother  died  in  Rich  ton,  Cook  Count}',  Illinois,  in 
1860.  In  May,  1855,  Mrs.  Gross  with  her  four 
children  sailed  from  Havre,  in  the  sailing  ship 
"Elizabeth,"  and  twenty-eight  days  later  landed 
in  New  York.  They  came  directly  to  Chicago, 
arriving  July  I . 

Jacob  Gross  was  well  educated  in  the  parish 
school  of  his  native  place  and  after  coming  to 
Chicago  attended  Brown's  School,  on  the  West 
Side,  and  gassed  a  credible  examination  for  the 
high  school,  but  did  not  enter.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  tin-smith,  at  which  he  served  a  reg- 
ular apprenticeship,  and  afterwards  worked  six 


months  as  journeyman.  He  then  went  to  Rich- 
land  and  was  clerk  in  the  store  of  his  brother-in- 
law  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  In  August, 
1862,  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the  Union  Army, 
joining  Company  B,  Eighty-second  Illinois  Volun- 
teer Infantry.  He  served  continuously,  partici- 
pating in  many  of  the  hardest-fought  battles  of 
the  war,  until  May  25,  1864,  when  he  was 
severely  wounded,  at  the  battle  of  New  Hope 
Church,  Georgia,  by  a  rifle  ball,  which  so  shat- 
tered the  bones  of  his  right  leg  that  amputation 
became  necessary.  He  lay  in  a  hospital  in  Chat- 
tanooga until  February,  1865,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  in  Chicago,  February  14, 
1865.  In  1866  he  was  appointed  deputy  police 
clerk  and  served  two  years,  and  was  elected 
West  Town  collector  for  three  terms.  He  was 
then  elected  in  1872  clerk  of  the  circuit  court, 
and  was  twice  re-elected  and  served  until  1884, 
when  he  was  elected  state  treasurer  and  served 
one  term  of  two  years.  He  has  always  been  a 
Republican  and  has  attended  state  conventions 
and  other  gatherings  since  he  became  a  citizen. 
In  1883  he  became  a  member  of  the  banking 
firm  of  Felsenthal,  Gross  &  Miller,  which  was 
made  a  state  bank  in  1891.  After  serving  as 
state  treasurer  he  became  actively  engaged  in  the 
bank  and  was  vice-president  until  1896,  when, 
owing  to  failing  health,  he  resigned  and  has 
since  lived  in  retirement.  Mr.  Gross  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Lessig  Lodge  No.  557,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  also  Columbia  Post  No.  708, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 


64 


SARGENT  FIELD. 


October  20,  1870,  he  married  Miss  Emma 
Schade,  a  native  of  New  York,  but  of  German 
parentage.  They  became  the  parents  of  three 
children,  namely:  Mamie,  now  Mrs.  William 


Falk,  William  H.  and  Flora.  The  family  is  con- 
nected with  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  among  the  congregation  of  which  each 
one  is  highly  honored. 


SARGENT  FIELD. 


(p  ARGENT  FIELD.  Among  the  foremost  of 
2\  the  citizens  of  our  United  States  are  those 
Q)  men  who  can  relate  a  history  reaching  back 
to  the  time  that  their  ancestors  were  among  the 
early  settlers  of  the  colonies.  They  inherit  stur- 
diness,  ambition  and  love  of  country  in  almost 
every  case.  In  removing  westward  in  the  early 
days  of  the  western  part  of  the  country,  they  fur- 
ther proved  their  interest  in  the  welfare  and  growth 
of  the  nation.  Sargent  Field  could  boast  a  lineage 
of  which  any  man  might  be  proud.  From  the 
fact  that  his  father  was  born  in  the  town  of  Sur- 
rey, New  Hampshire,  in  1765,  is  shown  that  his 
people  were  among  the  early  pioneers  of  the  col- 
onies. 

Sargent  Field  was  born  June  25,  1802,  in 
Peacham,  Vermont,  a  son  of  Nathan  and  Hepzi- 
bah  Field.  His  father  removed  to  Peacham  in 
1788,  and  in  1794  became  an  active  and  valuable 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  in  that 
section,  with  which  body  he  was  connected  until 
his  death.  Nathan  Field  was  a  sincere  Christian 
and  endeavored  to  rear  his  children  in  the  paths 
of  right.  His  children  were:  Sargent;  Ann 
Eliza,  who  married  Milo  Lodgett;  Charles  and 
Nathan,  who  lived  in  Neponset,  Illinois.  His  wife 
died  August  16,  1857,  aged  eighty  years,  and  was 
buried  in  Hardwick.  November  10,  i859,hisown 
death  followed,  after  he  had  reached  the  remark- 
able age  of  ninety-four  years  and  three  months. 

In  1856  Sargent  Field,  with  his  family,  moved 
westward,  remaining  a  short  time  in  Chicago, 
but  settling  in  Ashkum,  Illinois.  He  conducted 


a  hotel  in  this  town  for  one  year,  and  subsequent- 
ly became  a  tiller  of  the  soil  near  that  town,  and 
continued  in  this  occupation  until  1862,  when  he 
removed  to  Grand  Crossing.  He  traded  his  farm 
to  Paul  Cornell  for  an  acre  and  one-half  of  land 
lying  between  Cottage  Grove  and  Drexel  Ave- 
nues and  making  the  southeast  corner  of  Cottage 
Grove  Avenue  and  Seventy-third  Street.  Mr. 
Cornell  had  removed  a  house  from  the  corner  of 
Sixtieth  Street  to  this  location,  and  a  part  of  the 
house  is  still  standing.  This  was  the  first  resi- 
dence in  this  section. 

Mr.  Field  was  married  May  14,  1829,  in  Hard- 
wick,  Vermont,  to  Sarah  Bailey,  daughter  of 
John  and  Abigail  (Bailey)  Cobb.  She  was  born 
February  4,  1809,  in  Hardwick,  and  died  Octo- 
ber 28,  1863,  and  was  buried  in  Rosehill  Cem- 
etery. The  children  of  John  Cobb  were  as  fol- 
lows: Florilla,  who  married  Paris  Coates;  Sarah, 
Mrs.  Field;  and  Abigail,  who  married  Charles 
Field.  Florilla  removed  westward  and  lived  in 
Chicago,  and  her  son,  Calvin  Coates,  is  still  in 
the  city. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sargent  Field  were  the  parents 
of  five  children:  Charles  Porter,  the  eldest,  born 
April  21,  1831,  married  Miss  Charity  Elizabeth 
Hudson,  and  removed  west  three  years  before 
his  father.  He  located  in  Chicago,  but  returned 
east  and  settled  in  Brooklyn  in  1864.  He  had 
no  children  and  died  September  12,  1879,  and 
was  buried  in  Greenwood  Cemetery,  Brooklyn, 
New  York.  Orville  Jenson  Field,  the  second 
child  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article, 


CAPT.  J.  MACAULEY. 


was  born  May  21,  1834,  and  married  Cecelia  Em- 
eline  Orcutt.  He  settled  in  Chicago  in  1863, 
died  March  29, 1889,  and  his  remains  were  interred 
in  Oakwood  Cemetery.  His  children  are  as  fol- 
lows: William,  who  is  in  Chicago;  Sarah  Elvi- 
rah,  Mabel  and  Louisa. 

John  Cobb  Field,  born  May  26,  1839,  married 
Sarah  McCombie  and  came  to  Chicago  with  his 
father,  Sargent  Field.  He  removed  to  Kansas 
in  1871,  returned  to  Chicago  in  1893,  and  died 
March  2,  1894.  His  children  are:  Frederick, 
William  and  Minnie  Estelle.  Sarah  Aurora 
Field  was  born  January  7,  1842,  in  Peacham, 
Vermont,  and  was  married  November  3,  1864,  to 
Charles  Augustus  Boughton.  He  was  a  son  of 
William  Boughton,  of  New  Jersey,  and  was  born 
July  13,  1841.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C. 
A.  Boughton  were  named  as  follows:  Anna 
Luella,  Charles  Herbert,  Eugene,  Helen  Eliza, 


Edna  Aurora,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four  months; 
and  Clifford  LeRoy.  Alvah  Eugene  Field  was 
born  November  6,  1849,  and  January  13,  1873, 
was  married  to  Isabella  Storms.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  E.  Field  were:  Arthur  Sar- 
gent, Esther  Aurora,  Isabella  Irene  and  Lily.  Of 
these,  the  son,  Arthur,  is  the  only  one  living. 
A.  E.  Field  is  the  proprietor  of  a  grocery  store  at 
the  corner  of  Seventy-third  Street  and  Cottage 
Grove  Avenue. 

Sargent  Field  was  a  man  of  noble  and  refined 
character  and  was  an  influential  and  valued  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  a  strict 
upholder  of  the  principles  and  interests  of  the 
Republican  party  and  for  eight  years  held  the 
office  of  sheriff  of  Caledonia  County,  Vermont. 
He  died  July  n,  1863,  and  was  buried  in  Rose- 
hill  Cemetery.  His  loss  was  mourned  by  his 
many  friends  and  relatives. 


CAPT.  JOHN  MACAULEY. 


EAPT.  JOHN  MACAULEY  was  born  July 
13,  1829,  at  Rathfriland,  County  Down,  Ire- 
land, and  was  the  second  son  of  John  Mac- 
auley,    a   carpenter  and  resident  of  ^that  town. 
His  mother  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Patrick 
Brigham,  a  resident  of  Rathfriland,  of  Scottish 
ancestry. 

John  Macauley,  senior,  became  convinced  that 
the  Western  Hemisphere  offered  better  induce- 
ments to  industry  than  his  native  land,  and  in 
1847  he  came  with  his  family  to  the  United 
States,  landing  in  New  York  May  22.  He  re- 
mained in  that  city  until  1853,  when  he  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  both  he  and  his  wife  died  in 
1860,  the  former  surviving  the  latter  only  one 
day.  One  funeral  served  for  both,  and  both  were 
interred  in  the  same  grave  at  Graceland  Ceme- 
tery. Each  had  attained  the  age  of  seventy-six 


years.  They  were  the  parents  of  three  sons  and 
three  daughters,  namely:  Mary  Ann,  Susannah, 
Margaret,  George,  John  and  William. 

John  Macauley,  in  common  with  his  brothers 
and  sisters,  was  educated  in  private  schools  in  his 
native  town,  and  he  acquired  the  trade  pursued 
by  his  father.  This  trade  afforded  him  occupa- 
tion and  a  livelihood  until  the  year  1858,  when 
he  was  appointed  a  detective  on  the  police  force 
of  the  city  of  Chicago.  He  continued  in  this  serv- 
ice twenty  years,  with  the  exception  of  a  short 
period  during  the  Civil  War,  when  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  secret  service  of  the  United  States 
government  in  the  south.  In  this  arduous  serv- 
ice he  had  many  narrow  escapes.  On  one  occa- 
sion, while  in  pursuit  of  his  duty  in  Kentucky, 
he  was  pursued  by  several  mounted  men  and  was 
shot  at  seven  times,  one  bullet  tearing  a  hole 


66 


AUGUSTUS  BAUER. 


through  his  saddle.  In  1878  he  resigned  from 
che  police  force  and  lived  a  life  of  quiet  retire- 
ment until  his  demise,  which  occurred  February 
10,  1898.  His  body  was  deposited  in  Graceland 
Cemetery  with  Masonic  honors.  Rev.  J.  A.  Rond- 
thaler,  assisted  by  Rev.  Dr.  John  Rusk,  officiated 
at  the  funeral. 

Mr.  Macauley  was  made  a  Mason  in  1863,  in 
Kilwinnig  Lodge  No.  311,  Chicago,  and  sub- 
sequently became  a  life  member  of  that  body. 
He  was  among  the  faithful  members  of  the  Ful- 
lerton  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church  and  acted  in 
political  matters  with  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  a  great  lover  of  rifle  shooting  and  was  cap- 
tain of  the  Englewood  and  Lake  View  Rifle 
Clubs.  Among  his  trophies  were  three  gold 
medals,  won  in  contests  in  marksmanship.  In 
disposition,  Mr.  Macauley  was  very  generous 
and  he  died  as  did  the  father  of  the  Scottish  bard, 
"owing  no  man  a  penny." 

He  was  married  on  Wednesday,  June  22,  1859, 
to  Miss  Emily  A.  Shrigley,  in  Chicago.  Mrs. 
Macauley  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Emily 
(Knight)  Shrigley.  John  Shrigley  was  an  Eng- 


lishman by  birth,  and  came  to  America  in  his 
youth,  locating  in  Chicago  in  1832.  One  year 
later  he  was  followed  by  his  wife  and  five  chil- 
dren, whom  he  had  left  in  Vermont,  where  he 
was  married.  In  the  early  history  of  Cook 
County  he  served  as  its  sheriff  and  was  keeper 
of  the  county  jail.  He  died  August  15,  1853, 
and  his  remains  were  buried  in  Graceland  Ceme- 
tery. He  was  born  November  22,  1802,  in  the 
parish  of  Saddleworth,  Yorkshire,  England.  His 
wife,  Emily  Adaline  Knight,  was  born  May  7, 
1801,  in  Dummerston,  Windham  County,  Ver- 
mont, and  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Knight,  a 
paper  and  woolen  manufacturer  of  Dummerston. 
Her  mother,  Emma  Perry,  was  a  relative  of  the 
famous  commodore,  whose  exploits  on  the  inland 
lakes  won  a  proud  portion  of  American  history. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Macauley  were  the  parents  of 
three  children:  Rollin  Parker,  Emily  Adaline 
and  Harriet  Mae.  The  son  married  Miss  May 
Bullard,  of  Sterling,  Illinois.  They  have  three 
beautiful  boys,  John  Chester,  Julian  Mannington 
and  Kenneth  Rich.  Emily  A.  Macauley  became 
the  wife  of  Elmer  Hill,  of  Chicago. 


AUGUSTUS  BAUER. 


GjUGUSTUS  BAUER,  an  early  resident  of 
I  1  Chicago  who  was  many  years  conspicuous 
/  I  in  the  business  and  social  life  of  the  city, 
was  a  native  of  Germany  and  received  the 
thorough  business  training  which  is  vouchsafed 
to  every  artisan  in  that  country.  He  was  born 
June  1 6,  1827,  in  Offenbach,  near  the  capital 
city  of  Frankfort,  and  was  a  son  of  Jacob  Bauer. 
The  father  being  a  teacher,  young  Bauer  had 
especially  advantageous  opportunities  for  obtain- 
ing an  education,  opportunities  which  he  im- 
proved to  the  utmost,  being  industrious  and  apt 
as  a  student.  After  completing  his  school  course, 


he  took  up  the  study  of  architecture  under  a 
skillful  tutor  at  Darmstadt,  Germany,  and  became 
an  adept  in  planning  and  conducting  building 
operations. 

Like  many  other  ambitious  citizens  of  his 
country,  he  turned  his  eyes  toward  the  setting 
sun,  in  the  hope  of  finding  better  opportunities 
for  advancement  than  were  afforded  by  the 
crowded  condition  of  all  lines  of  effort  in  the 
Old  World.  About  1852  he  arrived  in  America, 
and  spent  two  years  in  New  York  City.  Here 
he  shortly  found  employment  in  his  profession, 
and  was  occupied  in  planning  and  directing  the 


W.  H.  CARMAN. 


67 


erection  of  the  dome  upon  the  famous  Crystal 
Palace  of  that  city,  in  which  the  first  World's 
Fair  was  held. 

Again  he  moved  westward,  and  arrived  at 
Chicago  in  1854,  and  here  the  balance  of  his  life 
was  spent.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Thomas  B.  Carter,  a  connection 
which  continued  for  a  period  of  twelve  years. 
From  1867  to  1874  he  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Loebnitz.  He  was  a  heavy  loser  by  the  great 
fire  of  1871,  being  extensively  interested  in  local 
insurance  companies,  which  were  ruined  by  that 
catastrophe.  He  continued  the  industry  which 
characterized  his  youth  throughout  his  life,  and 
executed  many  important  labors  in  the  city 
which  was  honored  in  being  his  home,  ceasing 
only  when  his  life  terminated,  February  8,  1894. 
The  vault  in  the  old  Fidelity  Building,  which 
was  constructed  under  his  direction,  withstood 
the  terrible  ordeal  of  the  great  fire  and  preserved 
the  valuable  papers  it  contained,  a  remarkable 
circumstance  amidst  the  universal  ruin  of  that 
time. 

Mr.  Bauer  was  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and 


nobly  performed  any  duty  to  his  fellow-citizens 
which  devolved  upon  him.  He  was  a  consistent 
member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
and  exemplified  the  true  Christian  in  his  daily 
walks  of  life.  Being  actuated  by  high  moral 
principles,  he  was  universally  respected  and  be- 
loved. He  took  an  intelligent  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  adopted  country  and  city  but  never 
sought  public  place  for  himself.  He  continued 
to  support  the  political  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can party  from  the  time  he  became  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  about  the  time  that  this  party 
came  into  existence. 

March  24,  1860,  Mr.  Bauer  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  Apel,  a  native  of  Berlin,  Germany, 
and  a  daughter  of  John  and  Augusta  Apel,  who 
came  to  Chicago  in  1849.  Mr.  Apel  passed  away 
in  California,  and  his  widow  still  resides  in  Chi- 
cago. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bauer  became  the  parents 
of  five  children,  namely:  Max  F.,  Herman  A., 
Robert  A.,  Clara  and  Hertha,  all  of  whom  are 
now  living,  to  be  an  aid  and  comfort  to  their 
widowed  mother.  The  entire  family  is  held  in 
high  esteem  in  the  circles  in  which  they  move. 


WILLIAM  H.  CARMAN. 


fi>G|lLLIAM  HENRY  CARMAN,  who  has 
\  A/  keen  a  resident  of  Chicago  for  nearly  four 
V  Y  decades,  celebrated,  with  his  faithful  wife, 
the  golden  anniversary  of  their  wedding,  at 
their  home  on  Lincoln  Avenue,  April  19,  1898. 
Mr.  Carman  was  born  December  9,  1828,  in  New 
Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  where  his  grandparents 
— Lewis  and  Catherine  Carman — were  highly  re- 
spected residents.  Lewis  Carman  was  a  slave- 
holder and  was  many  years  cashier  of  the  Far- 
mers' and  Mechanics'  Bank  of  New  Brunswick. 
Abraham  Voorhees  Carman,  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  born  November  18,  1805, 


in  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  and  was  a 
school  teacher  in  New  York  City  from  1 830  to 
1845.  During  his  leisure  moments  he  pursued 
the  study  of  dentistry,  which  profession  he  prac- 
ticed in  the  same  city  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred November  3,  1858,  just  before  completing 
the  fifty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Universalist  Church  and  was  buried  in 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Churchyard  at  New  Bruns- 
wick. His  wife,  Ellen  Oppie,  mother  of  William 
H.  Carman,  was  born  May  14,  1806,  in  Borden- 
town,  New  Jersey,  was  married  to  A.  V.  Carman 
September  7,  1826,  and  died  February  7,  1864, 


68 


W.  H.  CARMAN. 


while  on  a  visit  to  her  son  in  Chicago.     Her  re- 
mains were  deposited  in  Graceland  Cemetery. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  public 
school  in  his  native  town,  in  which  his  father  was 
a  taiacher.  In  1845  he  took  up  the  study  of  den- 
tistry with  his  father  and  subsequently  practiced 
with  him  two  years.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
1860  and  entered  mercantile  life  as  a  clerk  with 
John  Ellis,  commission  merchant,  located  at  No. 
14  State  Street,  in  whose  service  he  continued 
three  years. 

In  1863  he  was  appointed  on  the  city  police 
force  and  continued  in  the  police  department  suc- 
cessively as  patrolman,  custodian  of  stolen  prop- 
erty, clerk  and  desk  sergeant,  until  his  retire- 
ment, October  26,  1897.  He  served  under  all 
chiefs  of  police  from  Cyrus  Bradley  to  Joseph 
Kipley,  during  a  period  of  thirty-four  years,  and 
participated  in  all  the  rough  experiences  of  the 
department  in  that  time,  including  the  great 
holocaust  of  1871,  and  the  anarchist  riot  of  1886. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  was  on  duty  under  Isaac 
Milliken  in  the  provost  marshal's  office,  with 
Chief-of-Police  C.  P.  Bradley,  Mr.  Carman's 
duty  being  the  charge  of  permits  granted  to  per- 
sons leaving  the  city. 

He  was  on  duty  one  month  as  inside  guard 
over  Confederate  prisoners  at  Camp  Douglas. 
After  the  war  he  was  stationed  at  the  armory, 
corner  of  Adams  and  Franklin  Streets,  taking  care 
of  returning  soldiers.  He  assisted  in  the  capture 
of  Colonel  Marmaduke  and  others  concerned  in 
the  great  Northwestern  conspiracy,  to  liberate 
Confederate  prisoners  from  Camp  Douglas. 

Mr.  Carman  was  made  a  Mason  in  1854,  in 
Hope  Lodge,  New  York  City,  was  demitted  in 
1863,  and  affiliated  with  Kilwinnig  Lodge  No. 
311,  of  Chicago,  in  which  he  was  elected  a  life 
member  December  24,  1894. 

April  19,  1848,  Mr.  Carman  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  Elizabeth  Jennings,  the  ceremony 
being  conducted  in  New  York  City  by  Rev.  W. 
S.  Balsh.  Mrs.  Carman  was  born  November  19, 
1832,  in  Poughkeepsie,  New  York.  Her  father, 
Eli  Jennings,  was  born  January  22,  1805,  near 
Bridgeport,  Connecticut.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1857  from  New 


York  City.  He  died  here  November  8,  1876, 
and  his  remains  were  taken  to  Danbury,  Con- 
necticut, and  laid  away  in  Wooster  Cemetery. 
He  was  married  May  23,  1826,  at  Danbury,  Con- 
necticut, to  Miss  Almira  Mallory,  who  was  born 
February  2,  1808,  and  is  still  living,  in  August, 
1898.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Ezra  Mallory  and 
Eliza  Andrews- Mallory.  May  23,  1876,  her  fif- 
tieth wedding  anniversary  was  celebrated  at  the 
home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Carman,  No.  191 
Lincoln  Avenue.  On  that  occasion  were  present 
two  of  her  children,  ten  grandchildren  and  one 
great-grandchild.  Mr.  Jennings  survived  this 
event  a  little  less  than  six  months. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carman  are  the  parents  of  three 
children.  The  eldest,  Harriett  Elizabeth,  born  in 
New  York  City,  June  10,  1849,  married  Levi  M. 
Peck,  of  Danbury,  Connecticut,  January  i,  1866. 
They  have  eight  children:  Lillian  Starr,  Will- 
iam Carman,  Sarah,  Eli,  Edward  Clayton, 
Charles  Arthur,  Walter  Stanley  and  Mamie 
Alice.  The  eldest  of  these  is  now  the  wife  of 
Miles  Desbrow,  of  Danbury,  Connecticut.  The 
third  married  his  brother,  David  Desbrow,  and 
is  the  mother  of  one  child,  Phoebe. 

Elmira  Ellen  Carman,  born  in  Chicago  No- 
vember 25,  1 86 1,  is  the  wife  of  James  Thomson, 
of  Rogers  Park,  Chicago.  They  have  a  son 
named  Harry  Carman.  Frank,  third  child  of 
William  H.  and  Elizabeth  Carman,  born  Decem- 
ber 8,  1866,  married  Mary  Charlotte  Austgen 
and  has  two  children,  William  Austgen  and 
Esther  Catherine. 

The  golden  wedding  anniversary  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Carman  was  a  notable  event  in  Chicago 
society.  There  were  living  on  this  occasion  all 
of  their  children,  eleven  grandchildren  and  one 
great-grandchild.  About  two  hundred  of  their 
friends  and  neighbors  were  present  and  the  occa- 
sion was  rendered  especially  notable  by  the  pres- 
ence of  Mrs.  Carman's  mother,  whose  golden 
wedding  anniversary  had  been  celebrated  in  the 
same  house  twenty-two  years  before.  The  prin- 
cipals in  this  joyful  event  bore  every  evidence  of 
sound  health,  and  it  was  difficult  for  those  pres- 
ent to  believe  that  the  bride  of  fifty  3rears  ago  is 
already  a  great-grandmother.  When  her  eldest 


E.  D.   SPOONER. 


69 


child  was  born  there  were  living  four  of  its 
grandfathers  and  six  grandmothers — these,  in- 
cluding two  each  of  paternal  ancestors,  preceding 
the  father  and  mother  and  three  maternal  ances- 
tors on  each  side.  The  day  was  celebrated  after 
the  fashion  of  an  old  "New  England  calling  day" 
and  visitors  paid  their  respects  in  a  steady  stream 
from  noon  until  midnight.  Refreshments  and 


music  aided  in  giving  pleasure  to  the  occasion, 
and  all  joined  in  the  wish  that  many  future  anni- 
versaries might  be  thus  celebrated.  Numerous 
letters  of  regret  were  received  from  distant 
friends.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carman  may  well  feel 
proud  of  the  evidences  of  friendship  and  esteem 
vouchsafed  to  them  in  many  ways  at  this  notable 
festival. 


EDMUND  D.  SPOONER. 


|"~  DMUND  D.  SPOONER,  who  is  senior  vice 
r»)  national  commander  of  the  Union  Veteran 
I  Legion,  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  is  a  native  of 
Connersville,  Indiana,  where  he  was  born  Au- 
gust 9,  1843.  He  is  a  son  of  Judge  William  L. 
and  Catherine  (Smith)  Spooner,  natives  of  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio.  William  L.  Spooner  was  a  son  of 
Reed  Spooner,  born  in  Cincinnati,  who  came  of 
a  colonial  family  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts. 
Judge  W.  L.  Spooner  was  a  pioneer  in  Cincinnati, 
and  was  a  merchant  in  that  city  in  the  days  of 
its  early  history.  He  was  very  successful  in  this 
venture.  He  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar,  and  for  a  period  of  thirty-five  years 
practiced  in  the  courts  of  Ohio  and  Indiana.  He 
was  elected  judge  of  the  court  of  common  pleas 
of  Hamilton  County,  and  served  one  term.  He 
was  prominent  in  political  affairs,  a  fine  orator  and 
a  man  of  strong  character  and  natural  abilities. 

He  was  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue 
under  President  Lincoln's  administration  in  Cin- 
cinnati, serving  under  his  brother,  Thomas 
Spooner,  who  was  the  first  collector  under  this 
administration  in  the  first  district  of  Ohio. 
During  the  Morgan  raid  he  raised  a  regiment, 
of  which  he  became  colonel,  and  served  in  Ken- 
tucky till  after  the  scare  was  over.  He  support- 
ed Lincoln  and  after  the  organization  of  the  Re- 
publican party  upheld  its  principles  and  interests 
by  his  voice  and  vote.  He  married  Catherine 


Smith,  daughter  of  John  L.  Smith,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  She  was  a  niece  of  Caleb  B.  Smith, 
Lincoln's  secretary  of  the  interior,  and  afterward 
judge  of  the  United  States  court  in  the  Indian- 
apolis district,  who  died  suddenly,  of  hemorrhage, 
in  his  consultation  rooms. 

Judge  Spooner  was  the  father  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  three  daughters  and  two  sons  are  still 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spooner  are  both  deceased. 
Edmund  D.  Spooner  is  the  second  of  his  father's 
family,  and  he  was  but  two  years  old  when  his 
father  removed  from  Connersville.  He  grew  to 
manhood  in  Cincinnati  and  there  received  the 
preliminaries  of  his  education.  He  subsequently 
entered  a  college  near  the  city  and  had  just  en- 
tered the  junior  year  when  the  war  broke  out,  in 
1861.  He  enlisted  in  the  seventy-five  thousand 
three-month  call,  April  19,  1861,  in  Company 
G,  Fifth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  went  in- 
to camp  at  Camp  Denison.  June  19  of  the  same 
year  the  regiment  re-enlisted  as  a  body  in  the  call 
for  three  hundred  thousand  men  for  three  years. 
He  was  sworn  in  as  sergeant,  but  on  July  5 ,  1 86 1 , 
received  an  appointment  from  President  Lincoln 
as  second  lieutenant,  to  date  from  May  14,  1861, 
in  the  Fifth  United  States  Artillery.  He  was 
discharged  from  the  volunteer  service  at  Camp 
Denison,  to  accept  a  position  offered  him  by 
President  Lincoln,  and  reported  to  his  regimen) 
at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  For  two  months 


E.  D.   SPOONER. 


he  was  located  at  that  place  and  at  Williamsport 
and  New  York  City,  in  recruiting  and  organizing 
the  regiment.  He  then  reported  to  General 
Wood,  at  Baltimore,  with  his  command,  and  un- 
til the  fall  of  1862  was,  with  his  regiment,  on 
duty  guarding  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad  from 
Baltimore  to  Monocacy  Bridge,  Maryland.  This 
was  an  arduous  and  important  duty  and  involved 
hardships  and  dangers.  In  the  fall  of  1862  he 
was  ordered  to  report  to  Maj.-Gen.  Robert  H. 
Milroy,  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  with  his  com- 
mand. From  this  time  until  January,  1863, 
he  was  actively  engaged  in  raiding  the  enemy's 
country,  as  far  south  as  New  Market,  Virginia, 
in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  taking  'part  in  many 
small  engagements.  June  13-14-15,  1863,  they 
fought  under  General  Milroy,  with  a  force  of  ten 
thousand  men,  against  the  rebel  General  Ewell's 
thirty  thousand  men.  The  Union  troops  were 
forced  to  retreat  to  Harper's  Ferry,  but  on  the 
night  of  June  15,  1863,  they  fought  Ewell  the 
second  time  and  had  a  wild  night's  fight  of  it. 
At  Harper's  Ferry  the  company  joined  the  Third 
Army  Corps,  commanded  by  Major-General 
French,  and  arrived  in  Gettysburg  in  time  to 
partake  in  the  excitement  and  bloodshed  of  the 
last  days  of  this  great  battle.  Lieutenant  Spoon- 
er's  company  lost  heavily  in  this  battle  and  he 
had  two  horses  killed  under  him.  He  was  on 
detached  duty  for  some  time  after  this  in  the 
vicinity  of  Washington,  District  of  Columbia. 

He  was  promoted  July  i,  1863,  to  the  position 
of  first  lieutenant,  and  reported  to  Battery  H, 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  Fourteenth  Army 
Corps,  under  Gen.  George  H.  Thomas,  reach- 
ing his  command  immediately  after  the  battle 
of  Chickamauga,  the  army  being  stationed  at 
Chattanooga,  Tennessee.  From  this  time,  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  to  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge,  he 
was  with  the  army.  In  this  battle  his  battery  was 
posted  on  Orchard  Knob.  He  received  special 
orders  from  General  Grant  to  fire  his  six  pieces 
simultaneously,  to  give  the  signal  to  advance  the 
army  of  General  Thomas  in  the  center.  Three 
days'  fighting  followed  and  Lieutenant  Spooner 
was  in  the  saddle  during  this  entire  length  of 
time.  After  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge  he  was 


ordered  back  to  Nashville, Tennessee,  to  recruit 
his  battery,  but  was  not  idle  and  participated  in 
many  marches,  among  which  was  the  one  after 
Forrest  into  Alabama. 

During  the  early  months  of  1864  his  battery 
became  so  thinned  out  that  it  was  consolidated 
with  Battery  K,  the  ranking  officers  assuming 
command.  The  non-commissioned  officers  were 
sent  to  Fort  Hamilton,  New  York.  Here  Lieu- 
tenant Spooner  organized  a  new  battery  with  full 
complement  of  men,  and  was  sent  to  the  Dry 
Tortugas  to  guard  political  prisoners.  About  this 
time  he  was  married,  and  not  caring  to  enter  into 
active  service  in  the  front,  he  resigned  his  com- 
mission, January  26,  1865,  and  returned  to  Cin- 
cinnati. Here  he  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits 
and  has  thus  been  occupied  to  the  present  time. 
He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics, 
and  held  the  position  of  deputy  auditor  of  Hamil- 
ton County,  Ohio,  at  one  time.  In  all  orders 
arising  from  military  operations,  Lieutenant 
Spooner  has  taken  an  active  interest  and  aided  in 
every  possible  manner. 

In  the  Union  Veteran  Legion  he  is  past  nation- 
al adjutant  general,  and  at  the  present  time, 
1897-98,  is  senior  vice  national  commander  of 
the  same.  He  has  been  actively  engaged  in  aid- 
ing the  progress  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  has  been  prominent  in  committee 
work  in  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
western  society  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
also  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He  is  past 
grand  of  Magnolia  Lodge  No.  83,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
also  of  Encampment  No.  42,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
of  Cincinnati. 

Mr.  Spooner  was  married  February  28,  1865, 
to  Miss  Mary  Humphreys.  They  became  the 
parents  of  three  sons:  Elmont  H.,  Alexander 
and  Charles  E.,  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Spooner 
died  in  1890.  Mr.  Spooner  is  a  true  type  of  the 
old  soldier  and  is  proud  to  bear  the  title.  He 
bravely  did  his  duty  in  time  of  war  without 
shrinking.  In  the  life  of  a  citizen  he  has  proved 
himself  loyal  to  the  rights  and  interests  of  the 
people,  and  will  always  be  honored  and  respected 
as  a  man  of  noble  character  and  upright  principle. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UiVERSITY  OF  ILL1F 


J.  R.  HOXIE. 


JOHN  R.  HOXIE. 


(TOHN  RANDOLPH  HOXIE.  Chicago,  the 
I  Queen  of  our  Great  West,  is  indebted  for  its 
(*)  marvelous  growth  and  rapid  development, 
which  have  caused  the  whole  world  to  acknowl- 
edge its  commercial  greatness,  to  a  few  men, 
who,  to  lay  the  foundations  of  metropolitan  su- 
premacy, gave  the  best  of  their  heart's  blood, 
their  brain  power,  and  nerve  forces.  The  ma- 
jority have  as  their  reward  wealth  or  honor,  but 
few  have  both.  Among  the  active  business  men 
who  have  acquired  both  was  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  obtained  it  through  close  attention 
to  business,  and  unswerving  integrity  and  up- 
rightness of  character. 

John  R.  Hoxie  was  born  December  13,  1831, 
in  Macedon,  near  Rochester,  New  York,  and  his 
parents  were  Cornelius  and  Anna  (Brawnell) 
Hoxie.  He  received  a  partial  education  in  the 
Macedon  Academy,  but  as  his  tastes  impelled 
him  to  use  every  opportunity  for  learning  busi- 
ness ways,  his  school  days  were  thus  cut  short. 
Many  stories  of  his  youthful  trading  propensities 
illustrate  his  ability  in  doing  well  for  himself,  and 
in  him  could  plainly  be  seen  the  future  financier 
and  business  man.  On  one  occasion  he  wished 
to  buy  a  fish-hook,  but  as  his  finances  were  low, 
he  applied  to  the  banker  of  the  town,  who  lent 
him  three  cents.  After  catching  and  disposing  of 
the  fish  he  very  promptly  paid  his  debt,  thus 
winning  the  esteem  of  his  creditor.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  years  he  bought  all  the  turkeys  in  the 
neighborhood  and  realized  a  handsome  profit  on 
them.  At  seventeen  years  of  age  he  was  able  to 
buy  his  '  'time' '  or  independence  from  his  father, 
for  one  thousand  dollars.  He  was  always  pru- 


dent with  his  earnings,  and  many  times  walked 
from  Albany  to  Rochester  to  save  the  fare  by 
stage. 

Mr.  Hoxie  became  a  sub-contractor  on  the 
Niagara  Falls  Railroad  at  an  early  age,  and  later 
was  in  the  same  position  on  the  Staten  Island 
Railroad.  While  in  the  latter  position  the  yellow 
fever  began  raging  and  he  was  quarantined,  but 
finally  escaped  to  the  mainland.  After  spending 
nearly  two  years  in  Virginia  he  returned  to 
Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  became  a  dealer 
in  live  stock,  which  he  shipped  over  the  Michigan 
Southern  and  other  railroads.  His  fame  as  a 
man  of  great  business  tact  and  ability  spread 
over  many  States,  and  in  1857  he  received  an 
offer  to  assist  in  the  management  of  the  shipping 
business  of  the  Michigan  Southern  Railroad,  with 
headquarters  in  Chicago.  This  offer  was  re- 
ceived by  telegram,  and  hastily  packing  his 
satchel,  he  told  his  mother  he  would  return  in  a 
few  days;  but  the  days  lengthened  into  weeks, 
months,  and  years,  and  he  did  not  return  home 
until  1862.  The  officers  of  the  company  recog- 
nized his  ability,  and  the  position  of  stock  agent 
was  offered  him,  which  he  accepted  and  retained 
during  his  connection  with  the  road. 

At  this  time  the  company  was  almost  bankrupt, 
but  Mr.  Hoxie  infused  new  life  into  the  business 
by  building  up  the  freight  traffic,  thus  saving  it 
from  financial  ruin.  For  this  service  the  com- 
pany was  ever  truly  grateful,  and  he  was  retained 
in  office  long  after  his  active  interest  ceased. 
Largely  through  his  influence  the  railroad  was 
able  to  retain  its  controlling  interest  in  the  Union 
Stock  Yards,  and  the  profits  from  the  tremendous 


72 


J.  R.  HOXIE. 


traffic  in  live  stock  thus  brought  to  it.  When  a 
combined  effort  was  made  by  the  other  roads  to 
induce  Mr.  Hoxie  to  retire  from  the  service  of  the 
Michigan  Southern,  he  declined  every  consider- 
ation offered  him,  and  remained  faithful  through 
all  temptation. 

From  early  morning  until  late  eve  did  he  labor 
in  the  interest  of  this  road,  and  this  was  practi- 
cally his  life  work.  He  foresaw  great  possibilities 
in  its  future,  and  steadily  strove  to  carry  it  for- 
ward to  its  destiny.  His  nature  rejoiced  in 
victory  over  opposition,  and  the  sharp  competition 
he  often  met  was  refreshing  to  his  restless  spirit, 
and  a  stimulus  to  greater  exertions.  He  loved 
work  for  its  own  sake,  not  for  praise  and  reward. 
In  the  end,  however,  he  paid  the  usual  penalty 
for  living  under  such  high  pressure,  by  the  in- 
vasion of  sickness  and  premature  death.  His 
nature  could  not  rest,  and  though  his  life  was 
shorter,  he  accomplished  much  more  than  the 
majority  of  business  men. 

Though  an  extremely  busy  man,  he  was  al- 
ways cheerful,  and  liked  the  society  of  his  fel- 
lows. He  was,  however,  a  stranger  to  the 
fashionable  clubs,  and  made  his  home  the  scene 
of  his  rest  and  recreation.  His  wife  was  a 
worthy  life  companion,  and  her  delight  was  to 
make  the  home  pleasant,  having  a  serene  manner, 
a  contented  disposition,  and  being  a  great  help  to 
her  husband  in  curbing  his  great  ambition  and 
teaching  him  the  lessons  of  patience. 

As  soon  as  he  was  able  Mr.  Hoxie  began  to 
invest  money  in  securities,  and  so  good  was  his 
foresight  that  he  became  wealthy.  In  1878  he 
bought  a  large  grant  of  land  from  the  heirs  of 
Dr.  Hoxie,  a  veteran  of  the  Texan  and  the  Mexi- 
can Wars,  and  an  army  surgeon  under  General 
Houston.  This  grant  embraced  ten  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  Williamson  County,  Texas,  to 
which  he  added  another  purchase  of  seven  thou- 
sand acres.  It  is  situated  thirty-five  miles  from 
Austin,  and  six  thousand  acres  of  it  have  been 
cultivated,  and  fifty  families  reside  on  it. 

Mr.  Hoxie  also  bought  fifty-two  thousand 
acres  of  land  at  Midland,  Texas,  in  the  Counties 
of  Martin  and  Andrews,  this  land  being  used  for 
grazing.  Beside  his  mansion  on  Michigan  Ave- 


nue, he  had  a  country  home  twenty-one  miles 
south  of  Chicago,  which  included  seven  hundred 
fifty-seven  acres  of  land.  Here  he  spent  many 
hours  away  from  the  cares  of  business  life,  and 
lived  close  to  the  heart  of  Nature.  On  all  his 
farms  he  has  kept  the  buildings  in  excellent 
repair,  having  built  many  new  ones.  Unlike 
most  business  men,  he  early  instructed  his  wife 
in  the  details  of  his  affairs,  being  animated  by  the 
principle  that  what  was  his  also  belonged  to  her. 
To  this  wise  precaution  his  widow  now  largely 
owes  her  ability  to  manage  the  property  with 
such  success. 

Mr.  Hoxie  made  annual  trips  to  his  possessions 
in  the  South,  and  to  every  one  of  these  Texas 
owed  some  improvement,  and  he  many  times 
used  his  influence  in  opening  some  avenue  of 
commerce.  In  1887  he  decided  to  retire  from 
business,  but  never  fully  carried  out  his  intention. 
When  he  was  in  Texas  he  made  his  headquarters 
at  Fort  Worth  and  there  he  was  held  in  high  es- 
teem by  all  the  inhabitants,  and  especially  the 
business  men.  Prior  to  his  coming  to  this  town 
the  business  was  very  dull,  but  he  inspired  confi- 
dence by  organizing  the  Farmers  and  Mechanics' 
National  Bank,  with  a  capital  of  one  million 
dollars.  He  was  the  president  of  this  bank  and 
also  of  the  First  National  Bank  at  Taylor,  Texas. 
He  was  connected  with  twenty  other  banks  in  this 
State,  his  influence  and  standing  giving  them 
power  to  exist. 

In  1891,  at  the  urgent  request  of  the  citizens 
of  Fort  Worth,  he  organized  stock  yards  and 
packing  houses,  and  the  next  year  passed  through 
a  strike  which  made  his  presence  at  the  yards 
necessary.  This  was  such  a  severe  strain  on  his 
finely  organized  nervous  constitution  that  he 
never  recovered  his  former  health.  A  small  bene- 
fit was  gained  at  Carlsbad  Springs,  Germany  ,but 
nothing  could  entirely  stay  the  ravages  of  the 
disease,  diabetes,  from  which  his  death  resulted. 
He  passed  away  November  21,  1896. 

Mr.  Hoxie  was  a  talented  man,  and  had  many 
charming  traits  of  character.  His  influence  was 
ever  for  good  and  his  advice  in  municipal  affairs 
was  often  sought  and  freely  given.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Hyde  Park  and  a 


LEONARD  SWETT. 


73 


school  trustee  in  the  town  ot  Lake.  During  the 
centennial  year  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress 
on  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  was  defeated. 
Though  he  never  afterward  held  any  office  his  in- 
fluence was  such  that  he  controlled  many  positions 
of  trust  and  responsibility.  His  rare  wit  and 
skillful  repartee  may  be  said  to  be  gifts  inherited 
from  his  mother,  well-known  for  her  good  sense 
and  quick  perception. 

Mr.  Hoxie  became  interested  in  the  Chicago 
City  Railway  Company  and  was  instrumental  in 
extending  the  cable  lines,  being  for  many  years 
one  of  the  largest  individual  stockholders.  He 
was  many  times  the  youngest  member  of  various 
boards  of  management,  where  he  was  neverthe- 
less recognized  as  a  born  leader.  His  associates 
often  called  him  "Boy,"  among  these  being  such 
men  as  Silas  B.  Cobb,  Daniel  Jones,  Solomon 
Sturges,  Lyman  Blair,  John  De  Koven,  Samuel 
Nickerson,  Lyman  J.  Gage,  John  B.  Sherman, 
P.  D.  Armour,  Samuel  Allerton,  and  others 
equally  well-known.  He  was  called  the  "Mogul" 
of  the  Stock  Yards  Railroad  along  Fortieth  Street, 
which  was  secured  by  his  indefatigable  energy. 


In  his  business  methods  Mr.  Hoxie  was  unlike 
the  average  man.  Though  possessed  of  sufficient 
ability  to  carry  on  numerous  vast  business  enter- 
prises at  the  same  time,  he  never  used  books  to 
record  his  transactions,  but  so  carefully  was 
everything  systematized  that  he  suffered  no  loss 
from  this  fact.  His  was  an  eccentric  character, 
but  he  was  no  recluse,  and  enjoyed  rare  friend- 
ships. He  was  well-known  in  Masonic  circles, 
having  attained  the  thirty-second  degree.  His 
wealth  was  accumulated  in  a  legitimate  way,  and 
his  only  extravagance  was  indulged  in  providing 
for  the  comfort  of  his  family.  In  religious 
belief  he  was  a  Quaker,  and  helped  build  and 
maintain  the  church  at  Twenty-sixth  Street  and 
Indiana  Avenue.  The  principles  of  his  forefathers 
seemed  to  be  the  guide  and  rule  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Hoxie  was  married  October  22,  1872,  to 
Mary  J.,  daughter  of  P.  D.  Hamilton.  Among 
the  Quakers  she  was  known  as  "John's  wife, "but 
her  husband  always  spoke  of  her  with  deference 
as  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Hoxie.  Their  union  was  blessed 
by  three  children,  namely:  John  R.,  junior, 
Gilbert  H.  and  Anna  C. 


LEONARD  SWETT. 


I  EONARD  SWETT  was  born  August  n, 
1C  1825,  near  the  village  of  Turner,  Oxford 
l_3  County,  Maine,  on  what  was  known  as 
Swett's  Hill.  This  hill  slopes  in  all  directions, 
and  constitutes  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  in 
New  England,  and  has  ever  since  been  owned 
by  the  family.  His  father,  John  Swett,  was  born 
in  Buckfield,  Maine,  February  4,  1789,  and  mar- 
ried Remember  Berry,  on  August  29,  1816.  The 
latter  was  born  at  Buckfield,  Maine,  December 
22,  1794.  They  settled  after  their  marriage  on 
the  above-named  hill,  and  lived  and  died  there. 
The  father  was  seventy  years  old,  and  the  mother 
in  her  eighty-ninth  year  at  the  date  of  their  • 
respective  deaths — June  25,  1859,  and  May  19, 


1883.  They  had  six  children.  Mr.  Swett  fol- 
lowed the  occupation  of  farming  many  years,  but 
subsequently  traveled,  selling  patent  rights  for 
different  men,  and  for  several  years  before  his 
death  was  an  agent  for  R.  B.  Dunn,  a  scythe 
manufacturer,  at  Wayne,  Maine.  He  was  a  good 
business  man  and  had  the  confidence  of  his  em- 
ployers. He  was  a  strict  temperance  man,  he 
and  his  wife  being  members  of  the  first  temper- 
ance society  formed  in  Turner.  Mr.  Swett  was 
also  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  being  a  private 
of  Captain  Richmond's  company  of  Massachusetts 
Militia,  his  widow  receiving  a  pension  in  acknowl- 
edgment of  his  services. 

The  story  of  this  home  is  thus  simply  told  by 


74 


LEONARD  SWETT. 


one  of  its  members:  "We  each  had  our  daily 
tasks,  which  we  were  always  ready  and  willing 
to  perform;  our  daily  fare  was  always  an  abun- 
dance of  plain,  well  cooked  food,  eaten  with  a 
relish  known  only  to  the  industrious.  The  twi- 
light hour  was  almost  invariably  spent  in  song. 
How  well  I  remember  those  concerts,  of  our  eight 
voices,  as  we  joined  in  singing  our  hymns  of 
praise.  It  was  a  happy,  peaceable,  religious, 
industrious,  frugal  home.  Sickness  seldom  in- 
vaded it,  and  its  blessed  memory  is  a  source  of 
joy  to  me  yet."  Here  in  the  midst  of  a  grandly 
rolling  country  Leonard  Swett  grew  to  manhood, 
developing  a  character  sweet  and  healthful  as  the 
balsamic  odor  of  the  pines,  yet  strong  and  rugged 
as  his  native  hills. 

Leonard  Swett' s  great-grandfather  was  Dr. 
Stephen  Swett,  of  Gorham,  and  surgeon  of  Col. 
Edmund  Phinney's  3ist  Regiment  of  Foot  of 
1775,  in  the  war  of  the  American  Revolution. 
Pierce,  in  his  history  of  Gorham,  says,  "Dr. 
Stephen  Swett  came  from  North  Hampton  in 
1770.  He  was  the  tenth  physician  in  the  town. 
He  was  patriotic  and  possessed  great  energy." 
He  died  at  Otisfield,  Maine,  January  6,  1807, 
aged  seventy-five  years  or  over.  Dr.  Swell's 
wife  was  Sarah  Adams.  Tradition  says  she  was 
a  cousin  (probably  second  cousin)  of  President 
John  Adams. 

Dr.  Stephen  Swell  and  Sarah  Adams  Swell, 
his  wife,  had  fourteen  children,  Ihe  fourth  of 
whom — John  Swell,  born  al  Durham,  New 
Hampshire,  June  23,  1763,  and  who  was  married 
al  Gorham,  Maine,  March  27,  1788,  lo  Betsey 
Warren — was  Leonard  Swell's  grandfalher.  "He 
sellled  in  Buckfield,  Maine,  Ihe  year  he  was 
married  and  resided  Ihere  unlil  his  death,  July 
14,  1844.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  everylhing 
aboul  his  premises  was  a  pattern  of  neatness  and 
thrift.  He  had  a  good  property  and  enough  of 
everything  for  Ihe  comforls  of  life.  He  and  his 
wife  were  bolh  induslrious,  prudenl,  lemperale, 
moral  and  religious.  He  broughl  Ihe  firsl  wagon 
owned  in  Ihe  town  from  Gorham.  II  was  very 
much  admired  and  considered  quile  wonderful  in 
Ihose  days.  II  was  used  lo  carry  Ihe  family  to 
church.  Bolh  he  and  his  wife  died  of  old  age, 


respecled  and  beloved,  and  cared  for  by  Iheir  son 
and  sixlh  child,  David  Warren  Swell."  Betsey 
Warren  Swell  was  born  June  28,  1763,  and  died 
June  3,  1846. 

As  lo  Ihe  origin  of  Mr.  Swell's  family  nolhing 
is  known  definilely  back  of  Dr.  Slephen  Swell, 
but  as  he  came  from  towns  in  New  Hampshire 
(Durham  and  North  Hampton) ,  but  a  few  miles 
from  Newbury  and  Hampton,  which  was  the 
home  in  1642  of  John  Swell,  of  England,  who, 
Ihrough  his  son,  Benjamin  Swell,  left  a  large 
family,  il  is  Ihoughl  probable  lhal  Dr.  Slephen 
Swell  is  one  of  his  numerous  descendanls. 

Remember  Berry  Swell  was  born  December 
22,  1794;  she  was  Ihe  daughler  of  William  Berry 
and  Joanna  Doane;  granddaughler  of  George 
Berry  and  Sarah  Stickney;  great-granddaughler 
of  Maj.  George  Berry  and  Elizabelh  Frink; 
greal-greal-granddaughler  of  George  Berry  and 
Deliverance  Haley. 

Mr.  Swell,  Ihe  subjecl  of  Ihis  skelch,  died 
June  8,  1889.  He  married  Laura  R.  Quigg,  of 
Bradford,  Massachusells,  July  20,  1854,  and  Ihey 
had  one  son,  Leonard  H.  Swell.  March  5,  1886, 
his  wife  died,  and  July  14,  1887,  he  married 
Marie  A.  H.  Decker,  who  survives  him. 

Leonard  Swell  was  Ihe  second  son  and  fourth 
child  of  his  parenls,  and  Ihey  conceived  Ihe  idea, 
al  an  early  dale,  of  giving  him  a  better  educalion 
lhan  Ihe  town  afforded,  consequenlly  he  was  senl 
to  selecl  schools  in  Ihe  vicinity,  and  completed 
his  educalion  al  North  Yarmoulh  Academy  and 
Walerville  College,  now  Colby  University.  He 
Ihen  read  law  for  Iwo  years  wilh  Messrs.  How- 
ard &  Shepley,  al  Portland,  Maine,  and  started 
in  Ihe  world  lo  seek  his  fortune.  At  first  he 
traveled  in  Ihe  Soulh  for  nearly  a  year,  Ihen,  with 
Ihe  spiril  of  advenlure,  he  volunteered  as  a  sol- 
dier in  Ihe  Mexican  War,  and  was  under  General 
Scoll  from  Vera  Cruz  lo  Ihe  City  of  Mexico. 
The  war  closed  in  May,  1848,  when  Mr.  Swell 
relumed  and  sellled  al  Bloominglon,  Illinois.  He 
commenced  Ihe  praclice  of  his  profession  in  Ihe 
fall  of  1849,  and  gave  lo  lhal  profession  Ihe  labor 
of  a  life.  He  was  in  indifferenl  health,  on  ac- 
counl  of  a  disease  contracted  in  Mexico,  which 
rendered  il  impracticable  for  him  to  sit  in  an  office 


LEONARD  SWETT. 


75 


and  do  office  work,  and,  therefore,  at  first  he 
commenced  to  travel  the  circuit.  The  bar  of  that 
circuit,  the  eighth  at  that  time,  embraced  many 
men  of  marked  ability,  some  of  whom  have  since 
acquired  a  national  reputation.  David  Davis, 
since  distinguished  as  a  judge  of  the  supreme 
court  and  a  senator  of  the  United  States,  was  the 
judge  from  1849  to  1862.  Abraham  Lincoln,  for 
two  years  a  member  of  congress,  and  afterwards 
known  to  the  world  as  the  martyred  President 
and  the  emancipator  of  a  race,  was  one  of  its 
lawyers.  Edward  D.  Baker,  a  member  of  con- 
gress from  the  Sangamon  District,  also  afterward 
from  the  Galena  District,  later  a  distinguished 
citizen  of  California,  and  a  senator  of  the  United 
States  from  Oregon,  who  died  leading  his  men  at 
the  battle  of  Ball's  Bluff,  in  the  Civil  War,  was 
also  one  of  its  lawyers.  There  were  also  Edward 
Hannagan  and  Daniel  W.  Voorhees,  since  sena- 
tors from  Indiana,  who  attended  the  eastern  part 
of  the  circuit,  and  Stephen  T.  Logan,  John  T. 
Stuart,  U.  F.  Linder  and  Oliver  L.  Davis.  The 
sessions  commenced  the  ist  of  September,  and 
ended  about  the  ist  of  January.  The  spring 
circuit  commenced  about  February  and  ended  in 
June.  In  a  life  with  these  men  and  upon  this 
circuit,  Mr.  Swett  spent  his  time  from  1849  to 
1862.  The  lawyers  would  arrive  at  a  county  seat 
of  from  five  hundred  to  two  thousand  inhabitants, 
and  the  clients  and  public  came  in  from  the  coun- 
try adjoining  at  about  the  same  time.  The  law- 
yers were  employed  in  such  suits  as  were  then 
pending  in  court,  and  the  trials  were  immediately 
begun.  After  from  three  days  to  a  week  spent 
in  this  manner,  the  court  would  adjourn  and  the 
cavalcade  start  for  the  adjoining  county  seat,  when 
the  same  processes  would  be  repeated.  Twice 
a  year  fourteen  counties  were  traversed  in  this 
way,  and  in  this  manner  Mr.  Swett  received  his 
earlier  legal  education.  David  Davis,  in  a  speech 
at  Springfield,  said  in  substance  that  this  time 
constituted  the  bright  spot  of  his  life.  In  this 
expression  he  would  doubtless  be  joined  by  every 
man  named,  most  of  whom  now  live  beyond  the 
river. 

In  1865  Mr.  Swett  moved  to  Chicago,  where 
he  soon  acquired  a  prominent  and  leading  position 


as  a  lawyer.  During  his  life  in  the  country,  in 
Illinois,  he  took  an  active  part  in  politics,  taking 
part  in  the  agitation  of  the  slavery  question,  and 
canvassed  nearly  the  whole  state  in  the  years 
1852,  1854,  1856,  1858  and  1860.  He,  however, 
held  but  one  office,  which  was  that  of  member  of 
the  legislature,  in  1858  and  1859,  and  this  was  at 
the  special  request  of  Lincoln  himself,  to  save  to 
the  latter  the  vote  of  McLean  County.  That 
county  at  the  previous  election  had  been  carried 
by  four  votes.  Lincoln  thought  Swett  could  be 
elected,  and  asked  him  to  run.  He  did  so,  car- 
rying the  county  by  nearly  five  hundred  majority. 
He  then  engaged  earnestly  in  the  work  of  secur- 
ing the  nomination  of  Abraham  Lincoln  for  Pres- 
ident, writing  to  public  men  and  organizing  other 
workers.  The  three  men  who  did  more  than  all 
others  to  make  Mr.  Lincoln  the  nominee  in  1 860 
were  Leonard  Swett,  David  Davis  and  Norman 
B.  Judd;  and  the  two  men  who  were  closest  of  all 
to  Mr.  Lincoln  until  his  death  were  Swett  and 
Davis.  Norman  B.  Judd  was  given  a  foreign 
mission,  David  Davis  was  made  supreme  judge, 
but  Leonard  Swett  declined  to  take  office  under 
the  administration.  He  was  closer  to  Lincoln's 
innermost  thoughts  and  sympathies  than  any  man 
in  the  world.  He  was  much  like  Lincoln  in  per- 
son, complexion  and  manner,  so  much  so  that  he 
was  often  mistaken  for  the  President  in  Washing- 
ton, and  he  was  much  of  the  Lincoln  mould,  in- 
tellectually. 

It  has  often  been  remarked  that  intimate  as 
Lincoln  was  with  Leonard  Swett,  he  never  gave 
him  any  office,  and  Swett  was  often  asked  the 
reason  why.  He  always  evaded  the  question, 
but,  in  a  letter  to  W.  H.  Herndon,  the  author  of 
the  "  Life  of  Lincoln,"  written  a  short  time  before 
Mr.  Swett  died,  the  latter  explained  this  fact: 
When  David  Davis  was  a  candidate  for  the  su- 
preme bench,  soon  after  Lincoln's  election  to  the 
presidency,  he  was  opposed  by  a  senator  of  great 
influence,  named  Browning,  whom  Lincoln  was 
almost  ready  to  appoint.  Leonard  Swett  was  a 
warm  friend  of  David  Davis,  and,  going  to  the 
president,  he  said:  "  If  you  will  give  that  place 
to  Davis  I  will  take  it  as  one-half  for  him  and 
one-half  for  myself,  and  never  again  will  ask  you 


LEONARD  SWETT. 


for  anything."  David  Davis  got  the  appoint- 
ment, and  Leonard  Svvett  was  true  to  his  word. 
He  said,  not  long  before  his  death,  that  he  was 
always  glad  he  kept  out  of  office. 

After  his  removal  to  Chicago,  he  devoted  him- 
self exclusively  to  his  profession,  and  absolutely 
ignored  politics.  Mr.  Swett  was  distinguished  as 
successful  in  the  trial  of  causes,  in  fact,  he  did 
little  else  during  his  professional  life.  In  Chicago 
the  most  important  cases  were  intrusted  to  him, 
and  it  was  a  rare  thing  that  he  lost  one  of  them. 
The  reason  of  this  was,  that  he  attended  to  the 
details  of  the  preparation  personally,  himself  see- 
ing and  talking  with  his  witnesses,  so  that  when 
the  cause  was  heard  in  court  it  fitted  together 
' '  without  noise  of  axe  or  hammer. ' ' 

His  business,  in  the  main,  was  in  civil  cases; 
for  instance,  Thomas  A.  Scott,  during  the  war, 
employed  him  for  the  Quicksilver  Mining  Com- 
pany to  go  to  California  to  get  possession  of 
the  great  quicksilver  mine  near  San  Jose,  after 
au  adverse  decision  in  reference  to  the  Almaden 
claim.  This  country  acquired  by  the  treaty  of 
Guadeloupe  Hidalgo,  at  the  close  of  the  Mexican 
War,  a  large  tract  of  land,  now  embracing  many 
States  and  Territories,  described  by  boundaries, 
and  our  Government  agreed,  wherever  individu- 
als owned  lands  within  these  boundaries,  it  would 
issue  to  such  parties  a  patent.  Under  the  Mexi- 
ican  law  there  were  two  kinds  of  titles,  a  mineral 
title,  or  a  right  to  what  the  land  contained  under 
the  surface,  and  a  surface  title.  One  man  might 
own  one  title  and  another  man  the  other.  We 
have  but  one,  the  surface,  and  one  owning  that 
owns  all  above  and  below.  The  Barons  had  a 
mineral  title  to  what  they  called  the  Almaden 
mine,  and  had  made,  prior  to  the  decision,  im- 
mense improvements.  Justos  Larios  owned  the 
surface  title,  and  this  was  bought,  and  the  Quick- 
silver Mining  Company  was  organized  upon  this 
title.  In  1863  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  decided  that  the  Baron  title  was  a  forgery. 
The  quicksilver  claim  of  Justos  Larios  had  not 
been  heard,  and  this  left  this  property  of  immense 
value  belonging  either  to  the  Government  or  to 
the  quicksilver  company.  A  contract  was  made 
between  the  Government  and  the  quicksilver 


company,  by  which  a  possession  might  be  taken, 
which  should  be  joint  as  between  the  Government 
and  said  mining  company,  and  Mr.  Swett  was 
appointed  by  President  Lincoln  to  go  to  California 
and  acquire  this  joint  possession,  it  being  under- 
stood that  he  would  offer  the  Barons  one  million 
dollars  for  their  improvements.  It  was  also  a  con- 
dition of  this  agreement  that  the  proceeds  of  the 
mine  should  be  deposited  in  the  mint  at  San  Fran- 
cisco until  the  termination  of  the  litigation  between 
the  Government  and  the  Quicksilver  Mining  Com- 
pany. He  went  to  California,  arriving  there 
May  19,  1863,  and  leaving  September  14,  having, 
by  aid  of  the  courts  and  negotiations,  secured  the 
possession  of  the  mine.  Although  Mr.  Swett 
maintained  a  large  office  at  Chicago,  he,  occasion- 
ally, at  home  and  abroad,  defended  persons  from 
criminal  accusations,  when  the  defense  presented 
something  attractive.  In  the  vindication  of  honor, 
or  if,  upon  the  common  frailty  of  the  race,  an  act 
was  done,  he  was  a  most  accomplished  and  effect- 
ive advocate  for  the  accused.  He  dealt,  like  a 
mental  philosopher,  with  the  purposes  of  the 
mind  of  the  accused,  and  revealed  to  the  compre- 
hension of  the  court  and  jury  the  mysterious  in- 
fluences which  produced  the  act  of  the  party. 
He  tried  the  will,  purpose  and  intent,  and  not  the 
mere  physical  act  upon  which  the  charge  was 
founded.  His  mind  delighted  in  the  beautiful 
philosophy  of  the  law;  he  dealt  with  its  spirit,  not 
with  its  letter.  In  this  manner,  in  thirty-six 
years,  he  defended  twenty  men  for  murder,  en- 
tirely clearing  eighteen  and  two  escaping  with 
light  punishment  in  the  penitentiary. 

He  was  called  out  of  the  city  in  criminal  cases 
from  Hartford,  Connecticut,  to  defend  the  officers 
of  the  Charter  Oak  Life  Insurance  Company  for 
conspiracy;  to  Denver,  where,  with  Hon.  Thomas 
Patterson,  he  defended  Stickney,  who  shot  a  man 
in  a  fit  of  jealousy,  killing  also  a  young  and  at- 
tractive woman;  and  to  Yankton,  where  he  de- 
fended Wintermute  for  the  killing  of  McCook. 

His  style  in  a  trial  was  simply  the  abnegation 
of  every  consideration  except  winning  that  case. 
To  this  he  sacrificed  everything.  His  style  of 
speaking  was  earnest  and  convincing.  He  was 
the  Chicago  counsel  for  the  Union  Mutual  Life 


LEONARD  SWETT. 


77 


Insurance  Company,  of  Maine,  and  distinguished 
himself  by  gaining  a  suit  for  that  company  against 
the  Chicago  University,  which  had  become  fa- 
mous in  the  legal  reports  for  its  knotty  problems 
of  law  and  equity. 

On  the  2ist  of  June,  1888,  he  made  the  nom- 
inating speech  for  Walter  Q.  Gresham  for  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Swett's  address 
was  an  independent  utterance,  touching  in  an 
extremely  effective  manner  the  salient  qualities 
of  the  individual  eulogized,  and  also  those  points 
in  his  public  career  which  had  brought  him  so 
prominently  before  the  people  as  a  possible  presi- 
dential candidate. 

In  private  life  Mr,.  Swett  was  a  man  of  social 
disposition  and  strong  attachments.  He  was  a 
pleasant  companion  and  a  warm  and  steadfast 
friend,  and  was  generous  almost  to  a  fault.  His 
nature  was  kind,  genial  and  sympathetic,  and  his 
social  intercourse  was  enlivened  by  so  many  gen- 
erous and  endearing  qualities,  that  it  won  for  him 
the  affectionate  regard  of  those  who  knew  him 
intimately  to  an  extraordinary  degree.  In  person 
he  was  imposing;  six  feet  two  inches  in  height, 
and  weighing,  when  in  health,  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  pounds  or  more.  He  possessed  a 
strong  face,  with  heavy,  bushy,  black  eyebrows, 
over-hanging  deep-set  brown  eyes,  sparkling  and 
brilliant,  but  kindly  withal.  An  expansive,  in- 
tellectual forehead  betokened  his  strength  of 
character.  His  voice  was  extremely  rich  and 
musical,  and  always  pleasant  to  listen  to. 

The  Chicago  Bar,  by  Frank  B.  Wilkie,  said  of 
him  the  following: 

' '  As  a  speaker  he  had  few  or  no  superiors  at 
the  bar.  He  required  scarcely  any  preparation  to 
make  a  speech  on  any  subject.  He  saw  a  case 
clearly,  and  had  the  faculty  of  presenting  it  with 
equal  clearness.  He  had  that  tendency  toward 
amplification  found  in  all  true  orators,  and  by 
whose  aid  he  presented  a  single  point  in  so  many 
salient  aspects,  that  it  became  as  apparent  as  sun- 
light to  his  auditory.  This  ability  to  not  only 
clearly  present  a  point,  but  to  restate  it  and  reit- 
erate it  under  a  slightly  changed  form  up  to  a 


boundary  where  it  becomes  thoroughly  under- 
stood, and  yet,  which  is  not  carried  beyond  into 
the  region  of  verbosity  and  tiresome  and  useless 
reiteration,  is  one  of  a  high  order,  and  it  is  one 
which  Mr.  Swett  seemed  to  possess  to  perfection. 
Its  due  and  judicious  exercise  requires  an  accur- 
ate knowledge  of  the  men  whom  it  is  employed 
upon,  and  the  precise  ideas  and  illustrations  which 
are  demanded  by  their  comprehension.  Mr.  Swett 
had  all  these  qualities,  and  the  additional  one  of 
being  an  excellent  logician  and  an  admirable 
manager,  who  thus  not  only  knew  what  should 
be  presented,  but  the  very  best  form  in  which  the 
presentation  should  be  made. 

"  Possibly  the  not  least  remarkable  feature  of 
his  oratorical  power  was  his  ability  to  employ 
pathos.  Herein,  when  occasion  required,  he  rose 
to  a  most  effective  level.  He  was  both  rhetorical 
and  natural  in  this  direction,  the  former  being  to 
some  extent  a  sequence  to  the  latter,  in  that  he 
felt  what  he  said,  and  therein,  as  usually  happens, 
was  eloquent.  He  was  exceedingly  happy  in  the 
use  of  this  powerful  element.  When  in  this  mood 
he  smote  the  rock  of  men's  hidden  emotions,  and 
obediently,  as  in  the  case  of  Moses,  the  waters 
gushed  forth  in  response  to  the  summons.  From 
the  possession  of  this  subtle  power  to  touch  ef- 
fectively men's  emotional  natures,  Mr.  Swett  had 
what  the  world  would  suspect  from  seeing  him, 
and  that  was  a  powerful  element  of  poetry  in  his 
character.  This  was  true;  and  its  existence  was 
not  only  the  source  of  his  power  to  touch  the 
hearts  of  others,  but  it  refined  his  nature  and 
gave  him  a  chivalry  that  exhibited  itself  in  a  lofty 
regard  for  women,  an  integrity  in  business  mat- 
ters that  could  not  be  disturbed,  and  a  kindly  con- 
sideration that  leavened  all  his  intercourse  with 
others.  In  fine,  the  poetical  quality,  while  it  in- 
troduced no  element  of  effeminacy  in  his  char- 
acter, while  it  did  not  detract  from  his  masculine 
vigor  or  interfere  with  his  comprehensive  ability, 
softened  his  naturally  rugged  make-up,  and  gave 
him  an  efficient  refinement. ' '  Leonard  Swett  was 
one  of  nature's  noblemen,  and  worthy  to  be  re- 
membered as  Abraham  Lincoln's  most  trusted 
friend. 


LESLIE  LEWIS. 


LESLIE  LEWIS, 


I  ESLIE  LEWIS,  who  is  assistant  superin- 

I 1  tendent  of  schools  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
\  J  has  been  one  of  the  prime  factors  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  comprehensive  school  system  of 
the  city.     Coming  from  a  direct  line  of  educated 
and  refined  ancestors,  Mr.  Lewis  has  devoted  his 
entire  life  to  educational  work.     He  was  born  at 
Otsego,  New  York,  December   10,  1838.     When 
Leslie  was  ten  years  of  age,  his  father,  Corydon 
Lewis,  removed  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife 
and  three  children,  to  Freeport,  Illinois. 

Leslie  Lewis  was  graduated  from  the  Freeport 
High  School,  and  subsequently  attended  for  two 
years  Phillips  Academy,  at  Andover,  Massachu- 
setts. After  completing  the  course  at  the  last- 
named  institution  in  1862,  he  was  graduated  from 
a  four  years'  course  at  Yale  College,  finishing  in 
1866.  He  soon  after  accepted  a  position  as 
principal  of  the  Washington  Academy.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1867,  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  old 
Dearborn  School,  Chicago,  which  was  on  Madison 
Street,  opposite  McVicker's  Theater.  Mr.  Lewis 
was  next  made  principal  of  the  Haven  School, 
which  position  he  held  until  1876,  when  he 
resigned  to  enable  him  to  take  up  the  duties  of 
superintendent  of  schools  of  Hyde  Park,  to  which 
office  he  had  previously  been  elected. 

He  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  this  town  a 
short  time  before  the  fire  of  1871,  having  pre- 
viously resided  in  a  house  which  was  located 
near  where  the  Leland  Hotel  now  stands.  He 
has  been  re-elected  to  the  office  mentioned  every 
year  since  that  time,  but  the  office  became 
subordinate  to  the  city  of  Chicago  when  Hyde 
Park  was  annexed,  in  1889.  He  has  now  held 
the  office  twenty-two  years,  and  under  his  super- 
vision the  growth  in  number  of  pupils,  as  well 


as  number  and  quality  of  teachers,  has  been 
phenomenal.  The  examinations  were  not  so  rigid 
then  as  now,  and  as  teachers  were  not  so  numer- 
ous, the  requirements  were  less.  Over  five  thou- 
sand teachers,  who  have  passed  through  the  pres- 
ent rigid  system  of  examinations,  are  at  present 
employed.  The  school  buildings  have  been 
greatly  improved,  and  in  the  place  of  wooden 
and  poorly  ventilated  buildings,  stand  fine  brick 
structures  of  the  most  modern  pattern.  The 
schools  are  now  conducted  with  the  view  to  fur- 
thering the  physical  as  well  as  mental  welfare  of 
the  pupils. 

Leslie  Lewis  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E., 
daughter  of  John  Waterman,  of  Chicago.  She 
was  born  in  Grafton,  Worcester  County,  Mas- 
sachusetts, her  father  being  a  native  of  Vermont. 
Mrs.  Lewis  is  the  mother  of  two  children,  Mary 
Catherine  and  Susan  Whipple,  who  are  now 
young  ladies. 

The  Lewis  family  is  of  very  old  American 
stock,  and  the  grandfather  of  Leslie  Lewis  served 
with  distinction  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
His  name  was  Justus  Lewis,  and  his  son,  Corydon 
Lewis,  was  the  father  of  Leslie,  whose  name 
heads  this  article. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  a  thorough-bred  American,  and 
believes  in  upholding,  at  any  price,  the  good 
name  of  his  country.  He  is  a  man  of  sturdy 
character,  and  believes  that  what  is  worth  doing 
at  all  is  worth  doing  well.  He  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party  in  national  politics,  but  in 
municipal  matters  is  always  thoroughly  inde- 
pendent. He  owns  his  pleasant  residence  at  No. 
5605  Madison  Avenue.  Being  a  man  of  pleasant 
personality,  he  is  alike  beloved  by  friends  and 
relatives. 


ELISHA  GRAY 


EUSHA  GRAY. 


79 


ELISHA  GRAY. 


ELISHA  GRAY,  whose  inventive 
LX  genius  and  persevering  industry  have  played 
f3  no  inconspicuous  part  in  revolutionizing  the 
business  methods  of  the  modern  world,  bears  in 
his  veins  the  sturdy  and  vigorous  blood  of  some 
of  America's  founders.  His  grandfather,  John 
Gray,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  was  a 
farmer  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  died.  Mary  Moore,  wife  of  John  Gray,  was  a 
native  of  Delaware,  presumably  of  English  blood. 
She  survived  her  husband  and  moved,  with  her 
younger  children,  to  the  vicinity  of  Georgetown, 
Ohio,  and  afterward  to  Monroe  County,  in  the 
same  State,  where  she  died.  She  was  the  mother 
of  Thomas,  Elijah,  Elisha,  David,  John  and 
Samuel  Gray. 

David  Gray  was  an  Orthodox  Quaker;  a  quiet 
man,  of  noble  character,  and  beloved  by  all  who 
came  within  his  benign  influence.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  lived  near  Barnesville,  Ohio,  whence 
he  moved  to  Monroe  County,  in  that  State,  where 
he  died,  in  1849,  in  the  prime  of  life,  at  the  age 
of  about  forty  years.  His  wife,  Christiana  Edg- 
erton,  was  a  native  of  Belmont  County,  Ohio, 
where  her  parents,  Richard  and  Mary  (Hall) 
Edgerton,  were  early  settlers.  Richard  Edgerton 
was  born  in  North  Carolina,  of  English  descent, 
and  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  The  family  was  noted  for  the  large  size 
of  its  members,  all  being  six  feet  or  more  in 
height.  They  were  also  brainy  people.  John 
Edgerton  was  a  noted  leader  of  the  "Hicksite" 
Quakers,  and  a  powerful  anti-slavery  agitator  in 
Ohio  and  Indiana.  His  brother,  Joseph  Edger- 
ton, was  the  leading  Orthodox  Quaker  of  his  day, 
and  a  great  preacher.  He  was  vigorous  to  the 


end  of  his  life,  which  came  after  he  had  attained 
the  age  of  eighty  years.  The  Halls  were  also  a 
vigorous  and  intelligent  people,  and  prominent 
among  the  Quakers. 

David  Gray  and  wife  were  well-read  and  intell- 
igent, and  engaged  in  teaching  in  early  life. 
Mrs.  Gray  was  liberally  educated  for  that  day  in 
Ohio,  and  her  influence  went  far  in  preparing  her 
son  for  the  prominent  part  he  was  destined  to 
take  in  the  development  of  modern  practical 
science.  She  survived  her  husband  many  years, 
reaching  the  venerable  age  of  seventy-eight,  and 
died  at  the  home  of  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Cope,  in  New  Sharon,  Iowa. 

Elisha  Gray  was  born  near  Barnesville,  Bel- 
mont  County,  Ohio,  August  2,  1835.  From  a 
recent  work,  entitled  ' '  Prominent  Men  of  the 
Great  West, ' '  the  following  Jegant  and  carefully 
prepared  account  of  Professor  Gray's  life  is  taken: 

"When  young  Gray  was  but  twelve  years  of 
age,  he  had  received  three  or  four  months  of  dis- 
trict schooling  and  the  usual  industrial  training 
given  to  farmers'  lads  of  his  age  and  condition  of 
life.  Over  forty  years  ago  his  father  died,  leav- 
ing Elisha  in  a  large  measure  dependent  upon  his 
own  resources  for  a  living.  When  fourteen  years 
of  age  he  apprenticed  himself  to  a  blacksmith, 
and  partly  mastered  that  trade,  but,  his  strength 
being  greatly  overtaxed,  he  was  forced  to  give  it 
up  and  joined  his  mother,  who  had  removed  to 
Brownsville,  Pennsylvania.  Here  he  entered  the 
employ  of  a  boat-builder,  serving  three  and  a- 
half  years'  apprenticeship,  learning  the  trade  of 
ship-joiner. 

"At  the  end  of  this  time  he  was  a  first-class 
mechanic  and  began  to  give  evidence  of  his 


8o 


ELISHA  GRAY. 


inventive  genius.  He  was  handicapped,  how. 
ever,  by  the  meagreness  of  his  education,  and 
was  little  more  than  able  to  experiment  with  the 
simplest  contrivances.  The  testimony  of  one 
who  knew  him  intimately  at  this  time  indicates 
that  he  had  a  consciousness  of  his  own  resources 
and  was  of  the  belief  that  Nature  had  destined 
him  to  accomplish  some  important  work  in  life. 
He  had  a  great  desire  to  acquire  that  funda- 
mental knowledge  which  would  open  for  him  the 
way  to  intelligent  research,  investigation  and 
ultimate  achievements. 

'  'While  working  as  an  apprentice,  he  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  Prof.  H.  S.  Bennett,  now 
of  Fisk  University,  then  a  student  at  Oberlin 
College,  Ohio,  from  whom  he  learned  that  at 
that  institution  exceptional  opportunities  were 
afforded  to  students  for  self-education;  and 
immediately  after  he  had  completed  his  term  of 
service  he  set  out  for  the  college,  with  barely 
enough  money  in  his  possession  to  carry  him  to 
his  destination.  He  arrived  in  Oberlin  in  the 
summer  of  1857,  at  once  going  to  work  as  a 
carpenter,  and  supported  himself  by  this  means 
during  a  five-years  course  of  study  in  the  college. 
As  a  student  he  gave  especial  attention  to  the 
physical  sciences,  in  which  he  was  exceptionally 
proficient,  his  ingenuity  being  strikingly  mani- 
fested from  time  to  time  in  the  construction  ot 
the  apparatus  used  in  the  classroom  experiments. 
His  cleverness  in  constructing  these  various 
appliances  made  him  a  conspicuous  character 
among  the  students.  While  pursuing  his  college 
course  he  was  not  fully  decided  as  to  what  pro- 
fession he  would  take  up,  and,  at  one  time,  he  is 
said  to  have  contemplated  entering  the  ministry, 
finally  deciding,  however,  not  to  do  so.  Perhaps 
the  course  of  his  life  was  decided  by  a  remark  of 
the  mother  of  the  young  lady  who  afterwards 
became  his  wife.  This  was  in  a  joking  spirit, 
to  the  effect  that  '  it  would  be  a  pity  to  spoil  a 
good  mechanic  to  make  a  poor  minister.'  In 
fact,  to  this  casual  remark  the  now  famous  in- 
ventor has  declared  himself  to  be,  in  great  meas- 
ure, indebted  for  what  he  has  since  accomplished. 
Truly,  the  worthy  lady  must  have  been  of  a 
sound  and  discriminating  judgment,  to  discover 


the  hidden  worth  of  the  young  man,  and  she, 
doubtless,  more  than  any  one  else,  in  his  earlier 
days,  fanned  the  latent  sparks  of  genius  into  the 
flame  which,  in  later  days,  revealed  to  his  brain 
the  contrivances  which  have  made  his  name 
famous,  and  which  have  proved  of  inestimable 
value  to  civilization. 

"From  1857  to  1861  the  Professor  devoted 
himself  to  unremitting  toil  and  study,  and  the 
result  was  that  his  naturally  delicate  constitution 
was  impaired  by  the  great  strain  upon  his  mental 
powers.  In  1861,  just  when  the  future  was 
brightening  with  the  promise  of  success,  and 
when  he  thought  his  days  of  struggling  were 
past,  he  was  stricken  with  an  illness  from  which 
he  did  not  recover  for  five  years.  After  his  mar- 
riage, in  1862,  to  Miss  Delia  M.  Sheppard,  of 
Oberlin,  and,  with  a  view  to  the  betterment  of 
his  health,  Mr.  Gray  devoted  himself  for  a  time 
to  farming  as  an  occupation.  This  experience 
was  disappointing,  both  in  its  financial  results 
and  in  its  effects  upon  his  health,  and  he  returned 
to  his  trade,  working  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio, 
until  he  was  again  prostrated  by  a  serious  illness. 
Following  this,  came  two  or  three  years  of  strug- 
gle and  privation;  of  alternate  hope  and  disap- 
pointment, during  which  he  experimented  with 
various  mechanical  and  electrical  devices,  but 
was  prevented  by  his  straitened  circumstances 
from  making  any  headway  in  profitable  invention. 
Pressed  by  his  necessities,  he  was  once  or  twice 
on  the  point  of  giving  up  his  researches  and 
investigations  entirely  and  devoting  himself  to 
some  ordinary  bread- winning  industry;  but  he 
was  stimulated  by  his  faithful  and  devoted  wife 
and  her  mother,  both  of  whom  had  an  abiding 
faith  in  his  genius,  and  who  aided  him  in  his 
work  with  all  the  means  at  their  command,  and 
to  whose  influence  was  largely  due  the  fact  that 
he  continued  his  efforts  in  the  field  of  invention. 

"In  1867  a  more  prosperous  era  dawned  upon 
him,  with  the  invention  of  a  self-adjusting  tele- 
graph relay,  which,  although  it  proved  of  no 
practical  value,  furnished  the  opportunity  of  in- 
troducing him  to  the  late  Gen.  Anson  Stager,  of 
Cleveland,  then  General  Superintendent  of  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  who  at  once 


EUSHA   GRAY. 


81 


became  interested  in  him  and  furnished  him  facil- 
ities for  experimenting  on  the  company's  lines. 
Professor  Gray  then  formed  a  co-partnership  with 
E.  M.  Barton,  of  Cleveland,  for  the  manufacture 
of  electrical  appliances,  during  which  time  he 
invented  the  dial  telegraph. 

"  In  1869  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
continued  the  manufacture  of  electrical  supplies, 
General  Stager  becoming  associated  with  him. 
Here  he  perfected  the  type-printing  telegraph,  the 
telegraphic  repeater,  the  telegraphic  switch,  the 
annunciator  and  many  other  inventions  which 
have  become  famous  within  the  short  space  of  a 
few  years.  About  1872  he  organized  the  West- 
ern Electrical  Manufacturing  Company,  which  is 
still  in  existence  and  is  said  to  be  the  largest 
establishment  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  In  1874 
he  retired  from  the  superintendency  of  the  elec- 
tric company  and  began  his  researches  in  teleph- 
ony, and  within  two  years  thereafter  gave  to 
the  world  that  marvelous  production  of  human 
genius,  the  speaking  telephone.  Noting  one  day, 
when  a  secondary  coil  was  connected  with  the 
zinc  lining  of  the  bath  tub,  dry  at  the  time,  that 
when  he  held  the  other  end  of  the  coil  in  his  left 
hand  and  rubbed  the  lining  of  the  tub  with  his 
right,  it  gave  rise  to  a  sound  that  had  the  same 
pitch  and  quality  as  that  of  the  vibrating  contact- 
breaker,  he  began  a  series  of  experiments,  which 
led  first  to  the  discovery  that  musical  tones  could 
be  transmitted  over  an  electrical  wire.  Fitting 
up  the  necessary  devices,  he  exhibited  this  inven- 
tion to  some  of  his  friends,  and  the  same  year 
went  abroad,  where  he  made  a  special  study  of 
acoustics  and  gave  further  exhibitions  of  the 
invention,  which  he  developed  into  the  harmonic, 
or  multiplex,  telegraph.  While  perfecting  this 
device,  in  1875,  the  idea  of  the  speaking  tele- 
phone suggested  itself,  and  in  1876  he  perfected 
this  invention  and  filed  his  caveat  in  the  Patent 
Office  at  Washington.  That  another  inventor 
succeeded  in  incorporating  into  his  own  applica- 
tion for  a  telegraph  patent  an  important  feature 
of  Professor  Gray's  invention,  and  that  the  latter 
was  thereby  deprived  of  the  benefits  which  he 
should  have  derived  therefrom,  is  the  practically 
unanimous  decision  of  many  well  informed  as  to 


the  merits  of  the  controversy  to  which  conflict- 
ing claims  gave  rise;  and  the  leading  scientists 
and  scientific  organizations  of  the  world,  accord- 
ing to  a  certain  periodical,  have  accredited  to  him 
the  honor  of  inventing  the  telephone.  In  recog- 
nition of  his  distinguished  achievements,  he  was 
made  a  Chevalier  of  the  Legion  of  Honor  at  the 
close  of  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1878,  and  Amer- 
ican colleges  have  conferred  upon  him  the  degrees 
of  Doctor  of  Laws  and  Doctor  of  Science. 

"For  several  years  after  his  invention  of  the 
telephone  he  was  connected  with  the  Postal  Tel- 
egraph Company,  and  brought  the  lines  of  this 
system  into  Chicago,  laying  them  underground. 
He  also  devised  a  general  underground  telegraph 
system  for  the  city,  and  then  turned  his  attention 
to  the  invention  of  the  'telautograph,'  a  device 
with  which  the  general  public  is  just  now  becom- 
ing familiar  through  the  public  accounts  of  its 
operation.  On  March  21,  1893,  the  first  exhibi- 
tions of  the  practical  and  successful  operation  of 
this  wonderful  instrument  were  given  simultane- 
ously in  New  York  and  Chicago,  and  on  the 
same  day  the  first  telautograph  messages  were 
passed  over  the  wires  from  Highland  Park  to 
Waukegan,  Illinois.  The  exhibitions  were  wit- 
nessed by  a  large  number  of  electrical  experts, 
scientists  and  representatives  of  the  press,  who 
were  unanimous  in  their  opinion  that  Professor 
Gray's  invention  is  destined  to  bring  about  a 
revolution  in  telegraphy. 

'  'One  of  the  beauties  of  electrical  science  is  the 
expressiveness  of  its  nomenclature,  and  among 
the  many  significant  names  given  to  electrical 
inventions  none  expresses  more  clearly  the  use 
and  purpose  of  the  instrument  to  which  it  is 
applied  than  the  term,  'telautograph.'  As  its 
name  signifies,  it  enables  a  person  sitting  at  one 
end  of  the  wire  to  write  a  message  or  a  letter 
which  is  reproduced  simultaneously  in  fac  simile 
at  the  other  end  of  the  wire.  It  is  an  agent 
which  takes  the  place  of  the  skilled  operator  and 
the  telegraphic  alphabet.  Any  one  who  can 
write  can  transmit  a  message  by  this  means,  and 
the  receiving  instrument  does  its  work  perfectly, 
without  the  aid  of  an  operator.  The  sender  of 
the  message  may  be  identified  by  the  fac  simile  of 


82 


ELISHA    GRAY. 


his  handwriting  which  reaches  the  recipient,  and 
pen-and-ink  portraits  of  persons  may  be  as 
readily  transmitted  from  one  point  to  another  as 
the  written  messages.  In  many  respects  the 
telautograph  promises  to  be  more  satisfactory  in 
its  practical  operations  than  the  telephone.  Com- 
munications can  be  carried  on  between  persons  at 
a  distance  from  each  other  with  absolute  secrecy, 
and  a  message  sent  to  a  person  in  his  absence 
from  his  place  of  business  will  be  iound  awaiting 
him  upon  his  return.  These  and  many  other 
advantages  which  the  telautograph  seems  to 
possess  warrant  the  prediction  that  in  the  not 
very  distant  future  telautography  will  supplant 
in  a  measure  both  telephony  and  telegraphy. 
The  transmitter  and  the  receiver  of  the  telauto- 
graph system  are  delicately  constructed  pieces  of 
mechanism,  each  contained  in  a  box  somewhat 
smaller  than  an  ordinary  typewriter  machine. 
The  two  machines  are  necessary  at  each  end  of  a 
wire,  and  stand  side  by  side.  In  transmitting  a 
message  an  ordinary  feed  lead  pencil  is  used.  At 
the  point  of  this  is  a  small  collar,  with  two  eyes 
in  its  rim.  To  each  of  these  eyes  a  fine  silk  cord 
is  attached,  running  off  at  right  angles  in  two 
directions.  Each  of  the  two  ends  of  this  cord  is 
carried  round  a  small  drum  supported  on  a  ver- 
tical shaft.  Under  the  drum,  and  attached  to 
the  same  shaft,  is  a  toothed  wheel  of  steel,  the 
teeth  of  which  are  so  arranged  that  when  either 
section  of  the  cord  winds  upon  or  off  its  drum,  a 
number  of  teeth  will  pass  a  given  point,  corres- 
ponding to  the  length  of  cord  so  wound  or  un- 
wound. For  instance,  if  the  point  of  the  pencil 
moves  in  the  direction  of  one  of  the  cords  a  dis- 
tance of  one  inch,  forty  of  the  teeth  will  pass  any 
certain  point.  Each  one  of  these  teeth  and  each 
space  represents  one  impulse  sent  upon  the  line, 
so  that  when  the  pencil  describes  a  motion  one 
inch  in  length,  eighty  electrical  impulses  are  sent 
upon  the  line.  The  receiving  instrument  is  prac- 
tically a  duplicate  of  the  transmitter,  the  motions 
of  which,  however,  are  controlled  by  electrical 
mechanism.  The  perfected  device  exhibited  by 
Professor  Gray,  and  now  in  operation,  is  the 
result  of  six  years  of  arduous  labor,  an  evolution 
to  which  the  crude  contrivance  used  in  his  earliest 


experiments  bears  little  resemblance.  The  man- 
ufacture of  the  instruments  will  be  carried  on  by 
the  Gray  Electric  Company,  a  corporation  having 
offices  in  New  York  and  Chicago  and  a  large 
manufacturing  establishment  just  outside  the 
limits  of  the  suburban  village  of  Highland  Park, 
Illinois,  of  which  place  Professor  Gray  has  been 
for  many  years  a  resident.  Here,  in  addition  to 
his  workshop  and  laboratory,  the  renowned 
inventor  has  a  beautiful  home,  and  his  domestic 
relations  are  of  the  ideal  kind. 

' '  The  title  by  which  Professor  Gray  has  been 
known  for  so  many  years  came  to  him  through 
his  connection  with  Oberlin  and  Ripon  (Wis- 
consin) Colleges  as  non-resident  lecturer  in 
physics,  and  his  general  appearance  is  that  of  the 
college  professor  or  the  profound  student.  He 
has  none  of  the  eccentricities  which  are  the  con- 
spicuous characteristics  of  some  of  the  great 
inventors  of  the  age,  and,  when  not  absorbed  in 
his  professional  work,  he  is  delightfully  genial 
and  companionable. 

"When  the  World's  Congress  of  Electricians 
assembled  in  the  new  Art  Institute  in  Chicago, 
on  the  2ist  of  August,  1893,  there  were  gathered 
the  most  noted  electricians  of  all  the  world.  The 
congress  was  divided  into  two  sections,  one  of 
which — termed  the  official  section — was  com- 
posed of  representatives  designated  by  the  vari- 
ous Governments  of  Europe  and  the  Americas, 
and  was  authorized  to  consider  and  pass  upon 
questions  relating  to  electrical  measurement, 
nomenclature  and  various  other  matters  of  import 
to  the  electrical  world.  To  the  other  section  of 
the  congress  were  admitted  all  professional  elec- 
tricians who  came  properly  accredited,  and  they 
were  permitted  to  attend  the  sessions  and  partici- 
pate in  the  deliberations  of  the  congress,  although 
they  were  not  allowed  to  vote  on  the  technical 
questions  coming  before  it. 

'  'When  it  was  determined  that  the  convening 
of  international  congresses  of  various  kinds 
should  be  made  one  of  the  leading  features  oi 
the  Columbian  Exposition,  a  body,  which  became 
known  as  the  World's  Congress  Auxiliary  of  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  was  organized 
for  the  purpose  of  promoting  and  making  all 


B.  C.  MILLER. 


necessary  preparations  for  these  gatherings.  To 
Prof.  Elisha  Gray,  of  Chicago,  this  body  as- 
signed the  task  of  organizing  the  congress  of 
electricians,  and  placed  upon  him  the  responsi- 
bility of  formulating  the  plans  and  making  all 
initiatory  preparations  for  what  was,  unquestion- 
ably, the  most  important  and  interesting  conven- 
tion of  electricians  ever  held  in  this  or  any  other 
country.  While  the  Professor  called  to  his  assist- 
ance many  distinguished  members  of  his  profes- 
sion, by  virtue  of  his  official  position,  he  was  the 
central  and  most  attractive  figure  va  this  great 
movement. 

"Professor  Gray  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club  of  Chicago.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  has  traveled  extensively,  not 
only  in  this  country  but  throughout  Europe. 
He  is  now  in  his  sixty-first  year,  and  he  stands 
as  an  illustrious  example  of  the  general  rule,  for, 
although  not  yet  an  old  man,  he  is  one  of  the 
few  prominent  in  the  .early  da}'S  of  electrical 
development  who  maintained  their  prominence 
and  added  to  their  reputation  in  the  rapid  strides 
which  have  been  made  during  the  last  decade. 


But  few  of  the  early  workers  in  the  electrical 
sciences  have  maintained  their  prominence  in  the 
later  development.  This  is  undoubtedly  due  to 
the  lack  of  plasticity  which  is  usually  attributed 
to  maturer  years,  the  possession  of  which  in 
younger  men  often  gives  them  the  advantage  in 
the  rush  for  supremacy  in  new  adaptation  and 
under  ever-changing  conditions.  Where,  how- 
ever, this  plasticity  has  been  preserved  during 
maturer  years,  as  has  been  the  case  with  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  the  maturer  judgment  and 
riper  experience  which  those  years  have  enabled 
him  to  bring  to  bear  upon  the  newer  problems 
have  in  many  cases  resulted  in  inventions  and 
improvements  of  the  utmost  importance  to  man- 
kind and  the  cause  of  civilization.  Professor 
Gray  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  pleas- 
ing address,  commanding  bearing,  and  a  man 
who  will  attract  attention  in  any  assembly,  and 
who,  on  account  of  his  great  electrical  skill  and 
general  scientific  attainments,  and  because  of  his 
pleasing  and  affable  manner,  has  won  for  him- 
self many  friends  and  admirers. ' ' 


DR.  BENJAMIN  C.  MILLER. 


0R.   BENJAMIN    COKE   MILLER,  one  of 
the   most  successful   physicians   and   most 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Chicago,  passed 
away  at  his  home  on  Everett  Avenue,  in   that 
city,  June  25,  1891.     He  was  descended  from  a 
long  line  of  American  ancestors,  who  were  dis- 
tinguished as  physicians  and  gentlemen. 

The  founder  of  the  family  in  this  country  was 
Adam  Miller,  who  was  born  near  Metz,  France 
(now  included  in  the  German  Empire),  and  from 


whom  the  subject  of  this  biography  was  a  de- 
scendant in  the  eighth  generation.  He  settled 
with  his  family  in  Frederick,  Maryland,  and  be- 
came a  large  planter.  He  was  noted  as  a  man 
of  wealth,  culture  and  refinement,  and  held  many 
slaves.  These  were  liberated  by  his  bequest  on 
his  death,  and  their  loss  at  that  time  almost  beg- 
gared his  heirs;  but  they  honored  his  behest. 
The  family  continued  to  reside  in  Maryland  for 
several  generations.  The  great-grandfather  of 


84 


B.  C.  MILLER. 


Dr.  Benjamin  C.  Miller  moved  to  Shelbyville, 
Kentucky,  where  his  son,  Dr.  Henry  Miller,  be- 
came an  extensive  planter.  The  latter  was  a 
tall  and  fine-appearing  man,  a  noted  physician 
and  a  man  of  affairs.  He  died  at  Shelbyville,  of 
old  age. 

Dr.  Jefferson  Miller,  son  of  the  last-named, 
was  bern  in  Gallatin  County,  Kentucky,  No- 
vember 29,  1807,  and  was  educated  in  Virginia. 
Through  over-confidence  in  his  friends,  he  lost 
much  of  his  property,  and  then  took  up  the  study 
of  medicine  with  Dr.  Clarke,  a  noted  physician 
of  his  native  State.  While  still  a  young  man,  he 
settled  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Rush- 
ville,  Indiana,  and  became  widely  known  for  his 
skill  in  the  healing  art.  He  united  with  the 
Methodist  Church  there  in  1839,  As  a  Chris- 
tian, he  was  liberal  to  all  churches.  As  a  citizen, 
he  was  public-spirited,  and  was  much  loved  and 
respected  by  all.  As  a  physician,  he  was  un- 
usually successful,  and  was  a  man  of  extraordin- 
ary worth  and  usefulness  in  all  relations  of  life. 
November  20,  1832,  he  married  Eliza  A.  Stand- 
ford,  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  and  two  of  their 
children  grew  to  maturity,  namely:  Dr.  Benja- 
min C.  and  Henry  Miller,  the  latter  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Ladoga,  Indiana.  The  father  died  at 
that  place,  November  5,  1885,  and  his  wife  sur- 
vived him  about  five  and  one- half  years,  passing 
away  in  May,  1891. 

Benjamin  C.  Miller  was  born  April  30,  1846, 
in  Rushville,  Indiana,  and  went  with  his  parents 
early  in  life  to  Montgomery  County,  in  the  same 
State,  receiving  his  primary  education  at  Ladoga. 
In  the  spring  of  1862,  when  he  was  barely  six- 
teen years  of  age,  he  ran  away  from  school  at 
Battle  Ground,  Indiana,  and  enlisted  as  a  private 
in  the  Eleventh  Indiana  Cavalry,  then  in  camp 
at  Indianapolis,  preparatory  to  service  in  the 
Civil  War.  As  this  enlistment  was  made  with- 
out the  consent  of  his  father,  the  latter  was  en- 
abled to  claim  him,  which  he  did,  and  conducted 
the  ambitious  boy  back  to  school.  Before  the 
father  had  reached  home  on  the  return  from  this 
duty,  the  son  was  again  in  camp,  and  he  was 
this  time  permitted  to  have  his  way.  He  joined 
Company  K,  of  the  Eleventh  Cavalry,  of  which 


he  was  made  Sergeant,  and  participated  in  the 
service  of  that  organization  until  December  19, 
1863,  before  the  completion  of  his  eighteenth 
year,  when  he  was  mustered  out  as  a  First  Lieu- 
tenant. 

One  day  soon  after  this,  a  handsome  young  man, 
some  six  feet,  six  and  one-half  inches  in  height, 
bronzed  by  exposure  in  the  line  of  military  duty, 
and  dressed  in  the  handsome  uniform  of  a  Lieu- 
tenant, called  at  the  home  of  his  parents  in  La- 
doga. On  learning  the  number  of  his  regiment, 
they  plied  him  with  questions  about  Company  K, 
and  inquired  if  he  knew  young  Benjamin  Miller. 
He  replied  in  the  affirmative.  At  this  moment 
his  favorite  dog  came  into  the  room,  and,  upon 
being  spoken  to  by  his  young  master,  gave  the 
most  extravagant  expressions  of  joy,  bringing 
tears  to  the  eyes  of  Mrs.  Miller,  who  could  scarcely 
forgive  herself  for  failing  to  recognize  her  son 
until  after  this  faithful  animal  had  shown  her  his 
identity. 

Entering  Rush  Medical  College  of  Chicago, 
young  Miller  was  graduated  with  honor  on  the 
gth  of  February,  1869.  He  passed  the  competi- 
tive examination,  and  was  appointed  House  Phy- 
sician and  Surgeon  of  Cook  County  Hospital, 
serving  a  year  and  a-half.  He  was  then  made 
County  Physician,  in  which  capacity  he  served  two 
years.  He  was  immediately  made  Superintendent 
of  Public  Charities,  having  charge  of  the  County 
Hospital,  Insane  Asylum  and  Alms  House. 
After  filling  this  position  about  eighteen  months, 
he  was  appointed  Sanitary  Superintendent  of 
•Chicago  by  Mayor  Medill,  and  was  continued  in 
that  office  by  Mayor  Colvin.  During  this  period 
he  was  very  useful  in  the  community  by  his  skill- 
ful management  of  the  cholera  epidemic  of  1873. 
In  1875  he  was  made  Surgeon,  with  the  rank  of 
Major,  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  A.  C.  Ducat,  Com- 
mander of  the  Illinois  National  Guard.  In  1876 
Dr.  Miller  resigned  the  position  of  Sanitary  Su- 
perintendent and  went  abroad.  He  spent  about 
a  year  in  studying  in  hospitals  at  Aberdeen  and 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  London,  England. 
Returning  to  Chicago,  with  added  knowledge 
from  these  observations,  he  was  enabled  to  com- 
mand a  large  share  of  the  most  difficult  and  re- 


J.  M.  HANNAHS. 


munerative  medical  and  surgical  practice  of  the 
then  metropolitan  city.  In  1889  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  United  States  Government  a  Pen- 
sion Examiner,  and  continued  to  fulfill  the  duties 
of  this  position  until  his  death. 

December  24,  1872,  Dr.  Miller  was  married  to 
Miss  Etta  Barnet,  of  Chicago.  She,  with  one 
daughter,  survives  him.  The  latter,  Miss  Mary 
Etta  Miller,  is  a  bright  Chicago  girl.  She  is 
possessed  of  marked  literary  and  artistic  tastes, 
and  her  work  as  a  pen-and-ink  artist  has  attracted 
considerable  attention.  Mrs.  Miller  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  George  Barnet,  a  sketch  of  whose 


career  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this 
work. 

Dr.  Miller's  character  was  summed  up  in  a 
few  heartfelt  and  well-chosen  words  by  his  con- 
temporary, Dr.  Pagne,  as  follows:  "A  man  of 
extraordinary  talent  and  attainments  was  Dr. 
Miller.  While  City  Physician,  he  inaugurated 
the  system  of  newsboys'  picnics  and  outings.  His 
friends  were  many,  by  reason  of  his  greatness  of 
heart.  Chicago  loses  a  good  citizen,  and  the  pro- 
fession an  able  member." 

The  last  sad  rites  over  his  remains  were  con- 
ducted by  South  Park  Masonic  Lodge,  and  his 
body  was  interred  in  Oakwoods  Cemetery. 


JAMES  M.  HANNAHS. 


(TAMES  MONROE  HANNAHS,  one  of  the 
I  oldest  residents  of  Chicago,  having  come 
Qj  here  as  early  as  1836,  is  a  descendant  of  an 
old  and  influential  New  England  family,  which 
originated  in  Ireland,  the  family  name  having 
been  spelled  in  that  country  Hannah.  The 
great-grandfather  of  James  M .  Hannahs  was  the 
first  member  of  the  family  to  leave  his  native 
land  for  the  New  World.  He  settled  in  Litch- 
field,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  an  active  and 
influential  citizen,  and  later  became  a  zealous 
patriot.  On  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  that  contest  with  the  Mother  Coun- 
try which  tried  the  mettle  of  her  sons  so  sorely, 
he  made  his  adopted  country's  cause  his  own, 
and  was  made  a  member  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety  formed  at  that  time. 

Daniel  Hannahs,  son  of  the  foregoing,  and  the 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  wounded  at 


the  battle  of  Queenstown,  and  for  his  services 
enjoyed  a  pension  from  the  Government  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1842.  Leaving  Con- 
necticut, he  moved  with  his  family  to  central 
New  York,  settling  in  the  wilderness  near  the 
Mohawk  River.  Undaunted  in  courage,  and  of 
a  fine,  soldierly  physique,  he  was  well  fitted  by 
nature  for  the  Herculean  task  of  founding  a  home 
in  the  primeval  forests,  and  in  his  wife  he  found 
a  willing  helpmate.  The  latter  was  Elizabeth 
Gordon,  a  cousin  of  Lord  George  Gordon,  the 
hero  of  the  "Gordon  Riots"  of  1798,  for  his 
leadership  in  which  he  was  imprisoned  in  Lon- 
don and  tried  for  treason,  but  finally  acquitted. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Hannahs  became  the 
parents  of  four  children,  all  sons:  Chauncey, 
Marvin,  William  and  Daniel.  Of  these,  Marvin 
removed  to  Albion,  Calhoun  County,  Michigan, 
in  1835,  and  became  one  of  the  leading  men  in 
that  locality,  and  in  later  years  his  son  George 


86 


J.   M.  HANNAHS. 


was  elected  State  Senator  from  Michigan.  Will- 
iam, another  son  of  Daniel  Hannahs,  became  a 
prosperous  woolen  merchant  of  New  York  City. 
His  son,  a  law  student,  immediately  after  his 
graduation  from  Yale  College,  raised  a  company 
of  cavalry  in  New  York  City,  in  the  first  month 
after  the  Civil  War  opened,  and  took  the  field. 
He  was  made  Captain  of  this  company,  but,  sad 
to  relate,  was  killed  in  Virginia,  in  May,  1861. 

Chauncey  Hannahs,  the  father  of  James  Mon- 
roe, was  born  in  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  in  the 
year  1791,  and  removed  with  his  parents  to  New 
York  State,  assisting  his  father  in  clearing 
up  his  farm.  In  later  years,  in  this  same  lo- 
cality, he  engaged  in  the  foundry  business.  In 
1835  he  removed  to  Wisconsin,  then  considered 
in  the  very  far  West,  and  located  on  Government 
land  in  Kenosha  County,  where  the  rest  of  his 
days  were  spent,  his  demise  occurring  in  1873, 
from  old  age.  While  living  in  New  York  State 
he  had  been  Captain  of  an  artillery  company, 
and  the  title  then  gained  he  ever  afterwards  bore. 
In  person  large  and  strong,  he  delighted  in  out- 
door pursuits,  and  the  pioneer  life  which  he 
chose  on  leaving  his  old  home  in  the  East  was 
one  well  suited  to  him  in  every  respect.  In  his 
early  life  he  had  been  an  ardent  Whig,  but  on 
the  formation  of  the  two  great  parties  of  Repub- 
licans and  Democrats,  he  allied  himself  with  the 
latter,  and  proved  an  equally  earnest  champion 
of  its  principles.  In  his  religious  leanings  he 
was  a  Presbyterian,  his  wife  being  of  the  same 
faith.  The  latter  was  born  in  the  year  1793,  in 
Oneida  County,  New  York,  a  daughter  of  Enos 
Nichols,  a  pioneer  of  that  county,  where  he  lived 
in  a  covered  wagon  until  he  could  erect  for  him- 
self a  house  in  the  wilderness.  He  later  became 
a  pioneer  of  Lake  County,  Illinois,  near  the  Wis- 
consin State  line,  and  his  family  thus  became 
neighbors  of  the  Hannahs  family. 

Mrs.  Chauncey  Hannahs  died  on  the  old  home- 
stead in  Kenosha  County  in  1882,  also  from  old 
age.  She  had  been  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
as  follows:  Mrs.  Ann  Doolittle,  William  H., 
James  M.,  Thomas  J.,  Francis  G.,  Frederick,  and 
Adeline,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
A  strange  and  shocking  fatality  occurred  in  this 


family,  no  less  than  six  deaths  taking  place  with- 
in twenty-two  months,  three  children  dying  with- 
in three  days  of  each  other.  All  who  now  sur- 
vive are  James  M.  and  his  brother,  Francis  G. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  June  26, 
1821,  in  Herkimer  County,  New  York,  and  re- 
ceived a  common-school  education  in  a  little 
schoolhouse  on  the  banks  of  the  historic  Mohawk 
River.  On  leaving  school  he  entered  his  father's 
foundry  to  learn  the  business,  and  after  coming 
to  Chicago  he  followed  the  trade  of  a  foundry- 
man  in  connection  with  a  partner,  the  firm  name 
being  Hannahs  &  James.  He  continued  thus  en- 
gaged until  he  entered  the  employ  of  Wahl 
Brothers,  manufacturers  of  glue,  with  whom  he 
remained  for  twenty-five  years,  during  part  of 
that  time  representing  the  firm  in  New  York 
City.  After  leaving  Wahl  Brothers  he  was  act- 
ively engaged  in  promoting  elevated  railroads  in 
Chicago,  on  a  new  principle. 

July  3,  1851,  in  Cook  County,  Illinois,  Mr. 
Hannahs  married  Miss  Matilda  Irish,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Perry  Irish,  and  a  native  of  Holley,  New 
York.  Several  children  were  born  of  this  mar- 
riage, but  all  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Hannahs 
died  September  19,  1885,  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Hannahs  has  been  for  over  forty  years  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Baptist  Church.  In  re- 
gard to  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  having  been 
a  stanch  Abolitionist  previous  to  the  war.  He 
is  a  strong  believer  in  the  efficacy  of  free  silver, 
and  champions  his  cause  with  great  ardor.  While 
in  the  employ  of  Wahl  Brothers,  his  business  led 
'him  to  travel  extensively  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  he  has  hosts  of  friends  up  and  down 
the  country,  as  well  as  in  Chicago.  Like  many 
other  Chicago  business  men,  he  was  at  one  time 
a  farmer  in  Cook  County,  but  he  yielded  to  the 
superior  attractions  of  city  life  and  sold  his  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  had  bought 
for  $3  per  acre.  He  has  many  reminiscences  of 
early  days  in  Illinois,  and  has  contributed  many 
interesting  articles  to  Chicago  newspapers,  de- 
scribing the  scenes  and  incidents  of  early  days 
in  this  locality,  and  noting  the  stupendous 
changes  wrought  in  the  face  of  the  country  since 
he  came  here,  a  pioneer  of  1836. 


,  I 


JACOB  FORSYTH. 


JACOB  FORSYTH. 


(JACOB  FORSYTH.  In  every  community, 
I  no  matter  how  small,  the  intelligent  observer 
C2/  will  find  men  who  have  risen  above  their 
fellows,  both  in  fame  and  fortune,  by  sheer  force 
of  character  and  the  ability  to  seize  fortune  at  the 
tide.  Though  to  the  casual  onlooker  there  often 
has  seemed  an  element  of  "luck"  in  the  chances 
of  prosperity  which  have  come  to  them,  a  closer 
observer  will  see  that  it  has  more  often  been  the 
fortunate  meeting  of  the  man  and  the  opportunity ; 
— the  opportunity  may,  perhaps,  have  occurred 
a  hundred  times  before,  but  the  man  who  should 
seize  it,  and  by  his  ability  and  energy  force  results 
from  it,  has  never  before  appeared. 

Jacob  Forsyth,  an  old  resident  of  Chicago,  and 
one  of  its  leading  citizens,  exemplifies  the  truth 
of  the  foregoing  in  a  marked  degree.  Born  in  the 
North  of  Ireland,  of  Scotch  descent,  he  possesses 
those  fortunate  characteristics  which  have  placed 
so  many  of  his  countrymen  on  the  highroad  to 
success — honesty,  ambition,  energy  and  resistless 
tenacity  of  purpose.  Overlooking  the  daily  dis- 
couragements, disappointments  and  hardships  of 
their  life,  they  keep  ever  before  them  the  high 
object  of  their  ambition;  and  if  failure  instead  of 
success  is  their  portion,  it  is  through  no  weaken- 
ing of  their  powers  by  self-indulgence  or  idle  re- 
pining. 

In  the  days  of  King  James  I.  of  England  there 
sprang  up  a  class  of  men  known  as  "under- 
takers, ' '  who,  in  consideration  of  certain  grants 
of  land,  undertook  to  locate  a  specified  number  of 
settlers  upon  the  vast  tracts  of  vacant  ground  in 
northern  Ireland.  It  was  at  this  time  that  a  great 
emigration  was  made  from  Scotland  to  this  region, 
and  gave  to  the  world  that  sturdy,  industrious 


and  highly  moral  class  of  people  called  Scotch- 
Irish.  Prior  to  the  siege  of  Londonderry,  an 
epoch  in  the  history  of  northern  Ireland,  the  an- 
cestors of  Jacob  Forsyth  settled  in  what  is  now 
the  county  of  Londonderry.  They  were  a  rural 
people,  and,  as  near  as  can  be  learned  at  the 
present  time,  were  engaged  in  agriculture. 

To  John  Forsyth  and  his  wife,  Margaret  Cox, 
was  born  a  son,  whom  they  christened  Jacob.  The 
latter  married  Elizabeth  Haslette,  and  their  son 
John  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
John  Forsyth  married  Mary  Ann  Kerr,  a  native 
of  County  Londonderry,  who  was  the  daughter 
of  Alexander  Kerr  and  Anne  Osborne,  the  latter 
of  English  descent.  The  Kerrs  were  of  Scotch 
lineage,  and  very  early  in  Ireland.  The  parents 
of  Alexander  Kerr  were  Oliver  and  Elizabeth 
(Wilson)  Kerr. 

The  father  of  Mr.  Forsyth  was  an  intelligent 
farmer,  and  the  possessor  of  a  small  landed 
property.  Anxious  that  his  son  should  have  the 
'  'schooling' '  which  is  the  ambition  of  most  of  his 
countrymen,  he  sent  him  to  a  celebrated  private 
academy,  the  principal  of  which  was  a  famous 
Greek  and  Latin  scholar  and  a  renowned 
mathematician,  in  his  vicinity.  Possessing  the 
studious  inclination  and  the  quick  perceptions  of 
an  apt  scholar,  the  youth  profited  greatly  by  his 
attendance  here,  and  the  proficiency  he  ac- 
quired in  penmanship  gained  for  him  his  first 
position  in  America. 

Jacob  Forsyth  was  born  January  12,  1821,  at 
the  old  town  of  Limavady,  near  the  present  rail- 
road station  and  thriving  village  in  County  Lon- 
donderry, Ireland,  known  as  Newtown, Limavady. 
Filled  with  the  ambitious  spirit  which  builds 


88 


JACOB  FORSYTH. 


cities  and  develops  the  commercial  possibilities  of 
the  world,  he  set  out  for  the  United  States  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  years.  Settling  in  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, he  there  first  found  employment  as 
copying  clerk  and  errand  boy  for  the  great  com- 
mission and  forwarding  house  of  Forsyth  &  Com- 
pany, a  member  of  which  firm  was  a  near  relative. 
The  firm  was  the  oldest  commission  house  in  the 
city,  and  owned  a  large  fleet  of  steamers,  running 
on  various  western  rivers.  In  those  days  the 
copying  book  had  not  been  invented,  and  all  let- 
ters had  to  be  copied  by  hand,  and  this  work  fell 
to  young  Forsyth.  By  the  interest  he  took  in 
his  work,  and  the  care  with  which  everything 
entrusted  to  him  to  do  was  performed,  he  soon 
won  his  way  into  the  confidence  of  his  employers, 
and  was  promoted  from  one  responsible  position 
to  another,  until  he  had  attained  that  of  head 
bookkeeper. 

Mr.  Forsyth  remained  with  Forsyth  &  Com- 
pany for  fifteen  years  altogether,  and  at  the  end 
of  that  time  his  abilities  had  become  so  well 
known  outside  of  the  concern  that  he  was  offered 
several  other  advantageous  positions.  Accepting 
one  of  these,  he  became  the  Through  Freight 
Agent  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  with  head- 
quarters in  Chicago,  and  by  this  means  became  a 
permanent  resident  of  this  city  in  1857.  After  a 
few  years'  service  in  this  capacity,  he  accepted 
the  position  of  General  Western  Agent  for  the  old 
"Erie"  Road. 

About  this  time,  his  business  giving  him  op- 
portunities for  observing  the  prevailing  real-es- 
tate conditions,  he  became  impressed  with  the 
excellent  opportunities  to  buy  land  cheaply;  and 
with  a  premonition  of  the  growth  of  the  city,  and 
the  consequent  rise  in  land  values,  he  resigned 
his  position  and  began  to  invest  largely  in  real 
estate.  His  wife  had  inherited  a  large  amount 
of  land  in  L,ake  County,  Indiana,  from  her  brother, 
George  W.  Clarke,  who  died  in  1866,  and  to  this 
Mr.  Forsyth  added  by  purchasing  the  holdings 
of  small  owners  in  the  vicinity,  until  he  had  ac- 
quired ten  thousand  acres,  a  large  estate  for  this 
land  of  comparatively  small  holdings.  He  had 
the  shrewdness  to  buy  this  so  as  to  form  one  im- 
mense tract,  arguing  that  one  large  tract  would 


possess  more  value  than  the  same  amount  in  scat- 
tered portions.  During  subsequent  years  he  ex- 
perienced much  annoyance  and  was  caused  many 
years'  litigation  in  his  efforts  to  expel  squatters 
from  the  tract.  They  were  very  numerous 
around  Lakes  George  and  Wolf  at  the  time,  and 
their  dislodgment  was  a  matter  of  much  difficulty. 
Mr.  Forsyth  was  in  litigation  for  five  years  before 
he  finally  obtained  redress,  and  during  this  time 
read  book  after  book  on  land  decisions  and  the 
question  of  riparian  rights,  on  which  he  is  now 
one  of  the  best-posted  men  in  the  country,  and 
able  to  give  information  to  many  an  intelligent 
attorney  in  that  line  of  practice. 

When,  finally,  a  decree  was  pronounced  in  his 
favor,  he  sold  eight  thousand  acres  of  his  land  to 
the  East  Chicago  Improvement  Company  for  one 
million  dollars,  one-third  of  which  sum  was  paid 
down.  The  company,  however,  failed  to  meet 
subsequent  payments,  and  as  a  compromise  the 
present  Canal  and  Improvement  Company  was 
formed  in  1887.  From  this  Mr.  Forsyth  ac- 
cepted as  reimbursement  part  cash,  a  large 
amount  of  bonds,  and  some  stock  in  the  company. 
In  1881  he  bought  another  large  tract  on  the 
lake  shore,  lying  directly  north  of  the  present 
site  of  East  Chicago,  and  in  1889  he  sold  a  por- 
tion of  this  to  the  Standard  Oil  Company,  and 
on  it  has  since  been  built  its  large  plant,  known 
as  Whiting.  The  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago 
having  been  extended  to  the  Indiana  line,  across 
which  lies  Mr.  Forsyth's  land,  the  latter  has  been 
consequently  enhanced  in  value,  and  has  been 
greatly  benefited  thereby. 

AtUniontown,  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Forsyth  mar- 
ried Miss  Caroline  M.  Clarke,  daughter  of  Robert 
Clarke,  of  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania,  who 
has  borne  her  husband  nine  children,  five  sons 
and  four  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  living. 
The  family  occupies  a  handsome,  comfortable 
house  on  Michigan  Avenue,  and  the  home  is  per- 
vaded by  an  air  of  taste  and  refinement  which 
is  not  always  an  element  in  the  homes  of  the  rich. 

In  politics  Mr.  Forsyth  is  a  Republican,  a 
stanch  advocate  of  his  party's  men  and  principles, 
though,  owing  to  the  stress  of  his  extensive  busi- 
ness interests,  he  has  never  found  it  convenient 


T.  T.    PROSSER. 


89 


to  take  an  active  part  in  political  affairs.  Had 
he  done  so,  and  brought  the  same  energy  and 
discernment  to  bear  that  he  has  displayed  in  the 
management  of  his  private  interests,  it  is  safe  to  say 
that  he  would  have  made  his  mark  in  the  political 
world,  as  he  has  made  it  in  the  business  affairs  of 
his  adopted  city. 

In  appearance  Mr.   Forsyth  is  a  large,  well- 


proportioned  man,  with  a  kindly,  shrewd  face, 
the  true  index  of  a  man  who  has  lived  an  honest, 
helpful  and  kindly  life.  Though  bearing  the 
weight  of  seventy-five  years  and  the  responsi- 
bilities which  the  possession  of  great  wealth  al- 
ways brings,  he  is  elastic  in  mind  and  body,  and 
bids  fair  to  live  to  an  extreme  old  age. 


TREAT  T.  PROSSER. 


"REAT  T.  PROSSER.  There  are  few  tasks 
more  difficult  than  to  sketch  the  life  of  an 
inventor.  The  world  is  so  jealous  of  inno- 
vation and  improvement  upon  established  meth- 
ods, so  wedded  to  the  past,  and  withal  so  disin- 
clined to  recognize  the  brilliancy  of  more  prac- 
tical genius,  that  the  man  who  discovers  de- 
ficiencies in  practical  mechanics  and  supplies  them 
often  goes  to  his  grave  unrewarded,  even  by  the 
gratitude  of  the  world  he  has  benefited.  He 
hears  the  name  of  the  warrior,  of  the  statesman, 
of  the  poet,  even  of  the  politician,  in  every 
household  or  business  mart,  but  often  his  own,  if 
mentioned  at  all,  as  of  one  who  is  building  cas- 
tles in  the  air. 

But  gifted  innovators,  while  deeply  feeling  the 
lack  of  appreciation,  have  often  adopted  the  sen- 
timent of  Keplar,  who  said:  "My  work  is  done; 
it  can  well  wait  a  century  for  its  readers,  since 
God  waited  full  six  thousand  years  before  there 
came  a  man  capable  of  comprehending  and  admir- 
ing His  work."  Now  and  then,  however,  genius 
is  so  practical,  and  its  fruits  contrast  so  brilliantly 
with  what  has  preceded,  that  it  compels  almost 
instantaneous  recognition  and  homage,  and 
among  the  fortunate  possessors  of  the  latter  class 
was  the  subject  of  this  article,  the  late  Treat  T. 
Prosser. 


The  Prossers  are  of  Welsh  descent,  but  the 
Treats,  from  whom  Mr.  Prosser  was  descended 
on  the  maternal  side,  were  English.  The  first 
ancestors  of  the  former  family  to  come  to  America 
were  two  brothers,  who  came  from  Wales  some 
time  prior  to  the  Revolutionary  War,  in  which 
supreme  contest  two  of  their  descendants  partici- 
pated, and  one  met  his  death.  The  family  lived 
on  Prosser  Hill,  just  outside  of  Boston,  and  it 
was  in  the  Prosser  barn  that  the  members  of  the 
historic  Boston  "tea  party"  disguised  themselves 
as  Indians,  previous  to  throwing  the  tea  over- 
board into  Boston  Harbor.  Grandfather  John 
Prosser  was  one  of  the  two  members  of  the  family 
mentioned  previously  as  having  served  in  the 
struggle  with  the  Mother  Country.  He  married 
Bethia  Truesdale,  daughter  of  a  Connecticut  phy- 
sician, and  had  eight  sons  and  one  daughter. 

Of  these  children,  Potter  A.  Prosser,  the  father 
of  Treat  T. ,  married  Eliza,  a  daughter  of  Timo- 
thy Treat,  whose  son,  a  physician,  became  famous 
through  the  services  he  rendered  during  the 
great  cholera  epidemic.  The  Treat  family  came 
from  Pitminster,  Somerset,  England.  Richard 
Treat  was  baptized  in  1584.  Among  the  prom- 
inent descendants  are  Gov.  Robert  Treat,  and 
Rev.  Samuel  Treat,  of  Pitmiuster.  The  father's 
birth  occurred  August  n,  1793,  and  the  mother 


T.  T.  PROSSER. 


was  born  March  29,  1798.  Their  marriage  was 
solemnized  on  the  5th  of  November,  1818,  and 
of  their  union  were  born  five  children.  The 
mother,  a  woman  of  many  domestic  virtues  and 
lovable  traits  of  character,  died  at  the  compara- 
tively early  age  of  fifty-five  years,  but  the  father 
lived  to  the  great  age  of  ninety-six. 

Treat  T.  Prosser  was  born  in  the  little  town  of 
Avon,  New  York,  January  22,  1827.  His  youth 
and  early  manhood  were  passed  in  his  native 
State,  and  his  early  education  was  received  in  its 
common  schools.  After  reaching  his  majority  he 
attended  the  academy  at  West  Avon,  feeling  the 
need  of  a  more  thorough  school  training  before 
starting  out  to  earn  his  own  way  in  life.  Always 
handy  in  the  use  of  tools,  at  the  early  age  of 
fourteen  he  had  been  engaged  at  the  trade  of  a 
millwright,  in  which  he  soon  became  a  proficient 
workman.  But  while  his  hands  were  busily 
engaged  at  this  work,  his  thoughts  were  wander- 
ing out  upon  the  whole  broad  domain  of  mechan- 
ical science,  and  his  studies  at  the  academy  were 
for  the  purpose  of  fitting  himself  for  the  career  to 
which  all  his  talents  and  his  inclinations  urged 
him. 

From  the  young  millwright  developed  an 
inventor  of  agricultural  implements  of  great 
value;  of  a  superior  system  of  machinery  for  the 
manufacture  of  bolts;  of  universally  recognized 
improvements  upon  steam  engines;  of  a  practical 
and  widely  used  machine  for  pegging  boots;  of 
coal  machinery;  of  the  Prosser  Cylinder  Car,  and 
of  many  other  mechanical  devices,  which  either 
are  now,  or  will  become  in  the  future,  of  great 
benefit  to  mankind.  He  drew  the  plans  for  the 
Chicago  Hydraulic  Company,  which  built  the 
first  water-works  system  in  Chicago. 

In  1851  Mr.  Prosser  came  to  Chicago,  and  the 
wisdom  of  his  choice  of  a  location  was  demon- 
strated long  ago.  No  other  city  has  ever  opened 
such  welcoming  arms  to  men  of  genius  as  has 
she,  nor  out  of  her  own  prosperity  rewarded  them 
so  bountifully.  The  great  fire  of  1871  found  him 
among  its  victims,  and  he  lost  the  greater  part  of 
the  accumulations  of  years;  but  financial  loss  is 
one  of  the  minor  evils  to  a  man  who  has  within 
himself  the  power  to  mould,  in  a  great  measure, 


his  own  destiny,  and  is  no  mere  inert  mass,  lying 
helpless  under  the  buffetings  of  the  winds  of  ill- 
fortune.  The  energy  which  was  one  of  the 
marked  points  in  his  character  asserted  itself,  and 
his  days  were  ended  in  the  prosperity  he  deserved. 

From  1851  until  the  date  of  his  death,  Decem- 
ber ii,  1895,  Mr.  Prosser  made  Chicago  his  home, 
with  the  exception  of  two  years  spent  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  six  years  in  Boston,  and  a 
short  vacation  spent  in  Europe.  He  was  the  first 
man  to  introduce  the  steam  engine  and  the 
quartz-mill  into  the  Rockies,  the  engine  being 
constructed  of  material  shipped  from  the  East,  the 
boiler  being  literally  built  in  that  wild  region. 
While  in  Europe  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Mechanics  of  England  and  Scotland, 
an  honor  which  speaks  of  his  high  merits  as  a 
mechanical  engineer. 

In  West  Bloomfield,  New  York,  September  26, 
1849,  Mr.  Prosser  married  Miss  L,ucy  J.  Phillips, 
and  of  their  union  two  children  were  born: 
Henry  Blinn  Prosser,  of  Chicago;  and  Mary 
Augusta,  wife  of  Oscar  E.  Poole,  of  Lakeside, 
Illinois.  Mrs.  Prosser  was  the  daughter  of  Isaac 
Webster  Phillips,  a  relative  of  the  famous  Web- 
ster family,  his  mother  being  a  sister  of  Noah 
Webster's  father.  Isaac  Phillips  was  a  native  ol 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  but  removed  to  West 
Bloomfield,  where  he  served  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  was  commonly  known  as  Judge  Phil- 
lips. He  came  to  Chicago  late  in  life,  and  died 
at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Prosser,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-two years.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
-  was  L,aura  Miller,  reached  the  advanced  age  of 
ninety-two  years. 

Closely  wedded  to  his  profession,  Mr.  Prosser 
generally  refused  the  responsibilities  of  official 
positions,  but  made  an  exception  to  this  rule  after 
the  Great  Fire,  when  he  acted  as  superintendent 
of  the  distribution  of  food  to  the  destitute  in 
Districts  Four  and  Five.  These  duties  he  filled 
in  an  energetic  and  impartial  manner,  which 
accorded  well  with  the  other  actions  of  his  well- 
spent  life.  In  his  politics  he  voted  with  the 
Republican  party. 

Oscar  E.  Poole,  who  married  Mr.  Prosser' s  only 
daughter,  was  born  January  18,  1857,  *n  Will 


J.   W.  LARIMORE. 


County,  Illinois,  and  is  a  son  of  Ezra  and  Eliza 
Treat  Poole,  pioneers  in  Will  County,  where  they 
settled  in  1850.  He  received  his  principal  educa- 
tion in  Joliet,  where  his  guardian  lived.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  but  one  and  a-half  years 
old,  and  his  mother  died  when  he  was  ten 
years  old.  His  boyhood  was  spent  in  Joliet. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  became  a  clerk  in 
his  uncle's  store,  and  three  years  later  became  a 
partner.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  State,  in  the  capacity  of  storekeeper 


at  the  State  Penitentiary,  remaining  a  number  of 
years  in  that  position.  From  there  he  went  to 
Chicago,  where  he  first  started  a  milk  business 
and  then  became  a  traveling  salesman  for  Kinney 
&  Company,  and,  later,  their  manager.  He  finally 
bought  out  the  business,  and  it  is  now  conducted 
under  the  name  of  Poole  &  Company.  Mr.  Poole 
was  married,  February  27,  1885,  to  Miss  Mary 
Augusta  Prosser,  who  is  the  mother  of  four 
children  now  living:  Edward  Prosser,  Helen 
Irene,  Lucy  Eliza  and  Malcolm  Alan  Poole. 


PROF.  JAMES  W.  LARIMORE. 


(TAMES  WILSON  LARIMORE,  who  died 
I  suddenly  of  heart  failure  at  his  home  in  Chi- 
O  cago,  May  30,  1894,  was  for  many  years 
prominent  in  the  literary,  social  and  religious 
work  of  the  city.  He  was  born  in  Steubenville, 
Ohio,  May  6,  1834,  and  was  a  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  Jane  (Wilson)  Larimore,  both  also  natives 
of  that  place.  The  earliest  progenitors  of  the 
family  known  were  French  Huguenots,  who  fled 
from  their  native  land  after  the  cruel  revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  by  Louis  XIV. ,  locating 
in  Scotland.  There  the  name  was  difficult  of 
pronunciation  on  the  Scotch  tongue,  and  from 
"Laird  o'  the  Moor,"  the  name  gradually  came 
to  its  present  form. 

The  first  settlement  of  the  familv   in  Amer- 

• 

ica  was  made  in  Chester  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  David  Larimore,  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  March  31, 
1782.  For  many  generations  the  Larimores  had 
been  distinguished  for  literary  tastes  and  attain- 
ments, and  David  Larimore  was  no  exception  to 
the  rule.  He  was  a  man  of  affairs,  and  conserved 


the  family  estates,  which  were  considerable.  He 
died  at  Norristown,  Pennsylvania,  March  16, 
1857,  having  almost  completed  his  seventy-fifth 
year. 

James  Wilson,  father  of  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Lari- 
more, came  of  a  Scotch-Irish  family,  which  has 
borne  a  prominent  part  in  the  literary  and  social 
life  of  the  United  States,  furnishing  many  not- 
able statesmen,  attorneys  and  generals  to  the 
Nation.  This  family  is  also  a  strong  factor  in 
the  literary  life  of  America,  and  Professor  Lari- 
more inherited  talents  from  both  lines  of  ances- 
tors. 

The  youth  of  the  latter  was  spent  at  Niles, 
Michigan,  whither  his  parents  removed  when  he 
was  two  years  old.  He  early  manifested  a  fond- 
ness for  books,  and  most  of  his  life  up  to  the  age 
of  twenty-six  years  was  spent  in  school.  He 
was  sent,  in  1852,  to  Olivet  Institute,  in  Eaton 
County,  Michigan.  Having  an  uncle  in  the 
faculty  of  the  Hampton  and  Sidney  College  in 
southern  Virginia,  he  was  induced  to  go  there. 
He  remained  some  time,  but  the  climate  did  not 


J.  W.  LARIMORE. 


agree  with  him.  Consequently,  he  decided  to 
finish  his  education  at  the  North.  He  took  a 
course  at  the  University  of  New  York  City,  which 
graduated  him  in  the  Class  of  1860.  He  had  a 
thorough  theological  education,  having  spent  a 
year  at  Union  Theological  Seminary,  later  taking  a 
full  course  at  Princeton  Theological  Seminary, 
Princeton,  New  Jersey,  preparatory  to  entering 
the  Presbyterian  ministry.  He  preached  most  of 
the  time,  supplying  different  churches  during  the 
latter  part  of  his  theological  studies,  his  first 
regular  '  'call' '  being  to  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  important  churches  at  that  time  in  Albany, 
New  York,  the  Third  Dutch  Reformed.  He  had, 
however,  a  decided  preference  for  life  in  the  grow- 
ing West,  and  became  pastor  of  the  First  Presbyte- 
rian Church  of  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa.  Under  his 
able  ministry,  this  soon  became  the  largest  so- 
ciety of  that  denomination  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River.  In  1863  he  accepted  the  Chaplaincy  of 
the  Ninth  Iowa  Cavalry,  at  the  earnest  solicita- 
tion of  his  particular  friend,  Adjutant-General 
Baker,  of  Iowa,  and  at  once  went  into  the  field 
with  the  regiment,  spending  most  of  the  time  in 
the  Department  of  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  being 
Post  Chaplain  at  De  Vails  Bluff.  Just  before  the 
death  of  President  Lincoln,  in  1865,  he  was  by 
him  brevetted  Major,  and  also  assigned  to  the 
position  of  Hospital  Chaplain  in  the  regular 
United  States  army.  He  resigned  his  position 
at  De  Vails  Bluff,  as  he  had  been  ordered  to  re- 
port for  duty  at  Webster  Hospital  in  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  in  April,  1865.  Owing  to  the  uncer- 
tainty of  the  mails,  he  did  not  receive  his  papers 
until  several  days  after  the  President's  assassina- 
tion. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Professor  Larimore 
came  to  Chicago,  and  in  the  fall  of  1865  was 
installed  as  pastor  of  the  Seventh  (now  West- 
minister) Presbyterian  Church  of  this  city,  which 
position  he  filled  for  something  over  two  years. 
In  the  mean  time  he  did  much  literary  work,  and 
for  a  period  gave  his  exclusive  attention  to  this 
congenial  labor.  He  developed  a  great  aptitude  for 
journalism,  and  was  offered  the  position  of  city 
editor  of  the  Chicago  Evening  Journal  in  the 
spring  of  1871,  and  accepted.  He  discharged  the 


duties  of  this  responsible  charge  with  marked 
ability  and  success  for  three  years. 

On  the  fatal  ninth  of  October,  1871,  when 
the  Journal  office  was  a  ruin  through  the  historic 
"great  fire,"  Mr.  Larimore  gave  a  characteristic 
exhibition  of  energy  and  perseverance.  With 
the  aid  of  the  editor-in-chief,  Hon.  Andrew  Shu- 
man,  an  edition  of  the  Journal  was  produced 
on  a  hand  press,  which  they  secured  in  a  job-of- 
fice on  the  West  Side;  and  with  the  flames 
threatening  to  consume  the  building  over  their 
heads,  the  paper  was  issued  at  the  usual  hour  of 
publication — being  the  only  representative  of  the 
Chicago  daily  press  put  forth  on  that  day. 

The  numerous  writings  and  publications  oi 
Professor  Larimore  had  attracted  the  notice  of 
the  University  of  Chicago,  and  in  March,  1874, 
he  was  elected  to  the  professorship  of  physics  in 
that  institution.  In  consequence  of  this,  he  re- 
signed his  connection  with  the  Journal  May  2 
of  that  year.  He  did  not,  however,  enter  upon 
the  duties  assigned  him  at  the  university,  but 
later  on  accepted  a  similar  position  at  the  Cook 
County  Normal  School  at  Englewood.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1878,  he  was  elected  teacher  of  physics 
and  chemistry  at  the  North  Division  High 
School  of  Chicago.  He  entered  at  once  upon 
his  duties,  and  continued  to  fill  the  chair  for 
eleven  consecutive  years,  with  great  credit  to 
himself  and  the  school,  making  many  devoted 
friends  among  his  pupils. 

Before  coming  West  Professor  Larimore  was 
married,  at  Hudson,  New  York,  to  Miss  Katie 
Hoysradt,  a  beautiful  and  talented  young  lady, 
who  died  in  Chicago  in  1865.  Her  remains,  with 
those  of  their  two  little  boys,  rest  in  the  cemetery 
at  Niles,  Michigan. 

In  1867  he  was  again  married,  by  Reverend 
Doctors  Humphrey  and  Harsha,  to  Miss  Hattie 
Stevens,  of  Chicago,  the  soprano  singer  of  his 
church  choir.  She  was  born  in  Strykersville, 
Wyoming  County,  New  York,  being  the  young- 
est of  the  three  daughters  of  the  late  Ira  Stevens 
of  that  town.  In  the  year  1854,  while  she  was  a 
small  child,  the  family  went  to  St.  Charles,  Kane 
County,  Illinois.  Her  father,  a  talented  singer, 
died  very  suddenly  of  cholera  the  day  following 


CHRISTOPHER  JOHNSON. 


93 


their  arrival,  which  was  during  the  great  epidemic 
of  that  year.  Her  mother,  Percy  Talmage 
Hotchkiss,  a  refined  Christian  lady,  was  born 
near  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  She  died  in 
April,  1888,  leaving  her  six  children,  and  many 
friends,  to  mourn  her  loss. 

Mrs.  Larimore  received  her  education  in  the 
high  school  at  St.  Charles,  finishing  it  in  Chi- 
cago, where  the  greater  part  of  her  life  has  been 
spent.  Possessing  marked  musical  talent,  she 
devoted  most  of  her  time  to  its  development, 
which  brought  her  some  distinction.  At  one 
time,  while  a  young  lady,  she  was  urgently 
solicited  to  enter  upon  an  operatic  career.  She 
was  turned  from  that  course  by  conscientious 
scruples.  Aside  from  her  musical  talent,  she  is 
a  lady  of  much  culture  and  pleasing  personality, 
and  was  ever  a  true  helpmeet  and  companion 
to  her  talented  husband  in  all  his  labors.  Three 
bright  children  were  given  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lari- 
more,  all  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  Hattie 
Gertrude,  the  eldest,  passed  away  at  the  age  oi 
two  years.  Paul,  a  promising  lad,  reached  the 


age  of  ten  years,  and  was  the  subject  of  a  most 
touching  and  beautiful  obituary  from  the  pen  of 
Dr.  Nixon,  of  the  Inter  Ocean.  Blanche  died  in 
infancy.  The  remains  of  the  husband  and  father 
and  their  three  children  lie  buried  at  Rose  Hill. 
During  his  ministry  in  Chicago,  Professor 
Larimore  preached  many  quite  noted  sermons, 
one  of  the  most  marked  being  what  was  called  by 
the  daily  papers  his  "Crosby  Opera  House  ser- 
mon." He  also  preached  the  sermon  at  the  in- 
stallation of  the  late  Professor  David  Swing,  who 
was  loved  by  so  large  a  number  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Chicago.  At  the  time  of  his  death 
these  two  ministers  were  the  only  surviving  mem- 
bers of  the  original  Presbytery  of  the  city.  Pro- 
fessor Larimore  was  ever  active  in  good  works, 
always  having  the  welfare  of  his  kind  at  heart, 
but '  'God's  finger  touched  him  and  he  slept. ' '  The 
following  lines  express  but  feebly  the  high  opinion 
in  which  he  was  held  by  his  friends: 

"To  know  him  was  to  love  him, 
None  named  him  but  to  praise. ' ' 


CAPT.  CHRISTOPHER  JOHNSON. 


Of  APT.  CHRISTOPHER  JOHNSON,  one  of 
I  (  the  old  landmarks  of  Chicago,  who  arrived 
\j  in  this  city  as  long  ago  as  1838,  was  a  native 
of  the  little  kingdom  of  Denmark,  and  was  born 
near  Copenhagen,  October  3,  1819,  his  parents 
being  natives  of  the  same  locality.  His  father  was 
killed  by  an  accident  before  Christopher  was  a  year 
old,  and  the  latter  was  bound  out  to  a  farmer  on  the 
island  of  Als.  Imbued  with  the  strong  love  of 
the  sea  which  has  filled  so  many  of  his  country- 
men and  made  them  famous  as  sailors  the  world 
over,  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years  he  shipped 
at  Sonderburg,  Denmark,  on  board  an  ocean 


vessel,  and  within  the  next  two  or  three  years 
had  sailed  around  the  globe.  In  the  winter  of 
1837  he  found  himself  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans, 
and,  having  long  desired  to  verify  the  statements 
he  had  heard  of  the  advantages  America  offered 
to  industrious,  enterprising  youth  of  all  nations, 
he  left  his  ship,  and  started  for  the  heart  of  the 
country.  After  reaching  St.  Louis,  he  went  to 
Peoria,  in  this  State,  whence,  by  means  of  a  hired 
team,  he  reached  this  city. 

Mr.  Johnson's  employment  after  reaching  what 
was  then  the  muddy  little  village  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Chicago  River  was  as  a  member  of  a  survey- 


94 


CHRISTOPHER  JOHNSON. 


ing  party;  but  he  served  thus  only  a  short  time, 
and  soon  after  sought  the  more  familiar  and  con- 
genial life  of  a  sailor  on  the  Great  Lakes.  On 
one  occasion,  while  on  a  trip  on  one  of  the  Lower 
Lakes,  on  a  vessel  called  the  "Maria  Hilliard," 
he  was  shipwrecked  and  met  with  other  mishaps. 
But  on  the  whole  fortune  favored  him;  and  after 
a  few  years'  service  as  a  common  sailor,  he  was 
able  to  buy  a  small  schooner,  the  "Helena,"  and 
took  charge  of  her  as  captain.  In  1849,  while 
coming  with  a  cargo  of  bricks  from  Little  Fort, 
near  Kenosha,  the  "Helena"  was  sunk  near  the 
Rush  Street  Bridge.  On  her  voyage  to  Chicago, 
she  had  sprung  a  leak,  but  by  the  efforts  of  the 
captain  and  crew,  she  had  been  kept  afloat  until 
the  city  was  reached.  After  raising  his  vessel, 
Captain  Johnson  sailed  her  for  some  time  longer, 
but  in  1853  concluded  to  give  up  sailing  for  good. 
His  life  on  the  lakes  had  given  him  a  pretty  fair 
insight  into  the  lumber  business,  and  in  this  he 
embarked,  remaining  thus  engaged  until  the 
Great  Fire,  when,  in  common  with  innumerable 
others,  he  lost  almost  his  entire  savings.  Fort- 
unately, however,  he  did  not  lose  his  residence, 
which  was  then  on  the  West  Side.  He  was  the 
owner  of  a  farm  at  Lemont,  and  he  moved  his 
family  there  for  a  time.  His  handsome  new 
farmhouse  was  destroyed  by  fire  two  years  later, 
and  he  built  another. 

Captain  Johnson  had  married  in  1849,  and  for 
the  next  twelve  years  he  reared  his  children  on 
the  farm.  He  retained  the  real  estate  he  had 
owned  in  Chicago  previous  to  the  fire,  and  had 
added  to  it,  and  at  the  end  of  the  twelve  years  he  • 
removed  his  wife  and  family  to  the  city,  finding 
here  greater  scope  for  himself  and  promise  of 
future  occupation  for  his  sons.  His  property 
interests  increased  to  such  an  extent  that  his  time 
was  fully  taken  up  in  managing  his  private 
affairs,  and  he  never  entered  any  other  business. 
During  all  his  life  in  Chicago  he  lived  on  the 
North  Side,  where  he  was  universally  known 
and  popular  with  all.  He  built  his  first  home  on 
the  corner  of  Ohio  and  Market  Streets,  a  spot 
which  he  then  considered  the  most  prepossessing 
in  the  city.  His  objection  to  the  South  Side  was 
due  to  its  mud,  that  portion  of  the  city  being 


almost  impassable  in  the  early  days  on  account  of 
its  level.  At  one  time  he  intended  to  buy  the 
land  on  which  the  Briggs  House  now  stands,  but 
after  considerable  deliberation  concluded  the  site 
was  too  muddy,  a  succession  of  mud  holes  having 
to  be  crossed  to  reach  it. 

Captain  Johnson's  widow,  who  yet  survives, 
was  previous  to  her  marriage  Miss  Emily  Ray- 
mond, a  daughter  of  John  and  Louise  Raymond. 
She  is  a  native  of  Copenhagen,  and  was  born 
September  i,  1833.  At  the  age  of  ten  years  she 
came  to  America  with  her  father,  who  was  a  ship- 
carpenter.  He  followed  the  lakes  until  his  death, 
which  resulted  from  an  accident  he  met  with  while 
in  the  pursuit  of  his  calling,  being  caught  and 
crushed  between  two  ships.  His  death  occurred 
some  months  later,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years, 
August  ii,  1853.  Mrs.  Johnson's  marriage 
occurred  in  Du  Page  County,  this  State,  near 
Naperville,  December  9,  1849,  and  resulted  in 
the  birth  of  thirteen  children,  of  whom  the  fol- 
lowing are  living:  Maria  Louise,  Mrs.  A.  Nelson, 
of  Chicago;  Lena  Amelia,  Mrs.  John  S.  Lee,  of 
Lemont;  Evelyn,  Mrs.  D.  T.  Elston,  of  Chicago; 
Henry  W. ,  living  in  Socorro,  New  Mexico;  Benja- 
min Franklin,  of  Pomeroy,  Washington;  Charles 
Christopher  and  George  W.  Johnson,  of  this  city. 

In  politics  Captain  Johnson  was  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  the  Republican  party,  and  his  party's 
candidates  were  never  defeated  by  his  failure  to 
do  his  duty  at  the  polls.  During  the  early  years 
of  the  Civil  War  he  served  as  Collector  of  the 
North  Town,  but  a.  naturally  retiring  and  modest 
disposition  kept  him  from  ever  being  conspic- 
uous in  politics.  In  religious  faith  he  accorded 
with  the  Lutheran  Church.  The  respect  in 
which  he  was  held  was  shown  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  September  28,  1895,  within 
a  week  of  his  seventy-sixth  birthday  anniversary. 
He  had  been  an  enthusiastic  member  of  Cleveland 
Lodge  of  the-  Chicago  Freemasons,  in  which  he 
was  initiated  June  n,  passed  July  7,  and  raised 
October  13,  1859,  and  his  fellow  Masons  attended 
his  funeral  in  a  body.  His  early  life  had  been 
full  of  incident  and  adventure,  but  his  later  years 
found  him  quietly  fulfilling  the  duties  of  a  self- 
respecting,  honorable  life. 


OF  THE 
UWERS1TY  OF 


H.  L.  STEWART. 


95 


HART  L.  STEWART. 


.  HART  LE  LAC  STEWART,  who  was 
very  prominent  in  the  development  of  Mich- 
igau  and  Illinois,  a  participator  in  the  Black 
Hawk  War,  and  a  leading  citizen  of  Chicago  for  a 
generation,  came  of  the  sturdy  stock  which  paved 
the  way  for  and  was  active  in  the  civilization  of 
many  of  the  eastern  States  of  this  country.  He 
was  born  in  Bridgewater,  Oneida  County,  New 
York,  August  29,. 1803,  and  died  in  Chicago  May 
23,  1882. 

The  name  indicates  the  Scotch  origin  of  his 
ancestry,  but  the  date  of  their  transplanting  to 
America  is  not  known.  From  the  recollections 
of  General  Stewart,  published  by  him  at  the  re- 
quest of  his  family,  it  is  learned  that  his  grand- 
parents, Samuel  Stewart  and  Patience  Hunger- 
ford,  lived  in  Tolland  County,  Connecticut.  The 
latter  was,  undoubtedly,  of  English  lineage. 
She  died  many  years  before  her  husband,  who 
passed  away  in  1816,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two 
years.  They  had  nine  children,  and  the  second, 
William,  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
biography. 

William  Stewart  was  born  in  1772,  in  Con- 
necticut, and  was  an  early  settler  in  the  Territory 
of  Michigan.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  also  served  in  the  militia  regiment,  com- 
manded by  his  son,  which  went  from  Michigan 
to  aid  in  suppressing  the  Indians  under  Black 
Hawk  in  1832.  He  was  married  at  Mansfield, 
Windham  County,  Connecticut,  in  1795,  to  Miss 
Validia  Turner,  eighth  of  the  ten  children  of 
Timothy  and  Rachel  (Carpenter)  Turner,  of 
Mansfield.  Timothy  Turner  was  born  August 
18,  1757,  in  Willington,  Connecticut,  which  was 
also  the  native  place  of  his  wife.  The  latter  died 
in  Mansfield  Center,  Windham  County,  Con- 


necticut, June  22,  1799.  They  were  married 
August  20,  1776.  Timothy  Turner  was  a  soldier 
of  the  Revolution,  serving  in  the  "Lexington 
Alarm  Party"  from  Mansfield,  Connecticut.  He 
was  the  son  of  Stephen,  third  and  youngest  son 
of  Isaac  Turner,  born  in  Bedford,  Massachusetts, 
whose  father  came  from  England.  Rachel  Car- 
penter's parents  were  James  and  Irene  (Ladd) 
Carpenter.  The  former  was  a  son  of  Ebenezer 
Carpenter  and  Eunice  Thompson.  Ebenezer, 
born  in  Coventry,  Connecticut,  as  was  his  son, 
was  the  son  of  Benjamin  Carpenter  and  Hannah, 
daughter  of  Jedediah  Strong.  Benjamin  was  the 
tenth  child  of  William  Carpenter  and  Priscilla 
Bonette.  The  former  was  one  of  the  four  chil- 
dren of  William  Carpenter,  who  came  from  South- 
ampton, England,  in  the  ship  "Bevis"  in  1638, 
and  settled  in  Rehoboth,  Massachusetts.  (See 
biography  of  Benjamin  Carpenter  in  this 
volume. ) 

When  Hart  L.  Stewart  was  twelve  years  old, 
his  father  moved  to  Batavia,  Genesee  County, 
New  York,  where  he  purchased  land  of  the  Hol- 
land Land  Company,  and  the  son  helped  to  clear 
this  ground  of  timber.  When  seventeen  years  old 
the  latter  went  into  the  office  of  David  D.  Brown, 
at  Batavia,  to  study  law.  At  the  end  of  a  year 
he  was  forced,  by  lack  of  means,  to  take  some 
remunerative  employment,  and  after  vainly  seek- 
ing a  situation  as  school  teacher,  in  which  he 
hoped  to  be  able  to  continue  his  legal  studies,  he 
engaged  as  clerk  in  a  store  in  Oneida  County 
with  an  uncle.  Through  the  recommendation  of 
the  latter,  at  the  end  of  a  year  he  was  employed 
by  a  merchant  named  Blair  in  Rochester,  New 
York.  After  four  months'  service  at  Rochester, 
he  was  sent  by  Mr.  Blair  to  open  a  branch  store 


H.  L.   STEWART. 


at   Lyons,    New  York,    where  he  continued  in 
charge  until  the  fall  of  1822. 

He  now  determined  to  engage  in  business  on 
his  own  account,  and,  securing  the  assistance  of 
his  brother,  George  Stewart,  opened  a  store  at 
Lockport,  New  York,  where  a  successful  trade 
was  carried  on,  they  having  the  benefit  of  credit 
with  Mr.  Blair  and  other  Rochester  merchants. 
In  1823  Hart  L.  Stewart  took  a  sub-contract  to 
finish  the  work  of  Judge  Bates  on  the  Erie  Canal, 
which  he  completed,  with  a  fair  profit,  the  next 
year.  These  facts  indicate  that  the  young  man 
had  developed  good  business  qualifications,  which 
attracted  the  favorable  notice  and  assistance  of 
influential  men. 

Having  now  gained  a  practical  experience  in 
canal  construction,  he  sent  his  brother,  Alanson 
C.  Stewart,  who  had  become  associated  with  him 
in  the  mean  time,  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  October, 
1824,  to  secure  a  contract  on  the  Ohio  Canal. 
Hart  I,,  had  become  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness at  Niagara,  New  York,  and  continued  it  un- 
til November,  1825,  being  at  the  same  time  in- 
terested in  the  Ohio  contract  which  his  brother 
secured.  They  next  contracted  to  execute  sec- 
tions on  the  western  end  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Canal,  and  in  November,  1826,  took  the  con- 
tract to  bore  a  tunnel  for  the  canal  on  the  Cone- 
maugh  River.  This  was  finished  in  1829,  and 
was  the  first  tunnel  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States.  Among  those  connected  with  the  canal 
enterprise,  they  were  known  as  the  "boy  con- 
tractors, ' '  the  elder  brother  but  twenty-four  years 
old;  but  they  were  credited,  and  justly,  with 
superior  practical  knowledge.  They  were  the 
first  to  introduce  the  method  of  securing  light  by 
means  of  reflecting  mirrors  placed  at  the  mouths 
of  the  tunnel.  Work  was  prosecuted  from  both 
ends,  night  and  day,  and  its  completion  was  re- 
garded as  one  of  the  greatest  achievements  of  the 
age,  and  the  subject  of  this  notice  was  furnished 
with  some  very  flattering  letters  when  he  left 
Pennsylvania. 

Having  made  a  considerable  profit  from  his 
contracts,  he  now  resolved  to  invest  some  of  it  in 
lands,  before  engaging  in  further  ventures,  and 
with  that  end  in  view,  took  a  trip  of  exploration 


through  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Michigan,  which  oc- 
cupied three  months.  He  purchased  about  one 
thousand  acres  on  White  Pigeon  and  Sturgis 
Prairies,  in  St.  Joseph  County,  Michigan. 

Another  plan  which  had  for  some  time  been 
considered  was  now  consummated,  and  on  the 
fifth  of  February,  1829,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Hannah  Blair  McKibbiu,  of  Franklin  County, 
Pennsylvania.  In  September  of  the  same  year 
they  set  out  for  their  new  home  in  Michigan. 
At  the  end  of  a  six-weeks  journey  from  Pitts- 
burgh, they  arrived  at  White  Pigeon,  November 
7,  1829,  and  here  a  log  cabin  was  erected.  After 
making  further  provisions  for  a  home,  young 
Stewart  went  to  Detroit  and  presented  to  Gov- 
ernor Lewis  Cass  his  letters  of  introduction. 
These  were  from  Governor  Porter,  Senators 
Blair  and  Lacock,  Judge  William  Wilkins  and 
James  S.  Stevenson,  President  of  the  Canal  Board, 
of  Pennsylvania,  all  of  whom  Governor  Cass 
characterized  as  his  personal  friends. 

In  the  spring  of  1830  the  Governor  sent  to  Mr. 
Stewart  a  commission  as  Colonel  of  Militia,  and 
a  year  later  appointed  him  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners to  locate  the  county  seats  of  St.  Joseph 
and  Cass  Counties.  At  this  time,  the  entire 
population  of  Michigan,  including  Detroit,  the 
chief  city  of  the  West,  numbered  but  a  few  thou- 
sand whites.  Through  the  influence  of  Colonel 
Stewart,  a  post  route  was  established  by  the 
Government  to  supply  the  few  scattered  settle- 
ments extending  from  Detroit  toward  Chicago. 
The  two  Stewart  brothers  before  named  were  the 
'contractors  for  carrying  the  mails  once  in  two 
weeks,  which  was  accomplished  on  horseback, 
over  a  region  where  one  hundred  tons  are  now 
carried  daily.  Hart  L.  Stewart  was  made  Post- 
master at  Mottville,  with  the  franking  privilege, 
and  his  own  letters  and  papers  constituted  the  bulk 
of  the  mail  at  his  office.  In  1832  he  was  appointed 
Judge  of  the  County  Court  by  Governor  Porter, 
and  the  next  year  he  was  commissioned  Circuit 
Judge,  in  which  capacity  he  officiated  the  next 
three  years. 

In  1836  Judge  Stewart  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Second  Constitutional  Convention,  which 
was  called  to  fix  the  southern  boundary  of  the 


H.  L.  STEWART. 


97 


State  of  Michigan  to  correspond  with  the  line  as 
established  when  Indiana  and  Ohio  were  ad- 
mitted to  the  Union.  By  this  convention  he  was 
sent  to  Washington  to  secure,  if  possible,  the  ad- 
mission of  the  State  with  boundary  as  established 
by  the  ordinance  ceding  the  Northwest  Territory 
to  the  United  States,  and  including  Michigan 
City  and  Maumee  City.  That  he  did  not  suc- 
ceed is  a  matter  of  history,  but  the  State  secured, 
in  offset,  all  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  North- 
ern Peninsula  of  Michigan.  On  this  mission 
Judge  Stewart  formed  the  acquaintance  of  many 
of  the  leading  men  of  the  Nation  at  that  time. 

On  his  return  home,  Judge  Stewart  found  that 
the  Legislature  had  chosen  him  Commissioner  of 
Internal  Improvements,  and  in  this  capacity  he 
took  charge  of  the  survey  of  the  St.  Joseph  River 
for  slack- water  navigation,  and  also  of  the  Central 
Railroad.  The  latter  was  partially  built  by  the 
State,  and  then  turned  over  to  the  Michigan  Cen- 
tral Railroad  Company.  In  1838  he  received  the 
commission  of  Brigadier-General,  commanding 
the  Fourteenth  Brigade,  Michigan  Militia.  When 
the  Indians,  under  Black  Hawk,  threatened  to  kill 
or  drive  out  the  settlers  in  northern  Illinois  and 
southern  Wisconsin,  the  Government  requested 
the  Governor  of  Michigan  to  send  volunteers  to 
the  rescue.  General  Stewart  was  ordered  by 
Governor  Porter  to  raise  a  regiment  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  this  was  found  an  easy  task,  as 
volunteers,  from  the  age  of  sixteen  to  sixty,  were 
numerous.  The  service  lasted  about  six  months, 
and  Colonel  Stewart's  regiment  included  his 
brothers,  A.  C.  Stewart,  as  Commander  of  a  com- 
pany; Samuel  M.  Stewart,  as  Lieutenant  of  an- 
other; besides  two  other  brothers  and  his  father 
as  volunteers.  The  latter  was  especially  valuable 
as  a  drill  master,  on  account  of  his  previous  serv- 
ice in  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  now  sixty  years 
of  age. 

In  June,  1836,  General  Stewart  attended  the 
letting  of  the  construction  contracts  on  the  Illinois 
&  Michigan  Canal,  and  contracted  for  a  large 
amount  of  deep-rock  work  near  Lockport.  He 
had  as  partners  A.  S.  Stewart,  Lorenzo  P.  Sanger, 
James  Y.  Sanger,  and  others,  who  took  personal 
charge  of  the  work,  while  he  continued  in  charge 


of  his  personal  and  official  interests  in  Michigan. 
In  1840  the  inability  of  the  State  to  meet  its 
financial  obligations  compelled  the  contractors  to 
abandon  the  work,  at  great  loss,  and  ruin  in 
many  cases.  About  this  time  General  Stewart 
took  up  his  residence  in  Chicago,  and  in  1842 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  and 
was  active  in  securing  the  acceptance  of  the  for- 
eign bondholders'  proposition  to  complete  the 
canal.  None  of  the  contractors  had  ever  received 
anything  for  their  losses  previous  to  that  time. 
While  on  a  trip  to  Canada  to  secure  workmen  for 
the  canal  in  1839,  General  Stewart  was  placed 
in  arrest,  under  the  impression  that  he  was  a  spy 
in  the  interest  of  the  "Patriot  War."  Through 
the  influence  of  friends,  his  mission  was  made 
known  to  the  Canadian  authorities,  and  he  was 
discharged  and  furnished  every  facility  for  carry- 
ing out  his  business.  From  1845  to  1849,  under 
the  administration  of  President  Polk,  General 
Stewart  served  as  Postmaster  at  Chicago,  being 
the  first  presidential  appointee  in  that  office. 

He  now  turned  his  attention  to  railroad  con- 
struction, and  became  interested  in  some  of  the 
largest  contracts  ever  given  in  the  West  to  a 
single  firm.  The  history  of  these  undertakings 
is  fully  related  in  this  volume  in  the  biography 
of  James  Y.  Sanger,  who  was  associated  with 
General  Stewart  in  this  work,  and  need  not  be 
repeated  here.  During  the  progress  of  their 
work,  in  partnership  with  several  others,  they 
became  proprietors  of  the  Rhode  Island  Central 
Bank,  and  this,  in  common  with  many  others, 
was  wrecked  by  the  financial  upheaval  of  1857, 
though  its  proprietors  were  enabled  to  close  up  its 
affairs  honorably  and  with  little  loss  to  them- 
selves. 

General  Stewart  became  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  in  1824,  and  subsequently 
took  all  the  chapter  and  encampment  degrees 
and  several  others.  In  political  sentiment,  he  was 
a  Democrat.  He  was  one  of  the  few  brave  spirits 
who  stood  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas  at  North 
Market  Hall,  on  the  evening  of  September  i, 
1854,  when  a  mob  of  political  opponents  refused 
to  let  the  "Little  Giant"  be  heard,  and  even 
threatened  him  with  bodily  harm.  In  religious 


98 


J.   H.    RICE. 


faith,  General  Stewart  was  a  true  "neighbor,"  a 
Presbyterian,  and  for  forty  years  rarely  failed  to 
listen  to  Rev.  Dr.  Patterson's  sermons  in  the 
Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago.  He 
was  an  able  leader,  quiet  and  gentle  in  his  man- 
ners, sociable  and  genial,  making  his  home  a 
happy  place  for  the  frequent  reunions  of  a  large 
and  interesting  circle  of  friends. 

On  the  1 2th  of  February,  1849,  authority  was 
granted  by  the  State  to  five  individuals,  one  of 
whom  was  Hart  L.  Stewart,  to  incorporate  the 
Chicago  Gas  Light  and  Coke  Company,  which 
was  granted  the  exclusive  right  to  supply  gas  to 
the  city  of  Chicago  for  ten  years.  Before  the 
close  of  the  next  year,  the  streets  of  the  city  and 
many  private  buildings  were  for  the  first  time 
illuminated  by  gaslight.  In  1857  General  Stew- 
art was  Vice-President  of  the  Great  Western  In- 
surance Company,  with  a  capital  of  half  a  million 
dollars,  and  office  at  No.  160  South  Water  Street. 
The  Stewart  Building,  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
State  and  Washington  Streets  (which  was  torn 
down  in  1896,  to  make  way  for  one  of  Chicago's 
famous  high  office  buildings),  was  the  fourth 
structure  erected  by  General  Stewart  on  that 
spot — the  first  one  having  been  for  many  years 
his  family  home. 

Hannah  Blair  McKibbin,  wife  of  General 
Stewart,  was  descended  from  old  and  honorable 
families.  Her  maternal  grandfather,  William 
Nelson,  was  a  brother  of  the  famous  Admiral 
Horatio  Nelson,  the  hero  of  Trafalgar.  His  wife 


was  Mary  Harvey,  and  their  children  were  Will- 
iam, James  and  Mary  Esther.  William  Nelson, 
senior,  died  in  1803,  at  which  time  his  daughter 
was  about  fifteen  years  old.  She  married  Col. 
James  McKibbin,  of  Franklin  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  their  eldest  daughter,  Hannah  B., 
became  the  wife  of  General  Stewart,  as  before  re- 
lated, and  the  mother  of  the  following  children: 
Mary  Esther,  Frances  Validia,  Amelia  Mott, 
Catherine  E. ,  Jane,  Anna  Waldo,  Hannah  McKib- 
bin and  Helen  Wolcott.  The  first  married  Henry 
A.  Clark  in  1850,  and  both  are  now  deceased, 
being  survived  by  a  son,  Stewart  Clark,  of  Chi- 
cago. The  second  died  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
while  the  wife  of  Watson  Matthews,  leaving  one 
child,  Fannie  V.  Matthews.  Amelia  and  Cath- 
erine died  in  childhood.  Jane  Stewart  married 
John  C.  Patterson,  and  died  in  1875,  leaving  a 
son,  Stewart  Patterson.  Hannah  McKibbin  is 
the  wife  of  George  Sydney  Williams,  of  Chicago. 
The  youngest  is  the  wife  of  Lorenzo  M.  Johnson, 
manager  of  the  Mexican  International  Railroad. 
Mary  C.  McKibbin,  sister  of  Mrs.  Stewart, 
married  James  Y.  Sanger,  whom  she  survives, 
and  is  among  the  most  interesting  surviving 
pioneers  of  Illinois.  She  is  spoken  of  by  General 
Stewart  as  the  "Daughter  of  the  Regiment," 
during  the  campaign  against  Black  Hawk.  She 
was  then  a  miss  of  fourteen  years,  and  ready  to 
ride  on  any  expedition,  carrying  dispatches  and 
otherwise  aiding  in  conveying  information. 


JAMES  H.  RICE. 


(TAMES  HARLOW  RICE,  one  of  the  oldest 
I   and  most  highly  respected  business  men  of 
(*/  Chicago,  passed  away  at  his  home  on  Michi- 
gan Avenue,  in   that  city,    February   6,    1896. 
He  was  born  in  Tompkins  County,  New  York, 
1830.     His  parents,   Asa  and    Polly    (Reed) 


in 


Rice,  were  natives  of  Massachusetts,  and  settled 


in  New  York  in  1811,  shortly  after  their  mar- 
riage. Asa  Rice  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  well 
known  and  esteemed  for  his  great  moral  worth. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church  and  active  in  good  works.  They 
attained  a  venerable  age,  the  former  dying  when 
eighty  years  old,  and  the  latter  at  seventy-five. 


E.  W.  EVANS. 


99 


Mr.  Rice  was  an  "old-line"  Whig,  and  in  later 
life  became  a  Republican.  His  nine  children 
reached  mature  years,  and  three  came  West, 
namely,  Henry,  Columbus  T.  and  James  H. 
Rice.  The  first  two  are  now  residents  of  Adair 
County,  Missouri.  Columbus  Titus  Rice  came 
with  his  brother  to  Chicago  in  June,  1854,  and 
proceeded  to  Missouri  four  years  later,  and  has 
resided  there  ever  since.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
carpenter,  and  worked  at  that  occupation  while  a 
resident  of  Chicago.  On  going  to  Missouri  he 
engaged  in  farming,  but  is  now  retired  from  act- 
ive life.  He  was  married  in  New  York  in  1855 
to  Miss  Catherine  Wickoff,  who  is  still  his  com- 
panion on  life's  journey.  They  are  the  parents 
of  six  children,  namely:  Edward,  Flora,  Mary, 
Elizabeth,  Charles,  Augusta  and  James. 

James  H.  Rice  was  also  a  carpenter,  and  very 
early  after  arriving  in  Chicago  began  contract- 
ing for  the  erection  of  buildings.  Among  the 
structures  erected  by  him  were  the  old  Tremont 
House  and  the  Commercial  Hotel.  He  built  the 
first  structure  put  up  after  the  fire  of  1871,  which 
was  located  on  Quincy  Place.  From  1856  to 
1878  he  was  associated  in  this  business  with  Mr. 
Ira  Foote,  with  whom  he  was  acquainted  in  early 
life  in  New  York. 

In  1872  he  engaged  in  the  plate  and  window- 
glass  trade,  and  built  up  an  extensive  and  pros- 
perous business.  This  passed  into  the  control  of 
an  incorporated  company,  known  as  the  James 
H.  Rice  Company,  of  which  he  was  President. 
He  also  became  President  of  the  Stewart  Estep 
Glass  Company,  which  engaged  in  the  manu- 


facture of  glass  at  Marion,  Indiana.  Both  these 
institutions  were  flourishing  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  In  trade  circles  for  years  he  had  been  a 
leader,  and  his  counsel  had  ever  been  sought  and 
his  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  thor- 
oughly appreciated.  Among  Mr.  Rice's  personal 
friends  was  the  late  Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  for 
whom  he  did  much  work  during  his  building  ca- 
reer. He  was  widely  known  during  the  early 
days  in  Chicago,  and  was  esteemed  and  respected 
by  all  classes  of  citizens. 

In  1876  he  was  married  to  Miss  Margaret  Su- 
san Gilliland,  a  native  of  Ohio,  at  that  time  a 
resident  of  Perry,  Iowa.  She  died  February  4, 
1896.  During  the  last  eighteen  years  of  her  life 
she  had  been  an  invalid.  In  life  they  were  to- 
gether and  in  death  not  divided.  No  children 
blessed  their  union,  but  his  wife  was  ever  to  him 
his  child  and  care,  and  his  devotion  in  this  rela- 
tion was  most  beautiful.  The  double  funeral 
from  their  late  home  was  conducted  by  Rev.  J.  L. 
Withrow,  a  personal  friend  of  Mr.  Rice,  with 
whom  he  was  for  some  time  associated  on  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  Presbyterian  Hospital. 
He  spoke  feelingly  of  the  man  and  woman  and 
their  works,  aims  and  ideas.  The  remains  were 
laid  away  in  Oakwoods  Cemetery,  the  active 
pallbearers  being  workmen  in  the  employ  of  the 
James  H.  Rice  Company.  By  Mr.  Rice  his  em- 
ployes were  ever  considered  as  his  "boys."  Some 
of  these  "boys"  are  men,  aged  and  gray,  who 
had  been  in  his  service  for  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
and  all  of  them  will  miss  his  kindly,  genial 
presence. 


ENOCH  W.  EVANS. 


JTNOCH  WEBSTER  EVANS,  who  for  a 
|^  score  of  years  ranked  as  a  leading  member 
L.  of  the  Chicago  Bar,  was  born  at  Fryeburg, 
Maine,  in  1817,  and  died  in  Chicago,  September 
2,  1879.  He  was  one  of  eleven  children  born  to 


Capt.  William  and  Anna  Evans,  further  notice 
of  whom  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume, 
in  connection  with  the  biography  of  Dr.  Moses 
Evans. 

Enoch  W.  Evans  received  his  early  education 


IOO 


JOHN  DICKINSON. 


at  Fiyeburg  Academy  and  Waterville  College, 
in  his  native  State.  Later  he  went  to  Dartmouth 
College,  where  he  pursued  a  classical  course,  and 
graduated  with  the  Class  of  1838.  He  then  en- 
gaged in  teaching  at  Hopkinton,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  simultaneously  began  to  read  law  in 
the  office  of  Judge  Chase,  a  noted  jurist  of  that 
State. 

In  1840  Mr.  Evans  came  to  Chicago,  where  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  during  the  same  year, 
soon  after  removing  to  Dixon's  Ferry,  Illinois, 
remaining  at  that  place  two  or  three  years. 
Thence  he  went  to  Kenosha,  Wisconsin,  where 
he  practiced  his  profession  until  1858.  At  that 
date  he  again  located  in  Chicago,  and  was  en- 
gaged in  general  practice  in  this  city  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  During  this  time  he  tried 
many  important  cases,  which  he  managed  with 
marked  ability,  gaining  a  numerous  and  profit- 
able clientage. 


On  the  i6th  of  .September,  1846,  Mr.  Evans 
was  married,  Miss  Caroline  Hyde,  of  Darien, 
New  York,  becoming  his  wife.  Mrs.  Evans,  who 
is  a  daughter  of  James  Hyde,  still  survives,  at 
the  venerable  age  of  seventy-four  years,  making 
her  home  in  Chicago.  She  is  the  mother  of  four 
living  children:  William  W.,  a  prosperous  at- 
torney at  Chicago;  Lewis  H.,  a  civil  engineer,  at 
present  connected  with  the  track  elevation  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  in  Chicago; 
Carrie,  Mrs.  William  L.  Adams,  and  Mary  W., 
the  two  latter  also  residents  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Evans  was  a  gentleman  of  quiet,  un- 
ostentatious habits,  and  gave  but  little  heed  to 
public  affairs.  He  confined  his  labors  and  at- 
tention almost  exclusively  to  professional  sub- 
jects, and  achieved  an  enviable  standing  among 
his  contemporaries,  which  justly  entitles  this 
brief  record  of  his  life  to  a  place  among  the  annals 
of  his  adopted  home. 


JOHN  DICKINSON. 


(JOHN  DICKINSON,  a  highly  successful 
I  operator  upon  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade, 
O  residing  at  Evanston,  was  born  in  the  his- 
toric old  town  of  Deerfield,  Massachusetts,  No- 
vember 21,  1855,  and  is  a  son  of  Philander  P. 
and  Mary  A.  (Feeney)  Dickinson. 

The  Dickinsons  were  among  the  earliest 
Colonial  families  of  Massachusetts.  Philander 
R.  Dickinson,  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  notice,  was  a  wholesale  and  retail  shoe 
dealer  in  New  York  City  for  many  years.  He 
attained  the  great  age  of  ninety-eight  years,  dy- 
ing at  Springfield-  Massachusetts. 

Philander  P.  Dickinson  became  an  extensive 
manufacturer  of  brooms  at  Springfield,  and  had 
at  one  time  the  largest  factory  in  that  State.  This 
establishment  was  destroyed  by  fire,  inflicting 
upon  Mr.  Dickinson  a  financial  loss  which  he 
was  never  able  wholly  to  retrieve.  In  1860 
he  removed  to  Iowa,  locating  first  at  Claremont, 


and  settling  later  at  McGregor.  At  the  latter 
point  he  again  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
brooms,  and  built  up  a  fair  business  On  account 
of  failing  health,  he  retired  from  active  business 
about  1865,  and  returned  to  the  East.  The  last 
ten  years  of  his  life  were  passed  at  Norwalk, 
Florida,  where  he  died  in  1884,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-nine  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  a  steadfast  Republican. 

Mrs.  Mary  A.  Dickinson  died  at  Evanston  in 
1878,  aged  forty-nine  years.  She  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  her  parents  being  of  Irish  de- 
scent. Her  father  was  a  wholesale  shoe  mer- 
chant in  that  city.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church.  Her  children  are  named  and 
reside  as  follows:  Millie  D.,  Mrs.  Julius  Ball, 
Montague,  Massachusetts;  Mary  J.,  and  Delia, 
wife  of  F.  H.  Bennett,  Chicago;  John,  Evanston; 
Hattie  M.,  Denver,  Colorado. 

John  Dickinson  was  a  small  boy  when  the  fam- 


BENJAMIN  SHURTLEFF. 


101 


ily  came  West,  and  he  received  his  education  at 
the  Evanston  High  School.  He  began  his  busi- 
ness career  in  a  furniture  store,  and  established 
himself  in  business  as  a  shoe  dealer  at  Evanston, 
with  success.  In  1879  he  sold  out  and  joined  the 
Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  with  which  he  has  ever 
since  been  identified.  He  was  among  the  younger 
members  of  that  body,  but  soon  demonstrated 
his  capability  and  soundness,  and  has  won  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  the  entire  membership. 
He  handles  all  kinds  of  grain  and  provisions,  as 
well  as  stocks  and  bonds  and  other  paper  securi- 
ties, on  his  own  account,  and  has  met  with  al- 
most uniform  success.  His  profits  have  been 
largely  invested  in  real  estate  at  Hammond, 
Indiana,  and  in  Florida  timber  lands  and  orange 
groves. 

Mr.  Dickinson  was  married,  November  25, 
1875,  to  Miss  Mary  Alice  Johnson,  daughter  of 
Anthony  Johnson  and  Catherine  (Ganer)  John- 


son. Mrs.  Dickinson  was  born  at  Port  Jervis, 
New  York,  where  her  father  was  connected  with  . 
important  railroad  interests  for  some  years.  Mr. 
Dickinson  is  identified  with  the  First  Methodist 
Church  of  Evanston.  He  is  a  man  of  domestic 
tastes,  and  devotes  little  time  to  social  recreations. 
He  supports  the  Republican  party,  whose  policy 
he  believes  to  be  in  the  interest  of  good  govern- 
ment and  the  commercial  prosperity  of  the 
country. 

In  1889  he  built  an  elegant  residence  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Asbury  Avenue  and  Church 
Street,  Evanston,  which  is  surrounded  by  one  of 
the  handsomest  and  best-kept  lawns  in  Cook 
County.  In  short,  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dickinson,  throughout  its  exterior  and  interior 
appointments,  bespeaks  the  refined  tastes  and 
cultivated  instincts  by  means  of  which,  only, 
such  an  establishment  can  be  designed  and  main- 
tained. 


BENJAMIN  SHURTLEFF. 


BENJAMIN  SHURTLEFF,  one  of  the  found- 
ers of  Lake  View,  whose  identity  is  rapidly 
becoming  lost  in  the  vast  city  of  Chicago,  is 
still  a  resident  of  that  former  suburb,  and  affords 
an  excellent  type  of  the  pioneers  of  the  metrop- 
olis of  the  West.  He  was  born  in  Ernesttown, 
Lennox  County,  Ontario,  July  19,  1812.  His 
ancestors  were  English,  and  were  very  loyal 
subjects  of  the  British  crown.  The  first  one  in 
the  American  colonies  settled  in  Massachusetts, 
whence  Lemuel  Shurtleff,  grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  notice,  removed  to  Canada  at  the 
beginning  of  the  American  Revolution.  He 
settled  in  Ernesttown,  Lennox  County,  Ontario, 
where  he  engaged  in  farming,  reared  a  large 
family,  and  reached  a  good  old  age.  He  had 
three  sons,  Seldon,  Jacob  and  Gideon. 

The  last-named  passed  his  life  in  Canada, 
exceeding  the  age  of  eighty  years,  and  was  a 
farmer.  He  was  a  quiet,  faithful  Christian, 


devoted  to  the  Methodist  Church,  and  the  welfare 
of  his  fellow-men  was  dear  to  his  heart.  His 
wife,  Mary  Ward,  probably  of  Irish  descent,  was  a 
tender  and  true  wife  and  mother,  and,  like  himself, 
a  faithful  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  She 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  Of  their 
twelve  children,  eleven  grew  to  maturity,  and 
three  of  the  sons  became  residents  of  the  United 
States.  Their  names  were  Samuel,  Jacob,  Gid- 
eon, Lemuel,  Benjamin,  Miles,  John,  Polly,  Amy, 
Lydia  and  Amanda.  Lemuel  was  an  able  me- 
chanic, and  built  some  of  the  large  iron  mills  at 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  at  which  place  he  died. 
Miles  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  New  York,  and 
became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  iron  at 
Rochester,  New  York,  for  many  years. 

Benjamin  Shurtleff  passed  the  first  eighteen 
years  of  his  life  on  the  home  farm,  receiving  such 
intellectual  training  as  was  afforded  by  the  dis- 
trict schools  and  good  home  surroundings.  At 


IO2 


BENJAMIN  SHURTLEFF. 


the  age  of  eighteen  years  he  began  learning  the 
joiner's  trade,  of  which  he  became  master.  In 
1837  he  joined  his  brother  in  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  associated  with  him  in  erecting 
large  manufacturing  plants  there.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  the  immense  iron  mills  of 
Spang,  Chalfant  &  Company  at  ^Etna,  and 
the  rolling  mills  of  Louis  Dalzell  &  Company 
at  Sharpsburgh,  another  suburb  of  Pittsburgh. 
Among  his  fellow-workmen  was  Mr.  C.  K.  Gar- 
rison, since  one  of  the  most  successful  business 
men  and  capitalists  of  that  city,  who  was  regarded 
by  Mr.  Shurtleff  as  one  of  the  brightest  business 
men  he  ever  met.  Twelve  years  of  industrious 
application  there  gave  Mr.  Shurtleff  a  small  cap- 
ital, which  he  resolved  to  invest  in  a  newer  place, 
and  he  set  out  for  Chicago. 

Arriving  here  in  1851,  he  immediately  made 
investments  in  real  property,  which  his  foresight 
told  him  was  sure  to  appreciate  greatly  in  value. 
He  secured  twenty  acres  in  Lake  View  Town- 
ship, beside  three  twenty-acre  tracts  in  section 
33,  town  39  north,  range  14,  most  of  which  has 
been  subdivided  and  sold  off.  Shurtleff  s  Addi- 
tion was  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  well-known 
subdivisions  on  the  old  maps,  and  he  now  has 
valuable  property  on  the  South  Side  of  the  city. 
His  present  possessions  include  about  ten  acres 
of  the  most  valuable  land  in  the  city,  including 
many  improved  lots  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home, 
on  Oakdale  Avenue.  In  1870  he  built  six  sub- 
stantial houses  on  the  corner  of  Fremont  and  Oak- 
dale  Avenues,  which  were  beyond  the  ravages 
of  the  great  fire  of  the  next  year  and  became 
immediately  profitable. 

May  5,  1853,  at  Sharpsburgh,  Pennsylvania, 
Mr.  Shurtleff  was  married  to  Miss  Lucinda  J. 
Sewell,  daughter  of  James  H.  Sewell,  an  old 
resident  of  Pittsburgh.  Judge  James  Sewell,  a 
well-known  character  of  that  city,  was  a  brother 
of  Mrs.  Shurtleff.  Mrs.  Shurtleff  was  born  in 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  died  January  10,  1856, 
in  the  prime  of  young  womanhood,  being  but 
twenty-seven  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  death. 
She  left  a  daughter,  Lucy  J.,  who  was  reared  by 
her  aunt,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Roberts,  well  known  in  Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania,  society.  She  was  educated 


at  Ferry  Hall  Seminary,  at  Lake  Forest,  Illinois, 
and  Hellmuth  College,  London,  Canada,  and  is 
now  the  wife  of  Bruce  M.  Myers,  of  Chicago. 
Subsequently,  at  Chicago,  Mr.  Shurtleff  married 
Mrs.  Margaret  A.  Buker,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember 2,  1837,  at  Greenwood,  Maine.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Capt.  Isaac  P.  Furlong,  who  was 
a  native  of  Maine,  and  commanded  a  company 
in  the  War  of  1812.  His  father  took  up  the 
first  claim  in  the  town  of  Greenwood,  Oxford 
County,  Maine.  Mrs.  Shurtleff  was  a  genial 
companion  to  Mr.  Shurtleff  in  every  sense  of  the 
word,  and  also  a  good  business  manager.  She 
was  a  woman  possessed  of  more  than  ordinary 
native  ability,  and  esteemed  for  many  good  qual- 
ities of  head  and  heart.  She  passed  away  July 
7,  1894,  leaving  two  sons  by  her  first  marriage. 
Harry  Leslie  Buker,  who  was  educated  principally 
at  the  Schattuck  Military  School,  Faribault, 
Minnesota,  is  well  known  in  musical  circles  in 
Chicago,  and  was  associated  twelve  years  with 
the  Slayton  Lyceum  Bureau  of  that  city.  The 
other  son,  William  F.  Buker,  is  an  actor  by  pro- 
fession and  a  resident  of  New  York  City. 

Mr.  Shurtleff  was  among  the  early  members  of 
the  old  Fullerton  Avenue  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Chicago,  and  has  been  a  stanch  supporter  of  the 
political  principles  of  the  Republican  party  all  his 
life.  In  1844  he  voted  for  Henry  Clay  for  Presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  and  he  was  among  the 
promoters  and  organizers  of  the  Republican  party, 
voting  for  Fremont  in  1856.  His  has  been  a 
quiet  life  of  industry  and  attention  to  his  private 
affairs,  with  no  seeking  after  public  honors.  He 
has  ever  given  of  his  time,  influence  and  means 
toward  the  promotion  of  any  movement  calculated 
to  further  the  general  welfare,  and  his  example 
is  commended  to  the  careful  attention  of  every 
youth  who  hopes  to  make  something  of  himself 
in  the  business,  social  or  moral  world.  His  suc- 
cess has  not  been  the  result  of  accident,  but  has 
been  built  up  by  shrewd  calculation,  and  the 
prudent  use  of  means  acquired  by  the  practice  of 
habits  of  industry  and  right  living.  He  refused 
his  share  of  his  father's  estate,  preferring  it 
should  go  to  his  sisters. 


,.  .- 


•        .  r.  &. Co. Chicago.  Phot 


D.  B.  FONDA. 


103 


DAVID  B.  FONDA,  M.  D. 


0AVID  BARTHOLOMEW  FONDA,  M.  D., 
is  a  representative  of  an  old  and  prominent 
Empire  State  family  which  settled  in  and 
named  the  county-seat  of  Montgomery  County, 
New  York.  His  grandfather,  John  Fonda,  was 
a  native  of  Holland,  and  settled  at  a  place  called 
Bogt,  in  Albany  County,  New  York,  where  he 
owned  an  estate  comprising  several  thousand 
acres.  His  only  son,  Henry  Fonda,  was  born 
there  and  inherited  this  estate.  Most  of  his  life 
was  passed  at  Watervliet,  New  York,  where  he 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years,  in  June,  1841. 
His  wife,  Rebecca  Hall,  was  born  at  Mayfield, 
Fulton  County,  New  York,  and  died  in  August, 
1840,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six  years.  Henry  Fonda 
was  somewhat  active  in  political  affairs,  though 
he  never  sought  or  accepted  office  for  himself. 

David  B.  Fonda  was  born  November  6,  1834, 
in  Watervliet,  Albany  County,  New  York,  where 
he  remained  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen 
years.  In  his  native  township,  at  a  place  called 
Elisha's  Kill,  he  received  his  primary  education, 
completing  the  course  of  the  upper  school  before 
he  was  sixteen  years  old. 

He  was  then  appointed  principal  of  the  Second 
District  School  of  the  Third  Ward  of  Schenectady, 
New  York,  where  he  taught  one  year.  His  first 
teacher's  certificate  was  granted  by  Jonathan 
Pearson,  professor  of  languages  in  Union  Col- 
lege, at  Schenectady,  and  superintendent  of  the 
public  schools  of  that  city.  The  scene  of  his 
labors  for  the  next  four  years  was  a  place  called 


Lowell's  Corners,  where  he  taught  in  the  joint 
district  embracing  portions  of  the  towns  of  Cherry 
Valley  and  Seward,  in  the  Counties  of  Schoharie 
and  Otsego.  While  teaching  here  he  pursued  a 
private  course  in  moral  and  mental  philosophy, 
and  the  Greek  and  Latin  languages,  under  the 
tutelage  of  Franklin  Pierce,  a  cousin  of  the  Presi- 
dent who  bore  the  same  name.  At  the  end  of 
this  time  he  was  prepared  for  matriculation  at 
Hartwick  College,  a  Lutheran  Theological  institu- 
tion. 

It  is  evident  from  the  progress  made  up  to  this 
time  that  Mr.  Fonda  was  a  close  student.  By  the 
time  he  attained  his  majority  he  had  occupied  a 
responsible  position  as  teacher  for  a  period  of  five 
years.  The  hard  work  involved  in  these  labors, 
coupled  with  the  diligent  pursuit  of  his  studies 
preparatory  to  further  advancement,  made  deep 
inroads  upon  his  physical  strength,  and  a  connec- 
tion which  he  formed  at  this  time  changed  his 
plans  and  the  entire  course  of  his  life.  March  22, 
1855,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Clarinda  Lowell,  a 
descendant  of  the  famous  New  England  family  of 
that  name,  who  was  born  at  Lowell's  Corners. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Nyram  Lowell. 

In  1855,  with  his  bride,  Mr.  Fonda  removed  to 
Chicago.  Having  a  relative  who  was  in  the 
service  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union  Railroad, 
he  sought  and  secured  employment  as  a  brake- 
man  on  this  line  for  the  sake  of  the  outdoor 
labor,  and  at  the  end  of  fourteen  months  spent  in 
this  capacity,  he  found  his  health  fully  restored. 


104 


D.  B.  FONDA. 


He  then  accepted  a  position  as  teacher  at  Rose- 
hill,  and  began  the  pursuit  of  a  medical  course  at 
Rush  Medical  College.  He  attended  lectures  at 
this  institution  during  the  two  years  beginning  in 
1859  and  ending  in  1861. 

Early  in  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier, 
in  Company  C,  Eighty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry  known  as  the  Railroad  Regiment,  being 
composed  entirely  of  railroad  men.  By  the  time 
the  regiment  was  mustered  he  was  promoted  to 
Orderly  Sergeant,  and  continued  in  service 
through  Kentucky  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land until  the  battle  of  Perryville.  After  this 
engagement  he  was  sent  with  a  detail  to  escort  an 
ambulance  train  to  Bardstown,  Kentucky.  On 
his  arrival  there  he  found  that  he  had  been  ap- 
pointed chief  steward  of  the  hospitals  at  that  point. 
He  continued  there  until  the  latter  part  of  1863, 
and  became  secretary  of  the  medical  corps,  which 
embraced  eight  army  surgeons.  When  he  entered 
the  army  his  weight  was  one  hundred  forty- 
five  pounds,  but  during  his  service  it  was  re- 
duced to  ninety-four  pounds,  and  through  the 
recommendation  of  the  surgeons  he  was  honorably 
discharged  on  account  of  disability,  although  he 
had  never  as  yet  asked  for  a  release  from  duty. 
On  his  return  to  Chicago  he  was  prostrated  by 
a  severe  illness,  which  continued  for  a  period  of 
three  months. 

Recovering  his  health,  he  again  entered  Rush 
Medical  College  in  1864,  and  two  years  later  com- 
pleted the  coarse.  He  subsequently  entered 
Bennett  Medical  College,  from  which  he  received 
a  diploma  in  1878.  In  1866  he  began  thepracticc 
of  medicine  at  Jefferson  Park,  and  has  continued 
to  reside  there  ever  since.  In  1867,  without  any 
solicitation  on  his  part,  he  was  elected  by  the 
County  Board  to  the  post  of  County  Physician  and 
superintendent  of  the  insane  paupers  sustained  by 
the  county.  Through  his  vigorous  protest 
against  the  mixture  of  insane  with  the  other 
wards  of  the  county,  the  board  was  induced  to 
appropriate  money  for  a  building  to  be  devoted 
exclusively  to  the  care  of  the  insane.  This  was 
begun  in  1868,  and  on  the  first  day  of  the  year 
1871  Dr.  Fonda  installed  the  patients  in  his  charge 
in  their  new  quarters.  At  the  end  of  four  years' 


service  he  retired  and  resumed  his  private  practice 
at  Jefferson,  in  which  he  has  since  continued  with 
the  ever-increasing  confidence  and  respect  of  the 
community. 

Dr.  Fonda  has  been  somewhat  active  in  the 
conduct  of  local  affairs,  and  the  promotion  of  the 
common  welfare.  In  1874  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  village  board  of  Jefferson,  of  which 
body  he  was  immediately  made  president  and 
continued  four  consecutive  years  in  this  position. 
He  was  for  many  years  health  officer  of  the  vil- 
lage, which  was  co-extensive  with  the  town  of 
Jefferson,  until  it  was  merged  in  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago, and  was  again  a  member  of  the  village 
board  from  1884  until  1886.  During  the  first 
year  of  this  service  he  was  president  of  the  board, 
but  refused  that  office  during  the  second  year,  in 
order  that  he  might  be  active  on  the  floor  in  the 
discussion  of  many  important  movements  then 
pending.  For  many  years  he  was  County  Phy- 
sician in  charge  of  the  medical  relief  of  the  poor 
outside  of  public  institutions.  In  1889,  when 
Jefferson  was  annexed  to  the  city  of  Chicago,  Dr. 
Fonda  was  elected  one  of  the  first  aldermen  from 
the  twenty-seventh  ward,  and  in  the  following 
April  he  was  re-elected  and  served  two  years. 
In  political  matters  he  has  always  acted  with  the 
Republican  party,  having  allied  himself  with  it 
in  1856,  and  although  he  has  sometimes  voted 
for  individuals  not  on  his  party  ticket,  he  has 
ever  remained  true  to  its  principles.  In  recent 
years  he  has  made  numerous  addresses  on  political 
and  economic  subjects,  which  have  been  received 
with  much  applause. 

Dr.  Fonda  is  still  a  member  in  good  standing  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  at  Gardnersville,  New  York. 
On  a  visit  to  the  scenes  of  his  early  life,  made  in 
the  fall  of  1897,  he  attended  worship  at  this  place, 
where  he  met  but  one  person  that  he  had  previ- 
ously known.  After  an  absence  of  forty  years 
this  visit  to  his  childhood  home,  although  a  very 
pleasant  one  on  the  whole,  was  much  saddened 
by  the  absence  of  familiar  faces.  In  the  midst  of 
family  connections  numbering  thousands,  he  was 
still  among  strangers. 

Dr.  Fonda  was  for  many  years  connected  with 
Hesperia    Lodge,    Ancient   Free   and   Accepted 


L.  J.  HALSEV. 


105 


Masons,  of  Chicago,  and  was  a  charter  member 
of  the  first  Masonic  Lodge  in  Jefferson.  He  is 
now  connected  with  Wylie  M.  Egan  Lodge, 
Washington  Chapter,  Siloam  Council,  St.  Ber- 
nard Commandery,  and  Medinah  Temple,  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  was  for  many  years  con- 
nected with  Home  Lodge  No.  416,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  Chicago,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  George  H.  Thomas  Post  No.  5,  Grand 


Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  Grand  Medical 
Examiner  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Mutual  Aid 
of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

Mrs.  Fonda  passed  away  in  1890,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-five  years,  leaving  one  child,  Carrie  Azubah, 
who  resides  with  her  father.  Dr.  Fonda  is  yet  in 
possession  of  sound  health,  and  a  vigorous  intel- 
lect, and  has  many  years  of  usefulness  both  as  a 
citizen  and  physician  before  him. 


REV.  LEROY  J.  HALSEY. 


REV.  LEROY  JONES  HALSEY,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.  On  the  28th  day  of  January,  A. 
D.  1812,  Leroy  Jones  Halsey*was  born  in 
Cartersville,  Goochland  County,  Virginia,  on  the 
banks  of  the  James  River,  twelve  miles  from 
Richmond,  the  first-born  son  of  John  and  Lucy 
(Tiller)  Halsey.  His  paternal  ancestry  is  traced 
back  through  the  Virginia  and  North  Carolina 
settlements  to  a  New  England  stock  of  the  date 
of  1640.  He  was  acquainted  with  the  hardship 
of  straitened  circumstances  in  his  early  childhood. 
When  he  was  less  than  five  years  old  his  father 
met  with  reverses  by  too  generously  becoming 
liable  for  another  man's  debt.  It  deprived  him 
of  his  business  and  his  home,  and  forced  his  emi- 
gration to  the  far  southwest  to  begin  life  anew. 
He  located  at  Huntsville,  Alabama. 

Leroy  was  always  of  a  studious  habit.  He  ac- 
quired the  rudiments  of  knowledge  at  home,  and 
from  the  few  books  and  periodicals  available  he 
had  gained  much  information  before  he  went  to 
school.  At  school  learning  was  a  pleasure  to 
him.  Study  was  a  delight,  and  this  love  of  ap- 
plication and  research  so  early  manifested  was 
characteristic  of  his  entire  collegiate  and  theo- 
logical course,  and  remained  with  him  through 
life.  The  days  spent  in  the  classic  shades  of  the 
old  Green  Academy  at  Huntsville  were  among 
the  happiest  of  his  youth. 


At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  left  his  home  in 
Huntsville  to  enter  the  University  of  Nashville, 
at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  where  he  was  matricu- 
lated in  the  autumn  of  1831,  and  entered  the 
junior  class.  His  education  had  been  begun  and 
was  prosecuted  from  first  to  last  with  the  ministry 
of  the  Gospel  definitely  in  view. 

In  the  summer  of  1834  he  was  graduated,  and 
after  a  visit  to  his  home  he  returned  to  Nashville 
and  taught  a  select  school  for  a  year,  from  the 
proceeds  of  which  he  repaid  his  college  debt,  and 
then  accepted  the  position  of  tutor  in  the  college. 
At  the  same  time,  in  November,  1835,  he  placed 
himself  under  the  care  of  the  Presbytery  of  Nash- 
ville as  a  candidate  for  the  Gospel  ministry. 
Having  served  as  tutor  for  a  year  he  accepted  the 
appointment  of  substitute  professor  of  languages 
in  place  of  a  professor  who  was  to  be  absent 
for  a  year. 

These  three  years  succeeding  graduation,  one 
spent  in  private  teaching,  and  two  in  college 
work,  were  beneficial  in  fixing  and  testing  scholar- 
ship, and  also  from  a  financial  point  of  view. 
They  enabled  him  to  discharge  his  debt  and  to 
accumulate  a  fund  sufficient  to  defray  the  expense 
of  a  theological  course. 

Retiring  from  these  pleasing  associations  in  the 
summer  of  1837,  after  a  brief  visit  to  his  home 
he  journeyed  eastward  by  stage  coach  and  steam- 


io6 


.  J.  HALSEY. 


boat  until,  at  Frederick,  Md.,  he  had  his  first 
view  of  a  railway  train,  and  thence  through  Bal- 
timore and  Philadelphia,  his  first  experience  of 
railway  travel,  as  far  as  Trenton,  N.  J.  On  the 
gth  day  of  November  he  entered  the  Theological 
Seminary  of  Princeton. 

On  the  2gth  day  of  September,  1840,  the  semi- 
nary life  of  Dr.  Halsey  ended  with  his  gradua- 
tion. He  had  been  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick  on  the  sth  day  of  August  pre- 
ceding. He  immediately  began  his  journey  to 
the  West,  stopping  in  Philadelphia  to  preach  in 
several  of  the  churches  there  and  to  receive  his 
commission  from  the  Board  of  Missions  assign- 
ing him  to  missionary  labor  in  the  bounds  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama. 

This  work  continued  for  more  than  two  years, 
when  its  widely  known  success  and  the  growing 
reputation  of  Dr.  Halsey  brought  such  urgent 
calls  to  wider  fields  that  he  was  constrained  to 
give  them  heed.  The  one  which  proved  the 
most  attractive  was  the  one  which  showed  the 
greatest  need.  A  recently  organized  congrega- 
tion in  the  city  of  Jackson,  the  capital  of  Missis- 
sippi, was  seeking  for  consecrated  leadership  and 
preaching  power.  They  were  without  a  house 
of  worship,  with  little  numerical  or  financial 
strength,  but  with  united  and  zealous  purpose 
and  with  a  growing  and  influential  community 
around,  in  crying  need  of  Gospel  privileges  and 
influence  and  work.  He  accepted  their  call,  and 
removing  to  Jackson,  was  ordained  by  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Mississippi  and  installed  pastor  on  the 
aistday  of  March,  1843. 

A  commodious  house  of  worship  was  soon 
provided.  The  congregation  grew  and  the  work 
enlarged.  This  prosperous  work  continued  for 
five  years.  During  this  pastorate,  on  the  24th 
day  of  April,  1844,  he  was  married  to  Caroline 
Augusta  Anderson,  of  Pendleton,  South  Carolina, 
a  granddaughter  of  Gen.  Robert  Anderson  of 
Revolutionao'  fame. 

His  well-known  success  in  Jackson  led  to  his 
being  called  to  undertake  a  similar  work  in  Lou- 
isville, Kentucky,  where  a  small  colony  of  Presby- 
terians desired  him  to  lead  them  in  the  work  of 
founding  and  establishing  a  church.  Satisfied  of 


the  importance  of  the  enterprise,  and  undismayed 
by  its  prospective  difficulties,  he  accepted  their 
call  and  entered  upon  the  work  in  the  autumn 
of  1848. 

The  church  grew  rapidly  under  his  ministry. 
A  comfortable  house  of  worship  was  speedily  pro- 
vided, and  very  soon  the  congregation,  in  point 
of  numbers  and  ability  and  efficiency,  took  rank 
with  the  older  churches  of  the  city. 

Here  he  conducted  a  happy,  useful  and  success- 
ful pastorate  for  ten  years,  in  connection  with  the 
Chestnut  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  the  same 
organization  that,  in  a  different  locality,  is  still  ac- 
tive, strong  and  prosperous,  under  the  name  and 
title  of  the  Warren  Memorial  Church. 

In  1859  he  was  appointed  by  the  General  As- 
sembly to  the  Chair  of  Ecclesiology,  Sacred 
Rhetoric  and  Pastoral  Theology  in  the  Presby- 
terian Theological  Seminary  of  the  Northwest, 
which  the  same  assembly  located  at  Chicago,  on 
the  basis  of  an  endowment  of  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  donated  by  the  late  Cyrus  H.  Mc- 
Cormick,  of  this  city.  The  institution  is  now 
known  as  McCormick  Theological  Seminary. 

He  entered  upon  his  work  in  Chicago  in  the 
autumn  of  that  year.  The  city  then  contained  a 
population  of  barely  one  hundred  thousand.  The 
seminary  was  domiciled  at  first  in  a  rented  build- 
ing at  Clark  and  Harrison  Streets.  Two  years 
later  it  found  temporary  quarters  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  North  Presbyterian  Church  at  Cass 
and  Indiana  Streets.  The  present  location,  at 
North  Halsted  Street  and  Fullerton  Avenue,  was 
first  occupied  for  seminary  purposes  in  the  winter 
of  1863  and  1864. 

Dr.  Halsey  continued  his  active  labors  in  the 
seminary  for  thirty-three  years,  terminating 
them  only  in  1892,  when  he  was  eighty  years  old. 
In  addition  to  the  labors  of  the  pastorate  and 
of  the  professor's  chair  he  was  a  faithful  and  in- 
fluential helper  in  the  councils  of  the  church;  he 
responded  to  invitations  for  addresses  on  public 
occasions,  and  was  a  frequent  contributor  to  the 
columns  of  the  press.  In  1858  he  published  his 
first  book,  "The  Literary  Attractions  of  the 
Bible,"  a  work  of  classic  merit,  which  holds  and 
will  continue  to  hold  an  assured  place  among  the 


L.  J.  HALSEY. 


107 


preserved  gems  of  English  and  American  litera- 
ture. 

After  Dr.  Halsey  came  to  Chicago  his  voice 
and  pen  occupied  a  wider  sphere  than  that  of  the 
seminary  alone.  He  preached  often  and  in  many 
pulpits  all  over  the  land  and  always  with  great 
acceptance.  In  1860  he  issued  "Life  Pictures 
from  the  Bible, ' '  a  work  that  has  held,  and  will 
always  hold  with  those  who  possess  it,  an  eminent 
place  among  the  delineations  of  Bible  character. 
In  1 86 1  appeared  "The  Beauty  of  Immanuel," 
an  exposition  of  the  life,  character,  person,  work, 
offices  and  glory  of  the  Christ  whom  he  loved 
and  adored,  a  work  most  stimulating  to  piety  and 
helpful  to  devotion. 

In  1866  he  published,  in  three  large  volumes, 
through  the  Lippincott  press,  the  "Life  and 
Works  of  Philip  Lindsley,  D.  D.,"  a  labor  of 
love,  preserving  to  posterity  the  literary  produc- 
tions of  one  of  the  most  accomplished  educators 
of  his  day.  In  1871  appeared  from  his  pen  "The 
Memoir  of  Lewis  W.  Green,  D.  D.,"  and  in  1881 
a  volume  entitled  "Living  Christianity,"  a  brief, 
clear  and  strong  presentation  of  the  fundamentals 
of  Christian  faith  and  the  essentials  of  Chris- 
tian duty. 

About  this  time  he  became  Professor  Emeritus 
and  continued  to  give  regular  instruction  in 
the  matters  of  church  government  and  the  sacra- 
ments. His  pen  was  by  no  means  idle,  for  in 
1884  he  published  a  very  instructive  and  edifying 
book  on  "Scotland's  Influence  on  Civilization," 
and  in  1893  there  came  from  his  pen  the  work 
into  which  he  had  poured  the  affections  of  his 
heart  and  the  accumulated  events  and  emotions 
of  thirty  years,  "The  History  of  the  McCormick 
Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,"  an  octavo  volume  of  five  hundred 
pages. 

Dr.  Halsey  lived  to  be  eighty-four  years  old, 
dying  June  18,  1896. 

One  of  the  large  privileges  of  human  life  is  to 
dwell  in  immediate  touch  with  great  and  good 
men.  The  verj-  presence,  the  example,  and  the 
teachings  of  such  men,  tend  to  form  the  character, 
to  guide  the  thinking,  to  elevate  the  taste  and  to 
direct  the  activities  of  whole  communities.  Be- 


neath their  kindly  but  potent  influence,  society 
is  rounded  out  into  fairer  proportions,  the  pur- 
pose to  accomplish  noble  ends  becomes  more  de- 
cisive, sympathy  expands  and  deepens,  and  life 
is  found,  more  and  more,  to  be  truly  worth  the 
living.  One  of  the  noblest  of  this  high  class  was 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

For  thirty-seven  years  Dr.  Halsey  lived  in 
Chicago.  He  entered  on  his  work  in  that  city 
in  the  zenith  of  his  powers.  Long  and  painstak- 
ing education  had  fitted  him  to  exercise  with 
commanding  ability  the  sacred  office  to  which  he 
had  been  chosen.  He  had  reached  first  rank  as 
a  preacher  and  pastor  before  he  entered  on  the  re- 
sponsible task  of  training  young  men  for  the 
ministry,  and  he  came  to  this  new  work  ripe  in 
learning,  mature  in  piety,  skilled  in  administra- 
tion, familiar  with  the  best  methods  of  profes- 
sional education,  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
foremost  churchmen  of  the  period,  ardent  in  the 
cause  of  a  world- wide  evangelization,  embalmed 
in  the  confidence  of  the  influential  communion, 
which  he  represented,  and  in  every  way  well 
fitted  to  advance  the  important  enterprise  to  which 
he  stood  committed. 

At  the  time  of  his  entrance  to  Chicago  Dr. 
Halsey  was  called  to  lay  the  foundations  upon 
which  varied  structures  should  be  raised.  Society 
was  hardly  formed,  and  his  influence  was  felt  in 
directing  it  along  lines  of  Christian  refinement. 
There  was  but  one  Presbyterian  Church  on  the 
North  Side,  and  that  near  the  heart  of  the  city. 
He  early  helped  plant  another  and  then  others 
as  the  years  went  by. 

McCormick  Theological  Seminary  was  but  just 
opened  in  Chicago.  Its  maintenance  and  develop- 
ment and  permanent  establishment  had  yet  to  be 
provided  for. 

Few  men  have  ever  been  called  to  so  large  and 
so  varied  a  work  in  so  important  a  center  and  at 
such  an  epoch-making  period.  For  this  impos- 
ing undertaking  he  had  the  equipment  requisite, 
whether  we  consider  it  on  the  side  of  a  large  and 
unhesitating  faith  in  the  sublime  truths  which  he 
came  to  teach  and  defend,  or  in  the  steady  cour- 
age for  the  day  of  small  things  to  be  fostered  in  a 
period  of  unrest  and  conflict — or  of  conspicuous 


io8 


THOMAS  GOODE. 


talents  fitted  to  meet  the  diversified  calls  arising 
from  the  extensive  task — or  of  sublime  patience 
in  the  midst  of  the  fluctuations  and  discourage- 
ments incident  to  the  sure  establishment  of  a 
young  institution  in  the  center  of  a  comoaratively 
new  section  of  our  great  country. 

In  the  prosecution  of  these  wide  ranging  labors 
Dr.  Halsey  laid  his  formative  hand  on  a  larger 
number  of  men  than  any  other  theological  teacher 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  West.  His 
early  colleagues  soon  passed  on — one  in  less  than 
two  years,  to  his  heavenly  home — the  others  to 
important  fields  elsewhere. 

Dr.  Halsey  remained  undaunted  at  his  post  in 
sunshine  and  in  storm,  when  rude  war  rolled  un- 
checked over  the  land,  when  peace  once  more 


settled  on  a  still  united  nation.  Under  all  the 
changes  of  an  eventful  period  he  stood  fast,  the 
one  commanding  figure  in  the  changing  scene, 
around  whose  person  the  destinies  of  the  institu- 
tion revolved,  and  in  whose  lone  hand  its  inter- 
ests often  reposed.  And  ere  yet  unseen  hands 
with  gentle  touch  closed  his  eyes  to  earthly  sight, 
to  be  re-opened  so  soon  amid  the  splendors  of 
mediatorial  glory  he  had  witnessed  the  triumphs 
of  the  cause  to  which  he  had  devoted  so  many 
years  of  his  life,  in  the  establishment  of  a  semi- 
nary of  sacred  learning,  equal  in  its  equipments  to 
any  in  the  land,  and  full  to  overflowing  with  in- 
genuous youth  in  preparation  for  the  noble  work 
of  preaching  the  Gospel  in  every  tongue  and  to 
every  land  under  the  sun. 


THOMAS  GOODE. 


'HOMAS  GOODE,  one  of  Chicago's  most 
worthy  pioneers,  now  living  in  rest  and  re- 
tirement on  Racine  Avenue,  was  born 
April  18,  1816,  in  the  Parish  of  Enfield,  in  Mid- 
dlesex, near  London,  England.  He  is  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Maria  (Head)  Goode,  the  former  a 
native  of  Warwickshire,  and  the  latter  of  Middle? 
sex,  England. 

Thomas  Goode,  senior,  was  an  orphan  from  the 
time  he  was  a  small  boy,  and  was  sent  to  London, 
where  his  eldest  brother  lived,  and  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  baker,  at  which  he  worked 
for  many  years.  He  had  seven  children  that 
grew  to  maturity,  three  of  whom  came  to  America 
with  their  parents.  John  and  Thomas  came  in 
1845,  sailing  from  London,  and  upon  arriving  in 
New  York,  they  went  to  Albany  by  boat,  and 
from  there  proceeded  to  Buffalo  by  the  canal. 
From  Buffalo  they  came  to  Chicago  by  the  old 
steamer  "Madison." 

In  1859  Thomas  Goode  visited  England,  and 


when  he  returned  to  America  his  parents  accom- 
panied him,  spending  their  last  years  in  Chicago. 
The  father  died  in  1870,  his  wife  having  preceded 
him  by  three  years.  Edward,  a  younger  brother, 
came  to  the  United  States  about  1864,  and  still 
resides  in  this  city,  and  John  Goode  makes  his 
home  in  Florida. 

Thomas  Goode  received  only  an  ordinary  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  which  were 
then  much  poorer  than  now,  and  was  early  em- 
ployed in  a  greenhouse,  in  the  cultivation  of 
flowers  and  plants. 

In  1840  Mr.  Goode  married  Miss  Ellen  Colpus, 
and  their  first  three  children  were  born  in  Eng- 
land. Soon  after  coming  to  Chicago  he  bought 
property  on  the  West  Side,  in  Carpenter's  Ad- 
dition, and  later,  bought  twelve  acres  in  North 
Chicago,  afterwards  Lake  View.  Here  he  raised 
vegetables  extensively  for  the  city  market,  and 
through  his  prudence  and  industry,  and  the  great 
growth  of  the  city,  became  wealthy.  He  sold 


G.  N.   POWELL. 


109 


some  of  his  land  to  a  railroad  company,  and  the 
remainder  mostly  in  lots.  He  retired  from  active 
business  about  ten  years  ago.  Mr.  Goode  is  an 
ardent  Republican,  but  has  never  been  willing  to 
accept  any  public  office  himself.  He  is  an  ad- 
herent of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Goode  has  been  married  twice.  By  his 
first  wife  he  had  six  children,  two  of  whom  died 
in  infancy.  Those  of  his  children  living  are: 
Edwin  Peto;  Jane,  wife  of  John  M.  Gibson;  La- 


vinia  and  Rowland  T.  The  mother  of  this  family 
died  about  1879.  In  1891  Mr.  Goode  married 
Miss  Margaret  M.  Gubbins,  a  native  of  the  city 
of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Goode  has  lived  many  years  in  his  present 
location,  and  has  many  friends.  He  is  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  highly  respected  citizens  of  this 
part  of  the  city,  where,  during  his  long  residence, 
he  has  proven  his  sterling  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart. 


GEORGE  N.  POWELL. 


0EORGE  NELSON  POWELL,  one  of  Chi- 

bcago's  pioneers,  came  to  the  West  in  1833. 
He  was  descended  from  English  and  Welsh 
ancestry,  and  his  lineage  has  been  traced  back  to 
Thomas  Powell,  who  was  born  in  August,  1641 
(probably  in  Wales),  and  died  at  Westbury, 
Long  Island,  December  28,  1721.  A  descendant 
of  his  in  the  fourth  generation,  Obadiah  Powell, 
was  the  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
Obadiah  Powell  died  in  Saratoga  County,  New 
York,  at  the  age  of  nearly  one  hundred  years. 
Some  time  previous  to  the  Revolutionary  War  he 
removed  thither  from  Dutchess  County,  in  the 
same  state,  with  his  wife  Betsy,  taking  all  their 
belongings  on  the  back  of  a  pony.  Like  his 
Quaker  ancestry,  he  was  opposed  to  war,  and 
was  much  censured  during  the  Revolutionary 
struggle  because  of  his  non-combatant  position, 
and  most  of  his  personal  property  was  confiscated. 
He  was  steadfast  in  his  convictions,  however,  and 
lived  to  be  one  of  the  leading  farmers  in  the  com- 
munity. At  the  age  of  ninety-eight  years  he 
husked  several  baskets  of  corn,  which  he  carried 
on  his  shoulder  to  the  loft  of  his  carriage-house. 


He  was  the  father  of  three  sons  and  eight  daugh- 
ters, all  of  whom  lived  to  extreme  old  age,  and 
his  house  was  the  favorite  gathering-place  of  his 
descendants.  His  son,  Frost  Powell,  lived  until 
1840  in  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  where  he 
married  Katharine  Nelson,  who  was  of  Dutch 
descent.  In  1840  he  removed  to  Waterford,  Ra- 
cine County,  Wisconsin,  where  he  died  a  few 
years  later. 

His  son,  George  N.  Powell,  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  was  born  August  13,  1807,  in  Dutchess 
County,  New  York.  He  received  the  best  edu- 
cation that  the  locality  afforded  at  that  time,  and 
early  in  life  became  a  general  contractor.  Being 
convinced  that  the  West  offered  great  business 
opportunities,  he  removed  in  1833  to  Chicago. 
Here  he  rented  a  tract  of  land  from  Archibald  Cly- 
bourn,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  gardening.  In 
1836  he  located  in  what  was  afterwards  known  as 
Jefferson  Township,  making  claim  to  the  north- 
east quarter  of  section  thirty- six,  which  he  pur- 
chased at  the  land  sale  of  1838.  He  at  once  com- 
menced the  improvement  of  a  farm  on  this  land, 
which  was  then  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  for  sev- 


no 


G.  N.   POWELL. 


eral  years  kept  a  public  house  for  the  entertain- 
ment of  travelers.  While  still  in  the  prime  of 
life,  and  apparently  having  many  years  of  active 
usefulness  before  him,  he  was  stricken  with 
cholera  and  died  August  18,  1850.  Besides  being 
a  careful  and  successful  business  man  he  was  ever 
active  as  a  citizen  and  took  a  great  interest  in  pub- 
lic affairs,  affiliating  in  politics  with  the  Dem- 
ocratic party. 

March  22,  1835,  Mr.  Powell  married  Miss  Ara- 
mesia  Harmon,  who  was  born  in  Montgomery 
County,  Virginia,  February  27,  1820.  Her  par- 
ents, Henry  Harmon  and  Mary  Ann  Horn- 
barger,  were  natives  of  that  state,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  Revolutionary  soldiers.  Henry  Harmon 
enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  but  peace 
was  declared  before  his  services  were  called  for. 
He  died  October  29,  1829,  and  his  widow  mar- 
ried Jacob  Miller.  In  1832  this  couple  came  to 
Chicago,  where  Mr.  Miller  worked  as  a  carpen- 
ter. In  1849  he  made  the  overland  journey  to 
California,  and  died  there  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 
His  widow  died  December  27,  1876,  in  Minne- 
sota. The  family  arrived  in  Chicago  at  the  time 
of  the  Black  Hawk  War,  and  took  refuge  in  Fort 
Dearborn.  The  daughter,  Aramesia,  was  but 
twelve  years  of  age  at  that  time,  and  received  her 
education  and  grew  to  womanhood  in  the  pioneer 
settlement.  She  has  been  an  observant  witness 
of  the  marvelous  growth  of  Chicago  from  a  mere 
hamlet  of  log  huts  to  the  second  city  in  the  land. 

George  N.  and  Aramesia  Powell  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  children,  the  first  of  whom,  George 
W.,  died  in  childhood.  John  Frost,  the  second, 
is  a  prominent  citizen  of  Waukegan,  Illinois, 
where  for  some  years  he  was  largely  engaged  in 
manufacturing.  He  is  especially  active  and  in- 
fluential in  the  municipal  affairs  of  that  city,  where 
he  served  many  years  as  alderman,  and  was 
Mayor  three  terms.  He  is  largely  interested  in 
Chicago  property.  William  H.,  the  third  son, 
was  a  dealer  in  real  estate  in  Chicago  from  1870 
until  his  death,  in  August,  1896.  He  married 
Elizabeth  J.  Ritchie,  who  bore  him  a  son,  George 
H.  Powell,  now  engaged  in  the  real-estate  bus- 
iness in  Chicago.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  J.  Powell  died 
in  1886. 


Daniel  N.  and  Mary  C.,  the  fourth  and  sixth, 
are  deceased.  A  sketch  of  the  fifth,  Perry  P., 
appears  below.  In  1862  Mrs.  Powell  married 
Theodore  Mismer,  a  native  of  Strasburg,  which 
was  at  the  time  of  his  birth,  in  France,  but  now 
belongs  to  Germany.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Clara,  now  the  wife  of  Fred  C.  Irwih,  of  Chicago. 

Perry  Polk  Powell,  the  youngest  son  of  George 
N.  and  Aramesia  Powell,  was  born  January  n, 
1845.  He  remained  at  home  assisting  in  the 
cultivation  of  the  farm  and  attending  the  district 
school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen 
years.  At  that  time  the  Civil  War  was  stirring 
the  martial  spirit  of  every  patriotic  American, 
and  young  Powell  was  no  exception  to  the  rule. 
Though  still  very  young,  he  enlisted,  July  6, 
1862,  in  Battery  A,  First  Illinois  Light  Artillery. 
In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  took  part  in  theVicks- 
burg  Campaign  under  General  Sherman,  and 
celebrated  his  eighteenth  birthday  by  participat- 
ing in  the  Battle  of  Arkansas  Post.  On  account 
of  sickness  he  was  discharged  August  7,  1863,  but 
on  his  recovery  re-enlisted  in  Battery  G  of  the 
First  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  and  was  discharged 
at  the  close  of  the  war  at  Memphis,  Tennessee. 

After  farming  for  one  year  in  Cook  County, 
Mr.  Powell  removed  to  Blairstown,  Iowa,  where 
he  carried  on  a  general  store  for  about  two  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Cook  County,  and  has  since 
followed  farming  and  gardening.  In  1870  he 
also  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business,  in  which 
he  has  been  very  successful.  He  has  given  his 
hearty  support  to  the  Republican  party  and  was 
a  member  of  the  first  board  of  trustees  of  Jeffer- 
son after  its  organization  as  a  village.  He  was 
initiated  into  Masonry  in  July,  1867,  in  Lincoln 
Lodge  No.  199,  at  Blairstown,  Iowa.  He  is  a 
member  of  Winfield  Chapter  No.  42,  Royal  Arch 
Masons,  and  is  Past  Commander  of  Winfield  Com- 
mandery  No.  15,  Knights  Templar,  both  of  Win- 
field,  Kansas.  He  is  also  a  member  of  Siberd 
Post  No.  58,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  De- 
partment of  Kansas.  Mr.  Powell  was  married 
January  10,  1872,  to  Miss  Mary  E.,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Christie  McGregor.  Three  children 
have  blessed  this  union,  named  in  order  of  birth, 
Maud,  Frank  and  Ethel. 


C.  B.  DUPEE. 


CHARLES  B.  DUPEE. 


EHARLES  BILLINGS  DUPEE.  Among 
the  business  men  who  helped  to  promote 
the  growth  of  Chicago,  both  materially  and 
morally,  the  subject  of  thirf  sketch  should  receive 
honorable  mention.  His  ancestors  were  the  de- 
voted French  Huguenots,  whose  love  of  liberty 
and  freedom  of  religious  thought  induced  them  to 
leave  old  France  and  settle  in  the  New  World. 
James,  grandfather  of  Charles  B.  Dupee,  was  born 
in  Walpole,  Massachusetts.  He  was  among  the 
most  progressive  of  the  citizens  of  the  old  Bay 
State.  (See  sketch  of  H.  M.  Dupee  for  com- 
plete genealogy. ) 

Their  son,  Cyrus  Dupee,  was  also  born  in  Wal- 
pole, and  learned  the  mercantile  business  in  Bos- 
ton. For  a  long  period  he  was  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  provision  trade  in  Brighton,  Massachu- 
setts. He  was  married  at  Brighton  (now  Alls- 
ton),  Massachusetts,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  English, 
of  that  place.  He  died  there  in  1841,  leaving 
eight  children.  Three  of  his  sons,  Charles  B., 
Cyrus  and  Horace  Dupee,  became  prominent  bus- 
iness men  of  Chicago,  where  the  last  two  are  still 
engaged  in  active  life.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling 
character,  devoted  to  his  family  and  diligent  in 
business.  The  family  has  for  many  generations 
been  noted  in  mercantile  business,  and  has  al- 
ways maintained  a  high  reputation  for  integrity. 

Charles  B.  Dupee  was  born  in  Brighton,  Mass- 
achusetts, May  12,  1823.  His  first  business  under- 
taking was  in  the  meat  and  ice  trade  at  Fitchburg, 
Massachusetts,  in  which  he  was  moderately  suc- 
cessful. In  1854  he  became  a  resident  of  Chicago, 
establishing  himself  here  in  June  of  that  year — 
his  family,  which  at  that  time  consisted  of  a  wife 


and  two  children,  following  in  September.  He 
continued  in  the  meat  business  in  Chicago,  and 
after  a  time  began  putting  up  hams  by  a  process 
of  his  own,  which  secured  for  him  an  excellent 
reputation  and  trade,  and  he  grew  prosperous  and 
extended  the  business  by  adding  the  wholesale 
provision  trade.  He  exercised  great  care  in  the 
preparation  of  his  goods,  which  he  insisted  on 
giving  his  personal  inspection,  and  the  result  was 
an  ever-increasing  trade  and  a  high  reputation 
for  his  wares,  which  continued  to  be  popular  on 
the  market  long  after  his  demise.  He  was  in- 
dustrious and  economical,  and  his  painstaking 
care  provided  him  a  handsome  competence.  For 
many  years  he  carried  on  a  large  trade  in  supplies 
for  the  United  States  Government. 

Among  his  brother  merchants,  Mr.  Dupee  was 
known  for  his  unswerving  fidelity  to  those  prin- 
ciples of  true  manhood  that  lift  a  man  high  above 
the  rank  of  ordinary  men  and  make  for  him  a 
name  in  commercial  centers  that  will  forever  be 
worthy  of  remembrance  and  emulation.  He  was 
a  shrewd,  far-seeing  business  man,  and  his  advice, 
often  sought  by  friends,  was  safe  and  reliable. 
For  about  twenty  years  he  was  a  resident  of 
Hyde  Park,  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  the  res- 
idents of  that  suburb  for  his  many  noble  qualities. 
He  was  identified  with  the  Republican  party,  but 
was  never  connected  with  any  office  or  political 
work,  and  was  in  every  way  a  model  citizen,  and, 
above  all,  an  honest  man — the  noblest  work  of 
God. 

After  retiring  from  business,  Mr.  Dupee  made 
good  investment  in  real  estate,  and  the  rapid  ap- 
preciation in  value  of  his  holdings  added  mate- 


112 


J.  A.  PEARSONS. 


rially  to  his  resources,  so  that  his  declining  years 
were  passed  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  competence 
which  his  long  years  of  industry  had  earned.  He 
passed  away  at  his  home  in  Chicago  August  12, 
1887,  and  his  last  words  were:  "I  have  been  an 
honest  man."  He  left  the  impress  of  his  strong 
character  upon  the  business  world  of  Chicago,  and 
a  good  name  that  will  be  ever  cherished  by  his 
family. 

On  the  yth  of  April,  1847,  at  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, Charles  B.  Dupee  was  married  to  Miss  Em- 
meline,  daughter  of  Seth  and  Louise  (Miles) 
Wellington,  old  and  respected  residents  of  Bos- 
ton. The  Wellingtons  were  among  the  noted  pio- 
neers of  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts. 
Mrs.  Dupee's  ancestor,  Roger  Wellington,  mar- 
ried Miss  Foster,  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Foster,  who 
was  the  first  settled  physician  in  Charlestown, 
Massachusetts.  The  Wellington  monument, 


standing  in  the  Watertown  (Massachusetts)  cem- 
etery, was  erected  over  two  hundred  years  ago. 
Three  children  came  to  bless  the  home  of  Charles 
B.  and  Mrs.  Dupee.  Their  names  are,  Charles 
Frederick,  Elizabeth  A.  and  Emma  M.  The  sec- 
ond is  now  deceased,  and  the  last  is  the  wife  of 
Reuben  D.  Coy,  of  Chicago.  Her  only  child  is 
a  daughter,  named  Margaret  Wellington  Coy. 
Charles  F.  Dupee  came  with  his  parents  to  Chi- 
cago in  1854.  His  father  admitted  him  to  part- 
nership in  his  growing  business  in  order  to  have 
his  aid  in  its  conduct.  Since  the  business  was 
closed  out  he  has  given  his  attention  to  the  care 
of  his  large  property  interests.  He  has  two 
children,  Elizabeth  S.  and  Charles  Edward  Du- 
pee. 

In  1890  Mrs.  Emmeline  Dupee  built  one  of  the 
handsomest  residences  in  Glencoe,  Illinois,  where 
her  family  now  resides. 


JOHN  A.  PEARSONS. 


(JOHN  ALONZO  PEARSONS,  an  early  set- 
I  tier  of  Evanston,  was  born  in  Bradford,  Ver- 
Q)  mont,  September  8,  1818.  He  is  a  son  of 
John  Pearsons  and  Hannah  Putnam,  natives,  re- 
spectively, of  Lyndeborough  and  Francestown, 
New  Hampshire.  John  Pearsons  was  a  promi- 
nent farmer  and  lumberman  of  Bradford,  where 
he  located  at  the  age  of  twelve  years.  For  some 
years  he  also  kept  a  hotel  there,  known  as  the 
Mann  House.  He  was  a  soldier  of  the  War  of 
1812,  serving  throughout  that  struggle.  His 
death  occurred  in  Bradford,  October  7,  1857,  at 


the  age  of  sixty-five  years.  His  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Kimball,  also  died 
there  at  an  extreme  old  age. 

Mrs.  Hannah  Pearsons  died  at  Holyoke,  Mass- 
achusetts, in  1888,  at  the  age  of  ninety-one 
years.  She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Putnam,  a 
Revolutionary  soldier,  and  a  relative  of  Gen. 
Israel  Putnam.  John  Putnam  served  seven  years 
in  the  Continental  army,  and  was  at  one  time  a 
member  of  General  Washington's  Life  Guard. 
He  afterward  became  an  Adjutant  of  Vermont 
militia,  and,  with  two  of  his  sons,  participated  in 


J.  A.  PEARSONS. 


the  War  of  1812.  In  later  life  he  was  a  car- 
penter and  bridge-builder  at  Bradford.  His  wife, 
Olive  Barren,  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three 
years. 

John  A.  Pearsons  spent  his  boyhood  in  Brad- 
ford, where  he  attended  the  district  school,  and, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  began  teaching,  a 
calling  which  he  continued  for  four  winters  at  and 
in  the  vicinity  of  Bradford.  He  helped  to  con- 
duct his  father's  hotel,  and  subsequently  carried 
on  the  same  business  at  White  River  Village  and 
Norwich,  Vermont.  The  latter  place  was  then 
the  seat  of  General  Ransom's  Military  School. 

In  September,  1852,  he  arrived  in  Chicago, 
where  he  was  employed  for  a  time  by  John  P. 
Chapin,  a  prominent  pioneer  of  Chicago.  In 
March,  1854,  he  located  at  Evanston,  being  in- 
duced to  settle  there  through  the  influence  of 
Dr.  Hinman.  Mr.  Pearsons  was  the  first  to  build 
a  house  on  the  university  lands,  the  location  be- 
ing identical  with  his  present  residence  on  Chi- 
cago Avenue.  Others  soon  followed  his  example, 
and  when  the  Chicago  &  Milwaukee  Railway 
reached  that  point  the  next  winter,  there  was  a 
rapid  influx  of  people.  Such  was  the  demand  for 
building  materials  and  other  merchandise,  that 
Mr.  Pearsons  found  it  advantageous  to  engage  in 
the  business  of  general  teaming.  For  eighteen 
years  he  operated  Pearsons'  Evanston  Express, 
employing  a  number  of  teams  and  wagons  on  the 
road  between  Chicago  and  Evanston,  and  the 
business  which  he  started  has  ever  since  been 
continued,  and  is  still  a  prosperous  enterprise. 
For  some  time  he  also  kept  a  livery  stable  at 
Evanston. 

In  1872  Mr.  Pearsons  sold  out  his  express  line, 
and  spent  the  following  winter  in  the  woods  of 
northern  Michigan  in  the  interest  of  his  brother, 
D.  K.  Pearsons,  the  well-known  lumberman  and 
philanthropist.  Becoming  interested  in  the  lum- 
bering industry,  and  finding  the  business  agree- 
able to  his  health,  which  had  become  considerably 
impaired,  he  spent  the  ensuing  twelve  years  in 
the  lumber  woods,  during  a  part  of  which  time 
he  operated  a  lumber-yard  in  Evanston.  In  1885 
he  disposed  of  his  lumber  interests,  since  which 
time  he  has  lived  in  practical  retirement.  He 


has  filled  nearly  every  office  in  the  township,  vil- 
lage, and  city  of  Evanston,  and  his  official  as  well 
as  business  obligations  have  always  been  dis- 
charged in  a  creditable  and  efficient  manner. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  October,  1842,  was 
celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Pearsons  and  Miss 
Hannah  Stevens  Bayley,  of  Newbury,  Vermont, 
a  daughter  of  Amhersf  Bayley  and  Melissa  Stev- 
ens, both  natives  of  Newbury.  Mrs.  Pearsons' 
paternal  grandfather  was  the  distinguished  Gen- 
eral Jacob  Bayley,  of  the  Continental  army.  Her 
maternal  grandfather,  Simeon  Stevens,  was  an 
extensive  farmer  and  highly  exemplary  citizen  of 
Newbury,  distinguished  also  for  his  musical  tal- 
ents, being  the  possessor  of  a  strong  and  very 
sweet  voice,  which  he  retained  even  in  old  age. 
He  survived  until  nearly  ninety  years  of  age. 

Mrs.  Pearsons  is  a  lady  of  many  graces  of  mind 
and  heart.  In  her  youth  she  won  considerable 
celebrity  as  a  participant  in  the  State  Musical 
Conventions  of  Vermont.  She  was  one  of  the 
prime  movers  in  organizing  the  Woman's  Ed- 
ucational Aid  Association,  which  was  formed 
in  1871,  and  has  been  an  officer  of  the  association 
from  its  inception,  and  for  eighteen  years  has 
served  as  its  President.  The  object  of  this 
society  is  to  assist  worthy  young  ladies  of  lim- 
ited means  in  obtaining  an  education.  The  Col- 
lege Cottage,  which  was  built  soon  after  the  or- 
ganization of  the  association,  has  been  several 
times  enlarged  and  improved,  and  now  accommo- 
dates about  fifty-five  students,  and  is  recognized 
as  a  worthy  adjunct  of  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity at  Evanston. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pearsons  are  the  parents  of  two 
children,  and  have  lost  two  by  death,  one  passing 
away  in  infancy.  The  eldest,  Henry  Alonzo,  is 
a  business  man  of  Chicago,  residing  in  Evanston. 
Isabella  is  the  wife  of  Wilbur  F.  Mappin,  of 
Bryn  Mawr,  Pennsylvania.  Helen,  who  was  the 
wife  of  Rev.  Harvey  R.  Calkins,  died  March  27, 
1892,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six  years.  Two 
grandchildren,  Harry  Putnam  Pearsons  and  Lil- 
ian Mappin,  make  glad  the  hearts  of  this  worthy 
couple. 

In  October,  1892,  the  golden  wedding  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pearsons  was  celebrated,  and  they  are 


R.  C.  HALLETT. 


still  in  the  enjoyment  of  excellent  health  and  that 
contentment  of  mind  which  is  "a  continual  feast, ' ' 
and  few  of  their  acquaintances,  and  none  among 
strangers,  can  readily  believe  the  number  of  their 
years  of  usefulness  already  spent.  They  are 
members  of  the  First  Methodist  Church  of  Evan- 
ston,  which  they  helped  to  organize  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1854,  at  which  time  the  society  comprised 
but  six  members.  Mr.  Pearsons  was  the  Chorister 
of  the  church  for  many  years,  and  is  one  of  the 
Trustees  of  the  Des  Plaines  Camp- Meeting  Asso- 
ciation. Mr.  Pearsons  cast  his  first  vote  for  Will- 
iam Henry  Harrison,  and  was  a  member  of 
a  military  band  which  furnished  music  for 


many  of  the  public  gatherings  of  the  famous  po- 
litical campaign  of  1840.  He  played  in  this  band 
for  ten  years.  Since  the  organization  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  he  has  been  an  adherent  of  its 
principles.  When  he  first  located  in  Evanston,  a 
large  portion  of  the  present  site  of  the  city  con- 
sisted of  a  marsh  covered  with  water,  and  none 
of  the  streets  had  been  improved.  He  has  wit- 
nessed the  material  development  of  the  town  until 
it  has  come  to  be  recognized  as  the  first  sub- 
urb of  Chicago,  and  has  simultaneously  watched 
its  intellectual  and  moral  growth,  in  the  promo- 
tion of  which  he  has  been  an  interested  factor. 


REUBEN  C    HALLETT. 


REUBEN  CROWELL  HALLETT,  grandson 
of  one  of  the  hardy  pioneers  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  and  son  of  James  Hallett,  of 
whom  extended  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  has  the  proud  distinction  of  being 
a  native  of  Illinois.  He  was  born  at  Mount  Car- 
roll, in  Carroll  County,  on  the  i5th  day  of  Octo- 
ber, 1857,  and  grew  up  in  his  native  village, 
where  he  received  his  primary  schooling.  He 
attended  Beloit  College,  Wisconsin,  and  finished 
his  education  at  the  Wesleyan  University,  Bloom- 
ington,  Illinois,  where  he  received  instruction  in 
the  law  department  from  Adlai  E.  Stevenson, 
Gen.  Ira  J.  Bloomfield,  John  M.  Hamilton,  and 
other  noted  attorneys  of  the  state. 

He  was  admitted  to  the  Bar  in  1880,  and  be- 
gan the  practice  of  law  at  Mount  Carroll,  but 
soon  turned  his  attention  to  other  and  more  con- 
genial pursuits.  He  became  the  owner  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Herald  at  Mount  Carroll,  which  he 
retained  about  a  year.  He  then  went  to  Rock- 
ford,  Illinois,  where  he  was  connected  with  the 


Rockford  Watch  Company  seven  years.  He  re- 
sided in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  for  a  year,  being  iden- 
tified with  the  Arctic  Ice  Machine  Manufacturing 
Company.  During  the  last  three  years  he  has 
been  the  western  representative  of  the  Hildreth 
Varnish  Company  of  New  York,  with  headquar- 
ters in  one  of  the  Grand  Pacific  offices,  on  Jack- 
son Street,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Hallett  possesses  a  keen  business  instinct, 
and  his  kind  and  genial  manners  and  knowledge 
of  human  nature  make  him  an  exceptionally  suc- 
cessful salesman.  His  dealings  are  largely  with 
railroad  companies,  and  cover  many  large  con- 
tracts. He  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  that 
pertains  to  the  general  welfare,  and  is  thoroughly 
posted  on  questions  that  engage  the  public  mind. 
He  was  the  independent  candidate  for  States  At- 
torney of  Carroll  County  in  1880,  but  usually  acts 
with  the  Republican  party.  He  was  made  a 
Master  Mason  at  Mount  Carroll,  and  is  now  en- 
tering upon  the  work  of  the  exalted  degrees. 


uv 


CTXA^vx — 


J.  D.  CATON. 


JOHN  D.  CATON. 


(JOHN  DEAN  CATON  was  born  in  Monroe, 
I  Orange  County,  New  York,  March  19,  1812. 
G)  He  is  the  fifteenth  of  the  sixteen  children  of 
Robert  Caton,  and  the  third  child  of  his  mother, 
Hannah  (Dean)  Caton,  who  was  the  third  wife  of 
Robert  Caton.  The  latter  was  born  March  22, 
1761,  on  a  plantation  owned  by  his  father  (Robert 
Caton)  in  Maryland.  He  joined  the  Continental 
Army  at  the  age  of  fourteen.  Though  very  young 
at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution,  he  gave  good 
service  to  his  native  land  in  that  struggle,  and 
after  the  triumph  of  colonial  arms,  settled  on  the 
Hudson  River,  in  New  York.  He  died  in  1815. 
Robert  Caton,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
biography,  was  born  in  England,  of  Irish  de- 
scent, and  served  in  the  English  army  before  set- 
tling in  Maryland.  He  was  a  prominent  citizen 
of  that  colony  long  before  the  Revolution,  and 
the  name  is  a  conspicuous  one  in  Maryland  soci- 
ety to-day.  Robert  Caton,  during  the  life  of  his 
second  wife,  joined  the  Society  of  Friends,  and 
became  a  preacher  in  that  denomination,  his  third 
wife  being  a  member  also.  His  four  children  by 
his  third  wife,  according  to  the  rules  of  that  de- 
nomination, became  birthright  members,  and  so 
has  the  subject  of  this  sketch  continued;  he  is 
now  a  member  of  the  society  in  good  standing. 

When  John  D.  Caton  was  four  years  old,  his 
widowed  mother  took  him  to  Oneida  County, 
New  York.  His  advantages  were  few,  but  he  re- 
ceived the  primary  training  of  a  common  school. 
At  the  age  of  nine  years,  he  was  set  to  work  with 
a  farmer,  at  two  and  one-half  dollars  per  month, 
and  brought  home  a  quarter  of  beef  as  the  fruit  of 
his  first  earnings.  Work  was  afforded  only  in  the 
summer,  and  his  winters  were  spent  in  school  un- 
til he  was  fourteen.  It  had  been  his  father's  wish 


that  he  should  be  equipped  for  life  with  a  trade, 
and  he  was  apprenticed.  A  weakness  of  the  eyes 
interfered  with  the  completion  of  his  time,  and  at 
sixteen,  he  joined  his  mother  at  Utica,  New  York, 
where  he  was  enabled  to  put  in  nine  months  at  the 
academy.  He  was  so  diligent  and  apt  that  he 
was  thus  equipped  for  earning  by  surveying  and 
teaching  school.  While  teaching,  he  pursued 
the  study  of  the  classics,  and  also  did  a  little  work 
in  the  law  by  practicing  in  justices'  courts.  He 
entered  the  office  of  Beardsley  &  Matteson,  at 
Utica,  as  a  student,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years. 
He  later  studied  with  James  H.  Collins,  who  af- 
terward became  a  leader  at  the  Chicago  Bar  and 
was  a  partner  in  practice  with  Mr.  Caton. 

Having  become  well  grounded  in  the  theory  of 
law,  and  having  attained  man's  estate,  he  resolved 
to  settle  in  the  new  West  and  establish  himself  in 
practice.  He  had  a  special  incentive  in  this  de- 
termination, in  the  fact  that  he  was  the  accepted 
lover  of  one  of  "York  State's"  fairest  daughters, 
and  was  anxious  to  secure  a  permanent  home. 
Having  reached  Buffalo  by  canal,  he  took  pas- 
sage on  the  steamer  "Sheldon Thompson,"  which 
brought  him  to  Detroit,  and  thence  he  took  stage 
to  Ann  Arbor,  still  undetermined  as  to  his  loca- 
tion. Still  pushing  westward,  he  rode  in  a  wagon 
to  White  Pigeon,  and  here,  by  pure  accident,  he 
fell  in  with  a  cousin,  whose  husband,  Irad  Hill, 
was  a  carpenter  and  was  employed  by  Dr.  John  T. 
Temple,  of  Chicago,  to  build  a  house  for  him 
there.  The  doctor  and  Mr.  Hill  were  then  in 
White  Pigeon  getting  lumber  for  this  purpose. 
Young  Caton  joined  the  rafting  party  which 
transported  the  lumber  down  the  St.  Joseph 
River,  and  took  passage  on  the  schooner  which 
conveyed  it  to  its  destination.  This  was  the 


n6 


J.  D.  CATON. 


"Ariadne,"  whose  cargo  of  lumber  and  immi- 
grants was  about  all  she  could  carry. 

He  soon  determined  to  locate  here,  and  in  a 
few  days  set  off  on  horseback  for  Pekin,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  away,  to  seek  admission  to 
the  Bar.  Here  he  met  Stephen  T.  Logan,  after- 
wards partner  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  other 
leading  attorneys  of  the  State.  After  court  ad- 
journed and  supper  had  been  taken,  the  young 
applicant  accompanied  Judge  Lockwood,  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  in  a  stroll  on  the  river  bank,  and 
after  being  plied  with  questions  on  the  theory  and 
practice  of  law,  was  addressed  in  these  words: 
"Well,  my  young  friend,  you've  got  a  good  deal 
to  learn  if  you  ever  expect  to  make  a  success  as  a 
lawyer,  but  if  you  study  hard  I  guess  you' 11  doit. 
I  shall  give  you  your  license."  It  took  but  nine 
years  for  the  new  licensee  to  attain  a  place  beside 
his  examiner  on  the  supreme  bench  of  the  State. 

Mr.  Caton's  first  case  was  in  the  first  lawsuit 
in  the  village  of  Chicago,  in  which  he  appeared 
as  prosecutor  of  a  culprit  accused  of  stealing  thir- 
ty-six dollars  from  a  fellow-lodger  at  the  tavern. 
When  the  defendant  was  brought  before  Squire 
Heacock,  Caton  insisted  that  he  be  searched,  and 
he  was  stripped  to  his  underclothing.  Before  he 
could  replace  his  apparel,  as  directed  by  the  court, 
the  prosecuting  attorney  discovered  a  suspicious 
lump  in  his  stocking.  Seizing  hold  of  this  lump, 
he  turned  down  the  stocking  and  disclosed  the 
missing  bills.  The  case  was  then  adjourned  till 
next  day,  and  a  Constable  watched  the  prisoner 
all  night,  having  confined  him  under  a  carpenter's 
bench.  Next  morning  when  he  was  arraigned, 
Spring  and  Hamilton  appeared  for  the  defence  and 
took  a  change  of  venue  to  Squire  Harmon,  who 
held  court  in  the  old  tannery,  on  the  North  Side 
near  the  river  forks.  The  whole  town  was  now 
agog  with  the  novel  spectacle  of  a  public  trial; 
and  Harmon,  in  order  to  give  all  a  chance  to  en- 
joy the  show,  adjourned  to  Wattle's  Tavern,  on 
the  West  Side,  where  the  case  came  off  with  much 
eclat;  all  the  young  attorneys  "spreading  them- 
selves" in  their  respective  speeches.  Judge  Caton 
remembers  that  he  dwelt  particularly  on  the  enor- 
mity of  the  act  of  this  serpent  who  had  brought 


crime  into  this  young  community  where  it  had 
been  unknown.  The  thief  was  held  for  trial,  but 
the  device  (then  new)  of  "straw  bail"  gave  him 
temporary  liberty,  which  he  made  permanent  by 
running  away  as  soon  as  the  money  was  recovered; 
and  as  the  public  had  had  the  fun  and  excitement 
of  a  '  'lawsuit' '  nobody  cared  much  what  became 
of  the  author  of  this  welcome  break  in  the  village 
monotony.  If  he  had  been  tried  and  convicted  it 
would  have  been  only  the  beginning  of  trouble, 
for  there  was  no  jail  wherein  to  keep  him.  Young 
Caton  got  ten  dollars  for  his  fee — the  first  money 
he  had  ever  earned  in  Illinois  by  his  profession — 
and  it  just  paid  the  arrears  of  his  board  bill. — 
(History  of  Chicago,  edited  by  Moses  and  Kirk- 
land.) 

Having  now  been  launched  in  practice,  Mr. 
Caton  rented  an  office  in  the  "Temple  Building," 
having  his  lodging  in  the  attic  of  the  same  struc- 
ture. To  "make  ends  meet,"  he  rented  desk 
room  in  his  office  to  his  contemporary,  Giles 
Spring. 

Justice  Caton  recalls  July  12,  1834,  an  era  in 
his  youthful  experience.  It  was  the  beginning  of 
his  judicial  career;  the  date  of  his  election  to  the 
office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  the  only  public  office 
he  ever  held  except  those  of  Alderman  of  the  city 
(1837-8)  and  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
State  (1843-64).  He  became  its  Chief  Justice  in 
1857.  The  election  of  1834  was  a  fierce  contest, 
"bringing  out  every  last  voter  in  the  precinct, 
from  Clybourne  to  Hardscrabble  and  beyond,  per- 
haps even  taking  in  the  Calumet  Crossing. ' '  The 
Government  piers  had  been  built  and  the  begin- 
ning of  a  channel  had  been  cut  across  the  imme- 
morial sandbar,  but  as  yet  it  had  never  been  used. 
On  this  memorable  day,  the  schooner  "Illinois" 
chanced  to  be  lying  at  anchor,  and  the  friends  of 
Caton  (George  W.  Dole  and  others),  to  the  num- 
ber of  a  hundred  or  more,  got  ropes  to  the  schooner 
and  dragged  her  by  main  force  through  the  un- 
finished dug-way.  Then  they  decked  her  with 
all  the  bunting  in  the  village,  and,  hoisting  sail, 
sped  triumphantly  up  the  stream  to  the  Forks — 
the  first  vessel  that  ever  penetrated  the  Chicago 
River.  And  when  the  votes  were  counted  the 


J.  D.  CATON. 


117 


tally  showed — John  Dean  Caton,  one  hundred  and 
eighty-two;  Josiah  C.  Goodhue,  forty-seven. 
(Story  of  Chicago,  130). 

An  incident  in  the  life  of  the  future  chief  jus- 
tice, which  saved  him  to  the  people  of  Illinois,  is 
elsewhere  related  in  the  biography  of  Col.  Julius 
Warren,  who  was  ever  gratefully  remembered  by 
Mr.  Caton  as  his  dearest  friend. 

In  the  spring  of  1835  Squire  Caton  felt  himself 
able  to  assume  the  cares  of  a  household,  and  he 
returned  to  New  York,  where  he  was  wedded  to 
Miss  l,aura  Adelaide,  daughter  of  Jacob  Sherrill, 
of  New  Hartford.  Their  wedding  tour  was  an 
ideal  one,  being  a  passage  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago 
on  the  brig  "Queen  Charlotte."  This  was  one 
of  the  vessels  captured  in  Put-in-Bay  and  sunk  in 
the  harbor  of  Erie  by  Commodore  Perry  in  1812. 
After  twenty  years,  it  had  been  raised  and  refitted, 
and  this  was  her  first  trip. 

In  1836  Mr.  Caton  built  the  first  dwelling  on 
the  '  'school  section, ' '  west  of  the  river.  This  was 
at  the  southwest  corner  of  Clinton  and  Harrison 
Streets,  and  at  that  time  it  was  so  far  from  other 
dwellings  that  it  was  called  the  "prairie  cottage." 
It  fell  before  the  great  holocaust  of  1871.  About 
the  same  time  that  he  built  this  house,  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  Norman  B.  Judd  (who 
drafted  the  first  charter  of  Chicago) .  The  finan- 
cial difficulties  of  1837  almost  crippled  the  ambi- 
tious young  lawyer,  and  to  increase  his  troubles, 
his  health  became  impaired  and  he  was  advised 
by  his  physician  to  return  to  fanning.  He  took  up 
a  tract  of  land  near  Plainfield,  which  he  still  owns, 
and  removed  his  family  thither  in  1839.  He  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  law,  and  the  records  show 
that  he  tried  the  first  jury  cases  in  Will  and  Kane 
Counties,  as  well  as  Cook. 

Mr.  Caton  was  appointed  an  associate  justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  in  1842,  and  his  united  terms 
of  service,  by  successive  elections,  amounted  to 
twenty-two  years.  During  the  latter  portion  of 
this  time  he  occupied  the  position  of  Chief  Justice. 
The  duties  of  his  high  office  were  completed  day 
by  day,  no  matter  how  much  of  the  night  they 
might  consume,  and  the  court  in  his  day  was  al- 
ways up  with  its  docket.  In  1864  he  left  the 
Bench,  and  has  since  given  his  time  to  travel, 


literary  labors  and  the  conduct  of  his  private  af- 
fairs. He  has  published  several  works,  among 
which  are  "The  Antelope  and  Deer  of  America," 
"A  Summer  in  Norway,"  "Miscellanies"  and 
"Early  Bench  and  Bar  of  Illinois." 

Before  1850  Justice  Caton  became  interested  in 
the  electric  telegraph.  This  was  before  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Western  Union,  and  he  set  to  work 
to  re-organize  and  set  in  order  the  dilapidated  and 
scattered  lines.  They  had  hitherto  occupied  the 
wagon  roads,  and  he  secured  the  adoption  of  a 
system  by  the  railways,  where  it  was  soon  found 
to  be  an  absolute  necessity.  When  the  Western 
Union  took  hold  of  the  business,  Judge  Caton  and 
his  fellow-stockholders  were  enabled  to  make  most 
advantageous  terms  for  the  disposition  of  their 
interests. 

Death  first  invaded  the  home  of  Judge  Caton  in 
1891,  when  a  daughter,  her  mother's  namesake, 
was  taken  away,  and  in  1892,  Mrs.  Caton  went 
before.  For  fifty-seven  years,  this  happily-as- 
sorted couple  had  traveled  together  the  journey 
or  life,  and  they  were,  no  doubt,  the  oldest  sur- 
viving couple  in  Chicago  at  the  time  of  Mrs.  Ca- 
ton's  demise.  During  her  last  illness  Judge  Caton 
remarked  to  his  family  physician  that  they  had 
lived  together  for  more  than  fifty-seven  years 
without  a  cross  or  unkind  word  ever  passing  be- 
tween them.  Two  children  survived  her,  namely: 
Arthur  J.  Caton,  a  Chicago  business  man,  who 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  Caroline,  now  the 
wife  of  the  distinguished  attorney,  Norman  Wil- 
liams. 

In  August,  1893,  Judge  Caton  suffered  a  slight 
stroke  of  paralysis.  Before  this  affliction,  advanc- 
ing years  had  brought  on  the  old  trouble  with  his 
eyes,  which  had,  happily  for  his  future  career, 
turned  his  attention  from  a  trade,  but  up  to  the 
beginning  of  1893,  he  was  able  to  read  a  little  with 
the  aid  of  strong  glasses.  By  the  aid  of  a  reading- 
secretary,  he  keeps  up  an  acquaintance  with 
literature  and  current  events.  Even  the  added 
trial  of  decay  in  his  powers  of  locomotion  did 
not  make  him  despair  or  become  morose.  To 
a  close  friend  he  said:  "I  do  not  repine.  I  do 
not  lament  the  advance  of  age  and  the  loss  of  fac- 
ulties; not  one  bit.  I  enjoy  my  life,  and  thank- 


u8 


T.  H.  WEBSTER. 


fully  recognize  the  numberless  compensations  and 
alleviations  that  are  mercifully  left  me.  No;  I 
am  well  content." 

He  still  survives  at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  and 


it  is  a  little  remarkable  that  the  first  lawyer  in 
Chicago  to  bring  a  case  in  a  court  of  record  is 
still  with  us,  with  intellect  unimpaired,  when  the 
bar  numbers  more  than  three  thousand. 


THOMAS  H.  WEBSTER. 


'HOMAS  HOLMES  WEBSTER.  Among 
the  many  fire-insurance  agents  with  which 
La  Salle  Street  abounds,  there  is,  perhaps, 
no  other  man  whose  reputation  for  safe  and  con- 
servative business  methods  has  been  more  con- 
sistently sustained  than  he  whose  name  heads 
this  notice.  His  entire  business  training  and 
experience  have  been  acquired  in  this  city,  and, 
while  the  opportunities  for  speculation  have  been 
abundant,  and  the  chances  for  unusual  profit  have 
seemed  quite  as  alluring  to  him  as  to  others,  he 
has  conscientiously  avoided  all  participation  in 
that  hazardous  and  demoralizing  field,  confining 
his  attention  to  the  regular  channels  of  business, 
and  thereby  maintaining  his  business  credit  and 
securing  the  confidence  and  good- will  of  his  asso- 
ciates. 

Mr.  Webster  was  born  in  Leeds,  England,  on 
the  2gth  of  October,  1 846.  His  parents,  John  and 
Mary  (Holmes)  Webster,  were  natives  of  York- 
shire. John  Webster  was  employed  for  some  years 
in  the  cloth-mills  at  Leeds,  but  being  desirous  of 
procuring  better  opportunities  for  his  growing 
family,  in  1853  he  came  to  America.  He  located 
in  Chicago  and  secured  employment  with  the  Chi- 
cago Gas  Light  and  Coke  Company,  whose  inter- 
ests he  continued  to  serve  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  in  1866,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years. 
He  began  as  a  laborer,  but  with  such  faithful- 
ness and  ability  did  he  serve  the  interests  of  the 
company  that  he  was  soon  promoted  to  a  more  re- 
munerative occupation,  and  at  the  time  of  his  de- 
mise was  the  assistant  Secretary  of  the  company. 


His  wife  survived  him  but  two  years,  passing 
away  at  the  age  of  forty-four.  They  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago, 
and  had  formerly  been  connected  with  the  Taber- 
nacle Baptist  Church. 

Thomas  H.  Webster,  with  his  mother  and  the 
balance  of  the  family,  joined  his  father  in  Chica- 
go in  1855.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  thirteen 
children,  of  whom  but  two  others  now  survive. 
Their  names  are  Sarah  H.,  Mrs.  W.  C.  Corlies; 
and  Louisa  L-,  Mrs.  R.  M.  Johnson,  all  of  Chi- 
cago. Thomas  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  this  city,  and  upon  the  death  of  his  father  as- 
sumed the  care  of  the  family,  supplying  to  its 
members,  as  far  as  possible,  the  place  of  the  de- 
ceased parent.  His  first  employment  was  in  the 
capacity  of  a  clerk  in  a  dry -goods  store,  where  he 
continued  for  about  one  year.  Since  the  ist  of 
August,  1863,  he  has  been  consecutively  connect- 
ed with  the  business  of  fire  underwriting.  He  be- 
gan as  office  boy  for  the  Chicago  Firemen's  In- 
surance Company,  but  was  soon  appointed  to  a 
clerkship,  and  about  1865  bcame  the  cashier  of 
the  company.  This  position  he  filled  until  the 
concern  was  annihilated  by  the  great  fire  of  1871. 
After  that  disaster,  the  affairs  of  the  corporation 
were  placed  in  the  hands  of  Hon.  O.  H.  Horton, 
as  assignee,  and  this  gentleman  secured  the  serv- 
ices of  Mr.  Webster  as  his  assistant,  his  familiar- 
ity with  the  affairs  of  the  concern  being  of  great 
value  in  closing  up  its  business. 

Mr.  Webster  was  afterwards  successively  con- 
nected with  the  firms  of  Walker  &  Lowell,   and 


W.  C.  GOUDY. 


119 


the  Globe  Insurance  Company,  continuing  with 
the  latter  concern  until  it  went  out  of  business  in 
1876.  He  then  became  a  clerk  for  S.  M.  Moore, 
with  whom  he  soon  after  entered  into  partnership, 
under  the  firm  name  of  S.  M.  Moore  &  Com- 
pany. Upon  the  retirement  of  the  senior  member 
in  1886,  this  firm  was  succeeded  by  that  of  Web- 
iter  &  Wiley,  Mr.  E.  N.  Wiley  becoming  the  jun- 
ior partner.  In  1889  the  latter  firm  was  consol- 
idated with  that  of  H.  de  Roode  &  Company, 
under  the  name  of  Webster,  Wiley  &  de  Roode. 
On  the  first  of  November,  1894,  Mr.  de  Roode  re- 
tired from  the  firm,  since  which  time  the  business 
has  been  conducted  under  the  name  of  Webster, 
Wiley  &  Company,  Mr.  C.  P.  Jennings  having 
become  a  third  partner  on  January  i,  1895. 

Mr.  Webster  was  married,  September  13,  1881, 
to  Miss  Anna  Martindale,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
a  daughter  of  Rev.  Theodore  D.  Martindale,  a 


Methodist  clergyman  of  that  state.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Webster  are  the  parents  of  two  sons,  Frank  M. 
and  Ralph  N.  Mr.  Webster  is  identified  with  the 
Union  League,  Sunset  and  Metropolitan  Clubs, 
and  Lexington  Council  of  the  National  Union. 
He  is  not  an  active  participant  in  political  strife, 
but  has  all  his  life  been  a  supporter  of  Republican 
.principles. 

Having  been  the  head  of  a  family  from  the  age 
of  twenty  years,  he  has  had  few  opportunities  for 
recreation,  and  finds  his  greatest  pleasure  in  the 
midst  of  the  home  circle.  His  business  opera- 
tions have  been  confined  to  the  realm  of  fire  un- 
derwriting, and  while  others  have  in  some  in- 
stances accumulated  more  wealth  than  he,  the 
substantial  friendship  and  esteem  of  his  colleagues 
are  his,  and  his  record  is  one  which  causes  no  re- 
grets. 


WILLIAM  C    GOUDY. 


G>G)ILLIAM  CHARLES  GOUDY.  To  be  a 
\  A  I  leader  in  any  profession  in  a  city  the  size  of 
Y  V  Chicago,  means  to  be  the  possessor  of  large 
intellect,  of  close  application  and  happy  fortune; 
to  be  in  the  front  rank  of  contemporary  lawyers 
in  a  metropolis  whose  courts  decide  as  many 
cases  as  the  combined  judiciary  of  all  Great 
Britain,  is  a  mark  of  pre-eminence  indeed.  Such 
pre-eminent  distinction  has  been  already  noted 
by  the  Muse  of  History  in  her  vast  temple  of 
fame,  where,  chiseled  in  conspicuous  recent 
strength,  we  read  the  sterling  name  of  William 
Charles  Goudy. 

Mr.  Goudy  was  born  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio 
(but  "across  the  line"  in  Indiana),  on  the  isth 
day  of  May,  1824,  unto  Robert  and  Jane  ( Ainslie) 
Goudy.  His  father  was  a  native  of  North  Ire- 
land and  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  of  that  virile 


blood  which  has  already  played  so  thrilling  a 
part  in  American  history  on  sea  and  land.  The 
name  is  spelled  Goudie  in  Scotland,  where  the 
poet  Burns  immortalized  it  in  song  in  that  stanza 
of  a  poem  wherein  occurs  the  line,  "Goudie,  ter- 
ror of  the  Whigs!"  The  family  continues  to  hew 
true  to  the  block,  for  who  ever  heard  of  any 
Goudy  who  was  anything  but  a  Democrat  in 
the  United  States?  His  mother,  who  was  of 
English  birth,  was  residing  in  Pennsylvania  when 
taken  to  wife  by  Mr.  Goudy 's  father. 

Robert  Goudy  was  a  carpenter  in  early  life,  later 
changing,  as  do  so  many  of  our  citizens,  his  calling 
to  printing,  in  which  craft  he  was  busied  for  some 
years  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  But  when 
the  future  Judge  Goudy  was  a  boy  of  ten  years, 
his  father  moved  to  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  a  most 
fortunate  field,  as  afterwards  developed,  for  all  the 


120 


W.  C.  GOUDY. 


family.  Here,  in  1833,  he  began  the  publication 
of  Gaudy's  Farmers'  Almanac,  the  first  annual 
of  its  kind  to  be  printed  in  the  Northwest,  which, 
filling  a  greatly  felt  need,  grew  speedily  into  the 
deserved  prominence  it  maintained  for  the  many 
years  during  which  it  was  a  household  word. 
Later,  he  embarked  in  a  newspaper  of  fair  pro- 
portions for  that  era;  in  which  connection  let  it 
not  be  overlooked  that  it  was  the  first  press  to 
call  pointed  attention  to  that  rising  young  star, 
Stephen  A.  Douglas.  The  son  also  did  his  share 
of  battling  for  this  candidate  during  that  heated 
campaign  when  Douglas  defeated  Lincoln  in  the 
memorable  congressional  contest. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  graduated  at  the 
Illinois  College  of  Jacksonville  in  1845,  an  alma 
mater  made  proud  time  and  again  by  the  grand 
deeds  of  her  hero  pupil,  whom  she  has  twice  hon- 
ored with  her  post-graduate  degrees,  namely, 
Master  of  Arts  and  Doctor  of  Laws.  Suffice  to 
say,  that  none  of  her  myriad  graduates  ever  won 
such  special  favor  more  fairly  than  he  of  whom 
we  are  writing. 

While  reading  law  thereafter,  Mr.  Goudy 
taught  school  in  Decatur.  Later  he  went  for  a 
time  into  the  office  of  Stephen  A.  Logan,  partner 
of  Lincoln.  In  1847  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar 
at  Lewistown,  Illinois,  entering  directly  into 
partnership  with  Hon.  Hezekiah  M.  Weed,  of 
that  place,  where  he  rapidly  rose  in  public  notice 
and  favor.  Taking  an  active  part  in  politics,  he 
was  partially  rewarded  in  1852  by  being  elected 
States  Attorney  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  Circuit, 
which  position  of  trust  he  resigned  in  1856;  and 
from  1857  to  1861  was  twice  returned  as  State  Sen- 
ator for  the  Fulton-McDonough  district.  In  1859 
fame  and  rapidly  growing  practice  invited  him 
to  Chicago,  the  great  Western  center,  which,  like 
Athens  of  old,  calls  annually  for  its  tribute  of 
talent  and  oratory  from  its  outlying  territory. 
For  about  the  next  thirty-five  years  his  reputa- 
tion and  his  wealth  grew  with  amazing  rapidity, 
until  none  throughout  the  entire  Mississippi  Val- 
ley was  better  or  more  favorably  known  in  his 
profession  than  Judge  Goudy.  His  learned  skill 
was  demonstrated  in  the  higher  courts  all  over 
this  western  county,  from  which,  in  frequent 


triumphs,  he  went  to  more  honorable  laurels 
achieved  before  that  tribunal  of  dernier  resort,  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  His  specialty 
was  the  law  of  real  property,  in  which  branch 
of  learning  he  was  recognized  as  a  leader  all  over 
the  vast  domain  his  talents  dominated;  indeed, 
there  have  been  expressed  on  more  than  one  oc- 
casion sincere  regrets  that  Judge  Goudy  left  no 
published  work  upon  this  broad  field  of  judicature, 
of  especial  application  in  the  newer  West,  for 
the  guidance  of  future  brothers.  It  would  indeed 
have  been  the  labor  of  a  legal  giant,  gigantically 
performed.  During  all  this  later  period,  not  a 
volume  of  Illinois  Reports,  and  they  number  into 
the  hundreds,  but  bears  his  name  as  attorney  or 
counsel  in  cases  of  gravest  import  and  represent- 
ing questions  and  corporations  of  greatest  magni- 
tude. 

As  illustrating  the  thoroughness  with  which 
he  worked  and  the  minuteness  of  inquiry  and 
research  to  which  he  would  voluntarily  go,  rather 
than  admit  he  was  beaten  or  acknowledge  there 
was  no  redress  (in  his  opinion)  for  his  client, 
we  must  digress  sufficiently  to  call  attention  to 
that  case  (the  Kingsbury-Buckner),  perhaps 
most  famous  of  all  his  many  noted  cases,  which 
involved  the  question  of  the  fee  of  that  splendid 
piece  of  central  real  estate  upon  which  now  stands 
the  Ashland  Building,  the  great  law  office  re- 
sort ,  corner  of  Randolph  and  Clark  Streets,  in 
our  city.  This  case  long  looked  hopeless  for  the 
party  in  whose  interests  Judge  Goudy  had  been 
retained.  Conviction  of  the  fact  that  the  grantee, 
who  seemed  to  own  the  fee,  was  really  a  holder 
for  cestuis  qui  trust  was  sincerely  entertained,  but 
in  support  of  such  hypothesis  not  a  scintilla  of 
evidence  seemed  possible  to  be  introduced.  Early 
and  late,  far  and  near,  in  and  out  of  season,  our 
lawyer  toiled  to  find  some  slight  link,  so  vital  to 
support  such  a  much-sought  chain  of  title.  In 
short,  almost  at  a  standstill,  sufficient  proof  was 
at  last  unearthed  from  a  letter  written  as  casual 
correspondance  to  a  relative  of  the  writer  in  the 
Down  East.  This  became  the  turning-point  of 
the  case.  For  his  services  the  Judge  is  said  to 
have  been  paid  the  largest  fee  known  in  the 
West.  How  many  thousands  is  not  known,  but 


W.  C.  GOUDY. 


121 


surely  it  was  earned  in  such  a  manner  as  to  be 
gladly  paid  by  a  client  who  would  have  lived  and 
died  in  ignorant  non-assertion  of  rights,  but  for 
the  untiring  researches  of  his  lawyer.  Let  every 
young  attorney  ponder  well  the  significance  of 
the  story;  just  such  opportunities  time  and  again 
have  made  in  an  instant  the  name  and  fame 
rf  the  energetic  hero.  The  ability  to  win  cases 
is  the  crucial  test  of  lawyers;  and  a  still  greater 
test  is  the  ability  to  effect  a  desirable  compromise, 
as  the  subject  of  this  sketch  often  did;  for  exam- 
ple, in  the  notable  Wilbur  F.  Storey  will  case. 

During  the  later  years  of  his  exceedingly  active 
career,  the  firm  of  which  he  was  senior  member 
was  styled  Goudy,  Green  &  Goudy,  and  for 
a  considerable  period  prior  to  his  demise  he  was 
chief  counsel  for  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway,  in  which  position  he  had  the  excep- 
tional fortune  of  holding  his  former  private 
clientage.  It  is  worth  recording  that  the  reasons 
for  his  being  retained  by  that  railway  were 
found  in  numerous  suits  brought  against  it  by 
Mr.  Goudy  for  clients,  who  usually  won. 

Mr.  Goudy  married,  August  22,  1849,  a  most 
estimable  and  cultured  lady,  Miss  Helen  Judd, 
of  Canton,  Illinois,  a  daughter  of  Solomon  Judd, 
quite  a  distinguished  Abolitionist.  His  father  was 
Solomon  Judd,  Sr.,  of  Westhampton,  Massachu- 
setts, coming  of  excellent  ancestry,  tracing  back 
to  the  pride  of  all  Yankees,  the  "Mayflower"  of 
1620.  Mrs.  Goudy's  mother  was  Eleanor  Clark, 
born  of  an  old  Northampton,  Massachusetts, 
family. 

Two  children  cheered  their  most  happy  wedded 
life.  Clara  Goudy  (an  adopted  daughter),  born 
in  October,  1857,  married,  in  1887,  Ira  J.  Geer, 
of  this  city,  a  practicing  lawyer  of  superior 
repute,  by  whom  she  has  one  child,  William 
Jewett  Geer.  Judge  Goudy  left  an  only  son, 
William  Judd  Goudy,  who  was  born  in  1864, 
for  an  extended  sketch  of  whom  vide  other  pages 
herein. 

Mrs.  Goudy  was  born  on  the  2ist  of  November, 
1821,  at  Otisco,  Onondaga  County,  New  York, 
was  educated  at  the  Aurora  Academy  of  that 
State,  after  which  she  taught  school  for  about 
nine  years.  She  then  removed  to  Canton,  Illinois, 


where  she  had  been  teaching  her  own  private 
school  for  young  ladies  about  two  years  at  the 
time  Judge  Goudy  won  her  undying  affections. 
She  survives  her  deeply  mourned  husband,  and, 
while  not  in  perfect  health,  yet  for  her  mature 
age  well  preserved;  and  it  is  the  earnest  wish 
of  all  her  myriad  friends  and  recipients  of  generous 
benefactions  that  she  may  long  continue  in  a 
sphere  of  wisely  contented  usefulness.  She  is 
unostentatiously  conspicuous  for  her  many  works 
of  charity,  formal  recognition  of  which  was  made 
some  years  since  in  her  elevation  to  the  position 
of  President  of  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  Half 
Orphan  Asylum.  Truly  may  it  be  said  in  sim- 
ple, modest  truth,  her  life  has  been  a  model  for 
imitation. 

The  old  Goudy  homestead,  one  of  the  choicest, 
most  elegant  of  its  time,  was  located  in  what  has 
since  become  a  very  public  neighborhood,  about 
No.  1 140  North  Clark  Street.  In  the  early  days 
it  stood  in  a  magnificient  grove  of  trees  some 
acres  in  extent,  whose  retirement  received  a  con- 
tinual benediction  from  the  murmurs  of  the  lake 
near  at  hand.  Later  operations  have  subdivided 
and  covered  with  many  dwellings  this  lovely 
property.  "And  the  place  thereof  shall  know  it 
no  more. ' '  Anticipating  growing  encroachment 
upon  that  privacy  in  which  Mr.  Goudy  so  much 
delighted,  he  finally  built  a  solid,  ornate  mansion 
of  gray  granite  at  No.  240  Goethe  Street,  than 
which  none  of  our  citizens  can  boast  of  a  more 
complete  or  elegant  home.  In  full  view  of  the  lake 
(but  a  block  distant),  contiguous  to  a  beautiful 
private  park,  within  easy  access  of  business 
haunts,  and  yet  enjoying  the  stillness  of  a  veritable 
country  seat,  Judge  Goudy  with  his  wife  there 
found  the  oasis  of  existence,  his  seat  of  recupera- 
tive rest,  his  scene  of  domestic  bliss,  for  he  was 
emphatically,  notwithstanding  the  grandeur  and 
publicity  which  cast  a  halo  about  his  character, 
a  domestic  man.  Though  a  valued  member  of 
the  Union  and  Iroquois  Clubs,  he  was  not  an 
habitue  of  their  inviting  halls,  save  on  rare  special 
occasions. 

In  politics,  like  all  his  lineage,  he  was  a  sturdy 
Democrat;  not  particularly  aggressive,  but  full  of 
wise  counsels  and  dictator  of  winning  courses  to 


122 


H.  F.  FRINK. 


be  pursued  in  accomplishing  certain  political 
ends.  His  first  vote  was  cast  for  Lewis  Cass  in 
1848;  he  had  much  to  do  with  the  nomination  of 
President  Cleveland  to  his  last  term  of  office;  and 
might  have  passed  away  in  occupation  of  the 
most  dignified  seat  of  judicial  honor  within  the 
gift  of  our  country,  i.  e.,  the  Supreme  Bench  of 
the  United  States,  had  not  his  ever  honorable 
principles  decided  him  to  withdraw  in  favor  of 
his  old  friend,  the  present  Chief  Justice,  M.  W. 
Fuller.  He  was  at  one  time  President  of  the 
Lincoln  Park  Board  of  Commissioners,  as  he  had 
been  among  those  most  actively  valuable  in  lay- 
ing out  the  bounds  and  bringing  into  being  that 
most  beautiful  of  all  our  resorts. 

Judge  Goudy  was  a  "gentleman  of  the  old 
school, ' '  always  courteous  and  scrupulously  hon- 
orable; the  possessor  of  a  frankly-bright,  prepos- 
sessing face,  brimful  of  character.  A  very  broad 
forehead  surmounted  features  all  finely  chiseled; 
his  figure  was  but  of  medium  height  and  physical 
weight,  but  capable  of  expressing  great  dignity 
upon  occasion.  Though  rather  sickly  in  youth, 
by  abstemious  habits  he  had  grown  for  many 
years  to  be  quite  robust,  in  which  condition  he 
was  maintained  by  studious  attention  to  all  his 


habits,  save  that  of  work.  In  this,  he  reminds 
one  strongly  of  the  great  Caesar,  who,  sickly  in 
youth,  by  careful  regimen  grew  to  endure  in- 
credible labors.  Indeed,  it  was  from  over  appli- 
cation, following  too  speedily  a  season  of  malady, 
that  Judge  Goudy  met  his  end  April  27,  1893; 
which  found  him  suddenly,  like  the  lightning 
flash,  seated  in  his  chair  by  the  office  desk,  whither 
he  had  injudiciously  repaired  upon  important 
business.  His  tough,  perennial  thread  of  life, 
which  had  been  vexed  and  tugged  at  time  and 
again  by  his  response  to  urgent  demands,  was 
strained  beyond  endurance;  it  snapped,  and  the 
heroic  melody  of  a  noble  life  became  forever  in- 
stantly silent.  He  was  buried  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Fourth  Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  he 
had  always  had  a  vital  interest,  and  now  sleeps  the 
peaceful  sleep  of  the  just  in  the  family  lot  at  Grace- 
land  Cemetery,  which  spot  will  long  continue  to  be 
marked  by  the  dignified  memorial  now  rising 
over  his  remains. 

He  left  a  supremely  honorable  name.  Out  of  the 
many  illustrious  heroes  found  herein,  none  need 
doubt  that  the  memory  of  the  greatest  will  not 
survive  that  of  Hon.  William  Charles  Goudy. 


HENRY  F.  FRINK. 


HENRY  FARNSWORTH  FRINK,  whose 
business  and  social  relations  cause  him  to  be 
well  known  in  Cook  Count}',  enjoys  the  dis- 
tinction of  being  a  native  of  Chicago,  and  repre- 
sents one  of  its  most  esteemed  pioneer  families. 
The  house  in  which  he  was  born  stood  at  the 
corner  of  Wabash  Avenue  and  Randolph  Street, 
and  the  date  of  his  advent  was  April  17,  1848. 
His  parents  were  John  and  Harriet  Frink,  an  ap- 
propriate notice  of  whom  is  given  elsewhere  in 
this  book. 

Henry  F.  Frink  was  afforded  excellent  educa- 


tional advantages,  and  at  twenty  years  of  age 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
from  the  Chicago  University.  It  is  needless  to 
add  that  his  subsequent  career  has  been  such  as 
to  reflect  credit  upon  his  Alma  Mater.  He  began 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Sleeper,  Whiton 
&  Durham,  and  in  1872  was  admitted  to  practice 
by  a  committee  composed  of  members  of  the  Bar 
appointed  for  the  purpose  of  examining  candi- 
dates. Since  that  date  he  has  been  continuously 
engaged  in  practice,  making  a  specialty  of  real- 
estate  law  and  the  examination  of  abstracts.  His 


J.  M.  ADSIT. 


123 


ample  experience  and  accurate  knowledge  of 
these  subjects  are  of  great  value  to  himself  and 
his  clients,  and  cause  his  opinions  to  be  received 
with  respectful  attention  by  attorneys  and  officials 
generally.  He  deals  in  city  and  suburban  realty 
to  a  considerable  extent,  and  by  the  exercise  of 
foresight  and  discrimination  in  these  operations 
has  accumulated  a  competence,  which  he  endeav- 
ors to  invest  in  such  a  manner  as  to  promote  the 
commercial  interests  of  the  community.  In  1891 
he  organized  the  Austin  State  Bank,  of  which  he 
has  ever  since  been  the  President,  giving  consid- 
erable of  his  time  and  attention  to  its  affairs.  His 
business  of  all  kinds  has  been  conducted  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  secure  the  best  results  to  his  col- 
leagues and  at  the  same  time  to  inspire  the  confi- 
dence of  the  public  in  his  judgment  and  integrity. 
On  the  i4th  of  April,  1886,  occurred  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  Frink  and  Miss  Louise  Creote,  a 
most  estimable  lady  and  a  daughter  of  Joseph 
Creote,  an  early  pioneer  of  Chicago. '  A  daugh- 
ter, Mildred,  helps  to  brighten  the  home  circle  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frink.  The  former  of  this  couple 


adheres  to  the  Episcopal  faith,  in  the  tenets  of 
which  he  was  instructed  in  youth,  while  his  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church  at  Austin, 
where  the  family  resides. 

Socially,  Mr.  Frink  is  identified  with  the  Royal 
League  and  Athletic  Clubs.  While  never  an  act- 
ive politician,  he  is  not  unmindful  of  the  duties 
of  citizenship,  and  usually  casts  his  ballot  in  sup- 
port of  Republican  principles. 

Previous  to  the  great  Chicago  fire  he  occupied 
an  office  with  W.  D.  Kerfoot  at  No.  95  Washing- 
ton Street,  and  for  a  time  subsequent  to  that  dis- 
aster he  shared  with  that  gentleman  the  historic 
cabin  in  the  street,  which  served  them  as  a  shel- 
ter pending  the  rescue  of  their  safe  from  the  em- 
bers and  the  erection  of  their  new  building.  He 
did  duty  as  a  member  of  the  citizens'  patrol  guard 
immediately  after  the  great  fire,  a  temporary  ar- 
rangement for  the  protection  of  homes  and  prop- 
erty, which  was  instrumental  in  preventing  a 
great  deal  of  the  pillage  and  plundering  to  which 
the  city  was  exposed  until  the  police  force  could 
be  re-organized. 


JAMES  M.  ADSIT. 


CJ AMES  M.  ADSIT.  To  have  been  among 
I  the  first  in  Chicago  to  engage  in  any  honor- 
(~)  able  calling  is  quite  sufficient  to  make  such 
a  one  a  local  historical  personage  for  all  time  to 
come,  and  so  the  career  of  James  M.  Adsit  is 
filled  with  unusual  interest,  because  of  the  con- 
spicuous fact  that,  apart  from  his  being  an  excep- 
tional character,  he  was  among  the  first  bankers 
to  enter  upon  a  career  of  finance  within  the  pres- 
ent limits  of  Cook  County. 

Mr.  Adsit  was  born  February  5,  1809,  in 
Spencertown,  Columbia  County,  New  York,  unto 
Leonard  and  Frances  Adsit  (nee  Davenport). 
His  father  dying  when  the  son  was  but  six  years 
of  age,  he  went  to  live  and  remain  with  his 
grandfather  Adsit,  and  after  finishing  the  com- 


mon-school education  customary  for  those  early 
days,  went  for  a  time  into  employment  in  his 
uncle  Ira  Davenport's  store. 

On  April  2,  1838,  he  arrived  in  Chicago, 
then  a  city  of  but  a  single  year's  standing,  con- 
sisting of  only  a  few  streets  stragglingly  built  up; 
and,  as  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers,  founded  a 
private  bank  at  Number  37  Clark  Street  in  1850, 
having  up  to  that  time,  from  the  date  of  his  arri- 
val, been  engaged  in  loans  and  investments  on 
Lake  Street.  In  1856  lie  removed  one  door  to 
Number  39  Clark  Street,  where  he  remained  un- 
til the  "Chicago  Fire,"  at  which  time  he  had  the 
great  misfortune  to  lose  all  of  his  personal  papers 
and  books  connected  intimately  with  much  of 
Chicago's  early  histor}',  whereby  vanished  forever 


124 


J.  M.  ADSIT. 


valuable  data  covering  the  development  of  the 
city  for  its  first  three  decades.  But  fortune  was 
his  on  that  occasion  to  save  the  bulk  of  moneys 
and  securities  in  the  vaults  of  his  office,  thereby 
being  able  to  reassure  his  depositors,  many  of 
whom  on  days  following  came  with  woeful  visage, 
in  expectation  of  news  of  their  hard-earned 
means  having  gone  up  in  flames. 

Shortly  after  he  had  re-opened  his  banking  busi- 
ness at  Number  422  Wabash  Avenue  for  a  few 
months,  he  removed  to  a  store  on  Wabash  Avenue 
a  few  doors  from  Congress,  thence  to  the  Ogden 
Building,  corner  Lake  and  Clark  Streets.  He  then 
built  at  Number  41  Clark  Street,  where  he  contin- 
ued inactive  life  until  1881.  At  that  date,  owing 
somewhat  to  failing  health,  he  decided  to  merge  his 
corporation  into  the  Chicago  National  Bank,  of 
which  he  became  the  first  Vice-President,  resign- 
ing, however,  in  1885,  at  which  time  he  retired 
from  active  life. 

His  shortsightedness,  if  indeed  we  are  right  to 
so  style  the  matter,  was  a  lack  of  faith  in  the 
future  real-estate  values  of  Chicago.  Had  a  bold 
course  been  adopted  in  this  direction,  it  would 
have  resulted  in  the  acquiring  of  an  estate  vast 
indeed:  but  sufficient  honor  is  his,  in  that  he  un- 
swervingly carried  out  his  financial  life  in  strict 
integrity. 

While  ever  a  stanch  Republican  in  politics, 
Mr.  Adsit  was  never  prominent  in  public  life,  fig- 
uring rather  in  the  background  on  movements 
which  were  to  be  carried  out  for  the  public  weal. 
In  that  sense  he  was  always  a  most  active  and 
useful  member  in  aid  of  advances.  Among  the 
institutions  with  which  he  was  conspicuously  as- 
sociated was  the  Mechanics'  Institute,  of  which 
he  was  the  first  Vice-President.  Following  the 
panic  of  1857,  when  threatened  by  adverse  cir- 
cumstances with  destruction,  he  lent  strong  finan- 
cial support,  and  was  for  years  one  of  the  chief 
managers,  until  its  future  of  honor  and  usefulness 
was  assured.  In  1871  he  was  Chairman  of  the 
Clearing  House  Association.  Among  the  large 
estates  promoted  under  his  management  was  that 
of  Allen  C.  Lewis,  which  was  enhanced  greatly 
in  value  through  his  shrewd  handling. 

He  was  a  member  of  the   North  Side  Union 


Club,  but  growing  infirmity  of  health  and  life-long 
devotion  to  home  influences  prevented  much  so- 
cial dissipation.  On  Dearborn  Avenue,  at  the 
corner  of  Elm  Street,  in  a  luxurious  mansion- 
house,  to  which  he  removed  in  1884,  he  spent 
happy  days  following  a  most  usefully  busy  career. 

Up  to  the  time  of  the  great  fire,  he  had  at- 
tended at  the  Wabash  Avenue  Methodist  Church; 
afterwards  for  some  years  at  the  Plymouth  Con- 
gregational Church,  but  finally  became  an  habit- 
ual attendant  at  David  Swing's  church,  on  the 
North  Side,  following  him  to  the  Music  Hall  or- 
ganization across  the  river,  being  thus  long  in 
intimate  relations  with  him  who  so  feelingly  offi- 
ciated at  the  final  obsequies,  preceding  interment 
at  Graceland.  The  time  of  going  to  the  other 
shore  was  September  4,  1894,  subsequent  to  a 
stroke  of  paralysis  and  some  years  of  indisposi- 
tion; and  when  his  venerable  form,  which  had 
borne  the  trials  of  upwards  of  eighty-five  years, 
was  laid  to  rest,  there  was  not  a  dry  eye  over  the 
melancholy  thought  that  the  worthiest  of  the  rem- 
nant of  the  early  pioneers  had  gone  to  his  well- 
merited  reward.  And  thus  the  first  generation 
passed  into  that  history  which  it  is  the  province 
of  this  publication  to  rescue  from  oblivion  for  the 
edification  and  teaching  of  future  times. 

Said  the  well-known  philanthropist,  Dr.  Pear- 
son, in  speaking  of  Mr.  Adsit:  "He  was  a  thor- 
oughly upright  man,  whom  I  never  knew  to  fail 
in  any  undertaking.  He  passed  through  the  pan- 
ics of  1857,  1866  and  1873,  and  the  great  fire, 
not  without  financial  loss,  but  without  a  blemish 
upon  his  reputation,  meeting  every  obligation 
faithfully."  Mr.  John  J.  Mitchell,  President  of 
the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank,  remarked 
shortly  after  his  demise:  "Mr.  Adsit  was  a  man 
of  the  very  highest  integrity,  and  none  stood 
higher  than  he  among  the  business  men  and  bank- 
ers of  Chicago.  *  *  *  In  his  death  Chicago 
loses  not  only  one  of  her  foremost  citizens,  but 
one  who  helped  to  make  the  city's  history,  and 
the  success  she  now  enjoys." 

Mr.  Adsit  married,  January  21,  1840,  MissAr- 
ville  Chapin,  of  Chicago,  who,  herself  in  ad- 
vanced age,  survives  him,  waiting  her  message 
to  join  on  the  other  side  him  she  so  long,  so  deep- 


H.  M.  ROBINSON. 


125 


ly  loved.     Seven   children    blessed   their  union, 
namely : 

Leonard  D.  Adsit,  who  was  born  January  29, 
1841,  and  who  died  in  Chicago  in  1879,  having 
been  a  banker,  associated  with  his  father; 

Isabella  F.,  who  married  Ezra  I.  Wheeler,  of 
Chicago,  a  commission  merchant,  now  deceased, 
leaving  her  without  children; 

James  M.  Adsit,  Jr.,  born  April  7,  1847,  un- 
married; a  former  banker  with  his  father;  now  a 
stock  broker  with  office  in  the  Stock  Exchange; 

Charles  Chapin,  who  is  associated  with  his 
brother  as  a  stock  broker;  born  July  14,  1853; 
married  in  October,  1890,  to  Mary  Bowman  Ash- 
by,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky,  by  whom  one  child, 
Charles  Chapin,  Jr.,  was  born  July  3,  1892; 

Caroline  Jane,  educated  at  Dearborn  Seminary, 
then  at  Miss  Ogden  Hoffman's  private  school  in 
New  York  City;  unmarried; 

Frank  S.,  born  September  7,  1855;  died  in 
childhood; 

Jeanie  M.,  educated  at  Dearborn  Seminary; 
unmarried. 

Mrs.  Adsit  comes  of  an  old  and  distinguished 
New  England  family,  of  which  she  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  seventh  American  generation. 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  is  their  leading  home- 
stead, where  members  have  erected  a  magnificent 
statue  of  their  "Puritan  divine"  ancestor. 

Deacon  Samuel  Chapin,  who  married  a  Miss 


Cisily,  was  the  progenitor  from  whom  are  de- 
scended all  in  the  United  States.  He  came  from 
abroad  to  Dorchester,  Massachusetts,  in  1641,  at 
which  time  he  took  the  "freeman's  oath"  in  Bos- 
ton. The  following  year  he  went  to  Springfield, 
then  one  of  the  frontier  towns,  where  he  was  for 
a  long  time  a  local  magistrate  and  one  of  its  first 
deacons. 

His  son  Henry  married  Bethia  Cooley,  and  re- 
sided in  Springfield.  Was  a  Representative  in 
the  General  Court,  a  merchant  sea-captain  be- 
tween London  and  Boston;  afterwards  retired  to 
live  in  Boston;  then  to  Springfield.  He  had  a  son, 

Deacon  Benjamin,  who  married  Hannah  Col- 
ton,  and  lived  in  Chicopee,  a  set-off  portion  of 
northern  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
was  one  of  its  first  deacons.  He  had  a  son 

Captain  Ephraim,  who  married  Jemima  Chapin, 
his  own  cousin ;  lived  in  Chicopee,  where  he  was 
an  old-time  inn-keeper.  He  also  served  in  the 
French  and  Indian  Wars.  He  had  a  son 

Bezaleel,  who  also  married  his  own  cousin, 
Thankful  Chapin;  living  at  Ludlow  Massachu- 
setts. He  had  a  son 

Oramel,  who  married  Suzan  Rood;  living  in 
Ludlow,  Massachusetts,  thence  removing  to  Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin,  later  to  Chicago,  where  he 
died. 

Their  daughter  Arville  married  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 


HAMILTON  M.  ROBINSON. 


HAMILTON    MOFFAT    ROBINSON    was 
born  in  Cheltenham,  Gloucestershire,  Eng- 
land, February  12,  1862,  and  is  the  eldest 
son  of  James  Hamilton   Robinson  and  Frances 
Jane  Moffat.     Both  the  parents  represent  ancient 
Scottish  families. 

James  H.  Robinson,  who  was  born  in  London 


and  educated  at  the  Edinburgh  High  School, 
engaged  in  business  in  Manchester,  England, 
soon  after  completing  his  education,  and  later  in 
London,  in  the  East  India  trade.  He  continued 
in  business  about  thirty  years,  dealing  in  jute 
and  export  merchandise.  During  a  portion  of 
this  time  he  resided  at  Calcutta,  in  order  to  give 


126 


H.  M.  ROBINSON. 


personal  supervision  to  his  export  trade.  In  1885 
he  retired  from  business  and  came  to  America, 
locating  at  Winnipeg,  Manitoba,  where  his  chil- 
dren had  preceded  him  and  where  he  still  resides. 
His  father,  George  Brown  Robinson,  had  suc- 
ceeded his  (George's)  father  in  the  East  India 
trade,  and  also  resided  for  some  years  in  Calcutta. 
He  married  Jane  Campbell  Hamilton,  like  him- 
self a  native  of  Scotland.  She  is  still  living  in 
London,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years. 

Mrs.  Frances  J.  Robinson  was  a  daughter 
of  Col.  Bowland  Moffat,  who  commanded  the 
Fifty-fourth  Regiment  of  the  British  army,  was 
a  veteran  of  the  Crimean  War,  and  was  stationed 
for  some  years  at  Calcutta,  at  which  place  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  James  H.  Robinson  were  married.  A  num- 
ber of  the  ancestors  of  Colonel  Moffat  were  well- 
to-do  merchants  in  the  West  India  trade,  and  sev- 
eral members  of  the  family  served  in  the  British 
army. 

Hamilton  M.  Robinson  was  but  six  months 
old  when  the  family  moved  from  London  and 
again  took  up  'its  residence  in  Calcutta.  Seven 
years  subsequently  he  returned  to  Europe,  and  at- 
tended boarding-schools  at  various  points  in 
the  South  of  England.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  he  finished  the  course  at  Chatham  House 
College,  Ramsgate,  Kent.  It  had  been  his  in- 
tention to  enter  the  East  Indian  civil  service,  but 
owing  to  his  father's  financial  embarrassments 
at  that  time,  he  abandoned  this  purpose  and  en- 
tered the  London  office  of  Kelly  &  Company, 
East  India  merchants.  He  began  in  the  capacity 
of  office  boy,  but  with  such  vigor  and  intelligence 
did  he  apply  himself  to  business,  that  in  the  brief 
space  of  four  years  he  became  the  office  manager 
of  the  firm.  He  continued  in  that  connection  un- 
til September,  1883,  when  he  determined  to  seek 
a  wider  field  for  the  development  of  his  talents 
and  ability,  and  came  to  America,  joining  his 
brother  in  the  Northwest  Territory  of  Canada. 
He  homesteaded  a  farm  in  Manitoba,  but  a  short 
time  sufficed  to  convince  him  that  the  pursuit  of 
agriculture  was  neither  as  profitable  nor  congenial 
as  he  had  anticipated.  In  the  following  May  he 
joined  a  friend  who  was  coming  to  Chicage,  and 
has  ever  since  made  this  city  his  home  and  place 


of  business.  In  the  spring  of  1885  he  again 
visited  the  Northwest  Territory,  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Colonel  Boulton's  scouts,  assisted  in  sup- 
pressing the  Riel  rebellion. 

He  arrived  here  with  neither  money,  friends 
nor  influence,  and  wasted  no  time  in  seeking  or 
waiting  for  a  genteel  position,  but  immediately 
began  work  at  the  first  employment  which  he 
could  obtain.  In  the  mean  time  he  was  constantly 
on  the  alert  for  a  more  lucrative  occupation,  and 
in  a  few  weeks  secured  a  position  as  bookkeeper 
with  the  Anglo-American  Packing  and  Provision 
Company,  with  which  he  remained  for  about 
three  years.  In  May,  1887,  he  resigned  this  em- 
ployment and  obtained  a  position  with  the  firm 
of  Crosby  &  Macdonald,  marine  underwriters. 
He  continued  in  this  connection  about  five  years, 
winning  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his  em- 
ployers, and  demonstrating  his  integrity  and 
ability  for  the  transaction  of  business.  In  what- 
ever position  he  has  been  placed  he  has  ever  been 
an  indefatigable  worker,  striving  to  promote  the 
interests  of  those  whom  he  served,  even  at  the 
expense  of  his  own  health  and  personal  comfort. 
On  the  first  of  June,  1892,  Mr.  Robinson  formed 
a  partnership  with  James  B.  Kellogg,  under  the 
firm  name  of  Kellogg  &  Robinson,  marine  average 
adjusters.  This  is  one  of  the  leading  firms  of 
marine  adjusters  upon  the  shores  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan, and  their  success  has  been  gratifying  from 
the  start. 

Mr.  Robinson  is  a  member  of  the  Lake .  Board 
of  Average  Adjusters,  and  of  the  Association  of 
Average  Adjusters  of  the  United  States.  He  has 
never  identified  himself  with  any  political  party, 
but  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  questions  of 
public  policy,  and  has  been  an  American  citizen 
since  1891.  He  is  heartily  in  sympathy  with  the 
spirit  of  American  institutions,  and  may  be  classed 
as  one  of  the  most  desirable  and  useful  among 
the  foreign-born  citizens  of  Chicago. 

He  was  married,  in  1887,  to  Ida  T.  Cleverdon, 
of  Toronto,  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Thompson  Cleverdou  and  Name 
Geech,  both  formerly  residents  of  Halifax,  Nova 
Scotia. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
•••'VERSITY  OF 


M.  W.  FULLER 


127 


MELVILLE  W.  FULLER. 


ly/j ELVILLE  WESTON  FULLER.  The  fol- 
I Y  I  lowing  sketch  of  Chief  Justice  Fuller  was 
ItJI'  written  by  the  late  Major  Joseph  Kirkland 
for  the  "History  of  Chicago,"  published  by  Mun- 
sell  &  Company,  by  whose  permission  it  is  here 
reprinted: 

Chief  Justice  Fuller  traces  his  descent  direct 
to  the  ' '  Mayflower. "  His  father  was  Frederick  A. 
Fuller,  and  his  mother  Catherine  Martin  Weston. 
His  grandfather  on  the  mother's  side  was  Nathan 
Weston,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Maine  Supreme 
Court;  and  his  uncle,  George  Melville  Weston, 
was  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Augusta.  Melville 
Weston  Fuller  was  born  February  n,  1833,  at 
Augusta,  Maine,  and  grew  up  with  good  educa- 
tional advantages.  He  was  prepared  for  college 
at  Augusta,  and  entered  Bowdoin  College  in  1849, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  1853.  Thence  he 
went  to  Dane  Law  School  (Harvard) ,  where  so 
many  of  our  western  jurists  have  earned  their 
diplomas.  He  is  described  as  having  been  a 
rather  aimless  youth,  but  in  college  a  model 
student,  with  a  special  gift  for  public  speaking. 
He  began  his  law  practice  in  Augusta,  but  find- 
ing business  lacking,  he  employed  his  time  and 
eked  out  his  income  by  newspaper  work ;  a  cir- 
cumstance to  which  is  doubtless  due  something  of 
the  literary  facility  which  has  always  formed  a 
strong  feature  in  his  career. 

An  interesting  fact  connected  with  this  journal- 
istic experience  is  this:  At  a  certain  session  of  the 
Legislature  which  Melville  W.  Fuller  reported  for 
the  Augusta  Age  (which  he  and  his  uncle,  B.  A. 
G.  Fuller,  published  together),  James  G.  Elaine 
was  engaged  as  correspondent  of  the  Kennebec 


Journal.  Though  opposed  in  politics,  the  two 
men  were  always  personal  friends,  and  at  last,  by 
a  curious  coincidence,  found  themselves  in  Wash- 
ington together;  the  one  Chief  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  and  the  other  Secretary  of  State. 

Mr.  Fuller's  success  in  Augusta  as  a  lawyer 
was  in  proportion  to  the  law  business  of  the  place, 
and  so  not  large  or  satisfying.  His  success  in 
politics  was  in  proportion  to  his  ability,  and  there- 
fore excellent.  At  twenty-three  he  was  City  At- 
torney and  President  of  the  Common  Council  of 
Augusta. 

Still,  it  must  have  been  unconsciously  borne  in 
upon  him  that  Augusta  and  Maine,  always  loved 
and  honored  by  him,  were,  after  all,  a  "pent-up 
Utica"  to  such  a  soul  as  his.  He  must,  at  least, 
see  the  great  West.  In  1856  he  came  to  Chicago, 
meeting  here  his  friend  and  fellow-townsman, 
Mr.  S.  K.  Dow,  a  practicing  lawyer,  who  urged 
him  to  emigrate,  offering  him  a  place  in  his  office 
and,  at  his  choice,  either  a  partnership  in  the 
business  or  a  salary  of  $50  per  month.  He  chose 
the  latter,  and  worked  on  those  terms  five  months, 
living  within  his  income.  But  scarcely  a  year 
had  passed  before  he  began  to  do  a  fine  and  prof- 
itable business,  which  went  on  increasing  with 
remarkable  speed  and  steadiness  up  to  the  time 
of  his  leaving  the  Bar  for  the  Supreme  Bench. 

In  politics  he  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  by 
friendship  and  sympathy  a  warm  adherent  oi 
Stephen  A.  Douglas.  At  Mr.  Douglas's  death  in 
1861,  he  delivered  the  funeral  oration,  his  speech 
being  a  masterly  production.  In  the  same  year 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Constitutional 
Convention,  and  two  years  later  we  find  him  in 


128 


M.  W.  FULLER. 


the  Illinois  Legislature.  Here  he  gave  the  same 
strenuous  support  to  the  war  which  was  offered 
by  other  Douglas  men ;  he  was  a  Unionist,  but 
not  an  anti-slavery  man  or  Republican.  The 
war  Democrats  were  in  favor  of  the  war  as  they 
thought  it  should  be  conducted,  giving  their  ad- 
herence to  the  McClellan  plan  as  being  the  most 
certain  to  triumph  and  restore  the  integrity  of  the 
country. 

Here  it  seems  well  to  quote  from  some  fine 
verses  written  by  Mr.  Fuller  long  afterward. 
They  are  on  the  death  of  General  Grant,  and 
show  at  once  a  loyal  feeling  for  the  great  soldier's 
services  and  a  true  poetic  thought  and  diction;  a 
power  of  composition  rare  in  the  learned,  prac- 
ticed and  successful  lawyer: 

Let  drum  to  trumpet  speak — 
The  trumpet  to  the  cannoneer  without — 
The  cannon  to  the  heavens  from  each  redoubt, 

Each  lowly  valley  and  each  lofty  peak, 
As  to  his  rest  the  great  commander  goes 
Into  the  pleasant  land  of  earned  repose. 

*  *        *        * 

Not  in  his  battles  won, 
Though  long  the  well-fought  fields  may  keep  their  name, 

But  in  the  wide  world's  sense  of  duty  done, 
The  gallant  soldier  finds  the  meed  of  fame; 
His  life  no  struggle  for  ambition's  prize, 

Simply  the  duty  done  that  next  him  lies. 

*  *        *        * 

Earth  to  its  kindred  earth: 
The  spirit  to  the  fellowship  of  souls! 
As,  slowly,  Time  the  mighty  scroll  unrolls 

Of  waiting  ages  yet  to  have  their  birth, 
Fame,  faithful  to  the  faithful,  writes  on  high 
His  name  as  one  that  was  not  born  to  die. 

Mr. Fuller  was  a  hard  worker  in  his  profession; 
and  it  is  said  of  him  that  in  any  case  his  stoutest 
fighting  is  done  when  the  day  seems  lost,  when 
he  is  very  apt  to  turn  defeat  into  victory.  He  is 
reported  to  have  had,  during  his  thirty  years' 
practice,  as  many  as  twenty- five  hundred  cases  at 
the  Chicago  Bar;  which,  deducting  his  absence  at 
the  Legislature,  etc.,  would  give  him  at  least  one 
hundred  cases  a  year;  fewer,  necessarily,  in  the 
earlier  part  of  his  practice,  and  more  afterward. 
This  shows  a  remarkable  degree  of  activity  and 
grasp  of  business.  He  has  never  made  a  specialty 
of  any  kind  of  law,  though  there  are  some  where- 
in his  name  scarcely  appears;  for  instance,  di- 
vorce law  and  criminal  law.  Among  his  many 
cases  are  Field  against  Leiter;  the  Lake  Front 


case;  Storey  against  Storey's  estate;  Hyde  Park 
against  Chicago;  Carter  against  Carter,  etc.,  and 
the  long  ecclesiastical  trial  of  Bishop  Cheney  on 
the  charge  of  heresy. 

His  partnership  with  Mr.  Dow  lasted  until 
1860.  From  1862  to  1864  his  firm  was  Fuller  & 
Ham,  then  for  two  years  Fuller,  Ham  &  Shep- 
ard,  and  for  two  years  more  Fuller  &  Shepard. 
From  1869  to  1877  he  had  as  partner  his  cousin, 
Joseph  E.  Smith,  son  of  Governor  Smith,  of 
Maine.  Since  that  time  he  has  had  no  partner. 
His  business  was  only  such  as  he  chose  to  ac- 
cept; and  his  professional  income  has  been  esti- 
mated at  from  $20,000  to  $30,000  a  year.  His 
property  includes  the  Fuller  Block  on  Dearborn 
Street,  and  is  popularly  valued  at  $300,000. 

He  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic  National 
Conventions  of  1 864,  1872,  i876andi88o,  always 
taking  a  prominent  place.  Just  after  Mr.  Cleve- 
land's first  election  to  the  Presidency,  Mr.  Fuller 
called  on  him  in  Albany,  and  Mr.  Cleveland  at 
once  conceived  for  him  a  very  high  appreciation. 
On  the  death  of  Chief  Justice  Waite  it  seemed  de- 
sirable that  the  new  Justice  should  be  taken  from 
the  West;  and  Mr.  Fuller's  liberal  education,  the 
catholicity  of  his  law  practice,  his  marked  indus- 
try, ability  and  command  of  language — all  these, 
joined  with  his  devotion  to  the  principles  of  his 
party,  made  him  a  natural  choice  for  nomination 
to  the  position.  High  and  unexpected  as  was  the 
honor,  Mr.  Fuller  hesitated  before  accepting  it. 
If  it  satisfies  his  ambition  in  one  direction,  it 
checks  it  in  another. 

The  salary  of  the  Chief  Justice  of  the  United 
States  is  $10,500  a  year;  very  far  less  than  the 
gains  arising  from  general  practice  in  the  front 
rank  of  lawyers,  or  from  service  as  counsel  of  any 
one  of  hundreds  of  great  corporations.  So  there 
comes  a  kind  of  dead-lock ;  if  a  man  happens  to  be 
born  to  riches,  he  is  pretty  sure  never  to  go 
through  the  hard  work  which  alone  gives  leader- 
ship in  the  law.  If  he  starts  poor,  then,  having 
his  fortune  to  make,  he  cannot  take  Federal  judi- 
cial office,  that  being  a  life-long  position.  The 
only  way  in  which  the  Federal  Bench  can  be  ap- 
propriately filled,  under  the  circumstances,  is 
when  by  chance  a  man  prefers  power  and  dignity 


JOHN  PRINDIVILLE. 


129 


to  mere  riches;  or  where  his  success  has  been  so 
sudden  that  he  is  able  (and  willing)  to  accept 
a  judgeship  as  a  kind  of  honorable  retirement 
from  the  struggle  and  competition  of  practice. 

Aside  from  these  considerations,  Mr.  Fuller  felt 
a  natural  hesitancy  in  undertaking  a  responsibil- 
ity so  trying  and  hazardous. 

As  to  the  money  obstacle,  Mr.  Fuller  probably 
felt  himself,  through  his  great  and  rapid  success, 
able  to  afford  to  accept  the  appointment.  He  ac- 
cepted it,  was  hailed  in  his  new  dignity  with 
genial  cordiality,  and  has  filled  the  office  with  un- 
impeachable credit  and  honor. 

Mr.  Fuller's  first  wife  was  Miss  Calista  O. 
Reynolds.  She  died  young,  after  bearing  him 
two  children.  He  married  a  second  time,  taking 


to  wife  Mary  Ellen,  daughter  of  the  distinguished 
banker,  William  F.  Coolbaugh.  His  family  now 
consists  of  eight  daughters  and  one  son;  and 
his  domestic  and  social  relations  are  as  happy  as 
it  is  possible  to  imagine,  the  young  ladies  being 
full  of  gaiety  and  loveliness  in  all  its  styles  and 
types.  He  himself  is  never  so  well  content  as  in 
his  own  household,  making  merry  with  all.  It  is 
even  whispered  that  should  his  resignation  not 
throw  his  own  party  out  of  the  tenancy  of  the 
office  to  which  it  chose  him,  he  might  give  up  the 
irksome  and  confining  dignity  and  the  forced 
residence  in  a  strange  city,  and  return  to  the 
West,  to  the  city  of  his  choice,  to  the  home  of 
his  heart. 


CAPT.  JOHN  PRINDIVILLE. 


EAPT.  JOHN  PRINDIVILLE,  whose  name  is 
a  synonym  for  honesty,  courage  and  gener- 
osity among  the  early  residents  of  Chicago, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  September  7,  1826.  The 
names  of  his  parents  were  Maurice  Prindivilleand 
Catharine  Morris.  While  a  boy  at  school  Maur- 
ice Prindiville  ran  away  from  home  and  went  to 
sea,  making  a  voyage  to  India,  thereby  gratifying 
his  thirst  for  adventure  and  forfeiting  the  oppor- 
tunity to  enter  Trinity  College  at  Dublin.  Re- 
turning to  his  native  land,  he  there  married  Miss 
Morris,  and  in  1835  came  with  his  family  to  Amer- 
ica. After  spending  a  year  at  Detroit,  he  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  was  for  several  years  in  charge 
of  Newbury  &  Dole's  grain  warehouse.  With  his 
family,  he  took  up  his  residence  in  a  log  house  on 
Chicago  Avenue,  at  the  northern  terminus  of  Wol- 
cott  (now  North  State)  Street,  which  was  subse- 
quently extended.  The  locality  was  long  known 
as  "the  Prindiville  Patch."  The  nearest  house 
was  Judge  Brown's  residence,  on  the  west  side  of 
Wolcott  Street,  between  Ontario  and  Ohio  Streets, 


the  only  one  between  Prindiville' s  and  River 
Street,  the  intervening  territory  being  covered 
with  thick  woods.  Indians  and  wild  beasts  were 
numerous  in  the  vicinity  at  that  time,  and  John 
Prindiville  became  quite  familiar  with  the  Indians 
and  learned  to  speak  several  of  their  dialects. 
His  father  and  he  were  firm  friends  of  Chief  Wau- 
bansee  and  others,  and  always  espoused  their 
cause  in  resisting  the  encroachments  of  the  whites 
upon  their  rights  and  domains. 

As  a  boy  John  was  noted  for  his  dare-devil 
pranks,  though  always  popular  with  his  comrades, 
whom  he  often  led  into  difficulties,  out  of  which  he 
usually  succeeded  in  bringing  them  without  seri- 
ous results.  He  was  one  of  the  first  students  at 
St.  Mary's  College,  which  was  located  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Wabash  Avenue  and  Madison  Street.  Upon 
one  occasion,  he  led  a  number  of  students  upon  a 
floating  cake  of  ice  near  the  shore  of  the  lake. 
The  wind  suddenly  changed,  and,  before  they 
were  aware  of  their  condition,  floated  their  preca- 
rious barge  out  into  the  lake.  Upon  discovering 


130 


JOHN  PRINDIVILLE. 


the  danger,  John  promptly  led  the  way  back  to 
shore  by  wading  through  water  breast  deep.  This 
prompt  action,  aided  by  his  reputation  for  honesty 
and  truthfulness,  saved  him  from  punishment  at 
the  hands  of  the  college  authorities.  He  always 
had  a  great  desire  to  live  upon  the  water,  and  at 
the  age  of  eleven  years  he  gratified  this  tendency 
by  shipping  as  a  cook  on  a  lake  schooner.  Two 
of  the  first  vessels  upon  which  he  sailed  were  the 
"Hiram  Pearson"  and  "Constitution."  His 
menial  position  made  him  the  butt  of  the  sailors, 
but  he  took  so  readily  to  the  life  of  a  mariner  and 
performed  his  duties  so  thoroughly  and  capably, 
that  he  rapidly  won  promotion  to  more  respon- 
sible posts,  and  when  but  nineteen  years  of  age 
became  the  master  of  the  schooner  "Liberty," 
engaged  in  the  lumber  trade  between  Chicago  and 
other  Lake  Michigan  ports.  For  about  ten  years 
he  was  the  skipper  of  sailing-vessels,  abandoning 
the  last  of  these  in  1855,  after  which  he  com- 
manded several  steamers,  although  that  was  never 
so  much  to  his  taste  as  sailing.  In  1860  he  for- 
sook marine  life,  though  he  has  been  ever  since 
interested  in  the  operation  of  lake  craft.  From 
1855  to  1865  he  and  his  brother,  Redmond  Prin- 
diville,  operated  a  line  of  tugs  upon  the  Chicago. 
River.  During  this  time,  in  August,  1862,  he 
had  a  narrow  escape  from  instant  death  by  the 
explosion  of  the  boiler  of  the  tug  "Union." 
Though  not  regularly  in  command  of  the  vessel, 
he  chanced  to  be  on  board  at  that  time,  and  had 
just  left  the  wheel,  going  aft  to  hail  another  tug, 
when  the  accident  occurred.  Captain  Daly,  who 
took  his  place  at  the  wheel,  and  several  others 
were  instantly  killed. 

As  a  skipper,  Capt.  John  Prindiville  was  noted 
for  quick  trips,  always  managing  to  out-distance 
any  competing  vessels,  though  he  made  wreck  of 
many  spars  and  timbers  by  crowding  on  canvas. 
One  of  his  standing  orders  was  that  sail  should 
not  be  shortened  without  instructions,  though  it 
was  allowable  to  increase  it  at  any  time  deemed 
desirable.  He  was  ever  on  the  alert  and  always 
took  good  care  of  the  lives  of  his  crew  and  pass- 
engers. He  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  but  was 
always  popular  with  his  men,  who  considered  it 
a  special  honor  to  be  able  to  sail  with  him,  and 


were  ever  ready  to  brave  any  danger  to  serve 
him.  These  included  a  number  of  those  who  had 
been  accustomed  to  curse  him  when  he  first  began 
his  marine  career  in  the  capacity  of  cook. 

In  1850  Captain  Prindiville  commanded  the 
brigantine  "Minnesota"  (which  was  builtin  Chi- 
cago, below  Rush  Street  Bridge) ,  the  first  Amer- 
ican vessel  to  traverse  the  St.  Lawrence  River. 
Her  cargo  consisted  of  copper  from  the  Bruce 
Mines  on  Georgian  Bay,  and  her  destination  was 
Swansea,  Wales.  Owing  to  the  stupidity  and  in- 
capacity of  the  pilot,  she  ran  upon  the  rocks  in 
Lachine  Canal  and  was  obliged  to  unload.  This 
was  a  disappointment  to  the  youthful  captain,  who 
was  ambitious  to  be  the  first  lake  skipper  to  cross 
the  ocean.  He  and  his  brothers  owned  the 
schooner  "Pamlico, "  the  first  vessel  loaded  from 
Chicago  for  Liverpool.  This  was  in  1873,  and 
the  cargo  consisted  of  twenty-four  thousand  seven 
hundred  bushels  of  corn. 

November  17,  1857,  occurred  one  of  the  most 
disastrous  storms  which  ever  visited  Lake  Michi- 
gan, an  event  long  to  be  remembered  by  the  fami- 
lies of  those  who  were  sailors  at  that  time.  A 
number  of  vessels  were  wrecked  off  the  shore  of 
Chicago,  and  many  lives  were  sacrificed  to  the  fury 
of  the  elements.  The  number  of  fatalities  would 
have  been  far  greater  but  for  the  bravery  and  har- 
dihood of  Captain  Prindiville  and  his  crew,  who 
manned  the  tug  "McQueen"  and  brought  many 
of  the  men  to  land  in  safety,  though  at  the  peril 
of  their  own  lives.  For  this  act  of  bravery  and 
humanity,  on  the  evening  of  that  day,  Hon. 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  in  behalf  of  the  citizens, 
who  had  assembled  at  the  Tremont  House,  ten- 
dered him  a  purse  of  $700  in  gold.  This  valua- 
ble testimonial  he  modestly  declined,  recommend- 
ing that  the  money  be  distributed  among  the 
families  of  the  crew  of  the  "Flying  Cloud,"  all  of 
whom  had  been  lost  in  the  storm.  This  is  only 
one  of  the  many  instances  of  his  courage  and  self- 
sacrifice  in  behalf  of  others.  It  is  an  acknowl- 
edged and  well-known  fact  that  he  has  saved  more 
human  lives  than  any  other  navigator  on  Lake 
Michigan. 

Captain  Prindiville  is  the  father  of  eight  living 
children,  the  offspring  of  two  marriages.  On  the 


J.  W.  GARY. 


1 8th  of  November,  1845,  Miss  Margaret  Kalehr 
became  his  bride.  After  her  death  he  married 
Margaret  Prendergast,  a  native  of  Burlington, 
Vermont,  who  came  to  Chicago  with  her  parents 
about  1840.  Of  his  three  sons,  Redmond  is  now 
an  ex-captain  of  lake  craft,  and  resides  in  Chi- 
cago. James  W.  and  Thomas  J.  are  associated 
with  their  father  in  the  vessel  and  marine  busi- 
ness. 

Captain  Prindiville  has  been  a  steadfast  Roman 
Catholic  from  boyhood,  and  is  now  a  communi- 
cant of  the  Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Name.  He  is 


broad-minded  and  tolerant  toward  all  sincere 
Christians.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arca- 
num, and  in  national  politics  has  been  a  life-long 
Democrat,  but  gives  his  support  to  any  good  citi- 
zen for  local  office,  irrespective  of  party  fealty. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade  since  1856,  and  is  now  one  of  the  oldest 
citizens  connected  with  that  body.  His  noble, 
self-sacrificing  spirit  and  unquestioned  integrity 
of  character  have  won  a  host  of  friends,  by  whom 
his  memory  will  be  cherished  long  after  the  mere 
man  of  millions  has  passed  into  obscurity. 


JOHN  W.  GARY. 


(JOHN  W.  CARY  was  the  lineal  descendant 
I  in  the  fifth  generation  of  John  Gary,  who 
O  came  from  Somersetshire,  near  Bristol,  Eng- 
land, in  1634,  and  joined  the  Plymouth  Colony, 
and  a  son  of  Asa  Gary,  who  was  born  in  Mans- 
field, Connecticut,  in  1774.  He  was  born  Feb- 
ruary ii,  1817,  in  Shoreham,  Vermont.  Four- 
teen years  later,  his  parents  removed  to  western 
New  York,  where  he  attended  the  common 
school,  assisting  his  father  on  the  farm  until,  at 
the  age  of  twenty,  he  entered  Union  College.  He 
supported  himself  through  college,  and  was  grad- 
uated with  the  Class  of  1842.  Two  years  later  he 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  of 
New  York,  and  followed  his  profession  in  Wayne 
and  Cayuga  Counties  until  1850,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Wisconsin,  taking  up  his  residence  at 
Racine.  He  took  an  active  interest  in  educational 
matters,  and  as  a  School  Commissioner  was  in- 
strumental in  developing  the  public-school  sys- 
tem of  Racine.  He  was  elected  State  Senator  in 
1852,  and  Mayor  in  1857.  Two  years  later  he 
removed  his  home  to  Milwaukee,  and  was  at 


once  engaged  as  solicitor  and  counsel  to  fore- 
close the  mortgages  given  by  the  La  Crosse  & 
Milwaukee  Railroad  Company.  At  the  resulting 
sale,  the  property  was  purchased  by  the  Milwau- 
kee &  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company  (now  the  Chi- 
cago, Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul),  which  he  had  in- 
corporated, and  of  which  he  continued  as  the 
legal  adviser  and  one  of  the  controlling  spirits  to 
the  day  of  his  death,  a  period  of  thirty-six  years. 
Until  1887  he  was  the  General  Solicitor  of  that 
company,  at  which  time  the  Board  of  Directors 
created  the  office  of  General  Counsel,  and  he  was 
then  chosen  to  that  position,  which  he  continued 
to  fill  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  not 
only  the  legal  adviser  of  that  company,  counsel- 
ing on  all  questions  and  conducting  all  its  litiga- 
tion, in  which  he  was  eminently  successful,  es- 
pecially before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  but  during  all  that  time  he  was  the  chief 
counselor  and  adviser  of  the  general  policy  of  the 
company.  He  stood  high  in  the  legal  profession, 
and  was  regarded  by  all  as  one  of  the  best  equip- 
ped railway  lawyers  in  the  country.  Some  of  the 


I32 


J.  W.  GARY. 


cases  in  which  lie  appeared  as  counsel  before  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  in  which 
he  was  successful,  rank  among  the  most  notable 
cases  of  that  court.  He  argued  before  that  court 
what  is  known  as  the  Milk  Rate  case,  which  was 
the  case  of  the  State  of  Minnesota  against  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  Com- 
pany, decided  in  April,  1890.  The  magnitude 
of  that  case,  both  as  regards  the  principle  in- 
volved and  the  moneyed  interest  affected,  places 
it  by  the  side  of  such  cases  as  the  Dartmouth 
College  case,  the  case  of  McCulloch  versus  Mary- 
land, and  the  Slaughter  House  cases.  The  Su- 
preme Court  in  that  case  held,  as  Mr.  Gary  had 
for  many  years  contended,  that  the  reasonableness 
of  a  rate  of  charge  for  transportation  of  property 
by  a  railroad  company  was  a  question  of  judicial 
determination,  rather  than  of  arbitrary  legislative 
action,  and  that  State  Legislatures,  in  fixing  the 
rates  of  freight,  must  fix  reasonable  rates;  that  is, 
rates  which  are  compensatory,  such  as  will  per- 
mit carriers  to  receive  reasonable  profits  upon 
their  invested  capital,  the  same  as  other  persons 
are  permitted  to  receive. 

The  success  of  Mr.  Gary  in  this  case  is  all  the 
more  notable  from  the  fact  that  fifteen  years  pre- 
viously he  appeared  as  counsel  for  the  St.  Paul 
Company  in  what  are  known  as  the  Granger 
cases,  in  which  that  court  declined  to  adopt  the 
rule  which  it  afterwards  established  in  the  Milk 
Rate  case. 

Of  the  members  of  that  court  at  the  time  the 
Granger  cases  were  argued,  but  one  remains,  , 
Justice  Field,  and  of  the  leading  counsel  who  ap- 
peared in  those  cases  all  have  passed  away  ex- 
cept William  M.  Evarts.  It  is  a  notable  fact  that 
Mr.  Gary  survived  every  justice  who  was  a  mem- 
ber of  that  court  at  the  time  of  his  first  appearance 
therein,  as  well  as  the  leading  lawyers  who  were 
practicing  in  that  court  at  that  time. 

It  is  told  of  Mr.  Gary  that  he  successfully 
argued  fourteen  cases  during  one  session  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  against  such  men  as  Caleb  Gush- 
ing, Matt  H.  Carpenter,  Henry  A.  Cram,  of  New 
York,  and  other  eminent  men. 

In  1872,  while  a  member  of  the  Wisconsin 
State  Legislature,  he  was  requested  to  draw  a 


general  railroad  law  for  the  state,  which  he  did, 
and  the  statute  which  he  prepared  was  adopted 
and  is  still  in  force,  and  has  passed  into  history 
as  one  of  the  most  important  laws  ever  enacted  in 
Wisconsin,  and  is  regarded  by  all  as  a  law  fair 
both  to  the  people  and  the  railway  companies. 

No  person  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin  was  better 
or  more  favorably  known  than  Mr.  Cary.  His 
reputation  as  a  lawyer  of  marked  abilities,  and 
his  character  for  candor  and  integrity  as  a  man, 
were  enviable.  At  all  times  and  everywhere  he 
maintained  the  honor  of  his  profession  and  the 
majesty  of  the  law.  Those  who  knew  him  best 
respected  him  the  most. 

He  always  took  a  great  interest  in  political  af- 
fairs, and  was  unusually  well  versed  in  national 
and  political  history.  Throughout  his  entire  man- 
hood he  was  a  devoted  adherent  of  Democracy, 
receiving  in  1864  the  nomination  for  Congress, 
and  upon  several  occasions  the  complimentary 
vote  of  the  Legislature  for  United  States  Senator. 
During  the  long  period  in  which  the  Democratic 
party  was  in  the  minority,  which  covered  nearly 
the  whole  of  his  maturer  years,  Mr.  Cary  re- 
mained steadfast  in  his  loyalty  to  its  principles. 
But  for  this  fact  his  name  would  undoubtedly 
have  found  place  on  the  pages  of  history  among 
the  most  eminent  statesmen  of  his  generation.  A 
man  of  vast  mental  endowment,  clear  of  judg- 
ment, and  true  as  the  needle  to  the  pole  was  he 
to  the  right  as  he  saw  the  right. 

He  resided  in  Milwaukee  until  1890,  when  the 
general  offices  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railway  Company  were  removed  to  Chicago. 
At  this  time  he  removed  his  home  to  Hinsdale,  a 
suburb  of  Chicago,  where  he  resided  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  Chicago  on  March  29, 
1895. 

In  1844  Mr.  Cary  was  married  to  Eliza  Vilas, 
who  died  in  1845,  leaving  a  daughter,  Eliza.  In 
1847  he  was  married  to  Isabel  BrinkerhofT.  He 
has  seven  children  living,  namely:  Eliza,  who  is 
the  wife  of  Sherburn  Sanborn ;  Frances,  the  widow 
of  Charles  D.  Kendrick;  Melbert  B.,  Fred  A., 
John  W.,  Jr.,  George  P.  and  Paul  V. 

In  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow-men,  and 
with  his  associates  in  professional  labor,  he  was 


E.  W.  BAILEY. 


133 


alway.  considerate  and  gentle.  No  unkind  or 
reproachful  word  ever  passed  his  lips.  He  was 
true  and  faithful  in  friendship,  magnanimous  in 
his  dealings  with  others,  and  every  act  was 
prompted  by  the  highest  sense  of  honor.  He  was 
modest  and  unassuming,  simple  and  unaffected  in 


manner,  and  admired,   trusted  and  loved  by  all 
who  knew  him. 

"  In  his  family  and  home  life 
He  was  all  sunshine;  in  his  face 
The  very  soul  of  sweetness  shone." 


EDWARD  W.  BAILEY. 


f"DWARD  WILLIAM  BAILEY,  a  member 
rt)  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  was  born  at 
L.  Elmore,  La  Moille  County,  Vermont,  Au- 
gust 31,1 843.  His  parents,  George  W.  Bailey  and 
Rebecca  Warren,  were  natives  of  Berlin,  Vermont. 
The  Bailey  family  is  remotely  of  Scotch  lineage. 
George  W.  Bailey  was  one  of  a  family  of  thirteen 
children,  and  was  bereft  of  his  father  in  childhood. 
He  participated  in  the  War  of  1812,  entering  the 
service  of  the  United  States  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years.  But  little  is  known  of  his  service,  except 
that  he  was  in  the  battle  of  Fort  Erie.  He  be- 
came a  prominent  farmer  and  practical  business 
man,  officiating  as  President  of  the  Vermont 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company,  and  for  many 
years  filled  the  office  of  Judge  of  Probate  in 
Washington  County,  a  circumstance  which  indi- 
cates the  regard  and  confidence  reposed  in  him 
by  his  fellow- citizens.  His  death  occurred  at 
Montpelier  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 
Mrs.  Rebecca  Bailey  was  a  daughter  of  Abel  War- 
ren. She  died  upon  the  homestead  farm  at  El- 
more  in  1885,  having  reached  the  mature  age  of 
eighty-three  years. 

Edward  W.  Bailey  is  the  youngest  of  ten  chil- 
dren. His  education  was  obtained  in  the  public 
schools,  and  in  Washington  County  Grammar 
School  at  Montpelier.  From  the  age  of  seventeen 
years,  he  assisted  his  father  in  the  management 
of  the  homestead  farm,  thereby  developing  a 
strong  muscular  frame  and  acquiring  strength 
and  endurance  for  the  subsequent  battle  of  life. 


He  also  inherited  the  upright  character  and  con- 
scientious principles  for  which  his  progenitors 
had  been  conspicuous,  and  when,  in  1869,  he  en- 
tered upon  his  commercial  career,  he  was  fully 
competent  to  meet  and  master  the  exigencies  and 
vicissitudes  which  ever  beset  the  business  man. 
At  that  date  he  purchased  a  grocery  store  at 
Montpelier,  and  the  following  year  he  and  his 
partner  increased  their  business  by  the  addition 
of  a  gristmill.  When  the  firm  dissolved,  a  few 
years  later,  Mr.  Bailey  retained  the  mill  and 
still  continues  to  own  and  operate  the  same. 

In  1879  he  located  in  Chicago,  and,  in  partner- 
ship with  V.  W.  Bullock,  began  dealing  in  grain 
on  commission,  an  occupation  which  still  em- 
ploys his  time  and  attention.  After  the  first  two 
or  three  years,  Mr.  Bailey  became  sole  proprie- 
tor of  the  business,  and  now  occupies  commo- 
dious quarters  in  the  Board  of  Trade  Building. 
In  most  instances,  he  has  been  successful,  and  he 
has  ever  maintained  a  reputation  for  honorable 
dealing  and  integrity  of  character,  which  has 
earned  him  the  confidence  of  all  his  business  as- 
sociates. There  is,  perhaps,  no  man  upon  the 
Board  of  Trade  to-day  in  whom  the  public  has 
better  reason  to  trust  or  whose  business  credit  is 
freer  from  imputation. 

In  June,  1869,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Jennie 
Carter,  daughter  of  Charles  H.  Carter,  of  Mont- 
pelier, Vermont.  The  lady  was  born  in  Wil- 
mington, Massachusetts,  and  has  become  the 
mother  of  two  children:  George  C.,  who  holds  a 


134 


J.  B.  BRADWELL. 


responsible  position  with  the  great  packing  house 
of  Swift  &  Company,  and  Mary  D.,  wife  of  Fred- 
erick Meyer,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Bailey  holds 
liberal  views  on  religious  subjects,  and  was  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  congregation  of  the 
late  Prof.  David  Swing.  He  is  not  in  fellowship 
with  any  social  or  religious  organization.  Though 


the  right — as  well  as  duty — of  casting  a  vote, 
and  supports  Republican  principles,  believing  the 
Republican  party  to  represent  the  best  social  and 
economic  ideas.  He  is  a  man  of  resolution  and 
prompt  action,  and  his  industrious  habits  have 
made  him  an  exemplary  business  man,  whose  life 
and  character  are  worthy  of  the  emulation  of  the 


not  an  active  politician,  he  never  fails  to  exercise     rising  generation. 


HON.  JAMES  B.  BRADWELL. 


HON.  JAMES  B.  BRADWELL.  This  dis- 
tinguished gentleman,  an  excellent  portrait 
of  whom  is  herewith  presented,  was  born 
April  16,  1828,  at  Loughborough,  England.  His 
parents  were  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Gutridge) 
Bradwell.  The  family  left  England  when  James 
was  sixteen  months  old,  and  settled  in  Utica, 
New  York,  where  they  resided  until  1833,  when 
they  removed  to  Jacksonville,  Illinois.  They 
went  from  Jacksonville  to  what  is  now  Wheeling, 
Cook  County,  Illinois,  in  May,  1834.  The  fam- 
ily made  the  trip  in  a  covered  wagon  drawn  by  a 
span  of  horses  and  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and,  although 
the  distance  was  but  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
it  took  twenty-one  days  to  complete  the  journey. 
Young  Bradwell  spent  a  number  of  years  upon  a  ' 
farm  in  Cook  County,  splitting  rails,  breaking 
prairie,  mowing  and  cradling  in  the  old-fashioned 
way,  which  aided  to  give  him  that  strength  of 
body  and  mind  which  he  possesses  at  the  age  of 
sixty-seven.  His  early  education  was  obtained 
in  a  log  schoolhouse;  later  in  Wilson's  Academy, 
of  Chicago,  in  which  Judge  Lorenzo  Sawyer,  of 
California,  was  tutor;  and  was  completed  in  Knox 
College,  Galesburg,  Illinois.  He  supported  him- 
self in  college  by  sawing  wood  and  working  in  a 
wagon  and  plow  shop  afternoons  and  Saturdays, 
where  he  often  had  to  take  his  pay  in  orders  on 
stores,  which  he  discounted  at  twenty-five  cents 


on  the  dollar.  This  resulted  in  the  young  man 
taking  an  oath  that  if  ever  he  lived  to  employ 
men  he  would  never  pay  them  in  orders  or  truck. 
Although  he  has  paid  hundreds  of  thousands 
of  dollars  for  wages,  he  has  religiously  kept  his 
oath.  For  a  number  of  years  before  his  admis- 
sion to  the  Bar  he  worked  as  a  journeyman  at 
several  different  trades  in  Chicago.  He  is  a 
natural  mechanic,  and,  believing  with  Solomon 
that  '  'the  rest  of  the  laboring  man  is  sweet, ' '  he 
'aimed,  even  when  on  the  Bench  and  at  the  Bar, 
to  devote  a  portion  of  every  day  to  some  kind  of 
manual  labor.  It  is  said  that  he  could  earn  his 
living  to-day  as  a  journeyman  at  any  one  of  sev- 
enteen trades.  As  a  process  artist  he  has  few  su- 
periors. He  invented  a  process  of  his  own  for 
doing  half-tone  work,  and  has  the  honor  of  hav- 
ing made  the  first  half-tone  cut  ever  produced 
in  Chicago — that  of  Chief  Justice  Fuller,  of  the 
United  States  Supreme  Court.  Nearly  forty  years 
ago  he  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  Bar,  and, 
being  a  good  speaker,  a  bold,  dashing  young 
man,  and  considerable  of  a  "hustler,"he  succeeded 
in  building  up  a  large  and  paying  practice.  In 
1 86 1  he  was  elected  County  Judge  of  Cook  Coun- 
ty by  a  larger  majority  than  any  judge  had  ever 
received  in  the  county  up  to  that  time;  and  in 
1865  he  was  re-elected  for  four  years.  Judge 
Bradwell  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  of  Illi- 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

U1VERSITY  OF  ILLI* ":  ? 


JAMES  B.  BRADWFU, 


MYRA  15RADWELL 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

IMIVERSITY  OF  ILLIN:;  5 


MYRA  BRADWELL. 


135 


nois  in  1873,  and  re-elected  in  1875.  He  has 
held  many  offices  in  charitable  and  other  institu- 
tions; presided  at  Cleveland  during  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  American  Woman  Suffrage  Associa- 
tion; was  President  of  the  Chicago  Press  Club; 
President  of  the  Chicago  Rifle  Club,  and  for 
many  years  was  considered  the  best  rifle  shot  in 
Chicago;  President  of  the  Chicago  Bar  Associa- 
tion; President  of  the  Illinois  State  Bar  Associa- 
tion, and  for  many  years  its  historian;  President 
of  the  Chicago  Soldiers'  Home;  Chairman  of  the 
Arms  and  Trophy  Department  of  the  Northwest- 
ern Sanitary  Commission  and  Soldiers'  Home 
Fair  in  1865;  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Union 
League  Club  of  Chicago,  President  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  the  first  year,  and  the  first  man  to 
sign  the  roll  of  membership,  "Long  John"  Went- 
worth  being  the  second;  he  has  been  President  of 
the  Chicago  Photographic  Society,  and  was  Chair- 
man of  the  Photographic  Congress  Auxiliary  of 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 

When  on  the  Bench  he  ranked  as  a  probate 
jurist  second  only  to  the  distinguished  surrogate, 
Alexander  Bradford,  of  New  York. 

He  was  the  first  judge  to  hold,  during  the  war, 
that  a  marriage  made  during  slavery  was  valid 
upon  emancipation,  and  that  the  issue  of  such  a 
marriage  was  legitimate  upon  emancipation  and 
would  inherit  from  their  emancipated  parents; 


or,  in  other  words,  that  the  civil  rights  of  slaves, 
being  suspended  during  slavery,  revived  upon 
emancipation.  The  opinion  was  delivered  in  the 
case  of  Matt  C.  Jones,  and  was  published  ap- 
provingly in  the  London  Solicitors'  Journal,  and 
fully  endorsed  by  Mr.  Joel  Prentiss  Bishop  ten 
years  after  it  was  rendered,  in  one  of  his  works. 
Judge  Bradwell  was  the  friend  of  the  widow  and 
the  orphan — an  able,  impartial  judge. 

He  was  an  influential  member  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, and  aided  in  securing  the  passage  of  a  num- 
ber of  measures  for  the  benefit  of  the  State  and 
the  city  of  his  adoption.  He  holds  advanced 
views  as  to  the  rights  of  women,  and  introduced 
a  bill  making  women  eligible  to  all  school  offices, 
and,  mainly  by  his  influence  and  power,  secured 
its  passage;  also  a  bill  making  women  eligible  to 
be  appointed  notaries  public. 

Judge  Bradwell  has  taken  the  Thirty-third  and 
last  degree  in  Masonry,  and  is  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  the  Supreme  Council  with  its  Grand  East 
at  Boston,  and  also  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Ancient  Ebor  Preceptory  at  York,  England.  He 
has  recently  published  a  neat  volume  of  Ancient 
Masonic  Rolls  and  other  matter  of  interest  to  the 
order,  showing  that  there  was  originally  no  pro- 
vision against  the  admission  of  women  to  the  fra- 
ternity. 


MYRA  BRADWELL. 


IV /JYRA  BRADWELL.  In  these  latter  days 
I V I  of  the  century,  a  century  which  has  done 
1^1  more  for  women  than  any  other  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world,  it  is  interesting  to  record  the 
life  of  a  citizen  of  Chicago  of  national  reputation, 
who  wrought  earnestly,  wisely  and  successfully 
for  woman's  advancement. 

To  follow  in  a  pathway  which  has  been  made 
for  one  is  easy.     To  be  an  original  and  practical 


leader,  clearing  the  way  for  others  to  come,  is  a 
difficult  undertaking.  Such  a  leader  was  Myra 
Bradwell,  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  movements 
to  give  woman  equal  rights  before  the  law  and 
equal  opportunities  to  labor  in  all  avocations. 

Myra  Bradwell  was  born  in  Manchester,  Ver- 
mont, February  12,  1831.  In  infancy  she  was 
taken  to  Portage,  New  York,  where  she  remained 
until  her  twelfth  year,  when  she  came  West  with 


MYRA  BRADWELL. 


her  father's  family.  In  the  warp  of  her  nature 
was  woven  the  woof  of  that  sterling  New  England 
character  which  has  made  such  an  impress  on 
our  national  life.  On  her  father's  side  she  was 
descended  from  a  family  which  numbers  many 
noble  men,  philanthropists,  eminent  divines  and 
noted  statesmen.  Her  father,  Eben  Colby,  was 
the  son  of  John  Colby,  a  Baptist  minister  of  New 
Hampshire.  Her  father's  mother  was  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Aquilla  Chase,  whose  family  gave 
to  the  world  the  noted  divine,  Bishop  Philander 
Chase,  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  Chief  Justice  of  the  United  States. 

On  her  mother's  side  she  was  a  descendant  of 
Isaac  Willey,  who  settled  in  Boston  in  1640.  Two 
members  of  the  family,  Allen  and  John  Willey, 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  and  were  in  the 
little  army  which  suffered  glorious  defeat  at  Bun- 
ker Hill.  Her  family  were  aggressive  Abolition- 
ists and  stanch  friends  of  the  Lovejoys.  The 
story  of  the  murdered  martyr,  Elijah  Lovejoy,  as 
recounted  by  the  friend  of  her  youth,  Owen  Love- 
joy,  made  a  deep  impression  upon  her  mind. 
Thus  early  was  implanted  a  hatred  of  slavery 
and  injustice  in  the  soul  of  one  who  was  destined, 
in  after  years,  to  bear  a  conspicuous  part  in  free- 
ing her  sex  from  some  of  the  conditions  of  vas- 
salage in  which  it  had  stood — a  champion  who 
broke  one  of  the  strongest  barriers  to  woman's 
enfranchisement,  the  Bar,  and  paved  the  way  for 
women  into  the  upper  halls  of  justice,  into  the 
greatest  court  of  the  world.  As  a  student,  pos- 
sessed of  a  keen,  logical  mind,  with  the  soul  of  a 
poet,  she  early  evinced  a  deep  love  for  learning, 
and  made  the  most  of  the  limited  educational  ad- 
vantages which  were  then  deemed  more  than  suf- 
ficient for  girls.  After  studying  at  Kenosha  and 
the  ladies'  seminary  in  Elgin,  Myra  engaged  in 
teaching. 

May  18,  1852,  Myra  Colby  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  James  B.  Bradwell.  Soon  after  her  mar- 
riage she  removed  with  her  husband  to  Memphis, 
Tennessee.  While  there  she  proved  herself  a 
veritable  helpmate,  conducting  with  her  husband 
the  largest  select  school  in  the  city.  In  two 
years  they  returned  to  Chicago,  where  her  hus- 
band engaged  in  the  practice  of  the  law,  and 


where  they  have  since  resided.  With  the  ardor 
of  a  true  patriot,  she  could  not  remain  inactive 
when  danger  threatened  the  Government  which 
her  Revolutionary  ancestors  fought  to  establish. 
During  the  war  she  helped  care  for  the  suffering, 
the  wounded  and  the  dying.  The  Soldiers'  Fair 
of  1863,  and  the  Fair  of  1867  for  the  benefit  of 
the  families  of  soldiers,  had  no  more  active  or 
efficient  worker  than  Mrs.  Bradwell.  She  was  a 
member  and  Secretary  of  the  Committee  on  Arms, 
Trophies  and  Curiosities  of  the  great  Northwest- 
ern Sanitary  Fair,  and  was  the  leading  spirit  in 
producing  that  artistic  and  beautiful  exhibition  in 
Bryan  Hall  in  1865.  When  the  war  was  over, 
she  assisted  in  providing  a  liDine  for  the  scarred 
and  maimed  and  dependent  veterans  who  shoul- 
dered the  musket  to  preserve  the  Union. 

Becoming  deeply  interested  in  her  husband's 
profession,  she  commenced  the  study  of  law  un- 
der his  tutelage,  at  first  with  no  thought  of  be- 
coming a  practicing  lawyer,  but  subsequently  she 
decided  to  make  the  profession  her  life  work,  and 
applied  herself  diligently  to  its  study.  In  1868 
she  established  the  "Chicago  Legal  News,"  the 
first  weeekly  law  periodical  published  in  the  West, 
and  the  first  paper  of  its  kind  edited  by  a  woman 
in  the  world,  and  which  stands  to-day  the  best 
monument  to  her  memory.  Believing  fully  in 
the  power  of  the  law,  she  adopted  as  the  motto 
of  the  "Legal  News"  the  words  Lex  Vincit,  which 
have  always  been  at  the  head  of  its  columns. 
Practical  newspaper  men  and  prominent  lawyers 
at  once  predicted  its  failure,  but  they  under-esti- 
mated the  ability  and  power  of  its  editor.  She 
obtained  from  the  Legislature  special  acts  mak- 
ing all  the  laws  of  Illinois  and  the  opinions  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  State  printed  in  her  paper 
evidence  in  the  courts.  She  made  the  paper  a 
success  from  the  start,  and  it  was  soon  recognized 
by  the  Bench  and  Bar  throughout  the  country  as 
one  of  the  best  legal  periodicals  in  the  United 
States.  With  her  sagacity,  enterprise  and  mas- 
terful business  ability  she  built  up  one  of  the 
most  flourishing  printing  and  publishing  houses 
in  the  West.  Two  instances  may  be  cited  to 
show  her  business  energy  and  enterprise.  From 
the  year  1869,  when  she  first  began  to  publish 


MYRA  BRADWELL. 


137 


the  Illinois  session  laws,  she  always  succeeded 
in  getting  her  edition  out  many  weeks  in  advance 
of  any  other  edition.  At  the  Chicago  fire,  in 
common  with  thousands  of  others,  she  lost  home 
and  business  possessions,  but,  undismayed  by 
misfortune,  she  hastened  to  Milwaukee,  had  the 
paper  printed  and  published  on  the  regular  pub- 
lication day,  and  thus  not  an  issue  of  her  paper 
was  lost  during  this  trying  time  in  our  city's 
history. 

She  finally  decided  to  apply  for  admission  to  the 
Bar  and  to  practice  law.  She  had  been  permitted 
to  work  side  by  side  with  her  husband  as  a  most 
successful  teacher,  why  not  as  a  lawyer  ? 

In  1869  she  passed  a  most  creditable  examina- 
tion for  the  Bar,  but  was  denied  admission  by  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Illinois,  upon  the  ground  that 
she  was  a  married  woman,  her  married  state  be- 
ing considered  a  disability.  She  knew  that  the 
real  reason  had  not  been  given.  She  filed  an  ad- 
ditional brief  which  combated  the  position  of  the 
court  with  great  force,  and  compelled  the  court 
to  give  the  true  reason.  In  due  time  the  court, 
by  Mr.  Chief  Justice  Lawrence,  delivered  an  elab- 
orate opinion,  in  which  it  was  said,  upon  mature 
deliberation,  the  court  had  concluded  to  refuse  to 
admit  Mrs.  Bradwell  upon  the  sole  ground  that 
she  was  a  woman.  She  sued  out  a  writ  of  error 
against  the  State  of  Illinois  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States.  Her  case  in  that  tribunal 
was  argued  in  1871  by  Senator  Matt  Carpenter. 
In  May,  1873,  the  judgment  of  the  lower  court 
was  affirmed  by  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court.  Mr.  Chief  Justice  Chase,  who  never  failed 
to  give  his  powerful  testimony  to  aid  in  lifting 
woman  from  dependence  and  helplessness  to 
strength  and  freedom,  true  to  his  principles,  dis- 
sented. As  has  been  well  said,  "the  discussion 
of  the  Myra  Bradwell  case  had  the  inevitable  ef- 
fect of  letting  sunlight  through  many  cobwebbed 
windows.  It  is  not  so  much  by  abstract  reason- 
ing as  by  visible  examples  that  reformations 
come,  and  Mrs.  Bradwell  offered  herself  as  a  living 
example  of  the  injustice  of  the  law.  A  woman  of 
learning,  genius,  industry  and  high  character, 
editor  of  the  first  law  journal  in  the  West,  forbid- 
den by  law  to  practice  law,  was  too  much  for  the 


public  conscience,  tough  as  that  conscience  is. ' ' 
Although  Mrs.  Bradwell,  with  Miss  Hulett, 
was  instrumental  in  securing  the  passage  of  a 
law  in  Illinois  granting  to  all  persons,  irrespec- 
tive of  sex,  freedom  in  the  selection  of  an  occu- 
pation, profession  or  employment,  she  never  re- 
newed her  application  for  admission  to  the  Bar. 
Twenty  years  after,  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Illinois,  on  their  own  motion,  performed 
a  noble  act  of  justice  and  directed  license  to  prac- 
tice law  to  be  issued  to  her,  and  March  28,  1892, 
upon  motion  of  Attorney-General  Miller,  Mrs. 
Bradwell  was  admitted  to  practice  before  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  States. 

A  pioneer  in  opening  the  legal  profession  for 
women,  Myra  Bradwell' s  signal  service  to  her 
sex  has  been  in  the  field  of  law  reform.  Finding 
women  and  children  without  adequate  protection 
in  the  law,  she  devoted  herself  with  the  zeal  of 
an  enthusiast  to  secure  such  protection.  One  of 
the  most  wonderful  phases  of  her  character  was 
the  power  which  she  exerted  in  securing  these 
changes  in  the  law. 

It  is  interesting  in  this  connection  to  note  that 
she  was  the  only  married  woman  who  was  ever 
given  her  own  earnings  by  special  act  of  the 
Legislature.  She  drafted  the  bill  giving  a  mar- 
ried woman  a  right  to  her  own  earnings.  A  case 
in  point,  so  monstrous  in  its  injustice,  gave  an 
added  impetus  to  her  zeal.  A  drunkard,  who 
owed  a  saloon-keeper  for  his  whisky,  had  a  wife 
who  earned  her  own  living  as  a  scrubwoman, 
and  the  saloon-keeper  garnisheed  the  people  who 
owed  her  and  levied  on  her  earnings  to  pay  her 
husband's  liquor  bill.  It  needed  but  an  applica- 
tion like  this  for  her  to  succeed  in  her  efforts  to 
pass  the  bill.  She  also  secured  the  passage  of 
the  law  giving  to  a  widow  her  award  in  all  cases. 
Believing  thoroughly  in  the  principle  enunciated 
by  John  Stuart  Mill,  "of  perfect  equality,  admit- 
ting no  privilege  on  the  one  side  nor  disabil- 
ity on  the  other, ' '  she  was  an  enthusiastic  sup- 
porter of  the  bill  granting  to  a  husband  the 
same  interest  in  a  wife's  estate  that  the  wife  had 
in  the  husband's.  While  holding  most  advanced 
views  upon  the  woman  question,  she  recognized 
that  the  prejudice  of  years  cannot  be  overcome  in 


138 


MYRA  BRADWELL. 


a  day,  and  that  the  work  must  be  done  by  de- 
grees. 

She  therefore  never  missed  an  opportunity  to 
try  to  secure  any  change  in  the  law  which  would 
enlarge  the  sphere  of  woman.  With  this  purpose 
in  view,  she  applied  to  the  Governor  to  be  ap- 
pointed Notary  Public.  Finding  her  womanhood 
a  bar  to  even  this  humble  office,  she  induced  her 
husband,  who  was  in  the  Legislature,  to  intro- 
duce a  bill  making  women  eligible  to  the  office  of 
Notary  Public,  which  bill  became  a  law.  The 
bill  drafted  by  her  husband  permitting  women  to 
act  as  school  officers,  and  which  was  passed  while 
he  was  in  the  Legislature,  received  her  hearty  sup- 
port. In  all  the  reforms  which  Mrs.  Bradwell  se- 
cured, she  was  not  acting  as  the  representative  of 
any  organization,  but  they  were  secured  through 
her  personal  influence.  Twice  Mrs.  Bradwell 
was  honored  by  special  appointment  of  the  Gov- 
ernor, being  appointed  a  delegate  to  the  Prison 
Reform  Congress  at  St.  Louis;  and  it  was  mainly 
by  her  efforts  that  women,  after  a  severe  contest, 
were  allowed  a  representation  on  the  list  of  officers, 
she  declining  to  accept  any  office  herself;  subse- 
quently she  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  as 
one  of  the  Illinois  Centennial  Association  to  repre- 
sent Illinois  in  the  Centennial  Exhibition  of  1876. 

Mrs.  Bradwell  circulated  the  call  for  the  first 
Woman  Suffrage  Convention  held  in  Chicago, 
in  1869,  and  was  one  of  its  Vice-Presidents.  She 
was  one  of  the  active  workers  in  the  suffrage 
convention  held  in  Springfield  in  1869,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  one  of  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Illinois  Woman  Suffrage  Association.  She 
also  took  an  active  part  in  the  convention  at 
Cleveland  which  formed  the  American  Woman's 
Suffrage  Association.  Once  only  was  she  per- 
mitted to  exercise  the  right  of  suffrage.  Under 
the  recent  school  law  in  Illinois  she  cast  her  bal- 
lot for  the  first  and  last  time,  her  death  occurring 
on  the  fourteenth  day  of  February,  1894. 

A  thorough  Chicagoan,  in  the  life,  progress 
and  best  interests  of  her  city  she  had  a  citizen's 
interest  and  a  patriot's  pride.  She  was  untiring 
in  her  efforts  to  secure  the  World's  Fair  for  Chi- 
cago, accompanied  the  commission  to  Washing- 


ton, and  rendered  valuable  services  there  in  ob- 
taining the  location  of  the  Exposition  in  Chicago. 
She  was  appointed  one  of  the  Board  of  Lady 
Managers,  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Law  Reform  of  its  auxiliary  congress.  It  is 
interesting  to  note  that  the  woman  who  labored 
so  courageously,  persistently  and  effectively  to 
secure  for  women  their  rights  was  herself  a  rep- 
resentative in  the  first  national  legislature  of 
women  to  be  authorized  by  any  Government. 

Mrs.  Bradwell  was  the  first  woman  who  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Illinois  State  Bar  Associa- 
tion and  the  Illinois  Press  Association;  was  a 
charter  member  of  the  Soldiers'  Home  Board, 
the  Illinois  Industrial  School  for  Girls,  the  Wash- 
ingtonian  Home,  and  the  first  Masonic  chapter 
organized  for  women  in  Illinois,  over  which  she 
presided;  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Women's 
Club,  the  daughters  of  the  American  Revolution, 
the  Grand  Army  Relief  Corps,  the  National  Press 
League  and  the  Woman's  Press  Association. 

A  gentle  and  noiseless  woman,  her  tenderness 
and  refinement  making  the  firmness  of  her  char- 
acter all  the  more  effective,  Mrs.  Bradwell  was 
one  of  those  who  live  their  creed  instead  of  preach- 
ing it.  Essentially  a  woman  of  deeds,  not  words, 
she  did  not  spend  her  days  proclaiming  on  the 
rostrum  the  rights  of  women,  but  quietly,  none 
the  less  effectively,  set  to  work  to  clear  away  the 
barriers. 

A  noble  refutation  of  the  oftimes  expressed  be- 
lief that  the  entrance  of  women  in  public  life 
tends  to  lessen  their  distinctively  womanly  char- 
acter, she  was  a  most  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
her  home  being  ideal  in  its  love  and  harmony. 
She  was  the  mother  of  four  children,  two  of  whom 
survive  her,  Thomas  and  Bessie,  both  lawyers, 
and  the  latter  the  wife  of  a  lawyer,  Frank  A. 
Helmer,  of  the  Chicago  Bar. 

Of  this  gifted  and  honored  lady  it  has  been 
truthfully  said:  "No  more  powerful  and  convinc- 
ing argument  in  favor  of  the  admission  of  women 
to  a  participation  in  the  administration  of  the 
Government  was  ever  made  than  may  be  found 
in  Myra  Bradwell's  character,  conduct  and 
achievements." 


JOHN  FRINK. 


139 


JOHN  FRINK. 


flOHN  FRINK,   who  was  probably  as  well 

I  known  as  any  man  in  the  United  States,  out- 
O  side  of  National  public  life,  was  a  leader  in 
the  operation  of  transportation  lines  before  the 
days  of  railroads,  as  well  as  in  railroad  building 
and  operation.  He  was  born  at  Ashford,  Con- 
necticut, October  17,  1797,  and  died  in  Chicago 
May  21,  1858.  He  represented  the  seventh  gen- 
eration of  his  family  in  America,  being  descended 
from  John  Frink,  who  settled  at  New  London, 
Connecticut,  previous  to  1650.  The  last-named 
took  part  in  King  Philip's  War,  as  a  Colonial  sol- 
dier, and  for  his  services  in  that  conflict  was 
awarded  by  the  General  Court  of  Connecticut  a 
grant  of  two  hundred  acres  of  land  and  permis- 
sion to  retain  his  arms. 

John  Frink,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
notice,  removed  about  1810  from  Ashford,  Con- 
necticut, to  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts,  becoming 
the  proprietor  of  the  Stockbridge  Inn,  a  noted 
hostelry,  which  is  still  kept  there.  He  afterward 
kept  taverns  at  Northampton  and  Palmer,  Mass- 
achusetts. His  death  occurred  at  the  latter  place 
in  1847,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years. 

While  a  young  man,  John  Frink,  whose  name 
heads  this  article,  started  out  in  the  operation  of 
a  stage  line.  One  of  his  first  ventures  was  the 
establishment  of  a  stage  line  between  Boston  and 
Albany,  by  way  of  Stockbridge.  His  partner  in 
this  enterprise  was  Chester  W.  Chapin,  ofSpring- 
field,  Massachusetts,  afterward  conspicuous  in 
railroad  operations.  A  branch  to  New  York  City 
was  soon  added,  and  the  undertaking  was  entire- 
ly successful,  becoming  a  prosperous  medium  of 
travel.  Mr.  Frink  was  subsequently  instrument- 
al in  the  establishment  of  a  stage  line  between 
Montreal  and  New  York,  an  undertaking  of  con- 
siderable magnitude  in  those  days. 

About  1830  he  made  a  trip,  by  way  of  Pitts- 
burgh, to  New  Orleans,  and  was  so  favorably  im- 
pressed with  the  development  and  progress  of  the 


West  that  he  determined  to  transfer  the  field  of 
his  operations  to  a  new  territory.  Accordingly, 
in  1836,  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  soon  after  his 
arrival  purchased  the  stage  line  in  operation  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Ottawa,  Illinois.  He  soon 
afterward  established  a  connecting  line  of  steam- 
boats on  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers,  be- 
tween the  latter  point  and  St.  Louis,  and  the 
route  thus  completed  immediately  became  a  pop- 
ular thoroughfare.  Another  stage  line  was  short- 
ly afterwards  put  into  operation  between  Galena 
and  Chicago,  by  way  of  Freeport.  Galena  was 
then  the  metropolis  of  the  Northwest,  and  this 
line  of  stages  became  the  most  important  over- 
land route  of  travel  in  that  region.  Another  ex- 
tensive undertaking  was  the  establishment  of 
stages  between  Chicago  and  Madison,  Wisconsin. 
The  business  was  conducted  at  the  outset  by  the 
firm  of  John  Frink  &  Company,  later  known  as 
Frink  &  Walker.  This  became  one  of  the  most 
powerful  business  concerns  in  the  Northwest,  and 
its  operations  eventually  extended  to  Des  Moines, 
Iowa,  and  Fort  Snelling,  Minnesota.  All  compe- 
tition was  driven  out  of  the  way,  even  though 
business  was  sometimes  conducted  for  a  season  at 
a  loss,  in  order  to  maintain  their  supremacy.  An 
immense  number  of  men  and  horses  was  em- 
ployed. The  stage  sheds  were  located  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Wabash  Avenue  and  Ran- 
dolph Street,  with  extensive  repair  shops  adja- 
cent; and  the  principal  stage  office  was  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Lake  Streets, 
opposite  the  Tremont  House,  then  the  principal 
hotel  of  Chicago. 

One  of  the  most  important  features  of  the  busi- 
ness was  the  carriage  of  the  United  States  mails, 
and  the  securing  and  care  of  the  contracts  for  the 
same  kept  Mr.  Frink  in  Washington  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  time,  and  brought  him  in  contact  and 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  leading  politicians 
and  public  men  of  the  nation.  These  contracts, 


140 


O.  B.  PHELPS. 


which  involved  large  sums  of  money,  were  faith- 
fully carried  out,  a  fact  which  enabled  him  to 
hold  them  in  spite  of  aggressive  competition.  He 
was  a  man  of  rare  executive  ability,  excelling  the 
various  partners  with  whom  he  was  associated  in 
that  respect  to  such  a  degree  that  he  was  kept 
constantly  on  the  move  to  regulate  the  adminis- 
tration of  business.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  phys- 
ical make-up  and  of  most  unusual  colloquial  and 
conversational  abilities,  which  made  him  popular 
in  any  circle  where  he  chanced  to  be.  He  was 
extremely  fastidious  in  dress  and  the  care  of  his 
personal  appearance,  and  required  the  most  scru- 
pulous care  and  thrift  in  all  his  employes.  No 
man  who  failed  to  keep  matters  under  his  charge 
in  first-class  order  could  remain  a  day  in  his  em- 
ploy. 

When  the  steam  locomotive  became  a  practical 
success,  Mr.  Frink  at  once  saw  that  it  would  su- 
persede the  horse  as  a  means  of  propelling  pas- 
senger vehicles.  He  accordingly  began  to  close 
out  his  interests  in  the  stage  business,  transfer- 
ring his  capital  and  energy  to  railroad  building 
and  operation.  He  was  one  of  the  prime  movers 
in  the  construction  of  the  Chicago  &  Galena  Un- 
ion Railroad,  and  also  the  Peoria  &  Oquawka, 
now  a  part  of  the  great  Burlington  System,  and 
in  the  Peoria  &  Bureau  Valley  Railroad,  at  pres- 
ent a  branch  of  the  Rock  Island  System.  He 
did  not  live  to  witness  the  ultimate  completion 
of  these  lines,  but  their  success  vindicated  his 
foresight  and  judgment. 

Mr.    Frink  was  first  married  to  Martha    R. 


Marcy,  who  died  in  Chicago  in  1839,  leaving 
three  children:  John,  Harvey  and  Helen.  The 
last-named  became  the  wife  of  Warren  T.  Hecox, 
one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade,  and  all  are  now  deceased.  For  his 
second  wife  he  chose  Miss  Harriet  Farnsworth, 
who  was  born  in  Woodstock,  Vermont,  July  2, 
1810,  and  died  at  Wheaton,  Illinois,  March  7, 
1884.  Her  father,  Stephen  Farnsworth,  was  a 
descendant  of  Matthias  Farnsworth,  an  early  set- 
tler of  Groton,  Massachusetts.  The  descendants 
of  the  last-named,  in  direct  line,  were  Samuel, 
who  was  born  at  Groton,  October  8,  1669;  Steph- 
en, bornin  1714,  diedat  Charleston,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  who  took  part  in  the  French  and  Indian 
War,  in  which  two  of  his  brothers  were  killed. 
Stephen,  Jr.,  father  of  Mrs.  Frink,  was  born  in 
Charleston,  New  Hampshire,  June  20,  1764.  He 
moved  to  South  Woodstock,  Vermont,  where  he 
became  a  prominent  farmer  and  miller.  He 
served  as  a  member  of  the  Vermont  Legislature, 
and  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  a  great  many 
years. 

Mrs.  Harriet  Frink  was  one  of  the  earliest 
members  of  St.  James'  Episcopal  Church  of  Chi- 
cago, and  when  Trinity  Church  was  formed  on 
the  South  Side  she  joined  that  society.  She  aft- 
erwards became  a  member  of  Christ  Church,  and 
continued  to  be  a  communicant  thereof  until  her 
death,  both  she  and  her  husband  being  buried 
from  that  church.  Their  children  are  George, 
Henry  F.,  and  Eva,  Mrs  John  W.  Bennett,  all  of 
whom  reside  at  Austin,  Illinois. 


OTHNIEL  B.  PHELPS. 


ITHNIEL    BREWSTER    PHELPS.       The 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  at   Cones- 
ville,  Schoharie  County,  New  York,  Febru- 
ary 18,  1821,  and  was  the  elder  of  two  children 


springing  from  the  marriage  of  George  W.  Phelps 
with  Zerviah  Potter.  His  mother  dying  when 
Othniel  was  only  two  years  of  age,  his  father 
married  Mary  Chapman  in  the  year  1824, 


O.  B.  PHELPS. 


141 


wherefrom  it  will  be  seen  that  his  step-mother 
was  the  only  maternal  parent  of  whom  he  ever 
had  a  memory.  From  this  second  union  eight 
children  came  into  being,  the  eldest  of  whom  was 
William  Wallace  Phelps,  a  sketch  of  whom  will 
be  found  upon  other  pages  in  this  work;  in  con- 
nection with  which  will  also  be  found  a  succinct 
account  of  the  Phelps  genealogy,  which,  for  ob- 
vious reasons,  is  not  reprinted  at  this  place. 

His  early  life  was  spent  upon  a  farm  (it  seems 
as  if  the  farms  of  that  generation  did  the  raising 
of  all  the  brains,  as  well  as  vegetables,  etcetera, 
of  the  country),  and  his  erudition,  save  the  self- 
learned,  was  limited  to  the  common  school.  At 
a  very  youthful  age,  he  went  to  Catskill,  New 
York,  as  clerk  in  the  mercantile  house  of  Joshua 
Fiero,  and,  being  one  of  unusual  energy  and  self- 
reliance,  after  a  few  years  he  started  a  mercantile 
business  for  himself  at  Windham,  Greene  County, 
New  York,  to  which  place  he  removed,  and  in 
which  occupation  he  was  engaged  for  the  next 
succeeding  six  years. 

Selling  out  at  the  end  of  that  period  at  an  ad- 
vantage, he  removed  to  Williamstown,  New  York, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  tanning  business,  be- 
coming the  possessor  of  one  of  the  finest  proper- 
ties in  that  part  of  the  country  at  that  time  (  es- 
pecially notable  in  one  of  so  few  years) .  He  was 
estimated  to  be  worth  an  estate  of  $80,000,  which, 
however,  was  entirely  swept  away  by  the  panic 
of  1857. 

Almost  directly  with  the  disappearance  of  his 
household  gods,  he  set  his  face  towards  the  then 
far  West  to  retrieve,  as  fortune  should  favor  him, 
his  lost  accumulations.  Chicago  was  the  fortun- 
ate end  of  his  journey,  which  was  not  then,  as 
might  be  now,  wooed  into  a  longer  continuance 
than  necessary  by  luxurious  conveniences  for 
treveling.  He  bought  a  house  on  West  Madison 
Street;  but  within  a  few  years  found  the  spot 
henceforth  to  be  most  dear  to  him  on  earth,  pur- 
chasing again,  at  Number  2427  Indiana  Avenue. 
The  large  brick  mansion,  standing  to-day  nearly  as 
he  found  it,  was  one  of  the  finest  places  in  the 
city  at  that  time,  and  a  veritable  landmark  in  this 
generation;  for  in  the  early  sixties  and  for 
long  after  this  was  well  out  on  the  edge  of  the 


town,  viewing  to  the  westward,  as  far  as  Michi- 
gan Avenue,  a  thrifty  cornfield  in  summer  time. 
His  business  relation;.'  from  the  start  were  with 
our  prince  of  citizens,  Potter  Palmer,  for  whom 
he  acted  as  confidential  adviser  and  credit  man, 
with  power  of  attorney  (a  position  of  great  re- 
sponsibilities) up  to  the  time  of  the  Big  Fire  in 
1871.  From  this  time,  although  in  the  very  mer- 
idian of  life,  hale  and  hearty,  having  re-made  a 
conspicuous  estate,  he  lived  the  retired  life  of  a 
gentleman  of  leisure. 

Politically  he  was  a  Republican,  and  for  sever- 
al years  he  acted  as  a  prominent  City  Alderman, 
closing  his  record  thus  in  1882,  because  of  the 
results  of  an  outspoken  nature,  which  would  nev- 
er quietly  allow  public  wrongs  to  be  attempted. 

He  was  a  keen  lover  of  finely  bred  dogs  and 
horses,  of  which  he  owned  many  in  his  time, 
finding  in  this  about  his  only  real  extravagance. 
Most  pleasant  days  found  him  on  the  boulevards 
behind  as  fine  a  pair  of  gentleman's  drivers  as 
our  city  could  boast;  and  when  a  better  pair  passed 
him  on  the  road,  he  quietly  remarked  to  himself, 
"That  is  the  team  I  want."  From  this  trait,  it 
has  been  said,  those  who  knew  this  proud  weak- 
ness often  realized  exceptional  prices  for  horses 
from  one  who,  they  knew,  would  have  them,  if  he 
had  set  his  mind  that  way,  regardless  of  cost.  In 
this  connection  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  he 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  famous  Washington 
Park  Club,  now  for  long  years  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  places  for  race  meetings  in  the 
country. 

Not  what  would  be  called  a  pious  man,  he  was 
none  the  less  a  fair-minded,  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, who  was  a  great  credit  to  our  city  (more  so, 
perhaps,  than  some  who  are  prominent  in  mat- 
ters ecclesiastical) ,  and  a  regular  attendant  at  Dr. 
Scudder's  Congregational  Church.  Between  Dr. 
Scudder  and  Mr.  Phelps  there  was  a  deep  and 
wholesome  regard,  and  this  pastor  officiated  with 
much  feeling  at  the  final  obsequies,  after  which 
the  remains  were  borne  to  Graceland  Cemetery, 
where  they  lie  at  the  foot  of  a  sightly  monument. 
Physically,  he  was  a  portly  man;  facially,  he 
had  a  physiognomy  in  which  all  could  read  a  grim 
determination  that  whatsoever  was  undertaken 


142 


O.  B.  PHELPS. 


would,  the  Heavens  permitting,  be  put  through; 
yet,  he  was  kind  and  generous;  though  blunt, 
warm-hearted  indeed.  His  health  was  uniformly 
good,  save  for  the  vital  lurkings  of  the  insidious 
heart  disease,  which  suddenly  took  him  hence  on 
the  seventh  day  of  February,  1891. 

Mr.  Phelps  was  twice  married.  First,  to  Miss 
Emerette  Steele  of  Windham,  New  York,  about 
the  year  1 846.  She  died,  without  issue,  in  the 
year  1880,  and  was  buried  at  Graceland.  Second, 
to  Mrs.  Sarah  Van  Buren,  the  widow  of  Aaron 
R.  Van  Buren,  of  Catskill,  New  York,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1882.  Her  first  husband  was  of  the  family 
of  the  so-called  "Kinderhook"  (New  York)  Van- 
Burens,  which  has  produced  a  number  of  illus- 
trious men,  chief  among  them  being  our  eighth 
National  Chief  Magistrate,  Martin  Van  Buren. 

Mrs.  Sarah  (Van  Buren)  Phelps  survives  her 
husband,  in  good  health,  and  without  children. 
Mrs.  Phelps'  parents  were  Franklin  and  Hannah 
(Groom)  Graham,  of  Catskill,  New  York,  her  fa- 
ther being  a  son  of  Samuel  and  Martha  (French) 
Graham,  of  Windham,  New  York.  Her  grand- 
mother French  was  of  French  parentage,  and 
from  Montreal,  Canada.  It  is  needless  to  remark 
that  the  Grahams  are  of  Scotch  antecedents. 
From  Beers'  "History  of  Greene  County,  New 
York"  (p.  402),  we  learn  that  the  said  Samuel 
Graham  went  from  Con  way,  Massachusetts,  about 
the  year  1800  to  Windham,  New  York,  where,  in 
the  village,  he  bought  of  one  Constant  A.  Andrews 
a  property  (at  present  known  as  the  Matthews 
Place,  and  owned  by  N.  D.  Hill),  whereon  the 
first  tannery  of  the  place,  a  large  one  for  the  - 
times,  was  constructed  prior  to  1805  by  said 
Samuel  Graham.  The  latter  passed  into  a  son's 
hands,  and  continued  to  be  operated  up  to  1832. 
Samuel  died  there  in  1830,  aged  seventy  years. 

The  Massachusetts  Grahams  are  undoubtedly 
descended  from  old  Connecticut  stock,  which  has 
been  very  prolific  in  numbers  and  emigrating 
members  to  other  of  the  United  States,  not  a  few 
of  whom  have  made  prominent  names  for  them- 
selves. From  Cothren's  "History  of  Ancient 
Woodbury,  Connecticut"  (pp.  545  et  seq.),  we 


glean  the  following  of  both  the  trans- Atlantic  and 
native  tree: 

The  family  arms  are:  Or,  on  a  chief  sable  three 
escalops  of  the  field;  crest,  an  eagle,  wings  hover- 
ing or,  perched  upon  a  heron  lying  upon  its  back, 
proper  beaked  and  membered  gules;  motto,  Ne 
Oubliez. 

The  family  is  of  great  antiquity,  tracing  its  de- 
scent from  Sir  David  Graeme,  who  held  a  grant 
from  King  William  the  Lion  of  Scotland  from 
1163  to  1214.  His  descendant,  Patrick  Graham, 
was  made  a  Lord  in  Parliament  about  1445,  and 
his  grandson,  William,  Lord  Graham,  was,  in 
1504,  by  James  IV.,  created  Earl  of  Montrose. 
His  son  William  was  second  earl,  succeeded  in 
turn  by  John,  John  ( Junior)  and  James,  fifth  earl, 
a  very  distinguished  character  in  history.  He  was 
born  in  1612,  and  joined  the  Covenanters  against 
Charles  I. ,  but  later  became  loyal  to  his  sovereign, 
who  created  him  Marquis  of  Montrose.  He  had 
a  varied  career,  which  ended  by  his  execution  in 
1645  by  the  axe  on  the  scaffold,  as  did  that  of  so 
many  contemporaries.  He  was  succeeded  by 
James,  James,  and  James,  fourth  Marquis,  who 
was  made  Lord  High  Admiral  of  Scotland  in 
1705,  and  in  1707  Duke  of  Montrose.  Then 
came  David,  Earl  and  Baron  Graham,  succeeded 
by  William  (his  brother),  James,  James,  the 
fourth  Duke  of  Montrose,  etc. ,  who  was  a  Com- 
missioner of  India  Affairs,  Knight  of  the  Thistle, 
Lord  Justice-General  of  Scotland,  Chancellor  of 
Scotland,  etc. 

The  Rev.  John  Graham,  A.  M.,  a  second  son 
of  a  Marquis  of  Montrose,  was  born  in  Edinburgh 
in  1691;  he  graduated  at  the  University  of  Glas- 
gow, and  studied  theology  at  his  native  Edin- 
burgh; came  to  Boston  in  1718,  where  he  married 
Abigail,  a  daughter  of  the  very  celebrated  Dr. 
Chauncey,  of  Harvard  College.  Later  Rev.  Mr. 
Graham  removed  to  Exeter,  New  Hampshire,  but 
in  1722  to  Stafford,  Connecticut,  and  in  1732  to 
Woodbury,  Connecticut,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death,  in  December,  1 774.  He  was  an  eminent  man 
and  left  a  family  of  five  sons  and  four  daughters, 
from  whom  are  descended  a  numerous  progeny. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UIVERSITY  OF  ILLIN 


B.  COBP. 


'43 


SILAS  B.  COBB. 


BOWMAN  COBB.  In  the  entire  his- 
?\  tory  of  the  world  it  has  been  vouchsafed  to 
\~/  but  few  men  to  witness  the  growth  of  a  mu- 
nicipality from  a  few  dozen  in  population  to  a 
million  and  a  quarter  souls.  No  story  of  Chicago' s 
development  can  be  written  without  cognizance  of 
Silas  B.  Cobb  as  one  of  its  initial  forces.  It  was 
such  sturdy,  self-reliant  and  hopeful  young  men 
as  he  that  began  the  development  of  her  great- 
ness, and  carried  forward  her  growth  in  middle 
and  later  life.  Ever  since  the  little  band  of  Pil- 
grims established  a  home  on  the  rocky  and  frost- 
locked  shores  of  Massachusetts,  New  England  has 
been  peopled  by  a  race  of  enterprising  and  adven- 
turous men,  whose  habits  of  industry  and  high 
moral  character  have  shaped  the  destinies  of  the 
Nation.  It  is  not  strange,  then,  that  the  hamlet 
planted  by  their  descendants  on  the  swamp}- shore 
of  Lake  Michigan  in  the  305'  should  become  the 
commercial,  industrial  and  philanthropical  me- 
tropolis of  America. 

Silas  W.  Cobb,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  gained  a  livelihood  by  various  occupa- 
tions, being  in  turn  a  farmer,  a  tanner  and  a  tav- 
ern-keeper, and  the  son  was  early  engaged  in 
giving  such  assistance  to  his  father  as  he  was  able. 
When  other  boys  were  applying  themselves  to 
their  books,  he  was  obliged  to  employ  his  strength 
in  support  of  the  family.  His  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Hawkes,  died  when  he  was  an 
infant,  and  he  knew  little  of  maternal  love  or  care, 
growing  up  in  the  habit  of  self-reliance  which 
carried  him  through  many  difficult  enterprises 
and  made  him  a  successful  man.  He  was  born 
in  Montpelier,  Vermont,  January  23,  1812,  and 


is  now  entering  upon  the  eighty-fourth  year  of 
his  age.  He  is  keenly  active  in  mind  and  sound 
in  body,  taking  a  participating  interest  in  all  the 
affairs  of  life. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen,  young  Cobb  was  regu- 
larly "bound  out,"  according  to  the  custom  of 
those  days,  for  a  term  of  years,  as  apprentice  to  a 
harness-maker,  having  previously  made  a  begin- 
ning as  a  shoemaker,  which  did  not  suit  his  taste. 
Within  a  twelvemonth  after  he  was  "articled"  to 
the  harness-maker,  his  employer  sold  out,  and  the 
new  proprietor  endeavored  to  keep  the  lad  as  an 
appurtenance  to  his  purchase.  Against  this  the 
manly  independence  of  the  youth  rebelled,  and  the 
new  proprietor  was  obliged  to  give  him  more  ad- 
vantageous terms  than  he  had  before  enjoyed. 
Having  become  a  journeyman,  he  found  employ- 
ment in  his  native  State,  but  he  was  not  satisfied 
with  the  conditions  surrounding  him.  After  nine 
months  of  continuous  toil  and  frugal  living,  he 
was  enabled  to  save  only  $60,  and  he  resolved  to 
try  his  fortune  in  the  new  country  to  the  then 
far  West. 

Joining  a  company  then  being  formed  at  Mont- ' 
pelier  to  take  up  land  previously  located  by 
Oliver  Goss,  the  young  man — having  but  just  at- 
tained his  majority — in  spite  of  his  father's  re- 
monstrance, set  out.  From  Albany,  the  trip  to 
Buffalo  was  made  by  canal  packet,  and  in  the 
journey  from  home  to  this  point  all  his  little  sav- 
ings, except  $7,  were  exhausted.  The  schooner 
'  'Atlanta' '  was  about  to  leave  Buffalo  for  Chicago, 
and  Mr.  Cobb  at  once  explained  to  the  captain 
his  predicament.  The  fare  to  Chicago  was  just 
$7,  but  this  did  not  include  board,  and  Mr.  Cobb 


I44 


S.  B.  COBB. 


was  delighted,  as  well  as  surprised,  when  the 
captain  told  him  to  secure  provisions  for  the  jour- 
ney and  he  would  carry  him  to  Chicago  for  the 
balance.  After  a  boisterous  voyage  of  five  weeks, 
anchor  was  dropped  opposite  the  little  settlement 
called  Chicago.  Its  hundred  white  and  half-breed 
inhabitants  were  sheltered  by  log  huts,  while  the 
seventy  soldiers  forming  the  garrison  occupied 
Fort  Dearborn .  And  now  a  new  hardship  assailed 
the  young  pioneer.  Disregarding  the  bargain 
made  in  Buffalo,  the  tricky  commander  of  the 
schooner  refused  to  let  him  leave  its  deck  until 
his  passage  money  had  been  paid  in  full.  For 
three  days  he  was  detained  in  sight  of  the  promised 
land,  until  he  was  delivered  by  a  generous 
stranger,  who  came  on  board  to  secure  passage  to 
Buffalo.  His  first  earnings  on  shore  were  applied 
by  Mr.  Cobb  in  repaying  the  sum  advanced  by 
his  kind  deliverer.  Before  the  boat  sailed  he 
found  employment  on  a  building  which  James 
Kinzie  was  erecting  for  a  hotel.  He  knew  noth- 
ing of  the  builder's  trade,  but  had  pluck  and 
shrewdness,  and  took  hold  with  such  will  that  he 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  work,  at  a  salary  of 
$2.75  per  day — a  very  liberal  remuneration  in  his 
estimation.  The  building  was  constructed  of  logs 
and  unplaned  boards,  and  did  not  require  a  very 
high  order  of  architectural  skill,  but  within  a 
few  days  a  man,  seeking  the  position,  called  at- 
tention to  the  lack  of  experience  on  the  part  of 
the  youthful  superintendent,  and  clinched  the 
matter  by  offering  to  do  the  work  for  fifty  cents 
less  per  day. 

Mr.  Cobb  now  invested  his  earnings  in  a  stock 
of  trinkets  and  began  to  trade  with  the  Indians, 
by  which  he  secured  a  little  capital,  and  resolved 
to  erect  a  building  of  his  own  and  go  into  busi- 
ness. The  nearest  sawmill  was  at  Plainfield,  forty 
miles  southwest  of  Chicago,  across  unbroken 
prairies.  Getting  his  directions  from  an  Indian, 
Mr.  Cobb  set  out  on  foot  to  purchase  the  lumber 
for  his  building.  There  being  no  trail,  he  was 
guided  solely  by  the  groves  which  grew  at  long 
intervals,  and  found  only  one  human  habitation 
on  the  way.  From  one  of  the  settlers  at  Plain- 
field  he  secured  the  use  of  three  yoke  of  oxen  and 
a  wagon,  with  which  to  bring  home  his  purchase 


of  lumber.  He  was  but  fairly  started  when  a 
three-days  rain  set  in,  and  the  surface  of  the 
prairies  became  so  soft  that  the  wagon  sank  deep 
in  the  mud,  making  progress  almost  impossible 
and  compelling  an  occasional  lightening  of  the 
load  by  throwing  off  a  part.  After  sleeping  three 
nights  on  the  wagon  with  such  shelter  as  could 
be  made  with  boards  from  the  load,  with  the  rain 
beating  down  pitilessly  and  the  wolves'  howling 
the  only  accompaniment,  he  arrived  at  the  Des 
Plaines  River,  still  twelve  miles  from  his  destina- 
tion. The  stream  was  so  swollen  by  the  rains 
that  it  was  impossible  to  cross  with  the  wagon, 
and  the  balance  of  the  load  was  thrown  off  and 
the  oxen  turned  loose  to  find  their  way  back  to 
their  owner,  which  they  did  without  accident. 
After  the  rains  were  over  and  the  ground  became 
settled,  the  trip  was  repeated,  the  lumber  recov- 
ered and  brought  safely  to  Chicago.  These  are 
some  of  the  experiences  of  the  pioneer,  and  can 
never  be  forgotten  by  those  who  pass  through 
them. 

When  Mr.  Cobb  had  completed  his  building, 
which  was  two  stories  in  height,  he  rented  the 
upper  story,  and  began  business  on  the  ground 
floor.  The  capital  consisted  of  $30,  furnished  by 
Mr.  Goss,  who  was  a  partner  in  the  venture,  and 
was  invested  in  stock  for  a  harness  shop.  The 
industry  and  business  ability  of  the  working  part- 
ner caused  the  enterprise  to  prosper  and  grow, 
and  at  the  end  of  a  year  he  withdrew  and  set 
up  business  on  his  individual  account  in  larger 
quarters.  His  business  continued  to  grow,  and 
in  1848  he  sold  out  at  a  good  advance.  He  then 
engaged  in  the  general  boot  and  shoe,  hide  and 
leather  trade,  in  partnership  with  William  Os- 
borne,  and  found  success  beyond  his  fondest  an- 
ticipations, and  in  1852  lie  retired  from  mercan- 
tile operations.  About  the  same  time,  he  was 
appointed  executor  of  the  estate  of  Joel  Matteson 
and  guardian  of  the  latter 's  five  children.  When 
this  trust  closed  in  1866,  the  estate  was  found  to 
have  been  vastly  benefited  by  his  shrewd  man- 
agement of  the  trust. 

With  characteristic  foresight,  Mr.  Cobb  early 
began  to  invest  in  Chicago  realty,  and  the  wisdom 
of  his  calculations  has  been  abundantly  demon- 


S.   B.   COBB. 


strated.  He  has  also  been  identified  with  semi- 
public  enterprises,  or  those  which  largely  con- 
cerned and  benefited  the  city,  while  yielding  a 
return  to  the  investors.  In  1855  he  was  elected 
a  Director  of  the  Chicago  Gas  Light  and  Coke 
Company,  and  subsequently  one  of  the  Board  of 
Managers.  This  position  he  held  until  he  sold 
his  interest  and  retired  from  the  company  in  1887. 
It  was  his  executive  ability  which  was  largely  re- 
sponsible for  the  establishment  of  cable  roads  in 
the  city,  those  on  State  Street  and  Wabash  Ave- 
nue being  constructed  under  his  advice  and  direc- 
tion, while  President  of  the  Chicago  City  Railway. 
He  is  still  active  in  the  councils  of  that  company, 
as  well  as  of  the  West  Division  horse  railway. 
For  many  years  he  was  among  the  controlling 
members  of  the  Chicago  &  Galena  Union  and 
Beloit  &  Madison  Railroads,  now  a  part  of  the 
Northwestern  System  (see  biography  of  John  B. 
Turner).  Mr.  Cobb  is  a  Director  of  the  National 
Bank  of  Illinois,  and  several  blocks  of  fine  build- 
ings in  the  business  district  contribute  to  his  in- 
come, as  the  result  of  his  faith  in  the  city  and 
sagacity  in  selection. 

While  being  prospered,  he  has  not  forgotten  to 
add  to  his  own  felicity  by  contributing  to  the  happi- 
ness of  others.  He  has  been  one  of  the  kindest 
husbands  and  fathers,  and  not  only  his  family  but 
the  city  of  his  home  have  often  shared  in  his  bene- 
factions. When  the  effort  to  raise  $1,000,000  for 
the  buildings  of  the  new  University  of  Chicago 
was  straining  every  resource  of  the  Trustees,  Mr. 
Cobb  came  forward  unsolicited  and  donated$i5o,- 
ooo,  assuring  the  success  of  the  movement.  The 
"History  of  Chicago,"  by  John  Moses,  says:  "It 
is  believed  that  up  to  the  time  when  this  subscrip- 
tion was  made,  few,  if  any,  greater  ones  had  ever 
been  made  to  education  by  a  Chicago  citizen  at 
one  time.  A  noble  building,  the  Cobb  lecture 
Hall,  now  stands  on  the  University  campus,  a 
monument  of  the  builder's  liberality  and  public 
spirit.  As  long  as  the  great  university  endures, 
this  memorial  of  Silas  B.  Cobb's  life  will  stand, 
the  corporation  having  pledged  to  rebuild  the  hall 
if  it  should  be  destroyed."  The  Presbyterian 
Hospital  and  Humane  Society  of  Chicago  are  also 
among  the  beneficiaries  of  his  generosity,  and  Mr. 


Cobb  will  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  city's 
largest  benefactors,  as  well  as  a  successful  busi- 
ness man. 

In  1840  Mr.  Cobb  married  Miss  Maria,  daugh- 
ter of  Daniel  Warren,  whose  biography  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  thus  describes  his 
first  meeting  with  his  future  bride:  "I  arrived 
in  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1833.  In  October  of 
the  same  year  I  was  occupying  my  new  shop  op- 
posite the  Kinzie  Hotel — in  the  building  of  which 
my  first  dollar  was  earned  in  Chicago.  Standing 
at  my  shop  one  afternoon,  talking  with  a  neigh- 
bor, my  attention  was  attracted  by  the  arrival  at 
the  hotel  of  a  settler's  wagon  from  the  East.  With 
my  apron  on  and  sleeves  rolled  up,  I  went  with 
my  neighbor  to  greet  the  weary  travelers  and  to 
welcome  them  to  the  hospitalities  of  Fort  Dear- 
born, in  accordance  with  the  free  and  easy  cus- 
toms of  'high  society'  in  those  days.  *  *  *  * 
There  were  several  young  women  in  the  party, 
two  of  them  twin  sisters,  whom  I  thought  partic- 
ularly attractive,  so  much  so  that  I  remarked  to 
my  friend,  after  they  had  departed,  that  when  I 
was  prosperous  enough  so  that  my  pantaloons  and 
brogans  could  be  made  to  meet,  I  was  going  to 
look  up  those  twin  sisters  and  marry  one  of  them 
or  die  in  trying."  The  same  pertinacity  and 
acumen  which  characterized  his  every  undertak- 
ing carried  him  through  seven  years  of  toil  and 
privation  until  he  had  won  the  prize,  which  in- 
deed she  proved  to  be.  Their  wedding  took  place 
on  the  27th  of  October.  Her  twin  sister  married 
Jerome  Beecher  (for  sketch  of  whom  see  another 
page) . 

Mrs.  Cobb  passed  away  on  the  loth  of  May, 
1888.  Of  her  six  children,  only  two  survive. 
Two  daughters  died  in  infancy,  and  Walter,  the 
first-born  and  only  son,  and  Lenore,  wife  of  Joseph 
G.  Coleman,  are  also  deceased.  The  others  are: 
Maria  Louisa,  wife  of  William  B.  Walker,  and 
Bertha,  widow  of  the  late  William  Armour. 

Being  a  man  of  firm  principle,  Mr.  Cobb  has 
always  adhered  to  a  few  simple  rules  of  conduct, 
in  the  adoption  of  which  any  youth  may  hope  to 
win  moderate  success,  at  least.  He  early  discov- 
ered the  disadvantage  of  being  in  debt,  and  made 
it  a  rule  as  soon  as  he  got  out  to  stay  out.  The 


146 


W.  E.  ROLLO. 


ether  words  forming  his  motto  are:  Industry, 
economy,  temperate  habits  and  unswerving  in- 
tegrity. A  few  more  words  from  the  pen  of  Mr. 
Cobb  will  fittingly  close  this  brief  article.  On 
the  guests'  register  in  the  Vermont  State  Build- 
ing at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  ap- 
peared this  entry  over  his  signature:  "A  native 


of  Vermont,  I  left  Montpelier  in  April,  1833,  and 
arrived  at  Fort  Dearborn,  now  the  city  of  Chicago, 
May  2gth  of  the  same  year.  I  have  lived  in  Chi- 
cago from  that  time  to  the  present  day.  Every 
building  in  Chicago  has  been  erected  during  my 
residence  here." 


WILLIAM  E.  ROLLO. 


fDQlLLIAM  EGBERT  ROLLO  is  a  well- 
\  A  I  known  citizen  of  Chicago  and  a  veteran 
Y  V  underwriter,  having  been  engaged  in  that 
line  of  business  since  1850.  He  was  born  in  the 
Parish  of  Gilead,  Hebron  Township,  Tolland 
County,  Connecticut,  January  3,  1851.  His  par- 
ents, Ralph  R.  Rollo  and  Sibyl  Post,  were  natives 
of  South  Windsor,  Connecticut.  The  former  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  son  of  William 
Rollo,  who,  in  addition  to  his  agricultural  inter- 
ests, carried  on  the  business  of  a  tanner  and  cur- 
rier. Their  progenitors  were  among  the  earliest 
colonists  of  Connecticut,  and  traced  their  lineage, 
through  a  long  line  of  English  ancestry,  from  the 
famous  William  Rollo,  better  known  in  history, 
as  William  the  Conqueror. 

Ralph  R.  Rollo  died  in  1869,  at  the  extreme 
old  age  of  eighty-eight  years.  Mrs.  Sibyl  Rollo 
passed  away  in  1833,  in  her  fifty-first  year.  They 
were  strict  adherents  of  the  Congregational  faith, 
and  observed  most  rigidly  the  rules  of  its  creed. 
The  names  of  their  children  were:  Lucy  A.,  who 
died  in  South  Windsor,  Connecticut,  in  1858; 
Evelyn  S. ,  who  died  in  Chicago  in  1882,  while 
the  wife  of  Elizur  W.  Drake;  Ralph  R.,  who  be- 
came a  resident  of  Chicago  in  1870,  and  died  in 
1872;  Henry,  who  died  in  childhood;  Lucinda 
F.,  Mrs.  Solyman  W.  Grant,  who  departed  this 
life  at  Conneaut,  Ohio,  in  1845;  Samuel  A., 


whose  death  occurred  in  New  Jersey  in  1864;  and 
William  E.,  whose  name  heads  this  notice. 

The  last-named  became  a  student  at  East  Wind- 
sor Academy,  and  completed  his  education  at  a 
similar  institution  at  East  Hartford,  graduating 
therefrom  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  It  had 
been  his  intention  to  take  up  the  study  of  law, 
but  his  father  sternly  forbade  that  plan,  declaring 
that  no  man  could  simultaneously  be  a  lawyer 
and  a  Christian.  Accordingly  he  abandoned  his 
cherished  hopes,  and  in  1850  he  went  to  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  as  a  representative  of  the  Hartford 
Fire  Insurance  Company.  While  in  that  city  he 
was  also  the  agent  of  the  Springfield  Fire  and 
Marine  Insurance  Company  of  Springfield,  Mass- 
achusetts, the  State  Mutual  Fire  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  Connecticut  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Com- 
panies. His  faithful  and  efficient  management  of 
the  business  in  his  hands  soon  caused  other  cor- 
porations to  seek  his  services,  and  in  1858  he  be- 
came the  General  Agent  of  the  Girard  Fire  and 
Marine  Insurance  Company,  and  during  the  next 
two  years  established  agencies  in  Chicago  and  all 
the  principal  cities  of  the  West. 

Since  1860  he  has  been  permanently  located  in 
Chicago.  In  1863  he  organized  the  Merchants' 
Insurance  Company  of  Chicago,  which  included 
among  its  stockholders  many  of  the  most  substan- 
tial citizens  and  business  men  of  the  city.  This 


J.  G.  ROGERS. 


147 


corporation  had  become  well  established,  and  was 
doing  a  most  flattering,  lucrative  business,  when 
it  was  overtaken  by  the  great  holocaust  of  1871, 
going  down — in  company  with  many  other  or- 
dinarily invincible  companies — before  the  un- 
dreamed-of assault  upon  its  assets.  The  year  fol- 
lowing that  disaster,  through  Mr.  Rollo's  efforts, 
the  Traders'  Insurance  Company  was  re-estab- 
lished and  made  a  successful  and  solid  institution. 
After  two  years,  owing  to  failing  health  and  other 
great  demands  upon  his  time,  he  turned  over  the 
enterprise  to  other  parties.  Since  that  time  he 
has  been  carrying  on  the  insurance  agency  of 
William  E.  Rollo  &  Son.  This  firm  manages  the 


Western  Department  of  the  Girard  Insurance 
Company,  and  represents  a  number  of  other  lead- 
ing underwriting  concerns. 

Mr.  Rollo  was  married,  in  October,  1845,  to 
Miss  Jane  T.  Fuller,  daughter  of  Gen.  Asa  Ful- 
ler, of  Ellington,  Connecticut.  Mrs.  Rollo  is  a 
native  of  the  same  state,  born  at  Somers.  They 
are  the  parents  of  two  daughters  and  a  son,  Jen- 
nie Sibyl,  Evelyn  Lavinia  and  William  Fuller, 
the  last-named  being  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
William  E.  Rollo  &  Son.  Mr.  Rollo  has  adhered 
strictly  to  the  business  of  underwriting,  meeting 
with  success  where  men  of  less  energy  and  perse- 
verance would  have  despaired. 


HON.  JOHN  G.  ROGERS. 


HON.  JOHN  GORIN  ROGERS,  who  was  for 
many  years  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  popu- 
lar jurists  in  Chicago,   has  been  thus  de- 
scribed by  previous  writers: 

"Nature  designed  him  for  a  Judge.  His  mind 
was  of  the  judicial  order,  and  he  would  in  almost 
any  community  have  been  sought  for  to  occupy  a 
place  on  the  Bench.  The  high  esteem  in  which 
he  was  held  as  a  jurist  among  the  entire  profession 
was  the  result  of  a  rare  combination  of  fine  legal 
ability  and  culture  and  incorruptible  integrity, 
with  the  dignified  presence,  absolute  courage,  and 
graceful  urbanity  which  characterized  all  his  offi- 
cial acts.  Like  the  poet,  the  Judge  is  born,  not 
made.  To  wear  the  ermine  worthily,  it  is  not 
enough  for  one  to  possess  legal  acumen,  be  learned 
in  the  principles  of  jurisprudence,  familiar  with 
precedents  and  thoroughly  honest.  Most  men 
are  unable  wholly  to  divest  themselves  of  preju- 
dice, even  when  acting  uprightly,  and  are  uncon- 
sciously warped  in  their  judgment  by  their  own 
mental  characteristics  or  the  peculiarities  of  their 
education.  This  unconscious  influence  is  a  dis- 


turbing force,  a  variable  factor,  which  more  or  less 
enters  into  the  final  judgment  of  all  men.  In 
this  ideal  jurist  this  factor  was  not  discernible, 
and  practically  did  not  exist." 

Judge  Rogers  traced  his  ancestry  from  some  of 
the  most  honorable  families  of  Virginia,  being  de- 
scended from  Giles  Rogers,  who  emigrated  from 
Worcestershire,  England,  to  Virginia  in  the  sev- 
enteenth century.  He  settled  at  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Dunkirk,  on  the  Mattapony  River,  in  King 
and  Queen  County.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
wife,  whom  he  is  supposed  to  have  married  in 
Virginia,  was  Eason,  or  Eastham.  They  were 
the  parents  of  three  sons  and  three  daughters. 
One  of  the  sons,  John  Rogers,  married  Mary 
Byrd,  daughter  of  Captain  William  Byrd,  who 
came  from  England  to  Virginia  late  in  the  seven- 
teenth century.  Captain  Byrd  was  a  native  of 
Cheshire,  and  received  from  the  Crown  a  grant 
of  land  embracing  most  of  the  site  of  the  present 
city  of  Richmond  and  of  Manchester,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  James  River.  John  Rogers  was 
a  farmer  and  surveyor,  and  lived  in  King  and 


148 


J.  G.  ROGERS. 


Queen  County.  He  also  took  up  land  on  the 
border  between  Carolina  and  Spottsylvania  Coun- 
ties. His  initials,  with  the  date  1712,  are  carved 
upon  a  rock  there.  Among  the  descendants 
of  John  and  Mary  (Byrd)  Rogers  may  be  men- 
tioned General  George  Rogers  Clark,  the  noted 
Kentucky  frontiersman,  and  his  brother,  William 
Clark,  the  explorer  of  the  American  Northwest, 
beside  a  number  of  prominent  military  men,  in- 
cluding Colonel  George  Grogham,  of  Fort  Meigs 
and  Sandusky  memory,  as  well  as  several  emi- 
nent statesmen  and  jurists.  Among  the  latter 
was  Hon.  John  Semple,  who  became  a  United 
States  Senator  from  Illinois. 

In  the  first  year  of  the  present  century,  Byrd 
Rogers,  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Rogers,  moved 
to  Fayette  County,  Kentucky,  where  he  soon  aft- 
erward died.  He  had  four  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. One  of  the  sons,  George  Rogers,  became 
an  eminent  physician,  and  died  at  Glasgow,  Ken- 
tucky, in  March,  1860.  He  married  Sarah  Hen- 
sley  Gorin,  a  daughter  of  General  John  Gorin, 
who  served  in  the  Continental  army,  and  rose  to 
the  rank  of  Major  during  the  War  of  1812.  Mrs. 
Sarah  H.  Rogers  was  born  December  n,  1800, 
and  died  in  1870.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  had  four 
sons  and  five  daughters,  and  two  of  the  former 
became  Judges.  These  were  John  Gorin  Rogers, 
the  subject  of  this  notice,  and  George  Clark  Rog- 
ers, who  became  a  Circuit  Judge  at  Bowling 
Green,  Kentucky,  and  died  there  about  1870. 

John  Gorin  Rogers  was  born  at  Glasgow,  Ken- 
tucky, December  28,  1818,  and  died  in  Chicago, 
January  10,  1887.  His  primary  education  was 
obtained  at  the  village  school,  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  he  entered  Center  College  at  Dan- 
ville, Kentucky,  an  institution  famous  for  its  lect- 
ures on  law,  in  which  he  acquired  the  founda- 
tion of  his  professional  knowledge.  Thence  he 
went  to  Transylvania  University  at  Lexington, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1841,  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  began  his  practice 
in  his  native  town,  being  a  part  of  the  time  asso- 
ciated with  his  uncle,  Hon.  Franklin  Gorin,  one 
of  the  oldest  lawyers  of  the  State. 

In  1857  he  became  a  resident  of  Chicago,  where 
his  talents  and  ability  soon  wou  him  a  prominent 


position  at  the  Bar.  In  1870  he  was  chosen  one 
of  the  five  Judges  of  the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook 
County,  a  position  to  which  he  was  repeatedly 
re-elected  and  continued  to  hold  during  the  bal- 
ance of  his  life.  He  commanded  the  universal  re- 
spect of  the  people  and  the  members  of  the  Bar, 
and,  though  he  was  always  nominated  as  a  Dem- 
ocrat, he  received  the  support  of  many  leading 
Republicans. 

Judge  Rogers  always  took  an  active  interest 
in  public  affairs,  and  previous  to  his  elevation  to 
the  Bench  he  was  interested  in  many  prominent 
political  movements,  though  he  was  never  a  vio- 
lent partisan.  In  early  life  he  was  an  old-line 
Henry  Clay  Whig,  and  in  1848,  and  again  in 
1852,  he  was  placed  on  the  electoral  ticket  of  that 
party  in  Kentucky.  In  1860  he  became  identi- 
fied with  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  placed 
on  the  Bell  and  Everett  electoral  ticket  of  Illinois. 
In  1 856  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention  which 
nominated  Millard  Fillmore  for  President  of  the 
United  States.  Had  he  chosen  to  pursue  a  polit- 
ical career,  he  could,  no  dbubt,  have  held  some 
of  the  highest  offices  in  the  Nation;  but  after  his 
election  to  the  Bench  he  refrained  from  taking 
any  active  part  in  politics,  contending  that  a 
Judge  should  be  in  all  things  strictly  non-partisan, 
and  should  not  lower  the  dignity  of  his  office,  or 
subject  himself  to  a  charge  of  prejudice  or  favor- 
itism, or  place  himself  in  any  position  where  any 
one  might  think  that  he  had  a  claim  on  him  for 
special  favors. 

Though  not  a  total  abstainer,  Judge  Rogers 
was  always  an  advocate  of  the  temperance  cause, 
and  at  one  time  was  Grand  Worthy  Patriarch  of 
the  Sons  of  Temperance  of  the  State  of  Kentucky. 
In  1849  he  joined  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death  was 
the  recipient  of  numerous  honors  from  the  order. 
In  1863  he  was  elected  Grand  Master  of  Illinois, 
and  in  1869  was  Grand  Representative  to  the 
Sovereign  Grand  Lodge  of  the  United  States.  Aft- 
er the  great  Chicago  fire,  he  was  selected  as  one 
of  the  Chicago  Odd  Fellows'  Relief  Committee, 
and  as  treasurer  of  that  body  received  and  dis- 
bursed $125,000.  He  helped  to  organize  the  Char- 
ity Organization  Society,  which  was  formed  to 


EDSON  KEITH. 


149 


promote  the  co-operation  of  all  the  charitable  or- 
ganizations of  the  city  in  1883.  In  1878  he  was 
elected  the  first  President  of  the  Illinois  Club,  and 
was  re-elected  to  that  position  in  1882.  He  was 
also  a  prominent  member  of  the  Iroquois  Club. 

Judge  Rogers  was  always  popular  in  society, 
where  his  genial  love  for  humanity  and  sincerity 
of  purpose  won  him  a  host  of  friends,  and  his 
name  came  to  be  a  household  word  among  the 
older  residents  of  Chicago.  He  always  manifest- 
ed a  deep  interest  in  the  poor  and  humble  of  his 
fellow-citizens,  and  would  often  stop  to  grasp  the 
hand  of  a  man  of  no  social  position,  while  he 
might  merely  pass  with  a  pleasant  bow  a  million- 
aire or  social  leader. 

In  1844  Mr.  Rogers  was  married  to  Miss  Ara- 


bella E.  Crenshaw,  daughter  of  Hon.  B.  Mills 
Crenshaw,  who  afterward  became  Chief  Justice 
of  the  State  of  Kentucky.  Mrs.  Rogers,  who 
still  survives  her  noble  husband,  is  a  lady  of  high 
culture  and  many  accomplishments,  and  to  her 
loving  thoughtfulness  and  kindly  assistance  may 
be  attributed  much  of  the  success  achieved  by  her 
husband.  They  were  the  parents  of  four  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  reside  in  Chicago.  Henry,  the 
eldest  son,  though  finely  endowed  intellectually, 
owing  to  ill-health  has  not  been  actively  engaged 
in  business  for  many  years;  and  George  Mills 
Rogers,  the  second  son,  is  a  well  known  attorney 
and  Master  in  Chancery;  the  eldest  daughter  is 
the  wife  of  Joseph  M.  Rogers;  and  Sarah  is  the 
wife  of  ex -Judge  Samuel  P.  McConnell. 


EDSON  KEITH. 


IT  DSON  KEITH,  one  of  Chicago's  self-made 
1^  men,  is  numbered  among  the  most  energet- 
ic, honorable,  progressive  and  broad-minded 
residents  of  the  city.  He  was  born  at  Barre,  Ver- 
mont, January  28,  1833,  and  is  a  son  of  Martin 
Keith,  a  prominent  farmer  and  builder  of  that 
place,  who  afterward  became  a  resident  of  Chicago. 
The  Keith  family  in  America  are  all  descend- 
ants of  Rev.  James  Keith,  of  Bridgewater,  Mass- 
achusetts, who  emigrated  from  Scotland  about 
1660.  Though  but  sixteen  years  of  age  at  that 
time,  he  was  a  graduate  of  Aberdeen  College,  and 
became  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Bridgewater.  It  is  said  that  his  first  sermon  was 
delivered  from  a  rock  in  "Mill  Pasture,"  so- 
called,  near  the  river.  He  married  Susannah, 
daughter  of  Deacon  Samuel  Edson,  and  they  had 
nine  children:  James,  Joseph,  Samuel,  Timothy, 
John,  Jariah,  Margaret,  Mary  and  Susannah. 
Unto  James  (second)  were  born  eight  children: 


James,  Mary,  Gensham,  Israel,  Faithful,  Esther, 
Jane  and  Simeon.  The  children  of  James  (third) 
were:  Noah,  Comfort,  James  and  Abigail.  One 
of  the  children  of  Comfort  Keith  was  Abijah,  born 
June  20,  1770.  He  was  born  in  Uxbridge, 
Worcester  County,  Massachusetts,  and  was  one 
of  the  early  settlers  of  Barre,  Washington  Coun- 
ty, Vermont. 

Martin  Keith  was  the  second  son  of  Abijah, 
and  was  born  in  Uxbridge,  Massachusetts,  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1800,  and  came  with  his  father's  family 
to  Barre,  Vermont,  in  1804.  He  was  married  to 
Miss  Betsey  French,  and  had  seven  children: 
Damon,  Judith,  Osborn  R.,  Edson,  Byron  and 
Elbridge  Gerry. 

Betsey  French  was  one  of  the  fourteen  children 
of  Bartholomew  and  Susannah  French,  who  came 
to  Barre  from  Alstead,  New  Hampshire,  in  1791. 
Bartholomew  French,  who  was  one  of  the  earliest 
settlers  of  Barre,  built  the  first  mill  in  that  place. 


150 


EDSON   KEITH. 


He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  and 
was  born  in  Button,  Massachusetts.  A  historian 
of  the  town  of  Barre  says:  "To  this  energetic 
man  and  his  descendants  much  of  the  prosperity 
of  the  town,  from  the  time  of  his  arrival  until  the 
present  day,  is  due."  Twelve  of  his  seventeen 
children  lived  until  the  youngest  was  past  sixty 
years  of  age.  At  least  two  of  his  sons  served  in 
the  War  of  1812,  and  one  of  them,  named  Bar- 
tholomew, commanded  a  company  of  Vermont 
troops,  and  served  as  a  Captain  of  militia  for  many 
years  afterward. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  Keith  removed  to  Chica- 
go in  1859.  The  former  died  herein  1876,  at  the 
age  of  nearly  seventy-seven  years,  and  the  latter 
in  1868,  aged  about  seventy  years.  They  were 
worthy  representatives  of  the  pioneer  families  of 
New  England,  and  cherished  the  same  love  of  hon- 
or and  truth  for  which  their  ancestors  were  con- 
spicuous, while  practicing  that  rigid  adherence  to 
principle  which  has  distinguished  their  posterity. 

Edson  Keith  passed  his  childhood  upon  the 
homestead  farm  and  in  attendance  at  the  public 
school.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  went 
to  Montpelier,  where  the  next  four  years  were 
spent.  In  1854  he  came  to  Chicago,  beginning 
his  mercantile  career  in  this  city  as  clerk  in  a  re- 
tail dry-goods  store.  Two  years  later  he  became 
a  salesman  and  collector  for  a  wholesale  house, 
dealing  in  hats,  caps  and  furs.  In  1860  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  Keith,  Faxon  & 
Company,  jobbers  of  hats,  caps,  furs  and  milli- 
nery. Since  that  time  he  has  been  continuously 
associated  with  that  line  of  business,  though  the 
style  of  the  firm  has  undergone  a  number  of 
changes  and  transformations,  and  the  volume  of 
its  transactions  has  been  repeatedly  multiplied. 
He  is  now  senior  member  of  the  wholesale  fancy 
dry-goods  and  millinery  establishment  of  Edson 
Keith  &  Company,  on  Wabash  Avenue,  and 
President  of  the  firm  of  Keith  Brothers  &  Com- 
pany, wholesale  dealers  in  hats,  caps,  etc.,  whose 
place  of  business  is  on  Adams  Street.  In  addition 
to  these,  he  is  proprietor  of  Keith  &  Company, 
grain  warehousemen,  and  is  a  stockholder  and 
Director  of  the  Metropolitan  National  Bank. 


He  has  ever  taken  a  keen  interest  in  the  growth 
and  progress  of  Chicago,  maintaining  perfect  con- 
fidence in  its  future  greatness,  and  has  at  differ- 
ent times  managed  some  extensive  real-estate 
transactions,  which  not  only  have  contributed  to 
his  personal  gain,  but  have  been  important  fac- 
tors in  the  financial  prosperity  of  the  commun- 
ity. 

But  a  few  years  had  elapsed  after  casting  in  his 
lot  with  the  growing  metropolis  before  he  had  es- 
tablished a  reputation  for  integrity  of  character 
and  honorable  dealing  which  has  ever  been  con- 
sistently maintained,  and  he  enjoys  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  colleagues  and  coadjutors  to 
a  degree  attained  by  few  men  in  the  West. 

In  1860  Mr.  Keith  was  happily  married  to 
Miss  Woodruff,  of  Chicago.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  sons:  Edson,  Jr.,  a  graduate  of 
Yale  College  and  later  of  Columbia  L,aw  School, 
New  York  City;  and  Walter  W.,  a  graduate  of 
Yale. 

Though  a  sympathizer  with  Republican  princi- 
ples, Mr.  Keith  is  not  a  strict  partisan,  but  sup- 
ports such  men  for  public  office  as  he  deems  most 
worthy  of  his  confidence.  And,  while  he  does 
not  hold  membership  with  any  religious  organiz- 
ation, he  isa  liberal  supporter  of  institutions  tend- 
ing to  upbuild  the  moral  and  intellectual  senti- 
ment of  the  people.  He  is  a  patron  of  art  and 
literature,  and  was  for  several  terms  a  Vice-Presi- 
dent  of  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago.  He  served 
for  three  years  as  President  of  the  Citizens'  Asso- 
ciation, in  the  inception  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  foremost  movers,  and  which  did  a  great  work 
in  the  reform  of  municipal  and  state  affairs.  He 
was  three  years  President  of  the  Calumet  Club, 
and  is  identified  with  numerous  other  leading 
clubs  of  Chicago  and  New  York  City.  His  hon- 
orable and  successful  career  stands  out  on  the 
horizon  of  Chicago's  history,  a  fitting  example 
to  its  rising  generations  of  the  rewards  which 
await  persistent  and  intelligent  application,  when 
accompanied  by  straightforward  dealing,  but- 
tressed with  regular  habits  and  unswerving  integ- 
rity of  character. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UIVERSITY  OF  ILLIV 


J.  F.  EBERHART. 


JOHN  F.  EBERHART. 


(|OHN  FREDERICK  EBERHART,  fifth 
I  child  of  Abraham  and  Esther  Eberhart  (nee 
Q)  Amend),  was  born  January  21,  1829,  at 
Hickory,  Mercer  County,  Pennsylvania,  his  early 
years  being  busily  spent  upon  his  father's  farm, 
situated  in  the  then  new-settlement  region. 

In  1837  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Big  Bend 
(on  the  Allegheny),  in  Venango  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, still  occupying  himself  with  agricultural 
pursuits,  save  in  winter,  which  time  was  given 
over  to  district  schools.  At  sixteen  he  left  school, 
becoming  himself  a  country  pedagogue,  his  first 
charge  being  located  at  the  mouth  of  Oil  Creek 
(near  Franklin),  Pennsylvania,  where,  after  the 
manner  so  eloquently  depicted  by  Eggleston 
in  "The  Hoosier  Schoolmaster,"  he  "boarded 
"round"  and  received  his  few  dollars  per  month 
for  "teaching  the  young  idea  how  to  shoot." 

The  following  year  he  took  advanced  tuition  in 
drawing,  writing  and  flourishing,  afterward  teach- 
ing these  accomplishments  to  others.  After  some 
further  schoolteaching,  and  having  himself  com- 
pleted the  curriculum  of  the  Cottage  Hill  Acad- 
emy at  Ellsworth,  Ohio,  he  entered  Allegheny 
College,  in  1849,  whence  he  graduated  July  2, 
1853,  having,  like  many  another  contemporary 
who  has  since  "made  his  mark,"  worked  his  way 
through  college  by  teaching  and  working  upon 
farms.  He  always  took  a  leading  part  in  his 
classes,  as  well  as  in  many  field  sports,  outlifting, 
outjumping  and  outrunning  all  his  several  hun- 
dred classmates.  Perhaps  we  may  allow  this  to 
speak  as  a  prophecy  of  later  superior  achieve- 
ments. In  oratory  he  was  proficient,  as  is  suffi- 
ciently attested  by  the  plaudits  of  the  several 
thousand  auditors  who  attended  his  Fourth  of 
July  oration  near  his  old  home  at  Rockland,  Pa., 
two  days  after  his  graduation. 


The  succeeding  fall  he  assumed  the  duties  of 
Principal  of  the  Albright  Seminary  at  Berlin, 
Somerset  County,  Pennsylvania.  This  first  in- 
stitution of  letters  founded  by  the  Evangelical  As- 
sociation developed  and  prospered  under  his  fos- 
tering care.  And  here  a  digression  is  briefly 
made  in  order  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the 
Rev.  H.  W.  Thomas,  now  pastor  of  the  People's 
Church,  Chicago,  was  a  pupil  of  his  at  this  time. 

The  first  serious  disappointment  in  his  life 
work,  as  Mr.  Eberhart  had  first  planned  it,  oc- 
curred after  two  years'  confinement  over  school 
duties,  at  which  juncture  several  consulting  doc- 
tors of  medicine  prognosticated  a  growing  con- 
sumption, which  he  could  not  outlive  beyond  a 
few  months  at  the  furthest.  Packing  up  his  pos- 
sessions, he  set  his  face  toward  the  great  West, 
a  country  destined  to  give  him  that  abundant 
measure  of  renewed  life  which  he  has  since  spent 
in  the  interest  of  others  as  well  as  himself.  April 
I5,  l855.  was  tne  date  of  his  first  coming  to  Chi- 
cago, at  which  time  in  the  then  "Muddy  City" 
he  remained  only  a  short  interval,  on  his  way  to 
Dixon,  Illinois,  where  for  a  time  he  edited  and 
published  an  early  newspaper,  called  the  Dixon 
Transcript.  About  this  time  he  also  prepared  and 
delivered  lectures  upon  chemistry,  natural  philos- 
ophy, meteorology  and  astronomy,  they  being 
among  the  first  popular  lectures  to  be  illustrated 
by  practical  apparatus.  He  also  at  this  period 
traveled  for  New  York  publishing  houses,  and  was 
largely  instrumental  in  establishing  district-school 
libraries  in  the  state.  But,  best  of  all,  in  this  in- 
vigorating climate,  with  its  changes  of  diversified 
labors,  attended  by  abundance  of  outdoor  sports 
and  healthy  exercises,  he  regained  and  fortified 
that  healthful  virility  which  through  more  than 
three  and  a-half  decades  has  amply  sufficed  to 


152 


J.  F.  EBERHART. 


keep  him  well  engaged  in  honorable  pursuits; 
until  at  this  writing,  through  untiring  self-efforts, 
he  stands  prominent  and  time-honored  among  the 
early  educators  of  Illinois  and  the  West. 

On  locating  in  Chicago,  he  purchased  and  for 
three  years  edited  and  published,  "The  North- 
western Home  and  School  Journal,"  interspers- 
ing such  labors  by  lecturing  before  and  conduct- 
ing teachers'  institutes,  not  only  in  Illinois,  but 
also  in  other  western  states,  coming  thus  into 
personal  contact  with  the  leading  educators  of  the 
day,  such  as  Elihu  Burritt,  Henry  Barnard  and 
Horace  Mann. 

He  was  elected  Superintendent  of  Schools  of 
Cook  County  in  the  fall  of  1859.  This  office  he 
uninterruptedly  held  for  ten  years,  during  which 
time  he  earnestly  labored  to  arouse  a  unanimity 
of  interest  and  enthusiasm  of  which  our  local 
school  history  affords  no  parallel.  Our  free 
schools  in  the  county  up  to  this  time  had  never 
been  under  proper  supervision,  and  were  when 
he  assumed  the  duties  in  a  neglected  condition. 
But  he  began  a  thorough  systematic  visitation  of 
schools,  conferring  with  teachers  and  directors, 
organizing  institutes,  etc.;  until,  finding  it  im- 
possible to  secure  otherwise  the  services  of  ade- 
quately qualified  teachers,  he  began  his  agitation 
for  a  county  normal  school,  and  with  such  suc- 
cess, that  in  1867  a  school  was  opened  at  Blue 
Island,  through  provisions  made  by  the  Board  of 
Supervisors.  This  school,  since  removed  to  Nor- 
mal, has  grown  to  be  a  power  in  the  land,  being 
sought  by  many  pupils  coming  from  long  distan- 
ces, and  always  having  a  large  attendance  roll. 
Among  other  noteworthy  acts  we  may  call  to 
mind  the  following:  Mr.  Eberhart  was  among 
the  organizers  of  the  Illinois  State  Teachers'  As- 
sociation, the  first  seventeen  consecutive  sessions 
of  which  he  attended;  he  assisted  in  establishing 
the  State  Normal  University,  and  in  making  many 
valuable  changes  in  the  state  school  law,  includ- 
ing the  original  act  authorizing  counties  to  estab- 
lish normal  schools,  and  was  the  principal  mover 
in  forming  the  State  Association  of  County  Super- 
intendents, which  chose  him  for  its  first  President. 
As  President  of  the  County  Board  of  Education, 
he  was  the  means  of  introducing  the  '  'kindergar- 


ten" into  the  Cook  County  Normal  School,  and 
also  aided  in  establishing  the  system  of  free  kin- 
dergartens in  the  city.  During  all  this  time  he 
was  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  In- 
struction, as  well  as  one  of  the  first  life  members 
of  the  National  Teachers'  Association.  Mr.  Eb- 
erhart received  many  overtures  to  accept  profes- 
sorships and  presidents'  chairs  in  some  of  our 
leading  institutions  of  learning,  but  he  always 
declined,  principally  because  he  did  not  again 
wish  to  risk  his  health  and  life  in  such  work. 

Always  imbued  with  a  liking  for  travel  and 
outings,  and  with  generous  tastes  for  a  liberal, 
rational  enjoyment  and  improvement  of  life  and 
its  grand  possibilities,  after  a  quarter  of  a  century 
spent  as  before  briefly  indicated,  he  set  about  ac- 
cumulating a  fortune  out  of  real  estate.  At  the 
time  of  the  panic  of  1873  he  was  esteemed  one  of 
the  millionaires  of  the  city.  However,  through 
joint  interests  with  others,  which  he  had  to  settle, 
he  lost  his  possessions,  but  is  now  again  a  wealthy 
man,  and  is  content  in  making  a  wise  use  of  his 
powers  and  gifts,  being  a  liberal  parent  and  hus- 
band, and  munificent  in  charity  donations. 

Personally  Mr.  Eberhart  is  rather  slender,  but 
well  proportioned,  six  feet  in  stature,  of  affable 
manners,  positive  in  opinion,  Republican  in  poli- 
tics and  of  deeply  religious  convictions. 

Christmas  Day,  1864,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  married  to  Miss  Matilda  Charity  Miller,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  C.  and  Mercie  H.  Miller,  of 
this  city.  This  most  estimable  lady  was  born  in 
Toronto,  Canada,  but  in  infancy  was  brought  to 
the  United  States,  where,  prior  to  her  marriage, 
she  became  a  prized  teacher.  She  has  become 
the  tenderest  of  mothers,  and  full  of  thoughtful 
kindnesses  toward  unfortunates  in  life.  Six  chil- 
dren have  blessed  their  union,  namely:  Maude 
Winifred,  born  November  i,  1866,  and  who  died 
February  n,  1873;  John  Joseph,  born  September 
8,  1870;  Frank  Nathaniel,  December  17,  1872; 
Mary  Evangeline,  April  3,  1875;  Grace  Josephine, 
June  4,  1877;  and  Wilfred,  June  12,  1881,  and 
who  died  December  26,  1882. 

A  brief  genealogy  of  the  family  is  here  added: 

The  name  has  been  variously  spelled,  Everhart, 
Everhard,  Eberhardt,  Eberhard  and  Eberhart 


J.  F.  EBERHART. 


153 


being  the  most  common  forms.  Such  changes  of 
patronymic  spelling  are  by  no  means  unusual  in 
German  descendants  living  upon  American  soil; 
but  Eberhart  is  believed  to  be  the  most  general, 
as  well  as  correct,  English  orthography,  and  is 
used  by  the  branch  which  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

This  family,  which  from  1280  to  1723  (a  period 
of  four  hundred  and  forty-three  years)  gave  birth 
to  counts  and  dukes  reigning  over  the  province  of 
Wurtemberg,  is  of  Swabian  (Bavarian)  German 
origin.  Through  the  middle  ages  its  numerous 
descendants  have  figured  very  conspicuously  in 
the  history  of  that  country  and  the  advancement 
of  civilization.  As  a  generation  they  have  lived 
ahead  of  their  respective  years;  have  been  a  mar- 
tial, well-educated,  honorable  and  religious  branch 
of  the  human  race. 

One  Eberhart  rendered  invaluable  assistance  to 
Martin  Luther,  hero  of  the  Reformation,  since 
which  era  most  of  the  families  have  belonged  to 
the  Lutheran  Church.  Of  its  many  men  of  let- 
ters, space  permits  a  reference  only  to  Johannes 
August  Eberhardt,  friend  of  Frederick  the  Great, 
Privy  Councilor  to  the  King  of  Prussia,  mem- 
ber of  the  Berlin  Academy,  one  of  the  greatest 
scholars  of  the  eighteenth  century,  who  composed 
many  able  treatises,  some  of  them  authority  to 
this  day. 

Of  the  sovereigns  of  this  family,  whose  deeds 
and  virtues  are  celebrated  in  prose  and  verse  (the 
lyric  king  of  German  song,  the  immortal  Schil- 
ler, pausing  in  Parnassian  flights  to  do  them 
homage),  we  must  chronicle  how  "Duke  Eber- 
hard  the  Noble,"  "Duke  Eberhard  the  Groaner" 
(or  "Rushing  Beard"),  "Duke  Eberhard  the 
Mild,"  "Duke  Eberhard  with  the  Beard,"  "Duke 
Eberhard  the  Younger,"  "Prince  Eberhard"  and 
"Duke  Leopold  Eberhard"  were  some  of  the 
most  noted  rulers  springing  from  the  loins  of  this 
famous  race. 

The  first  above  was  the  founder  of  the  royal 
line,  being  the  most  daring  warrior  Wurtemberg 
has  ever  produced,  of  whom  it  is  written: 

"Then  spoke  Eberhard  the  Great, 

Wurtemberg's  beloved  lord, — 
'No  great  cities  boast  my  state, 

Nay,  nor  hills  with  silver  stored. 


"  'But  one  treasure  makes  me  blest, 
Though  the  days  are  fierce  and  dread; 

On  each  subject's  loyal  breast 
I  can  safely  lay  my  head.' 

"  'Eberhard  !'  cried  one  and  all, 

And  meekly  before  him  bowed, 
'Thou  art  richest  of  us  all! ' 

And  their  praise  rang  long  and  loud.' 

The  grandson  of  '  'The  Noble' '  was  '  'The  Rush- 
ing Beard,"  whose  episode  connected  with  the 
fatal  conduct  of  his  son  Ulrich  is  famed  in  art, 
compositions  thereupon  being  hung  in  the  Cor- 
coran Gallery  at  Washington  (District  of  Colum- 
bia), in  the  Boston  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  and  two 
canvases  in  the  Museum  of  Rotterdam;  while  in 
Wurtemberg's  capital  is  a  life-size  statue  in  mar- 
ble of  "The  Rushing  Beard,"  which  is  among 
the  first  objects  of  interest  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  visitor. 

Intermarriages  were  made  with  such  leading 
families  as  the  Ulrichs,  Rudolphs,  Henrys,  Fred- 
ericks, Hartmans  and  Ludwigs,  whose  names  are 
occasionally  found  in  the  line  of  rulers,  when  a 
male  heir  was  wanting  to  the  Eberharts;  or,  per- 
chance, a  female  sovereign  for  a  time  appears,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  Duchess  Henrietta,  widow  of 
"Eberhard  the  Younger." 

With  the  death  of  Charles  VI,  Emperor  of  Ger- 
many, in  1740,  passed  away  the  glories  of  the 
House  of  Hapsburg.  At  this  era  the  Eberhardts 
also  ceased  to  reign  in  Wurtemberg,  being  de- 
throned partly  by  their  own  injudicious  counsels 
and  conduct,  but  more  especially  by  the  then 
growing  ascendancy  of  the  Catholics.  This  was 
the  time  of  self-expatriation  of  many  of  their  line 
in  quest  of  better  fortunes,  together  with  the  civil 
and  religious  freedom  of  the  New  World. 

In  1727  three  brothers,  Michael,  Peter  and 
Joseph,  came  to  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania.  Of 
these,  Michael  Eberhart  came  from  Germany  in 
the  ship  "Friendship,  John  Davis  master,  land- 
ing in  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love  October  16, 
1727.  He  had  a  son  Paul,  born  during  the  voy- 
age to  America,  who  lived  in  Northampton  Coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  until  1773,  when  he  removed 
to  the  "Manor  Settlement"  near  Greensburg, 
Pennsylvania.  He  had  a  third  son,  Christian, 
who  married  Anna  Maria  Snyder,  of  his  native 


154 


D.  H.  PINNEY. 


place,  where  he  died  in  1849,  at  the  advanced  age 
of  seventy-seven.  He  had  a  second  son,  Abra- 
ham, who  was  born  December  28,  1797,  and  who 
married,  August  22,  1820,  Esther  Armend,  of 
New  Salem,  Pennsylvania.  At  twenty-five  he 
removed  into  the  wilderness  of  Mercer  County, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  cleared  a  farm  and  erect- 
ed a  sawmill  on  the  Little  Neshannock.  He 


afterward  lived  in  Illinois  and  Iowa,  and  was  the 
first  to  take  up  residence  in  the  suburb  of  Chi- 
cago Lawn,  October  2,  1877.  He  died  August  7, 
1880,  and  was  interred  in  Rose  Hill  Cemetery. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  good  sense  and  stanchest 
probity.  From  him  descended  a  fifth  child,  John 
Frederick  Eberhart,  the  subject  of  the  foregoing 
sketch. 


HON.  DANIEL  H.  PINNEY. 


NON.  DANIEL  HYDE  PINNEY,  a  worthy 
member  of  the  Chicago  Bar,  and  formerly 
Associate  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Arizona,  is  descended  from  one  of  the  early  Colo- 
nial families  of  Connecticut.  His  grandfather, 
Peter  Pinney ,  was  a  native  of  the  '  'Land  of  Steady 
Habits,"  and  his  parents,  Martin  and  Nancy 
(Johnson)  Pinney,  were  born  in  Vermont.  Mar- 
tin Pinney  was  reared  in  Franklin  County,  Ver- 
mont, and  settled  in  Western  New  York  about 
1830.  He  was  a  carpenter  and  builder,  and 
erected  many  of  the  early  buildings  of  Orleans 
County,  New  York,  where  he  died  in  1869,  at 
the  age  of  seventy  years.  His  widow  is  still  liv- 
ing there,  in  the  ninety-second  year  of  her  age. 
The  subject  of  this  notice  is  the  seventh  of  their 
nine  children. 

Daniel  H.  Pinney  was  born  in  Albion,  the  seat 
of  Orleans  County,  New  York,  June  2,  1837.  He 
received  the  benefit  of  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  when  still  a  young  man  joined 
the  engineering  corps  employed  in  the  enlarge- 
ment of  the  Erie  Canal,  continuing  in  that  work 
two  years  and  gaining  a  practical  knowledge 
which  ever  after  proved  of  advantage  to  him. 
He  was  possessed  of  energy,  and  a  worthy  ambi- 
tion to  rise  in  the  world,  and  resolved  to  try  his 
fortune  in  the  new  West. 

The  year  1856  found  him  in  Chicago,  looking 


for  any  honorable  employment.  For  about  two 
years  he  worked  as  a  clerk  and  in  various  occu- 
pations, and  in  the  mean  time  set  his  mind  on  the 
study  of  law.  Going  to  Michigan  City,  Indiana, 
he  entered  the  office  of  J.  A.  Thornton,  a  leading 
attorney  of  that  place.  When  business  called 
him  to  Joliet,  Illinois,  he  continued  his  studies  in 
the  office  of  Snapp  &  Breckenridge,  and  applied 
himself  with  such  industry  and  aptitude  that  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States  in  the  fall  of  1861. 

His  first  experience  as  a  practical  lawyer  was 
obtained  in  the  town  of  Wilmington,  Will  Coun- 
ty, this  State,  where  he  practiced  two  years  with 
moderate  success.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he 
returned  to  Joliet  and  continued  his  way  into 
the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  public.  This  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  he  was  five  times  elected 
City  Attorney  of  Joliet,  and  in  1876  he  was  the 
successful  candidate,  as  an  Independent,  for  a  seat 
in  the  General  Assembly.  He  espoused  the  cause 
of  Judge  David  Davis  as  candidate  for  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  as  an  active  and  aggressive 
worker,  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  success 
of  that  candidacy.  He  continued  his  law  prac- 
tice in  Joliet  until  1882,  when  he  was  appointed 
by  President  Arthur  to  a  position  on  the  Supreme 
Bench  of  Arizona,  which  he  filled  with  credit  to 
all  concerned  for  four  years. 


F.  E.  R.  JONES. 


155 


After  spending  a  year  in  California,  Judge  Pin- 
ney  returned  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Chicago,  where 
he  has  continued  in  practice  since.  He  is  an 
exceptionally  able  trial  lawyer,  and  has  handled 
a  wide  range  of  cases,  many  of  them  taking  him 
to  the  Supreme  Courts  of  adjoining  and  distant 
States.  He  is,  withal,  a  very  modest  man,  and 
gets  no  more  credit  than  he  is  entitled  to.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Chicago  Bar  Association  and  of 
the  Sons  of  New  York.  Being  an  independent 
thinker,  he  has  not  allied  himself  with  any  organ- 
izations other  than  social  ones.  In  religious  faith 
he  is  a  Universalist,  and  attended  the  Englewood 
church  of  that  denomination  as  long  as  he  dwelt 
near  it.  He  was  an  original  Lincoln  Republican, 


and  was  for  many  years  an  active  campaigner, 
but  retains  his  independence  of  party  lines,  and 
acts  in  elections  according  to  his  faith  in  respec- 
tive candidates. 

In  1865,  at  Albion,  New  York,  Mr.  Pinney 
was  married  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  John  B. 
Lee,  a  prominent  citizen  of  that  town,  which  was 
Mrs.  Pinney's  birthplace.  She  died  in  1872,  leav- 
ing a  son,  William  Lee  Pinney,  now  in  business 
at  Phoenix,  Arizona.  In  1874  Mr.  Pinney  mar- 
ried Miss  Mary  E.  Bowman,  of  Shawneetown, 
Illinois,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  has  borne  him 
three  children,  Harry  Bowman,  Sidney  Breese 
and  Nannie  E.  Pinney,  aged,  respectively,  nine- 
teen, seventeen  and  nine  years. 


FRED  E.  R.  JONES. 


f~  RED  ELLSWORTH  RANDOLPH  JONES. 
rft  To  what  extent  the  character  of  an  individ- 
I  ual  is  molded  by  the  circumstances  and  con- 
ditions which  surround  him  is  a  problem  that  ad- 
mits of  almost  unlimited  discussion.  But  no  stu- 
dent of  human  nature  will  attempt  to  deny  that 
the  environments  of  childhood  exert  a  powerful 
influence  upon  the  life  of  the  future  man  or  wo- 
man. A  thorough  business  training,  begun  at 
an  early  age,  and  vigorously  adhered  to  in  ma- 
ture years,  while  it  may  dwarf  some  of  the  finer 
sensibilities  and  smother  many  of  the  noblest  at- 
tributes of  a  man's  nature,  seldom  fails  to  develop 
a  capable,  systematic  and  successful  business  man. 
Mr.  Jones  was  born  at  Chelsea,  Washtenaw 
County,  Michigan,  January  18,  1860,  and  is  a  son 
of  Aaron  C.  Jones  and  Carrie  R.  Clarke.  A.  C. 
Jones  was  born  in  New  York,  and  came,  during 
his  childhood,  with  his  parents  to  Michigan. 
They  settled  near  Adrian,  where  his  father,  Ab- 
ner  Jones,  became  a  prominent  farmer.  The  lat- 
ter was  a  native  of  New  York.  Aaron  C.  Jones 


was  a  master  marble-cutter,  but  being  troubled 
with  weakness  of  the  lungs,  which  was  aggra- 
vated by  the  pursuit  of  this  calling,  he  abandoned 
it.  In  1868  he  came  to  Chicago  and  engaged  in 
the  fire-insurance  business,  which  occupied  his 
attention  until  the  great  fire.  The  spring  follow- 
ing this  disaster  he  contracted  a  severe  cold,  which 
developed  consumption  and  terminated  his  life. 
His  death  occurred  in  1874,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
five  years. 

Mrs.  Carrie  R.  Jones,  who  still  resides  in  Chi- 
cago, was  born  in  Goshen,  Indiana,  where  her 
father's  death  occurred  about  the  time  she  was 
eleven  years  of  age.  Her  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Randolph,  and  she  was  a  relative  of  the  noted 
Virginia  family  of  that  name — the  Randolphs  of 
Roanoke.  Her  grandfather,  who  was  a  man  of 
considerable  means  and  influence,  devoted  much 
time  and  money  to  the  cause  of  the  American  col- 
onies during  the  Revolutionary  War.  During 
the  progress  of  that  struggle  he  made  ari  expedi- 
tion to  the  West  Indies  in  the  interests  of  the  Na- 


156 


B.  M.  WIEDINGER. 


tional  Government,  leaving  his  motherless  chil- 
dren in  charge  of  a  neighbor  and  friend.  His 
absence  was  unexpectedly  prolonged,  and  during 
this  time  the  neighbor  moved  across  the  Ohio 
River  to  the  western  frontier,  and  the  family  was 
never  re-united. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  public 
school  until  twelve  years  of  age,  at  which  time, 
owing  to  his  father's  failing  health,  he  was 
obliged  to  abandon  his  studies  and  begin  the  bat- 
tle of  life.  He  obtained  employment  in  the  in- 
surance office  of  the  late  George  C.  Clarke,  his 
first  position  being  that  of  errand  boy.  Under 
the  instruction  and  training  of  his  kind  employer, 
he  rapidly  developed  an  aptitude  for  business  and 
was  promoted  to  more  responsible  positions.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  years  he  became  the  bookkeeper 
and  confidential  man  of  the  concern,  with  which 
he  continued  to  be  identified  until  1893.  Few 
boys  of  his  age  had  to  contend  with  the  stern, 
realistic  problems  of  life  to  such  a  degree  as  he, 
but,  with  the  advice  and  counsel  of  his  employer 
and  aided  and  sustained  by  his  mother's  counsel, 
he  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities.  He  at- 
tended night  schools  at  intervals  and  subsequently 


became  a  teacher  of  bookkeeping  to  night  classes 
at  the  Chicago  Athenaeum. 

In  January,  1893,  he  was  made  City  Manager 
in  Chicago  of  the  Liverpool  &  London  &  Globe 
Insurance  Company,  which  position  he  has  filled 
up  to  this  time  with  credit  to  himself  and  the  mu- 
tual advantage  of  the  parties  concerned.  He  now 
occupies  one  of  the  finest  suites  of  offices  in  the 
city,  being  located  in  the  new  and  modern  Asso- 
ciation Building. 

Few  people  who  know  Mr.  Jones  as  an  able, 
thorough-going  business  man  are  aware  that  be- 
neath his  calm,  sedate  and  unemotional  exterior, 
there  are  veins  of  sentiment,  philosophy  and  enthu- 
siasm which  are  seldom  allowed  to  assert  them- 
selves during  business  hours.  His  more  intimate 
associates,  however,  know  him  as  a  man  of  re- 
fined and  cultivated  tastes,  who  has  given  consid- 
erable attention  to  the  study  of  vocal  music  and 
other  arts.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Apollo  and 
Mendelssohn  Clubs.  He  takes  little  interest  in 
political  or  other  public  movements,  but  feels  a 
deep  concern  in  the  development  of  the  intellect- 
ual and  spiritual  sentiments  of  mankind. 


BERNHARD  M.  WIEDINGER. 


BERNHARD  MARIA  WIEDINGER,  an 
educator  of  prominence  and  one  of  the  old- 
est members  of  Chicago's  German  colony, 
believed  in  the  brotherhood  of  man  and  the  equal- 
ity of  all  before  the  law,  and  this  brief  sketch  of 
his  life  will  show  a  little  of  the  much  he  did  for 
the  emancipation  of  the  down-trodden  from  op- 
pression and  slavery,  as  well  as  something  of  his 
efforts  in  educating  and  preparing  for  the  respon- 
sibilities of  after  life  many  of  the  active  and  in- 
fluential citizens  of  Chicago. 

Professor  Wiedinger  was  born  at  Engen,  near 
Constance,  in  Baden,  Germany,  on  the  I5th  of 
August,  1826.  His  ancestors,  though  not  titled, 
were  persons  of  property  and  influence,  and  were 


among  the  leading  citizens  of  the  municipality  in 
which  they  dwelt. 

Abraham  de  Santa  Clara,  a  monk  and  author 
of  distinction  some  centuries  past,  was  a  near 
relative  of  Professor  Wiedinger 's  maternal  ances- 
tor of  several  generations  ago.  Among  the  host- 
ages shot  by  General  Moreau  in  the  Napoleonic 
wars,  and  whose  bones  were  recently  interred 
with  great  honor,  was  an  ancestor  on  the  mater- 
nal side.  For  a  political  offense  another  gave  up 
his  life  under  the  leaden  prison  roof  of  Venice. 

His  father,  George,  served  as  an  officer  in  the 
French  army  in  the  famous  Peninsular  campaign, 
and  with  his  brothers  was  in  the  Government  em- 
ploy, he  being  engaged  in  arboriculture  and  viti- 


B.    M.  WIEDINGER. 


157 


culture,  and  having  charge  of  a  large  number  of 
men.  George  Wiedinger  died  some  time  in  the 
fifties,  aged  seventy-seven.  His  wife,  Apollonia, 
nee  Fricker,  died  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six. 
This  couple  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children, 
only  three  of  whom  grew  up  to  years  of  maturity, 
all  the  others  dying  in  early  childhood.  The  eld- 
est child  was  George,  the  second  Julius  Batiste, 
and  Bernhard  was  the  youngest. 

Bernhard  Wiedinger  obtained  at  Constance  the 
education  afforded  by  the  real  school  and  gymna- 
sium, and  later  attended  the  Heidelberg  Univer- 
sity. There  he  spent  two  years,  and  was  noted 
alike  for  his  knowledge  of  languages  and  musi- 
cal versatility.  The  noted  rebellion  of  1848  broke 
out  while  he  was  a  student  at  the  university,  he 
being  then  twenty -two  years  old,  and  enrolled  as  a 
soldier.  Young  Wiedinger  had  imbibed  in  his 
studies  a  fierce  and  unquenchable  love  of  liberty, 
and  hatred  of  all  forms  of  oppression  and  tyranny, 
and  did  not  hesitate  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  Revo- 
lutionists and  share  in  the  dangers  that  the  up- 
rising brought  to  those  who  participated  in  it. 
He  saw  bloody  work,  and  was_  several  times 
wounded.  A  wound  which  he  received  in  the 
head  was  of  a  serious  nature.  The  collapse  of 
the  Revolution  brought  swift  and  summary  pun- 
ishment to  many  who  had  raised  their  hands  for 
liberty.  Among  those  who  were  taken  was  young 
Wiedinger.  Until  two  days  before  his  trial  all 
who  were  tried  were  sentenced  to  death  and  exe- 
cuted. His  punishment  was  severe,  on  account 
of  his  having  been  enrolled  in  the  army.  He  re- 
ceived a  sentence  of  ten  years  in  prison,  seven 
months  of  which  were  spent  Hi  solitary  confine- 
ment. After  spending  something  over  a  year  in 
prison,  by  the  aid  of  friends  he  escaped  to  Switz- 
erland, and  later  went  to  France.  In  the  latter 
country,  on  account  of  a  speech  he  made  at  a 
demonstration  by  Republicans,  he  was  compelled 
to  leave  the  political  asylum  he  had  sought  in 
Europe,  and  come  to  America,  where  his  efforts 
in  the  cause  of  freedom  were  destined  to  be  far- 
ther-reaching and  more  successful  than  they  had 
been  in  countries  where  oppression  had  crystalized 
in  monarchy. 

Arriving  in  the  United  States  in  1851,   he  re- 


mained for  a  time  at  Philadelphia,  where  he  had 
distant  relatives.  He  at  once  began  to  learn  the 
language  of  the  country,  and  in  order  to  do  so  in 
what  he  thought  would  be  the  most  successful 
way,  he  obtained  employment  on  a  farm  where 
he  would  hear  only  English  spoken.  He  re- 
mained on  the  farm  one  month,  and  in  after  life 
he  often  jocosely  said  that  in  that  time  he  learned 
just  five  words,  "breakfast,  dinner  and  supper, 
horse  and  harness. ' '  He  was  not  long,  however, 
in  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  English.  Among 
his  earliest  acts  was  filing  a  declaration  of  his  in- 
tention to  become  a  citizen  of  the  republic  whose 
political  institutions  were  so  dear  to  him. 

His  first  permanent  employment  was  as  travel- 
ing salesman  for  a  Philadelphia  book  house,  and 
in  that  business  he  remained  for  some  time  and 
traveled  much.  He  early  became  an  enthusiastic 
worker  in  the  cause  of  the  abolition  of  slavery. 
He  was  a  delegate  to  the  first  Republican  Na- 
tional Convention  held  at  Cincinnati  in  1854,  and 
stumped  the  state  of  Indiana  with  Oliver  P.  Mor- 
ton for  that  party,  speaking  in  German.  Later, 
he  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  thought  his  efforts 
in  the  abolition  cause  would  be  more  helpful,  and 
there  had  charge  of  a  station  of  the  "underground 
railroad,"  as  it  was  called,  for  the  aid  of  slaves 
escaping  from  the  South.  He  spent  some  time 
in  the  law  office  of  Sherman  &  Ewing,  and  was 
assistant  Secretary  of  the  famous  Topeka  Con- 
vention. John  Brown  numbered  him  among  his 
band,  and  when  he  planned  his  historic  raid  on 
Harper's  Ferry  sent  for  him;  but  he  arrived  at 
the  place  of  rendezvous  twelve  hours  too  late. 
In  the  early  part  of  1860  he  started  an  abolition 
paper  at  St.  Joseph,  Missouri,  but  one  night  a 
mob  visited  his  office,  threw  his  type  and  presses 
into  the  river,  and  he  was  compelled  to  seek  a 
more  promising  field  of  operations.  Coming  to 
Illinois,  he  recruited  a  company  of  one  hundred 
men  for  the  famous  Hecker  regiment,  and  was 
elected  Captain.  On  account  of  defective  sight, 
caused  by  injury  to  his  eyes  when  a  child,  he  was 
prevented  from  going  to  the  front. 

Soon  afterward  he  came  to  Chicago  and  bought 
out  a  German  school  of  small  proportions  and  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  education.  He  was  very 


B.  M.  WIEDINGER. 


successful  as  a  teacher,  and  soon  had  three  hun- 
dred pupils  in  attendance.  Later  he  organized  a 
company  which  built  a  schoolhouse  on  the  corner 
of  La  Salle  Avenue  and  Superior  Street.  His 
health  failing,  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  teach- 
ing in  1868  and  seek  outdoor  employment.  Sub- 
sequently he  gave  private  lessons,  was  a  clerk  in 
the  postomce  for  a  year,  and  also  held  a  position 
in  the  City  Clerk's  office  for  two  years.  A  por- 
tion of  the  time  between  1868  and  1878,  when  his 
health  permitted,  he  was  engaged  in  teaching. 
He  spent  a  part  of  this  time  in  the  school,  but 
most  of  the  time  as  a  private  tutor.  In  those 
years,  beside  the  misfortune  of  bad  health,  he 
suffered  the  loss  of  his  schoolhouse  and  household 
goods  in  the  great  fire. 

In  1865  Mr.  Wiedinger  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  D.  Moulton,  a  native  of  Maine,  and  a 
daughter  of  Judge  Jotham  Tilden  Moulton,  of 
Chicago.  Mrs.  Wiedinger  is  a  descendant  of  an- 
cestors who  helped  build  up  the  New  England 
States.  Her  father,  born  October  8,  1808,  was  a 
graduate  of  Bowdoin  College,  where  the  poet 
Longfellow  was  one  of  his  teachers.  He  gradu- 
ated from  Harvard  Law  School,  where  he  was  a 
classmate  of  Wendell  Phillips  and  Charles  Sum- 
ner,  with  the  latter  of  whom  he  maintained  a  life- 
long friendship.  Coming  to  Chicago  in  1852,  he 
bought  a  third-interest  in  the  Chicago  Tribune, 
which  he  sold  a  year  later.  He  held  the  office  of 
Deputy  Clerk  of  the  United  States  Court,  and 
United  States  Commissioner  and  Master  in  Chan- 
cery, which  last  office  he  held  until  after  the  fire. 
His  death  occurred  in  1881.  Mr.  Moulton  was 
the  son  of  Dr.  Jotham  Moulton,  and  grandson  of 
Colonel  Moulton,  who  died  in  1777,  after  serving 
one  year  in  the  struggle  for  independence.  Mrs. 
Wiedinger  has  been  a  teacher  for  a  large  part  of 
her  life,  rendering  valuable  assistance  to  her  hus- 
band in  his  profession.  She  has  also  written  for 
the  press,  contributing  translations,  original  stories 
and  poetry. 

Mr.  Wiedinger  left  three  sons:  George  T., 
Bernhard  M.  and  Frank  A.  The  first  of  these  is 
a  lawyer,  the  second  is  engaged  in  real-estate  work, 


and  the  third  has  chosen  the  newspaper  profession. 

Mr.  Wiedinger  was  one  of  those  earnest  and 
tireless  men  whose  energies  keep  them  always  em- 
ployed. As  a  friend  of  freedom,  he  took  an 
active  part  in  the  great  moral  struggle  that  pre- 
ceded the  appeal  to  arms,  in  which  he  was  unable 
to  engage  on  account  of  physical  infirmity,  but 
to  the  aid  of  which  his  most  effective  assistance 
in  every  other  way  was  given.  He  aided  in 
the  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  in 
order  that  a  bulwark  of  freedom  might  be  es- 
tablished, and  stood  in  the  forefront  of  progress 
of  that  party  till  1888,  when  he  considered  the 
party  had  gone  from  the  position  it  formerly  oc- 
cupied, and  he  then  joined  the  ranks  of  the  Dem- 
ocracy. As  an  educator,  he  took  a  place  among 
the  leading  Germans  of  Chicago,  and  his  worth 
as  a  teacher  is  often  testified  by  the  leading  Ger- 
man-American citizens  of  Chicago,  who  were  his 
pupils  and  life-long  friends.  He  was  liberal  in 
his  ideas  and  progressive  in  his  work,  and  said 
that,  if  he  had  done  nothing  else,  he  had  made  it 
impossible  to  have  a  successful  German  school  in 
Chicago  without  having  an  English  teacher  in  it. 
In  the  organization  of  societies  of  various  kinds 
he  took  a  leading  part.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers and  President  of  the  Turners'  Associa- 
tion of  Chicago,  also  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Schiller  Liedertafel,  and  its  musical  director.  In 
recent  years  a  bowling  club,  composed  of  his 
former  pupils,  assumed  the  name  of  "  Wieding- 
er's  Boys." 

In  physique  Mr.  Wiedinger  was  a  powerful 
man,  and  a  complete  master  of  the  art  of  self-de- 
fense. Once,  whdn  attacked  by  three  ruffians,  he 
knocked  one  down  with  his  fist,  kicked  over  an- 
other, and  the  third,  seeing  the  condition  of  his 
companions,  fled  for  safety.  He  was  a  prolific 
writer  in  his  early  years,  and  the  habit  of  con- 
tributing to  the  newspapers  he  kept  up  through 
life.  As  a  friend,  a  husband  and  father,  he  showed 
those  rare  characteristics  that  endeared  him  to  his 
familiars.  His  gentle, 'confiding  nature,  his  do- 
mesticity and  devotion  to  his  family  were  ap- 
parent to  all. 


SAMUEL  J.  JONES. 


15* 


SAMUEL  J.  JONES,  M.  D.,  LL.  D. 


IAMUEL  j.  JONES,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Bainbridge,  Pennsylvania,  born  March 
22,  1836.  His  father,  Doctor  Robert  H. 
Jones,  was  a  practicing  physician  in  the  Keystone 
State  for  a  third  of  a  century,  and  died  in  1863. 
The  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  M. 
Ekel,  is  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  the  old  town  of  Lebanon,  Pennsylvania,  of 
Swiss  and  Huguenot  descent.  At  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen, their  son  Samuel,  having  finished  his  pre- 
paratory studies,  in  the  fall  of  1853,  entered  Dick- 
inson College  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  four  years  later  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  In  1860  he  received  the  degree 
of  A.  M.,  and  in  1884  was  honored  by  his  alma 
mater  with  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  His  choice  of 
a  vocation  in  life  was  no  doubt  influenced  by  his 
father's  successful  practice  of  medicine,  and  at  an 
early  age  he  determined  to  follow  in  his  father's 
professional  footsteps.  Accordingly,  on  leaving 
college,  he  began  the  study  of  medicine,  which  he 
pursued  for  three  years  under  his  father's  super- 
vision. In  the  fall  of  1858  he  matriculated  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  after  pursuing 
the  studies  prescribed  in  the  curriculum  of  the 
medical  department  of  that  institution,  took  the 
degree  of  M.  D.,  in  the  spring  of  1860,  just  thirty 
years  after  the  father  had  graduated  from  the 
same  university. 

The  advantages  and  opportunities  for  observa- 


tion and  adventure  presented  by  the  United  States 
naval  service  proved  too  attractive  for  the  young 
practitioner  to  resist,  and  he  became  one  of  the 
competitors  in  the  examination  of  candidates  for 
the  position  of  Assistant  Surgeon.  He  success- 
fully passed  the  examination,  and  received  his  ap- 
pointment just  before  the  outbreak  of  the  War  of 
the  Rebellion,  and  entered  upon  a  life  which,  for 
activity,  change,  excitement  and  opportunity  for 
acquiring  experience,  should  have  fully  satisfied 
his  desires  in  those  particulars.  He  first  saw 
service  on  board  the  United  States  steam  frigate 
"Minnesota,"  which  sailed  under  sealed  orders 
from  Boston,  May  8,  1861,  as  flag-ship  of  the 
Atlantic  blockading  squadron.  Three  months 
later  he  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Hatteras  In- 
let, which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the  Confed- 
erate forts  with  fifteen  hundred  prisoners,  and 
ended  the  blockade-running  there.  This  was  the 
first  naval  battle  ever  fought  in  which  steamships 
were  used  and  kept  in  motion  while  in  action. 
In  January,  1862,  Doctor  Jones  was  detached 
from  the  "Minnesota"  and  detailed  as  Surgeon  of 
Flag-Officer  Goldsborough's  staff,  on  the  expedi- 
tion of  Burnside  and  Goldsborough,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  capture  of  Roanoke  Island.  Later 
h_  was  assigned  to  duty  as  Staff  Surgeon  under 
Commander  Rowan,  and  was  present  at  the  cap- 
ture of  Newbern,  Washington  and  other  points  on 
the  inner  waters  of  North  Carolina. 


i6o 


SAMUEL  J.  JONES. 


Soon  afterward  Doctor  Jones  accompanied  an 
expedition  up  the  Nansemond  River  for  the  relief 
of  the  Union  forces  engaged  in  repelling  General 
Longstreet's  advance  on  Suffolk,  Virginia.  This 
force  was  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Gush- 
ing, of  Albemarle  fame,  and  Lieutenant  Lamson. 
In  the  spring  of  1863  Doctor  Jones  was  assigned 
to  duty  at  Philadelphia,  there  passed  a  second 
examination,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Sur- 
geon, and  assigned  to  duty  at  Chicago,  where, 
among  other  duties,  he  was  engaged  as  Examin- 
ing Surgeon  of  candidates  for  the  medical  corps 
destined  for  naval  service  in  the  Mississippi  River 
Squadron.  While  occupying  this  position  he  was 
ordered  to  visit  various  military  prisons,  and  there 
examined  more  than  three  thousand  Confederate 
prisoners  who  had  requested  permission  to  enlist 
in  the  Federal  service,  and  who  were  accepted 
and  assigned  to  men-of-war  on  foreign  stations. 
He  was  ordered  to  the  sloop-of-war  "Ports- 
mouth, ' '  of  Admiral  Farragut'  s  West  Gulf  Block- 
ading Squadron,  in  1864,  and  was  soon  after  as- 
signed to  duty  as  Surgeon  of  the  New  Orleans 
Naval  Hospital,  where  he  was  at  the  close  of  the 
Rebellion.  In  the  fall  of  1865  he  was  sent  to 
Pensacola,  Florida,  as  Surgeon  of  the  navy  yard 
and  naval  hospital.  In  1866  he  was  again  as- 
signed to  duty  at  Chicago,  where  he  remained 
until  the  marine  rendezvous  there  was  closed,  in 
the  same  year.  In  1867  he  was  ordered  to  the 
frigate  "Sabine,"  the  practice  ship  for  naval  ap- 
prentices, cruising  along  the  Atlantic  Coast,  which 
was  his  last  active  sendee  in  the  navy. 

In  1868,  after  eight  years'  continuous  service, 
Surgeon  Jones  resigned  to  devote  his  attention  to 
private  practice.  Not  long  after  he  was  elected 
delegate  from  the  American  Medical  Association 
to  the  meetings  of  the  medical  associations  of 
Europe,  and  was,  at  the  same  time,  commissioned 
by  Governor  Geary,  of  Pennsylvania,  to  report 
on  hospital  and  sanitary  matters  of  England  and 
the  continent.  He  attended  the  meetings  ot  the 
societies  at  Oxford,  Heidelberg  and  Dresden,  and 
in  the  month  of  September,  at  the  last  place, 
participated  in  organizing  the  first  Otological 
Congress  ever  held.  Combining  travel  with  study , 
he  enjoyed  the  remainder  of  the  year  in  visiting 


various  parts  of  Europe  and  investigating  raed.'- 
cal  and  sanitary  affairs,  giving  special  attention 
to  diseases  of  the  eye  and  of  the  ear.  On  his  re- 
turn to  the  United  States  he  resumed  practice  in 
Chicago  in  1868.  Soon  after  he  was  elected 
President  of  the  Board  of  Examining  Surgeons 
for  United  States  Pensions  at  Chicago,  and  was 
also  made  a  member  of  the  medical  staff  of  St. 
Luke's  Hospital,  and  there  established  the  de- 
partment for  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  eye 
and  ear,  with  which  he  has  since  been  connected. 

In  1870  Doctor  Jones  was  again  elected  a  del- 
egate from  the  American  Medical  Association  to 
the  meetings  of  the  European  associations,  and, 
during  his  stay  abroad,  spent  some  months  in  re- 
search and  investigation.  In  the  same  year  he 
was  elected  to  the  newly-established  chair  of 
Ophthalmology  and  Otology  in  Chicago  Med- 
ical College,  now  Northwestern  University  Medi- 
cal School,  a  position  he  continues  to  hold.  He 
also  established  the  eye  and  ear  department  in 
Mercy  Hospital  and  in  the  South  Side  Dispensary, 
having  charge  of  each  of  them  for  about  ten 
years.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  one  of  the 
attending  staff  of  the  Illinois  Charitable  Eye  and 
Ear  Infirmary  in  Chicago.  In  1876  he  was  a 
delegate  from  the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society 
to  the  Centennial  International  Medical  Congress 
at  Philadelphia,  and  in  1881  represented  the 
American  Medical  Association  and  the  American 
Academy  of  Medicine  at  the  Seventh  International 
Medical  Congress  at  London.  The  Ninth  Inter- 
national Medical  Congress  was  held  in  Washing- 
ton, District  of  Columbia,  in  1887,  and  of  this  Doc- 
tor Jones  was  a  member.  He  was  President  of 
the  section  of  otology,  and  was  ex-qfficio  a.  mem- 
ber of  the  Executive  Committee,  whose  duty  it 
was  to  arrange  the  preliminary  organization  of 
the  congress. 

In  1889  Doctor  Jones  was  elected  President  of 
the  American  Academy  of  Medicine,  whose  ob- 
jects, as  stated  in  its  constitution,  are:  "First,  to 
bring  those  who  are  alumni  of  collegiate,  scien- 
tific and  medical  schools  into  closer  relations  with 
each  other.  Second,  to  encourage  young  men  to 
pursue  regular  courses  of  study  in  classical  and 
scientific  institutions  before  entering  upon  the 


WILLIAM  O.  KEELER. 


161 


study  of  medicine.  Third,  to  extend  the  bounds 
of  social  science,  to  elevate  the  profession,  to  re- 
lieve human  suffering  and  prevent  disease." 

Doctor  Jones,  as  may  be  inferred  from  the  read- 
ing of  the  foregoing  recital  of  his  services  in  his 
profession,  is  an  enthusiastic  worker  and  an  able 
physician,  whose  genial  manner  and  success  in 
practice  have  made  him  widely  known.  His  la- 
bors in  the  many  societies  of  which  he  has  been  a 
member  have  been  ably  supplemented  by  the 
product  of  his  pen,  which  has  been  directed  to- 
ward raising  the  standard  of  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine. His  writings  have  frequently  appeared  in 
medical  journals,  and  for  several  years  he  was 
editor  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Journal  and  Exam- 
iner, one  of  the  leading  periodicals  of  the  country. 
He  has  successfully  applied  himself  to  acquiring 
knowledge  pertaining  to  his  specialty,  and  for 
twenty  years  has  been  recognized  by  both  the 
medical  profession  and  the  public  as  authority  on 
all  matters  pertaining  to  ophthalmology  and  otol- 
ogy. He  has  always  stood  high  in  the  esteem  of 
the  profession,  and  has  been  active  and  influential 
in  its  councils  and  deliberations.  His  fine  personal 


appearance,  genial  manners,  fund  of  entertaining 
conversation,  and  frank,  manly  deportment  have 
made  him  a  favorite,  both  as  an  individual  and  a 
practitioner,  and  drawn  to  him  a  large  clientele. 

He  has  never  held  any  political  office,  but  has 
preferred  the  reward  which  has  come  to  him,  un- 
sought, in  his  profession  and  in  literature  and 
science.  He  has  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  been  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Science,  and 
he  is  one  of  its  Board  of  Trustees.  He  is  also 
President  of  the  Western  Association  of  the 
Alumni  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  of 
the  Illinois  Alpha  Chapter  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa, 
the  oldest  Greek-letter  society  in  the  United  States, 
founded  in  1776,  whose  membership  has  always 
been  restricted  and  conferred  as  a  recognition  of 
scholarship. 

When  the  Illinois  Naval  Militia  was  organized 
as  a  part  of  the  National  Naval  Reserve,  he  was 
solicited  to  give  that  organization  the  benefit  of 
his  large  experience  in  the  naval  service  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  he  is  now  Surgeon  of 
the  First  Battalion,  and  has  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  its  development. 


WILLIAM  O.   KEELER. 


O.  KEELER,  who  after  an  active 
career  is  spending  his  declining  years  at  the 
home  of  his  only  surviving  son,  No.  6818 
Wright  Street,  Englewood,  was  born  in  Danbury, 
Conn.,  on  January  i,  1819.  His  paternal  grand- 
father, of  Scotch  descent,  was  extensively  engaged 
in  farming,  and  gave  to  each  of  his  children  as 
they  married  considerable  tracts  of  land.  His 
death  occurred  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-five 
years.  Abraham  G.  and  Sarah  (Dan)  Keeler, 
parents  of  William  O.,  were  natives  of  Connecti- 
cut. The  father  followed  farming  in  that  locality 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  December  23, 


1836,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  He  was 
drafted  for  service  in  the  War  of  1812,  but  hired 
a  substitute.  His  wife  lived  until  1860,  passing 
away  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven  years.  She  was 
a  member  of  the  Baptist  Church,  under  the  in- 
fluence of  which  church  her  children  were  reared. 
William  O.  Keeler  is  the  sole  survivor  of  a 
family  of  eight  sons  and  two  daughters.  He  was 
reared  in  his  native  town,  and  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen began  learning  the  hatter's  trade.  For  some 
years  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  hats  and 
in  merchandising,  devoting  his  time  and  atten- 
tion to  those  enterprises  throughout  his  business 


1 02 


ALBERT  WILSON  KELSO. 


career.  He  established  the  first  hat  manufactory 
in  Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  employing  eighty  workmen, 
which  was  considered  a  large  force  at  that  time. 
On  the  26th  of  April,  1843,  Mr.  Keeler  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Abigail  Stuart  Clark, 
daughter  of  Sallu  P.  and  Hannah  (Benedict) 
Clark.  Eight  children  were  born  of  their  union, 
six  sons  and  two  daughters.  Ella,  now  deceased, 
was  the  wife  of  J.  Deville  Dennis.  William  P. 
married  Miss  Temperance. Hayward,  daughter  of 
Ambrose  D.  and  Martha  (Wiley)  Hayward,  the 
former  a  native  of  Maine,  and  the  latter  of  Mass- 
achusetts. They  have  two  children,  William  P. 
and  Martha  Abigail.  William  P.  Keeler  has 
since  April,  1872,  held  the  responsible  position  of 
City  Cashier  in  the  wholesale  house  of  Marshall 
Field  &  Co.  He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Englewood  Christian  Church.  On  the  nth  of 
May,  1864,  while  yet  a  boy,  he  enlisted  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  joining  the  one  hundred 
day  men  and  becoming  a  member  of  Company  A, 
One  Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  Infan- 
try, U.  S.  A.,  continuing  in  the  service  until  the 
25th  of  October.  Frederick  S.  and  Isaac  Ward 
were  the  next  younger,  but  are  now  deceased,  as 
also  Frank,  twin  brother  of  Fannie.  The  latter 
is  the  wife  of  Walter  Colby,  of  Chicago,  and 
they  have  two  children,  Otis  Keeler  and  Abigail 


Stuart.  Susan  C.  and  Charles  L-  have  also  passed 
away,  and  the  mother  of  this  family,  who  was  a 
devoted  member  of  the  Christian  Church,  died 
May  17,  1889,  in  her  sixty-seventh  year. 

In  1852,  William  O.  Keeler  went  to  California 
in  search  of  gold,  and  after  a  two-years  stay  re- 
turned to  Danbury,  Conn.,  remaining  thereuntil 
the  fall  of  1854.  He  then  came  to  Chicago  and 
opened  the  first  hat,  cap  and  fur  store  on  Randolph 
Street,  under  the  old  Matteson  House,  occupying 
this  stand  for  a  number  of  years.  He  afterward 
removed  to  a  new  block  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  street,  conducting  the  business  until  1861. 
He  then  accepted  a  clerkship  with  a  hat  house 
on  Clark  Street,  near  Lake,  and  later  at  No.  77 
Lake  Street,  in  the  Tremont  Block,  remaining 
there  until  1866.  In  that  year  he  went  upon  the 
road  as  a  traveling  salesman,  which  calling  he 
pursued  for  a  limited  time  only.  His  later  years 
have  been  mostly  spent  in  the  manufacture  of 
dress  hats,  but  in  the  spring  of  1894,  after  pass- 
ing his  seventy-fifth  milestone,  the  infirmities  of 
age  compelled  him  to  give  up  work.  Father  and 
son  have  never  been  separated  in  their  lives  ex- 
cept for  comparatively  brief  intervals,  the  home 
of  the  one  having  always  been  the  home  of  the 
other. 


ALBERT  WILSON   KELSO. 


(31  LBERT  WILSON  KELSO,  of  Chicago,  oc- 
LJ  cupies  the  responsible  position  of  chief  clerk 
/I  in  the  office  of  the  Assistant  General  Manager 
of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad. 
The  record  of  his  life  is  as  follows:  A  native  of 
Shippensburgh,  Pa.,  he  was  born  on  the  22d  of 
October,  1859,  and  is  a  son  of  James  W.  and 
Anna  B  (Shade)  Kelso.  His  father  was  also  a 
native  of  Shippensburgh,  and  died  in  that  town 
when  the  son  was  only  six  months  old.  By  trade 


he  was  a  painter  and  decorator,  and  did  a  good 
business  along  that  line.  After  the  death  of  her 
first  husband,  Mrs.  Kelso  married  Henry  High, 
and  is  now  residing  in  Wilson,  Kan. 

Mr.  Kelso  whose  name  heads  this  record  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  fourteen  years  of 
age,  thus  becoming  familiar  with  the  common 
English  branches  of  learning.  His  knowledge 
has  since  been  greatly  supplemented  by  reading, 
experience  and  observation,  and  he  has  thus  be- 


WALES  TOBEY. 


163 


come  a  well-informed  man.  At  the  age  of  eigh- 
teen he  emigrated  westward,  removing  with  the 
family  to  Wilson,  Kan.  From  the  age  of  eight 
years  he  had  been  accustomed  to  work  in  a  brick- 
yard, and  also  engaged  in  other  labor,  thus  con- 
tributing to  his  own  support.  He  is  a  self-made 
man,  and  whatever  success  he  has  achieved  in 
life  is  due  entirely  to  his  own  efforts. 

While  living  in  Wilson,  Kan.,  Mr.  Kelso  sought 
and  obtained  a  position  as  night  clerk  in  a  hotel. 
Later  he  removed  to  Russell,  Kan.,  where  he  was 
employed  in  the  same  capacity.  In  May,  1880, 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road _ Company  and  removed  to  Wallace,  Kan. 
For  seven  years  he  continued  his  connection  with 
that  road,  becoming  chief  clerk  in  the  Division 
Superintendent's  office  at  Wallace,  his  merit  and 
ability  winning  him  a  promotion  to  which  he  was 
justly  entitled.  Later  he  was  in  the  office  of  the 
Superintendent  of  Bridges  and  Buildings  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  at  Omaha,  and 
on  the  27th  of  April,  1887,  he  engaged  with  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  at  To- 
peka,  Kan.,  occupying  a  position  as  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  Superintendent  of  Roadways.  In 
August,  1890,  he  came  to  Chicago  as  chief  clerk 


in  the  office  of  the  Assistant  General  Manager, 
which  position  he  now  holds.  He  discharges  his 
duties  with  promptness  and  fidelity,  and  wins  the 
respect  of  all  with  whom  he  is  brought  in  contact. 

Turning  from  the  public  to  the  private  life  of 
Mr.  Kelso,  it  is  noted  that  in  June,  1883,  was 
celebrated  his  marriage  with  Miss  Elizabeth  Spahr, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  Spahr,  who  were 
residents  of  Carlisle,  Pa.  The  family  circle  now 
includes  four  children,  a  son  and  three  daughters: 
Mary,  Edith,  Newton  and  Nora. 

Socially,  Mr.  Kelso  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  has  taken  high  rank  in  the  order, 
belonging  to  Topeka  Commandery  and  Medinah 
Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  From  his  boyhood 
he  has  been  an  advocate  of  Republican  principles, 
and  since  attaining  his  majority  he  has  cast  his 
vote  for  the  men  and  measures  of  that  party. 
He  is  an  accurate  and  reliable  scribe,  who  has 
won  his  way  to  his  present  responsible  position 
by  his  own  unaided  efforts.  His  integrity,  indus- 
trious habits  and  systematic  business  methods  in- 
spire the  confidence  of  his  superior  officers,  and 
his  many  admirable  social  qualities  have  gained 
him  numerous  personal  friends. 


WALES  TOBEY 


|ALES  TOBEY,  a  leading  citizen  of  Worth 
Township,  claims  New  York  as  the  State 
of  his  nativity,  his  birth  having  occurred 
near  Plattsburg,  on  the  28th  of  September,  1831. 
His  parents  were  Jesse  and  Statira  (DeKalb)  To- 
bey.  The  father,  who  was  born  in  Champlain, 
N.  Y. ,  was  an  attorney  by  profession  and  became  a 
large  land-owner  and  iron-founder.  He  traveled 
extensively  through  the  West,  and  in  the  commu- 
nity where  he  lived  was  recognized  as  one  of  its 
most  prominent  business  men.  His  death  oc- 


curred in  Plattsburg,  N.  Y.,  in  July,  1873,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-three  years.  The  Tobey  family  was 
of  English  origin.  Jesse  Tobey,  Sr. ,  the  grand- 
father of  Wales,  was  one  of  four  brothers  who  in 
an  early  day  came  to  America.  The  others  set- 
tled in  Connecticut,  Vermont  and  Ohio,  respec- 
tively. Mrs.  Statira  Tobey  was  a  native  of  the 
Empire  State,  but  her  parents  were  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, and  were  of  German  descent.  Her 
death  occurred  in  1841. 

Wales  Tobey  spent  his  boyhood  days  upon  a 


164 


HIRAM  P.  CRAWFORD. 


farm  in  Jay  Township,  Essex  County,  N.  Y., 
and  attended  the  public  schools  and  an  academy. 
Thus  he  acquired  a  good  English  education,  which 
well  fitted  him  for  the  practical  duties  of  life.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  left  home  and  entered  upon 
his  business  career  as  book-keeper  and  salesman 
in  a  mercantile  establishment  in  Newport,  Mich., 
where  he  was  employed  for  three  years.  He  be- 
lieved it  would  be  to  his  advantage  to  begin  bus- 
iness in  the  West,  and  his  judgment  was  not  at 
fault,  as  the  years  have  shown.  He  worked  for 
the  firm  of  E.  B.  &  S.  Ward,  relatives  of  his 
grandmother.  When  the  three  years  had  passed, 
he  went  to  Grand  Haven,  Mich.,  where  he  began 
business  on  his  own  account  as  a  dealer  in  wood, 
furnishing  steamboats  on  the  lake.  In  1851  he 
became  a  resident  of  Milwaukee,  and  thence  went 
to  Strong's  Landing,  Wis.  The  following  spring 
he  came  to  Cook  County,  111.,  settling  in  Worth 
Township. 

In  1856,  Mr.  Tobey  purchased  his  present  farm 
near  Worth  Station.  It  was  then  a  tract  of  wild 
land,  but  he  at  once  began  to  clear  and  cultivate 
it,  and  now  has  a  finely  improved  farm,  supplied 
with  all  modern  accessories  and  conveniences. 
He  has  bought  and  sold  considerable  real  estate, 
and  this  branch  of  his  business  has  also  proved 
to  him  a  good  source  of  income.  For  ten  years 
after  locating  on  his  farm,  his  nearest  postofHce 
was  Blue  Island,  a  distance  of  nine  miles,  but 
through  his  efforts  offices  were  established  at 
Worth,  South  Mount  Forest  and  Grosskopf. 
For  a  year  after  this  result  was  attained  the  mail 


was  brought  from  Blue  Island  by  private  enter- 
prise, for  the  Government  had  not  then  estab- 
lished a  mail  route.  Mr.  Tobey,  in  connection 
with  two  other  men,  supported  the  mail  route  by 
subscription. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1858,  Mr.  Tobey  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth  Van  Horn, 
daughter  of  A.  C.  Van  Horn,  of  Homer,  111.  They 
had  three  children:  John  Dillon,  a  dealer  in  hay, 
grain  and  ice,  in  Chicago;  Emma,  wife  of  F. 
Hepperley,  of  Norfolk,  Neb. ;  and  Marion,  wife 
of  John  Elliott,  of  Winside,  Neb.  The  mother 
of  this  family  passed  away  February  14,  1870,  at 
the  age  of  thirty  years.  She  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Church. 

Mr.  Tobey  was  married  to  his  second  wife, 
Elizabeth  M.  Burt,  daughter  of  Alvin  Burt,  of 
Westport,  N.  Y.,  January  8,  1874.  She  was  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Charles  Clifford  Tobey. 
She  passed  away  June  14,  1892,  at  the  age  of 
forty-seven  years. 

Mr.  Tobey  attends  the  services  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church  at  Worth,  which  was  built  upon 
land  contributed  by  him.  In  earlier  years  he 
was  a  Republican,  but  since  the  formation  of 
the  Prohibition  party  has  been  identified  with  that 
movement.  He  has  never  sought,  nor  would  he 
accept,  public  office.  He  has  witnessed  the  mar- 
velous development  of  Chicago  and  Cook  County 
for  more  than  forty  years,  and  has  borne  no  small 
part  therein,  ever  striving  to  promote  the  moral 
and  intellectual  growth  of  the  community  as  well 
as  its  material  prosperity. 


HIRAM  PRATT  CRAWFORD 


HIRAM  PRATT  CRAWFORD,  a  real-estate 
dealer  of  Crawford's  Station,  Chicago,  is  a 
native  of  the  Empire  State,  his  birth  having 
occurred  in  Buffalo  on  the  3d  of  January,    1831. 


He  is  a  son  of  Pa:er  Crawford,  whose  biography 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Buffalo  and  Chicago. 
At  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  was  established  by  his 


FRANK  H.  NOVAK. 


165 


father  in  a  lumber-yard  in  Marengo;  and  when  the 
railroad  was  extended  to  Belvidere,  he  removed  to 
that  place,  whence  he  afterward  went  to  Rock- 
ford,  111.  In  1855,  he  became  a  resident  of  Gales- 
burg,  where  he  carried  on  business  for  two  years. 
Since  1857,  ne  has  resided  at  the  old  homestead, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  looking  after  his  exten- 
sive real-estate  interests.  The  original  farm  pur- 
chased by  his  father  has  constantly  increased  in 
value,  and  now  includes  some  of  the  most  valuable 
suburban  property  adjacent  to  the  city. 

In  1870,  Mr.  Crawford  married  Miss  Sarah  A. 
Launt,  daughter  of  Lewis  Launt,  of  Hamden, 
Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  the  birthplace  of  Mrs. 


Crawford.  Three  children  graced  this  uniou, 
namely:  Sadie  B.,  wife  of  M.  D.  Broadway,  of 
Chicago;  Nettie  S.,  and  Jessie  L. ,  deceased.  The 
parents  and  their  children  hold  membership  with 
the  Baptist  Church.  In  his  political  views,  Mr. 
Crawford  is  a  Republican,  and  stanchly  advocates 
the  principles  of  that  party.  He  has  filled  vari- 
ous positions  of  trust,  having  been  Assessor,  Tax 
Collector  and  Superintendent  of  Public  Works  in 
Cicero  Township.  Mr.  Crawford  is  a  gentleman 
of  rare  physical  strength  for  one  of  his  years.  He 
is  kindly  in  manner,  hospitable,  and  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  growth  and  progress  of  Chicago. 


FRANK  H.  NOVAK. 


P~  RANK  H.  NOVAK,  a  leading  attorney  of 
JV)  West  Pullman,  was  born  near  Iowa  City, 
I  Johnson  County,  Iowa,  on  the  i6th  of  No- 
vember, 1862,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and  Barbara 
Novak,  who  are  still  living  on  a  farm  near  Iowa 
City.  The  former  is  a  native  of  Vienna,  Austria. 
He  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America  in  1858,  and 
became  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Johnson 
County,  Iowa.  He  is  now  one  of  its  most  ex- 
tensive farmers  and  representative  citizens.  His 
wife,  who  was  born  near  Praug,  Austria,  is  a 
daughter  of  Frank  and  Mary  Hiek,  early  settlers 
of  Lynn  County,  Iowa,  who  emigrated  to  America 
from  Praug,  Austria,  in  1855. 

In  taking  up  the  personal  history  of  our  sub- 
ject, we  present  to  our  readers  the  life  record  of 
one  who  is  both  widely  and  favorably  known  in 
this  section  of  Cook  County.  After  attending 
the  common  schools,  he  entered  the  Iowa  City 
Commercial  College,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
in  the  Class  of  '85.  He  then  engaged  in  teach- 


ing for  several  terms,  and  met  with  good  success 
in  that  line  of  work.  He  afterward  became  a 
student  in  the  Iowa  State  University,  of  Iowa 
City,  and,  on  the  completion  of  the  collegiate 
course,  entered  the  law  department,  having  de- 
termined to  become  a  member  of  the  legal  pro- 
fession. He  received  his  diploma  in  1889,  and 
was  thereby  entitled  to  admission  to  the  Bar  and 
to  practice  in  the  federal  courts. 

Immediately  after  completing  his  law  studies, 
Mr.  Novak  opened  an  office  in  Iowa  City,  and 
was  there  engaged  in  business  until  August, 
1893,  when  he  crossed  the  Mississippi  into  Illi- 
nois and  located  at  West  Pullman,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home,  becoming  the  leading  at- 
torney of  that  growing  suburb,  and  doing  business 
as  a  lawyer  and  loan  and  collection  agent.  He 
is  also  interested  in  real-estate  and  in  live-stock 
investments  near  Iowa  City,  where  the  breeding 
of  English  Shire  horses  and  Red  Polled  cattle  is 
made  a  specialty. 


1 66 


JOHN  J.  LEAHY. 


On  the  28th  of  March,  1890,  Mr.  Novak  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Nellie  M.  Burke, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Burke,  a  resident  of  Oxford, 
Iowa.  The  lady  is  a  native  of  Ottawa,  Illinois. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child,  Marie 
Barbara. 

The  parents  both  attend  the  Catholic  Church. 
Mr.  Novak  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
fraternity,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the 
Order  of  Red  Men.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat, 


and  warmly  advocates  the  principles  of  that  party. 
He  has  held  a  number  of  public  offices,  was  Town- 
ship Clerk  both  in  Lucas  and  Monroe  Townships 
of  Johnson  County,  Iowa,  was  Assessor  of  Mon- 
roe Township,  and  filled  other  positions  of  public 
trust.  Mr.  Novak  is  a  gentleman  of  pleasing 
address,  good  business  judgment  and  marked  pro- 
fessional ability,  making  friends  of  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact  in  either  business  or  social 
relations. 


JOHN  J.  LEAHY,  M.  D. 


(lOHN  J.  LEAHY,  M.  D.,  who  is  successfully 
I  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Le- 
O  mont,  was  born  in  April,  1863,  and  is  a  na- 
tive of  County  Limerick,  Ireland.  His  father, 
Thomas  Leahy,  was  a  native  of  Tipperary,  and 
his  mother,  Margaret  Leahy,  of  Kitteely.  The 
Doctor  acquired  his  primary  education  in  the  na- 
tional schools  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  and  then  began 
the  study  of  medicine  in  the  College  of  Surgeons 
in  Dublin,  where  he  remained  for  three  years. 
In  1883,  he  emigrated  from  Ireland,  and  in  Sep- 
tember of  that  year  reached  Chicago,  where  he  be- 
came a  student  in  Rush  Medical  College.  He 
there  spent  two  years,  and  still  another  year  in  the 
Cook  County  Hospital. 

In  April,  1885,  Dr.  Leahy  acted  upon  the  ad- 
vice given  to  the  young  men  of  America  by  the 
sage  of  Chappaqua  and  went  West,  settling  at 
Delmar  Junction,  Clinton  County,  Iowa.  At- 
tracted by  the  inducements  offered  at  Lemont, 
however,  he,  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1885 
settled  in  this  place,  where  he  has  enjoyed  a  large 
and  constantly  increasing  practice.  Much  of  the 


time  Dr.  Leahy  has  been  employed  by  corpora- 
tions working  large  forces  of  men.  From  1886  to 
1891,  he  was  surgeon  for  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
Company,  and  during  the  year  1892  he  was 
physician  and  surgeon  for  the  firm  of  Frazier  & 
Chalmers,  manufacturers  of  mining  machinery  at 
Chicago, where  he  was  busily  engaged,  having  in 
charge  a  thousand  men  and  their  families.  Since 
the  beginning  of  1894,  he  has  been  physician  and 
'  surgeon  to  the  Illinois  Stone  Company,  and  also 
to  Section  5  of  the  Drainage  Canal  at  Lemont,  in 
addition  to  his  general  practice. 

In  1887,  Dr.  Leahy  married  Miss  Margaret 
Reardon,  of  Lemont,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Helen  Reardon,  whose  sketch  appears  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  Three  bright  and  beautiful  chil- 
dren, two  girls  and  a  boy,  have  blessed  this  un- 
ion. They  are  Clara  Louise,  John  J.  and  Mar- 
ion. Dr.  Leahy's  cheerful  disposition  makes  him 
many  friends,  professionally  and  otherwise,  and 
he  enjoys  a  large  and  lucrative  practice.  He  has 
one  brother  in  this  country,  Rev.  Patrick  Leahy, 
of  Lyons,  Iowa. 


OF  THE 
I  '.'.VERSITY  OF 


CYRUS  H.  McCORMICK. 


107 


CYRUS  HALL  McCORMICK. 


EYRUS  HALL  McCORMICK,  measured  by 
his  achievements  and  their  influence  upon 
mankind,  must  rank  as  one  of  the  greatest 
benefactors  of  modern  times.  This  statement  is, 
perhaps,  a  comprehensive  one,  but  it  is  not  un- 
warranted by  facts,  and  indeed  was  given  an  au- 
thoritative stamp  when,  in  the  latter  years  of  Mr. 
McCormick's  life,  he  was  chosen  a  corresponding 
member  of  the  French  Academy  of  Sciences,  on 
the  ground  of  his  having  done  more  for  the  cause 
of  agriculture  than  any  other  living  man.  Why 
this  broad  and  generous  tribute  ?  Why  is  the 
name  of  Cyrus  Hall  McCormick  remembered  and 
honored,  and  why  will  his  memory  hold  a  sacred 
niche  in  Fame's  enduring  temple  throughout  all 
coming  time  ?  To  answer  queries  of  this  nature 
we  must  give  a  brief  sketch  of  the  life,  the  influ- 
ences, and  the  labors  of  him  concerning  whom 
they  are  asked. 

The  McCormick  family  lived  in  Rockbridge 
County,  Virginia.  They  were  descendants  of  an 
early  settler  in  that  portion  of  the  State,  who  had 
been  invited  thither  by  the  fertile  fields  lying  in 
the  broad  valley  between  the  Shenandoah  and 
Blue  Ridge  mountain  ranges.  It  was  here  that 
Cyrus  Hall  McCormick  was  born  on  the  1 5th  of 
February,  1809.  His  parents  were  Robert  and 
Mary  Ann  (Hall)  McCormick,  and  their  circum- 
stances, while  perhaps  not  warranting  luxurious 
living,  were,  nevertheless,  conducive  to  comfort 
and  the  peaceful  enjoyments  common  to  that  pe- 
riod. It  was  an  era  when  modern  frivolities  and 
diversions  were  comparatively  unknown,  and 
when  the  hearts  of  men  and  women  found  their 
sweetest  solace  in  the  regularly  recurring  services 
held  in  the  little  church.  Light  literature  was  there 
unknown,  and  books  of  travel,  history  and  biog- 


raphy were  almost  equally  scarce.  As  a  conse- 
quence, the  Bible  was  much  read  in  the  homes  of 
the  people,  and  its  precepts  were  more  carefully 
instilled  into  the  minds  of  its  students  than  is  com- 
mon in  this  push-and-hurry  age  of  ours.  The 
parents  of  young  McCormick  were  recognized  by 
their  neighbors  as  the  possessors  of  marked  abil- 
ity and  integrity  of  character,  and  their  lives  and 
actions  were  shaped  in  conformity  with  the  best 
ideals  of  Christianity. 

It  was  amid  surroundings  such  as  these  that 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  acquired  those  traits 
which  mark  the  career  of  the  successful  man, 
and  to  which  men  of  all  times  and  of  all  nations 
have  paid  the  tribute  of  their  admiration  and 
their  praise.  This  schooling  of  his  character 
at  home  was  supplemented  by  young  McCor- 
mick's attendance  upon  the  "  Old  Field  "  school, 
where  the  rudiments  of  book  knowledge  were 
acquired,  and  this  was  further  enhanced  by  an 
evident  desire  for  knowledge  not  found  in  books, 
a  knowledge  of  the  practical,  of  the  common  things 
about  him.  Genius  is  rarely  an  accidental  trait, 
and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  natural  environments 
in  which  young  Cyrus  lived  were  shaping  his 
destiny.  His  father  was  a  man  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability,  himself  a  student  throughout  all  the 
years  of  his  life,  with  an  inclination  toward  in- 
vention, and  indeed  an  inventor  in  fact,  as  sever- 
al useful  devices  are  accredited  to  his  ingenuity 
in  this  line.  He  was  extensively  engaged  in 
farming,  and  had  upon  his  premises  both  black- 
smith and  wood-working  shops  for  the  prompt  re- 
pairing of  the  various  farm  implements,  as  occa- 
sion demanded.  He  appears  to  have  been  fond 
of  the  workshop,  and  it  was  but  natural  that  he 
should  give  considerable  time  and  attention  to  the 


1 68 


CYRUS  H.  McCORMICK. 


construction  of  experimental  devices  as  they  sug- 
gested themselves  to  him.  Among  some  of  the 
improvements  resulting  from  his  experiments  were 
a  hemp-breaking  machine,  a  threshing-machine, 
and  a  blacksmith's  bellows.  As  early  as  1809, 
he  conceived  the  idea  of  a  grain-cutting  mechan- 
ism, and  in  the  summer  of  1810  his  conception 
had  assumed  a  tangible  form  and  was  taken  into 
the  field  for  practical  test.  The  cutting  device 
consisted  of  a  system  of  rotary  saws,  revolving  past 
the  edges  of  stationary  knives,  so  as  to  cut  like 
shears.  A  witness  who  saw  its  performance  in 
the  grain  field  described  it  as  "  a  somewhat  fright- 
ful looking  piece  of  machinery  when  moving." 
It  failed  to  meet  the  expectations  of  its  inventor 
and  was  laid  aside,  though  the  idea  of  the  reaper 
kept  possession  of  him  for  several  years  thereafter, 
and  he  in  fact  made  one  or  two  subsequent  at- 
tempts to  perfect  the  machine,  but  without  success. 
To  his  father's  experiments  and  failures  young 
Cyrus  paid  much  attention,  and  it  is  not  un- 
likely that  at  an  early  age  he  brought  himself  to 
believe  that  he  would  some  time  bring  order  out 
of  the  chaos  which  had  marked  the  elder's  reap- 
er-inventing career.  He  had  a  natural  liking  for 
mechanical  inventions,  and  spent  a  goodly  portion 
of  his  time  in  his  father's  workshops,  becoming 
quite  an  adept  in  the  use  of  the  various  tools.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  he  made  a  grain  cradle,  by  the 
use  of  which  he  was  enabled  to  go  into  the  har- 
vest field  and  keep  pace  with  the  older  laborers. 
A  little  later  he  constructed  a  hill-side  plow,  a 
practical  and  useful  invention,  which  threw  alter- 
nate furrows  either  right  or  left.  This  was  pat- 
ented, but  was  in  turn  superseded  by  his  horizon- 
tal self-sharpening  plow.  It  was  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  that  he  determined  to  devote  his  en- 
ergies to  the  reaper;  and  with  his  father's  fail- 
ures before  him  plainly  showing  what  was  im- 
practicable, and  perhaps  offering  vague  suggest- 
ions as  to  what  the  practicable  machine  must  be, 
he  dreamed,  he  thought,  and  he  worked.  He  first 
convinced  himself  that  the  principle  adopted  by 
his  father  was  fundamentally  wror>g,  he  believing 
that  the  cutting  device  should  give  way  to  a  hori- 
zontal reciprocating  blade,  which  should  operate 
upon  the  grain  in  mass.  Deciding  upon  the  de- 


tails of  such  a  machine,  he  set  to  work  with  his 
own  hands  to  combine  them  in  wood  and  iron. 
He  became  so  deeply  absorbed  in  his  work  that  his 
father,  remembering  his  own  futile  attempts  in  the 
same  line,  sought  to  discourage  the  boy,  telling 
him  that  he  was  wasting  both  his  time  and  talents. 
Happily,  however,  Cyrus  saw  deeper,  and  with 
that  persistence  which  was  an  inborn  trait  of  his 
character,  continued  on  in  his  work,  and  in  the 
summer  of  1831  went  into  a  field  of  grain  with  the 
first  successful  reaper  that  was  ever  built.  The 
distinguishing  features  of  that  machine  were  the 
reciprocating  blade,  operating  in  fixed  fingers;  the 
platform  for  receiving  the  falling  grain;  the  reel 
to  draw  the  grain  back  to  the  knives;  and  the 
divider,  to  separate  the  grain  to  be  cut  from  that 
left  standing.  These  features  and  their  combina- 
tion must  be  credited  to  the  genius  and  skill  of 
Cyrus  Hall  McCormick.  They  are  found  in  all 
grain-cutting  machines  now  extant,  of  whatso- 
ever name  or  nature,  and  to  dispense  with  them 
!'  would  be  to  wipe  every  reaper  out  of  existence." 
The  words  quoted  are  from  "  Knight's  New  Me- 
chanical Dictionary,"  compiled  and  edited  by  Ed- 
ward H.  Knight,  A.  M.,  LL.  D.,  in  charge  of 
the  classifications  and  publications  of  the  United 
States  Patent  Office. 

When  the  field  experiment  had  demonstrated 
the  practical  utility  of  his  invention,  it  was  tem- 
porarily relegated  to  a  secondary  place  in  the 
mind  of  its  inventor.  To  enter  at  once  upon  the 
work  of  building  machines  for  general  use  would 
involve  an  expenditure  and  obligation  which,  at 
that  time,  it  was  felt,  could  not  be  assumed;  and 
therefor,  more  perhaps  as  a  stepping-stone  than 
otherwise,  Mr.  McCormick  entered  into  a  partner- 
ship for  the  smelting  of  iron  ore,  a  business  which 
appears  to  have  moved  along  smoothly  and  with 
some  degree  of  success  until  the  panic  of  1837, 
when  it  went  down  in  the  general  crash  which 
carried  with  it  so  many  older  and  more  preten- 
tious enterprises.  Looking  out  upon  the  wreck, 
Cyrus  McCormick  saw  all  material  interests  reced- 
ing from  him;  looking  within,  he  saw  a  sturdy 
young  manhood,  and  felt  the  red  blood  of  ambi- 
tion coursing  through  his  veins.  Little  time  was 
spent  in  repining.  The  first  thing  to  be  done — 


CYRUS  H.  McCORMICK. 


169 


or  at  least  to  be  provided  for — was  the  payment 
of  every  obligation  which  the  firm  had  assumed, 
and  to  this  end  Mr.  McCormick  sacrificed  all  his 
possessions,   including  the  farm  which  his  father 
had  given  him.    Then,  with  his  face  turned  toward 
the  light,  with  faith  in  himself  and  the  reaper, 
he  cast  about  him  for  ways  and  means  for  the 
further  improvement  of  his  machine,  its  manu- 
facture and  sale.     Like  most  stories  of  great  suc- 
cesses, this  is  the  story  of  small  beginnings,  many 
vicissitudes  and  perplexities,   and  some  anxiety; 
but  over  all  the  rainbow  of  hope.     The  shops  of 
the  old  Virginia  farm  were  utilized  as  ' '  factories  ' ' 
during  the  first  few  years,  and,  as  may  be  imag- 
ined,  the  annual  output  of  machines  was  insig- 
nificant until  the  year  1845,  when  it  was  decided 
to  start  a  plant  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio.     Arrange- 
ments were  also  made  at  this  time  with  a  firm  at 
Brockport,  New  York,  for  building  the  reaper  on 
a  royalty.     It  was  thought  that  from  these  two 
points  the  East  and  West  could  be  supplied,  but 
the  popularity  of  the  grain  cutter  outran  the  ex- 
pectations of  its  inventor,  and,  to  accelerate  the  de- 
velopment of  the  regions  farther  west,  a  demand 
for  it  sprang  up  and  became  so  general  that  it 
was  decided  to  again  enlarge  the  plant,  increase 
the  facilities,  and  locate  near  the  great  and  grow- 
ing market  of  the  West.    Accordingly,  in  1 847 ,  the 
McCormick  Reaper  Works  became   one   of  the 
great  industries  of  the  young  city  of  Chicago.     In 
1848  seven  hundred  machines  were  built  and  sold, 
and  from  that  time  to  this  the  business  has  shown 
a  steady   growth,   until  its  proportions  are  well 
nigh  amazing.     The  present  capacity  of  the  Mc- 
Cormick Reaper  Works  exceeds  150,000  machines 
every  year;  and,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
India,  there  is  no  grain  and  grass  growing  coun- 
try beneath  the  sun  where  the  McCormick  ma- 
chines are  not  employed  in  garnering  the  crop. 

After  the  assured  success  of  the  reaper  at  home, 
Mr.  McCormick  took  measures  to  bring  it  to  the 
attention  of  the  agriculturists  of  the  Old  World. 
As  an  initial  step  in  this  direction,  the  machine 
was  placed  on  exhibition  at  the  first  World's  Fair, 
held  in  London  in  1851.  It  was  at  a  time  when 
English  eyes  were  given  to  the  casting  of  unfriend- 
ly glances  toward  whatever  emanated  from  Yan- 


keedom,  and  the  McCormick   reaper  was  not  al- 
lowed to  escape  the  ridicule  of  the  press,    the 
London    Times    characterizing   it  as     "a    cross 
between  an  Astley  chariot   and  a  wheelbarrow." 
Before  the  Exposition  season    closed,    however, 
the  reaper  completely  conquered  prejudice   and 
the  Times  made  the  amende  honorable  by  stating 
editorially  that  it  was  ' '  alone  worth  the  entire  ex- 
pense of  the  Exhibition,"  and  the  Great  Council 
Medal  was  awarded  to  Mr.  McCormick  on  the 
ground  of  the  originality  and  value  of  his  inven- 
tion.    From  this  moment  fame  and  fortune  were 
assured,  and  there  were  no  fields  either  at  home 
or  abroad  in  which  McCormick  was  not  conquer- 
or.    At  the  UniversalExposition  at  Paris,  in  1855, 
he  was  awarded  the  Grand  Prize.  Again  at  Paris  in 
1867  he  gained  the  Grand  Prize  and  decoration  by 
the  Emperor  with  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Hon- 
or.    It  was  at  this  time  that  M.  Eugene  Tisseraud, 
Director-General  of  the  Imperial  Domains,  said: 
The  man  who  has  labored  most  in  the  general 
distribution,   perfection  and  discovery  of  the  first 
practical  reaper  is  assuredly  Mr.  McCormick,  of 
Illinois.     Equally  as  a   benefactor   of  humanity 
and  as  a  skillful  mechanician,   Mr.  McCormick 
has  been  adjudged  worthy  of  the  highest  distinc- 
tion of  the  Exposition."     A  third  triumph  was 
secured  at  Paris  in  1878,  when  the  Grand  Prize 
was  once  more  bestowed  upon  Mr.  McCormick, 
and  he  was  also  honored  by  the  French  Academy 
of  Sciences,  as  was  referred  to  in  the  opening 
paragraph  of  this  sketch.     Many  personal  trib- 
utes might  be  given  illustrating  the  high  regard 
in  which  Mr.  McCormick  was  held,  and  showing 
the  recognition  of  the   value   of  his   invention. 
During  his  life-time  honors  came  to  him  thick  and 
fast,  and  it  is  not  untimely  to  add  here  that  since 
his  death  the  business  which  he  founded,  and  the 
harvesting  machines  which  still  bear  his  name, 
stand  first  and  foremost  in  the  business  and  agri- 
cultural world.     Honors  have  continued  to  come 
to  the  McCormick,  not  the  least  of  which  were 
those  secured  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion of  1893. 

Cyrus  Hall  McCormick  encountered  obstacles 
which  only  a  matchless  energy  and  ability  could 
have  overcome.  At  the  beginning  of  his  career, 


170 


JOHN  B.  TURNER. 


and  ior  a  long  time  afterwards,  he  was  inconveni- 
enced by  a  lack  of  capital  and  by  his  isolation 
from  centres  of  communication  and  trade.  He 
was  forced  to  overcome  the  opposition  originally 
brought  to  bear  against  all  labor-saving  machines. 
Congress  refused  to  give  him  just  patent  protec- 
tion, for  the  reason  that  his  invention  was  so  val- 
uable that  all  should  be  allowed  to  make  it ! 
But  against  all  these  odds  he  came  out  conqueror. 
Steadily  he  overcame  every  obstacle  and  estab- 
lished his  claim  to  be  a  benefactor  of  the  indus- 
trial world. 

Man's  better  nature,  his  human  side,  his  kind- 
lier, gentler  self,  cannot  be  always  seen  to  advan- 
tage in  the  hurly-burly  of  an  active  business  ca- 
reer, and  it  is  pleasant  to  recall  the  memory  of 
Cyrus  Hall  McCormick  as  he  appeared  to  those 
who  knew  him  in  social  life,  in  his  home,  in  his 
church  relations,  and  in  all  those  varied  walks 
that  lead  away  from  business  and  touch  the  strings 
of  human  hearts.  Mr.  McCormick  had  this  gen- 
tler nature,  and,  while  it  is  not  our  purpose  here 
to  rehearse  the  many  ways  in  which  this  charac- 
teristic evinced  itself,  still  a  sketch  of  his  life 
should  contain  a  brief  mention  of  those  more  con- 
spicuous acts  wherein  are  shown  the  trend  of  his 
benevolence  and  the  munificence  of  his  philanthro- 
py. In  1859,  at  the  General  Assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  held  at  Indianapolis,  he 
made  a  proposition  to  endow  the  professorships  of 
the  Presbyterian  Theological  Seminary  of  the 
Northwest,  on  condition  that  it  be  located  at  Chi- 


cago. The  conditions  were  accepted,  and  the 
seminary,  which,  in  addition  to  the  original  en- 
'  dowment,  received  from  Mr.  McCormick  numer- 
ous other  magnificent  donations,  is  to-day  a  proud 
monument  to  his  liberality  and  nobility  of  heart. 
On  the  educational  and  religious  lines  of  his  work 
was  also  his  purchase  of  the  Interior,  a  news- 
paper established  in  Chicago  to  represent  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  In  the  hour  of  its  financial 
struggles  he  purchased  it,  placed  it  upon  a  sound 
financial  basis,  and  it  is  to-day  one  of  the  most 
able  and  influential  religious  journals  published. 
He  was  also  a  liberal  contributor  to  various  schools 
and  colleges  in  different  parts  of  the  country, 
those  of  his  native  Virginia  coming  in  for  gener- 
ous recognition  at  his  hands. 

In  1858  Mr.  McCormick  married  Miss  Nettie 
Fowler,  daughter  of  Melzar  Fowler,  Esq.,  of  Jeff- 
erson County,  New  York.  Four  sons  and  three 
daughters  were  born  to  them,  two  of  whom,  a  son 
and  a  daughter,  died  in  infancy.  The  surviving 
children  are:  Cyrus  Hall  McCormick,  now  Presi- 
dent of  the  McCormick  Harvesting  Machine  Com- 
pany; Mary  Virginia;  Anita,  widow  of  the  late 
Emmons  Elaine;  Harold  and  Stanley. 

Mr.  Me  Cormick  died  on  the  I3thof  May,  1884. 
His  life  was  rounded  out  by  something  more  than 
the  three-score  and  ten  years  of  scriptural  allot- 
ment; but  we  live  in  deeds,  not  years,  and,  meas- 
ured by  this  standard,  the  life  of  Cyrus  Hall  Mc- 
Cormick was  long,  and  ever  longer  groweth. 


JOHN  BICE  TURNER. 


(JOHN  BICE  TURNER,  founder  of  the  great 
I    railway  system  now  known   as    the  Chicago 
O  &  Northwestern,  will  ever  deserve  the  grat- 
itude of  Chicago  for  his  public  spirit  and  perse- 
verance in  carrying  out  his  enterprises  in  the  face 


of  great  financial  and  other  difficulties.  The  pio- 
neers of  Chicago,  whose  number  is  rapidly  grow- 
ing small,  speak  of  him  in  the  most  kindly  and  ap- 
proving terms.  Probably  but  a  very  small  percent- 
age of  the  thousands  who  daily  ride  to  and  from 


JOHN  B.  TURNER. 


171 


the  city  on  the  '  'Northwestern' '  suburban  trains 
ever  consider  the  hardships  endured  by  those  who 
first  undertook  to  construct  a  railway  to  the  West 
from  the  struggling  young  city  by  the  lake.  It 
had  no  double  track  at  first,  and  no  "parlor"  or 
"palace  sleeping"  cars  followed  its  strap  rails. 
The  generation  which  found  a  modern-equipped 
line  ready  for  its  accommodation  can  little  under- 
stand the  conditions  that  obtained  when  John  B. 
Turner  laid  the  first  '  'T' '  rails  in  Illinois. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  born  in  Col- 
chester, Delaware  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  I4th  of 
January,  1799,  less  than  a  decade  after  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  present  United  States  Government. 
His  father,  Elisha  Turner,  died  when  he  was  but 
two  years  old,  and  his  mother  when  he  was  four- 
teen. Her  maiden  name  was  Patience  Coville,  and 
she  was  of  Dutch  origin.  The  Turners  are  of  Eng- 
lish lineage.  Soon  after  his  father's  death,  J.  B. 
Turner  was  adopted  by  David  Powers,  and  passed 
his  youth  on  a  farm  and  about  a  tanyard  operated 
by  his  foster-father,  in  the  meantime  receiving  such 
instruction  as  the  country  schools  of  the  time  af- 
forded. In  1819,  he  married  Miss  Martha  Volun- 
tine,  and  settled  down  at  farming.  Five  years 
later,  he  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  farm  and  pur- 
chased a  mill  and  store,  and  built  a.  distillery  at 
Maltaville,  in  Saratoga  County,  which  he  oper- 
ated six  years.  Financial  reverses  caused  him  to 
abandon  these  interests,  and  his  attention  was  first 
turned  to  railroad  construction  in  1835,  when  he 
took  a  contract  to  build  seven  miles  of  the  Ran- 
som &  Saratoga  Railroad.  After  its  completion, 
Mr.  Turner  was  placed  in  charge  of  this  road, 
most  of  whose  trains  were  hauled  by  horses,  of 
which  the  company  owned  thirty  head,  and  he 
constructed  barns  every  ten  miles  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  motive  power.  It  was  on  this 
line,  under  Mr.  Turner's  management,  that  the 
"Champlain,"  an  engine  of  five  tons'  weight,  was 
placed  in  commission,  being  the  second  of  its  kind 
in  use. 

In  November,  1835,  Mr.  Turner,  with  a  part- 
ner, broke  ground  on  the  Delaware  Division  of 
the  New  York  &  Erie  Railroad,  but  was  forced  to 
suspend  operations  when  the  financial  disasters  of 
April,  1837,  crippled  the  owners,  and  the  capital 


of  the  contractors  appeared  to  be  swallowed  up. 
The  subsequent  resumption  of  the  company  re- 
stored to  Mr.  Turner  the  $16,000  which  he  re- 
garded as  lost,  and  with  a  brother-in-law,  John 
Vernam,  he  engaged  in  building  the  Genesee  Val- 
ley Canal.  The  suspension  of  operations  by  the 
State  on  the  canal  in  1840  again  caused  a  heavy 
loss  to  Mr.  Turner,  but  on  the  resumption  of  con- 
struction this  was,  in  part,  restored  to  him.  By 
the  spring  of  1843,  he  had  completed  a  section  of 
the  Troy  &  Schenectady  Railroad  with  profit,  and 
he  turned  his  attention  toward  the  growing  West 
as  the  most  desirable  field  for  the  investment  of  his 
capital.  With  his  wife,  he  made  a  trip  as  far 
West  as  the  Mississippi  River,  and  decided  to  lo- 
cate at  Chicago,  returning  East  at  once  for  his 
family. 

The  1 5th  of  October,  1843,  found  him  again  in 
Chicago,  and  he  took  up  quarters  at  the  old  Tre- 
mont  House.  His  active  mind  readily  grasped 
the  opportunities  for  investment,  and  one  of  his 
first  moves  was  the  purchase  of  one  thousand 
acres  of  land  near  Blue  Island,  on  which  he  placed 
a  herd  of  sheep,  brought  from  Ohio  in  the  spring. 
An  attempt  at  railroad  building  had  been  made 
as  early  as  1837,  and  a  few  miles  of  strap  rails 
had  been  laid,  terminating  on  the  prairie  not  far 
from  the  present  western  limits  of  the  city  of  Chi- 
cago. In  1847,  Mr.  Turner  and  William  B.  Og- 
den,  the  first  mayor  of  Chicago,  organized  a  com- 
pany to  construct  a  road  westward  from  Chicago, 
and  on  the  5th  of  April  in  that  year,  Mr.  Ogden 
was  elected  President,  and  Mr.  Turner  Acting 
Director  of  the  Chicago  &  Galena  Union  Railroad, 
the  objective  point  being  Galena — a  town  little 
less  than  Chicago  in  size  and  importance  at  that 
time.  Both  the  gentlemen  above  named  were  en- 
thusiastic in  the  interest  of  the  enterprise,  and  by 
their  untiring  labor  in  soliciting  subscriptions  to 
stock  and  securing  right  of  way  from  the  people 
most  benefited  by  its  construction,  said  construc- 
tion was  made  possible.  At  the  election  of  officers 
in  December,  1850,  when  Mr.  Turner  was  made 
President,  the  track  was  completed  beyond  Elgin 
and  reached  Freeport,  where  it  connected  with  the 
Illinois  Central  in  September,  1852. 

By  this  time,  it  had  been  demonstrated  that  the 


172 


E.  F.  L.  GAUSS. 


western  prairies  were  destined  to  support  an  im- 
mense population,  and  attention  was  turned  to  the 
construction  of  the  "Dixon  Air  Line,"  from 
Turner  Junction  west  to  the  Mississippi  River. 
This  was  rapidly  completed  under  Mr.  Turner's 
active  and  able  management,  and  a  portion  of  the 
line  across  the  State  of  Iowa  was  also  completed 
under  his  presidency,  before  he  resigned  in  1858. 
He  continued  an  active  director  of  the  road,  and 
in  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern,  after  the  consol- 
idation of  the  different  lines,  until  his  death.  In 
1853,  he  organized  the  Beloit  &  Madison  Railroad 
Company,  which  became  a  part  of  the  same  sys- 
tem, being  now  a  part  of  the  Madison  Division, 
and  on  the  consolidation,  in  June,  1864,  of  these 
various  lines,  he  was  chairman  of  the  committee 
having  the  arrangements  in  charge,  and  was  af- 
terward a  member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern.  Mr.  Turner  was 
also  a  director  of  the  North  Side  Street  Railroad, 
incorporated  in  February,  1859,  and  continued  to 
hold  stock  during  his  life. 


In  1853,  Mr.  Turner  was  called  upon  to  mourn 
the  death  of  the  wife  who  had  shared  in  his  early 
toils  and  successes,  and  in  1855  he  married  Miss 
Adeline  Williams,  of  Columbus,  Ga.  Three  sons 
and  three  daughters  were  given  to  him.  He  was 
vigorous  and  active  to  the  day  of  his  death,  which 
was  the  26th  of  February,  1871,  more  than  sev- 
enty-two years  of  life  having  been  his  allotted 
time.  The  end  came  peacefully  and  quietly,  and 
on  that  day  Chicago  lost  one  of  her  most  valued 
and  upright  citizens,  who  did  what  he  could  to 
benefit  his  fellows.  On  the  day  of  his  funeral, 
the  offices  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way were  closed  out  of  respect  for  the  "judicious 
and  faithful  counselor,  genial  companion,  consider- 
ate friend  and  Christian  gentleman.  His  devo- 
tion to  the  material  interests  of  the  country  was 
exceeded  only  by  the  patriotism  which  never  lost 
sight  of  the  highest  duties  of  citizenship.  His 
great  works  live  after  him,  and  will  keep  his 
memory  green  forever." 


E.  F.  L.  GAUSS. 


FT   F.  L.  GAUSS  is  First  Assistant  Librarian  in 
ft)  the  Chicago  Public  Library,  and  the  responsi-  ' 

ble  position  which  he  occupies  finds  in  him  a 
capable  incumbent.  He  is  also  a  patron  of  literature 
and  music,  and  indeed  is  a  friend  to  all  those  arts 
which  are  calculated  to  elevate  and  benefit  man- 
kind. He  claims  Germany  as  the  land  of  his 
birth,  which  occurred  in  Stuttgart  in  1842.  He 
came  of  one  of  the  old  aristocratic  families  of  that 
country,  and  was  reared  accordingly.  The  father 
died  in  1848,  and  the  mother  was  called  to  her 
final  rest  in  1845. 

Mr.  Gauss  whose  name  heads  this  record  at- 
tended school  in  his  native  land  for  a  number,  of 
years,  and  in  1859,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he 


crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America,  settling  in  New 
York  City.  When  the  war  for  the  Union  broke 
out,  and  President  Lincoln  called  for  volunteers 
to  aid  in  crushing  the  rebellion  which  threatened 
to  destroy  the  nation,  he  at  once  enlisted,  joining 
the  boys  in  blue  of  Company  K,  First  New  York 
Infantry.  After  two  years  of  valiant  service  he 
was  honorably  discharged,  in  1863. 

Mr.  Gauss  on  leaving  the  army  went  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  studied  theology  in  the  Missouri 
Evangelical  School,  and  later  he  pursued  his 
studies  in  an  Episcopal  academy  in  Ohio.  In 
1871,  in  St.  Louis,  he  was  ordained  as  a  minister, 
and  was  given  charge  of  the  church  in  Bunker 
Hill,  111.,  where,  as  there  were  many  German 


ROBERT  S.  HILL. 


173 


settlers  in  that  locality,  his  services  were  con- 
ducted in  his  native  tongue.  In  1874  he  went  to 
Europe  in  order  to  complete  his  studies,  and  from 
1875  until  1878  was  a  minister  in  the  State 
Church  of  the  Canton  of  Zurich,  Switzerland.  In 
the  latter  year  he  again  crossed  the  Atlantic  to 
America,  and  took  up  his  residence  in  Galena, 
111.,  being  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  church  at 
that  place,  of  which  he  continued  in  charge  for 
two  years.  In  1880  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  en- 
gaged in  literary  work  while  in  the  employ  of 
the  Government,  in  which  employ  he  continued 
until  1885.  In  1887  he  entered  the  Chicago  Pub- 
lic Library.  He  was  afterward  made  First  As- 
sistant Librarian,  and  still  fills  that  position.  He 
also  continues  his  ministerial  work  to  a  limited 
extent,  although  he  accepts  no  pastorates. 

In    1867    Mr.  Gauss  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Henrietta  Stehlin,  and  to  them  has 


been  born  a  family  of  five  children.  The  parents 
and  their  children  are  all  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational Church,  and  take  a  most  active  in- 
terest in  church  work,  doing  all  in  their  power 
for  its  promotion  and  success. 

Mr.  Gauss  has  won  a  high  reputation  as  a  pub- 
lic speaker,  and  at  one  time  delivered  many  ad- 
dresses in  support  of  the  Republican  party,  the 
principles  of  which  he  warmly  advocates.  He 
has,  however,  never  aspired  to  public  office.  He 
has  also  won  note  as  a  metrical  translater.  He 
is  a  man  of  most  liberal  education,  and  during 
the  famous  Anarchists'  trial  served  as  official  in- 
terpreter. Socially,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Schiller  Club,  of  which  he  is  Secretary,  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  National 
Union  and  the  German  Press  Club,  which  latter 
he  is  now  serving  as  Treasurer.  He  is  also  Pres- 
ident of  the  Chicago  Library  Club. 


ROBERT  S.  HILL. 


ROBERT  S.  HILL,  who  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law  in  Chicago,  was 
born  in  Buxton,  York  County,  Maine,  on 
the  3ist  of  August,  1851.  His  ancestors  on  his 
father's  side  came  from  England.  Three  brothers 
of  the  name  of  Hill  crossed  the  Atlantic  with  the 
early  English  colonists  and  settled  in  Massachu- 
setts. One  of  them  afterwards  removed  to  the 
district  of  Maine,  and  from  this  branch  of  the  Hill 
family  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  directly  de- 
scended. The  members  of  the  family  were  prom- 
inent land-owners  and  business  men,  and  often 
bore  an  important  part  in  the  events  which  went 
to  make  up  the  history  of  colonial  days.  Mr. 


Hill's  great-grandfather  was  the  owner  of  the 
property  in  Buxton,  Maine,  now  occupied  by  his 
father.  The  grandfather  was  a  resident  of  Bux- 
ton, and  took  part  in  the  War  of  1812,  during 
which  he  was  commissioned  as  an  officer  by  the 
Governor  of  the  Pine  Tree  State.  Another  of  the 
ancestors  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  an  offi- 
cer in  the  Revolution,  and  was  numbered  among 
the  heroes  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Another 
was  captured  by  the  English  and  taken  to  Can- 
ada, where  he  was  forced  to  live  among  the  Indi- 
ans for  an  entire  winter,  during  which  time  he  was 
subjected  to  great  hardships  and  suffering.  He 
finally  escaped  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Maine, 


174 


ROBERT  S.  HILL. 


much  to  the  surprise  and  pleasure  of  his  wife  and 
family,  who  supposed  him  dead. 

On  his  mother's  side  Mr.  Hill  traces  his  ances- 
try back  to  the  ' '  Mayflower,  ' '  being  descended 
from  Moses  Fletcher,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic 
in  the  vessel  which  brought  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  to 
the  shores  of  the  New  World.  The  latter  was  a 
member  of  the  Council  of  Plymouth,  and  now  lies 
buried  at  Plymouth  Rock,  Massachusetts,  where 
his  name  appears  on  the  monument  erected  in 
memory  of  those  old  heroes. 

Mr.  Hill's  father,  now  retired  from  business 
with  a  competency,  was  an  active  lumberman  and 
farmer  in  Buxton,  Maine.  He  has  always  taken 
a  keen  interest  in  the  religious,  educational  and  po- 
litical matters  pertaining  to  his  town,  state  and 
country.  He  was  a  great  admirer  and  a  warm 
friend  of  the  late  Hon.  James  G.  Elaine. 

The  boyhood  days  of  R.  S.  Hill  were  pleasant- 
ly passed  in  his  native  town,  and  he  was  given 
good  educational  advantages  by  his  father.  After 
leaving  the  common  schools  in  Buxton,  he  at- 
tended Limington  and  Gorham  Academies,  both 
of  Maine,  and  his  first  effort  in  life  after  leaving 
the  latter  institution  was  to  engage  in  school 
teaching  in  his  native  state,  being  then  twenty 
years  of  age.  After  a  brief  and  successful  experi- 
ence as  a  school  teacher,  he  came  to  the  West  with 
his  uncle,  and  entered  Michigan  State  University 
at  Ann  Arbor,  being  graduated  from  the  law  de- 
partment of  that  institution  in  the  Class  of  '74. 
He  then  returned  to  New  England,  and  for  one 
year  studied  law  in  the  office  of  an  attorney  in  Bos- 
ton. The  year  1876  witnessed  his  return  to  the 
West  and  saw  him  located  in  Chicago.  He  im- 
mediately embarked  in  practice,  which  he  has  car- 
ried on  continuously  since.  He  makes  corpor- 
ation law  a  specialty,  and  has  been  very  success- 
ful, winning  many  important  cases.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  he  is  employed  as  attorney  for  a  number 
of  corporations. 

On  the  26th  of  January,  1877,  Mr.  Hill  was 
married  in  Buxton, Maine,  to  Miss  Fannie  S. 
Owen.  Her  ancestors  came  from  England  and 
aided  the  colonies  in  their  struggle  for  iudepen- 


ence,  taking  a  leading  part  in  the  War  of  the  Rev- 
olution. One  of  the  number  was  captured  by  the 
British  in  1807,  taken  on  board  a  man-of-war,  and 
forced  to  serve  as  a  part  of  the  crew.  After  a  few 
weeks'  service,  while  the  ship  was  cruising  off  the 
coast  of  Massachusetts,  he  took  advantage  of  a 
favorable  opportunity,  jumped  overboard,  swam 
safely  ashore  and  returned  home.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hill  have  been  born  five  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Harry  Robert,  who  died  of  diphtheria  in 
1882 ;  Owen  T. ,  now  a  student  of  the  Fuller  School, 
Hyde  Park;  Helen  M.  and  Alice,  who  attend  the 
same  school;  and  Robert  S.,  a  little  lad  of  three 
and  a-half  years. 

Mr.  Hill  is  a  great  admirer  and  firm  supporter 
of  the  Hon.  Thomas  B.  Reed,  who  is  his 
choice  for  the  presidency.  He  has  known  Mr. 
Reid  all  his  life,  and  on  account  of  a  knowledge  of 
his  character,  ability  and  political  proclivities,  he 
supports  him  as  a  presidential  candidate.  Mr. 
Hill  takes  a  very  warm  interest  in  political  affairs, 
and  labors  earnestly  to  promote  the  growth  and 
insure  the  success  of  his  part)'.  He  is  recognized 
as  a  good  parliamentarian  and,  because  of  his 
knowledge  of  the  rules  of  parliamentary  usage, 
has  often  been  called  upon  to  preside  over  politi- 
cal meetings  where  trouble  and  turbulence  were 
anticipated,  and  as  such  presiding  officer  has  been 
able,  even  in  very  exciting  meetings,  to  maintain 
order  and  discipline  where  one  less  skilled  would 
have  failed. 

Mr.  Hill  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Maine.  He 
contributes  liberally  to  benevolent  institutions, 
yet  makes  no  display  of  his  charity.  In  his  tastes 
he  is  domestic  and  enjoys  the  companionship  of  his 
family  much  more  than  that  of  general  society. 
In  his  religious  belief  he  is  liberal,  broad  minded 
and  charitable,  believes  in  his  children  attending 
church  and  Sunday-school  and  having  instilled 
into  their  minds  the  principles  of  Christianity.  In 
both  business  and  social  circles  he  is  well  known 
as  an  honorable,  upright  man,  and  is  held  in  the 
highest  regard  by  his  many  acquaintances  and 
friends. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

I:::VERSITY  OF  ILLIK:;; 


JESSE  SP ADDING. 


175 


JESSE  SPALDING 


fl  ESSE  SPALDING  is  a  descendant  of  one  of 

I  the  oldest  American  families.  The  environ- 
(~)  ment  of  the  New  England  fathers  was  calcu- 
lated to  bring  out  and  develop  all  that  was 
sturdy  and  vigorous  in  both  mind  and  body,  and 
their  descendants  continue  to  manifest  the  traits 
of  character  which  enabled  them  to  survive  the 
hardships  which  they  were  compelled  to  endure, 
and  which  rendered  prosperity  possible  in  the 
face  of  the  most  forbidding  conditions. 

The  town  and  family  of  Spalding  are  known 
to  have  existed  in  Lincolnshire,  England,  in  the 
twelfth  century.  Between  1630  and  1633,  Edward 
Spalding  left  that  town  and  settled  in  Braintree, 
in  the  then  infant  colony  of  Massachusetts.  From 
him  the  line  of  descent  is  traced  through  Joseph, 
Nathaniel,  Joseph,  Joseph  and  John  to  Jesse. 

The  Spalding  family  first  settled  in  southern 
Connecticut,  early  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
Its  members  shared  in  the  work  of  subduing  the 
wilderness,  as  well  as  defending  their  homes  from 
the  aboriginal  savages.  Some  of  them  achieved 
distinction  in  the  heroic  defense  of  Fort  Groton, 
Connecticut.  Many  served  in  "King  Philip's 
War, ' '  and  fifty-two  were  active  in  the  Revolu- 
tion, of  whom  nine  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  where  one  fell  from  his  dying  horse. 

Joseph  Spalding,  grandfather  of  Jesse,  was 
born  in  Plainfield,  Connecticut.  He  was  an  of- 
ficer of  the  Revolutionary  army,  and  removed  to 
Pennsylvania  in  1780,  settling  on  land  near  Ath- 
ens, Bradford  County,  on  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Susquehanna  River.  This  land  was  claimed  by 
both  Connecticut  and  Pennsylvania,  and  Mr. 
Spalding  was  obliged  to  pay  tribute  to  both  com- 
monwealths before  he  could  secure  a  clear  title. 
This  was  a  great  hardship,  but  he  went  to  work 


with  characteristic  energy,  and  shortly  thereafter, 
despite  all  discouragements,  became  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  leading  citizen  of  the  community. 

John,  father  of  Jesse  Spalding,  was  active  and 
influential  in  Bradford  County  affairs,  and  at  one 
time  occupied  the  office  of  Sheriff,  winning  uni- 
versal approbation  by  the  intrepid  and  vigorous 
manner  in  which  he  discharged  his  official  (and 
often  perilous)  duties  in  a  new  and  somewhat 
lawless  community.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  was  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Amos  Prentiss,  a  distinguished 
physician  of  Groton,  Connecticut,  and  a  represen- 
tative of  a  prominent  Colonial  family. 

Jesse  Spalding  was  born  at  Athens,  Pennsylva- 
nia, April  15,  1833.  While  assisting  his  father 
in  farm  work,  he  found  time  to  acquire  such  edu- 
cation as  the  common  schools  and  the  academy 
of  his  native  town  afforded.  On  attaining  his 
majority  he  engaged  in  lumbering  on  the  north 
branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  and  became  a  woods- 
man and  raftsman.  At  the  age  of  twenty-three 
he  began  to  deal  in  lumber  on  his  own  account, 
and  was  successful.  His  product  was  rafted  to 
Middletown,  Columbia  and  Port  Deposit,  and 
marketed  in  Washington,  Alexandria,  Norfolk 
and  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  other  points. 

Foreseeing  the  rapid  growth  of  the  young  city 
of  Chicago,  he  removed  hither  in  1857,  and 
soon  after  bought  a  sawmill  at  Menekaunee,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Menominee  River,  in  Wiscon- 
sin, where  he  commenced  the  manufacture  of 
lumber.  This  mill  was  burned  in  1870,  rebuilt 
and  burned  in  1871,  rebuilt  in  1872,  and  is  now 
finely  equipped  with  gang,  band  and  circular 
saws  and  modern  machinery,  being  thoroughly 
complete  in  all  its  appointments.  For  a  time 
business  was  conducted  by  the  firm  of  Wells  & 


I76 


JESSE  SPALDING. 


Spalding,  the  firm  name  later  becoming  Spalding 
&  Porter,  and  subsequently  Spalding,  Houghtel- 
ing  &  Johnson.  In  1871,  the  concern  was  incor- 
porated as  the  Menominee  River  Lumber  Com- 
pany, and  in  1892  Mr.  Spalding  purchased  the 
interest  of  his  partners,  and  has  since  been  the 
sole  owner.  Shortly  after  he  bought  out  the 
New  York  Lumber  Company  at  Menekaunee,  he 
secured  a  milling  property  at  the  mouth  of  Cedar 
River,  about  thirty  miles  above  the  city  of  Me- 
nominee, and  in  1882  he  organized  the  Spalding 
Lumber  Company,  of  which  he  became  President, 
being  at  the  same  time  its  active  manager.  His 
purchases  of  timber-lands  in  Wisconsin  and  Michi- 
gan to  supply  the  mills  of  these  companies  with 
logs  have  aggregated  two  hundred  and  sixty-five 
thousand  acres.  Besides  its  value  for  timber,  this 
land  has  proven  rich  in  iron  ore,  and  three  mines 
are  now  successfully  operated  on  the  property. 
The  output  of  the  mills  at  Cedar  River  is  shipped 
in  boats  owned  by  the  Spalding  Lumber  Com- 
pany direct  to  Chicago,  whence  it  is  distributed 
from  the  Chicago  yards  to  the  western  and  south- 
western markets  in  Illinois,  Iowa,  Nebraska, 
Kansas  and  Missouri.  Lumber  has  also  been  ship- 
ped recently,  in  large  quantities,  direct  from  the 
mills  at  Menekaunee  to  Detroit,  Buffalo,  Roch- 
ester, Albany  and  Boston.  The  companies  of 
which  Mr.  Spalding  is  the  head  are  among  the 
largest  of  their  kind,  and  annually  produce  from 
sixty  to  seventy-five  millions  of  feet  of  lumber. 

Although  he  cannot  be  said  to  have  been  a  pio- 
neer in  the  lumber  business  of  Chicago,  few  men 
have  been  more  closely  identified  with  its  growth 
than  Mr.  Spalding.  In  fact,  his  name  is  indissol- 
ubly  linked  with  the  political,  social  and  business 
interests  of  the  city  and  the  Northwest. 

Mr.  Spalding  is  amply  fitted  by  nature  and 
training  for  the  manipulation  of  large  interests, 
and  his  success  is  in  no  small  degree  due  to  the 
fact  that  he  does  not  despise  small  things.  All 
the  minutiae  of  his  extensive  interests  are  famil- 
iar to  him,  and  his  practical  experience  enables 
him  to  give  attention  to  the  smallest  details.  His 
investments  in  banking  and  other  financial  con- 
cerns are  made  with  the  same  judicious  care,  and 
are  equally  successful  with  his  other  undertak- 


ings. He  is  a  director  in  many  large  corporations 
of  the  city,  and  his  advice  is  frequently  sought  in 
the  conduct  of  many  important  enterprises.  It  is 
not  strange  that  his  fellow-citizens  should  discover 
in  him  a  capable  man  of  affairs;  and  when  the  city 
was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1871,  he  was  sought  out 
as  one  who  would  be  useful  in  adjusting  public 
business  to  existing  conditions,  and  in  raising 
Chicago  from  its  ashes  and  reviving  business  ac- 
tivity. He  was  three  years  in  the  City  Council, 
and  while  Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee, 
he,  by  judicious  management,  aided  in  the  resto- 
ration of  the  city's  financial  credit,  materially 
furthering  the  establishment  of  good  municipal 
government.  In  1861,  when  the  Nation  was 
threatened  with  destruction,  Mr.  Spalding  was 
among  its  most  ^active  defenders.  He  was  re- 
quested by  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  to  build  and  equip  barracks  for  the  Gov- 
ernment soldiers  (afterward  known  as  "Camp 
Douglas"),  besides  which  he  built  barracks  the 
following  year  on  the  North  Side  for  returning 
soldiers.  He  furnished  all  the  material  for  these 
structures,  receiving  in  payment  the  State  Audi- 
tor's warrants,  there  being  no  funds  in  the  Treas- 
ury to  be  applied  to  this  purpose. 

Mr.  Spalding  has  been  an  active  worker  in  the 
interests  of  the  Republican  party  from  its  incep- 
tion, because  he  believed  the  weal  of  the  Nation 
depended  upon  the  success  of  the  principles  main- 
tained by  that  party.  He  was  a  personal  friend 
of  Grant,  Arthur  and  Conkling,  as  well  as  other 
now  prominent  National  leaders,  and  gave  coun- 
sel in  many  grave  exigencies.  He  presided  at 
the  unveiling  of  the  Grant  monument  in  Lincoln 
Park.  In  1881  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Arthur  Collector  of  the  Port  of  Chicago,  and  filled 
that  office  in  a  manner  most  acceptable  to  the 
Government  and  the  people  of  the  city.  With 
him  a  public  office  is  a  trust,  to  be  executed  with 
the  same  faithful  care  which  one  bestows  on  his 
own  private  affairs;  and  when  he  was  appointed 
Director  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  on  behalf 
of  the  Government  by  President  Harrison,  he 
made  a  personal  investigation  of  the  property  in 
his  own  painstaking  way,  submitting  the  report  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  This  report,  which 


S.  P.  MCCONNELL. 


177 


gave  a  careful  review  of  the  resources  of  the 
country  traversed  by  the  line,  and  its  future  pros- 
pects, was  ordered  printed  by  Congress,  and  com- 
manded careful  attention  from  financiers  and  those 
concerned  in  the  relations  of  the  Pacific  roads  to 
the  Government.  It  was  also  embraced  in  the 
annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the 
Union  Pacific  Railway  Company. 

Mr.  Spalding  was  associated  with  William  B. 
Ogden  and  others  in  the  project  for  cutting  a 
canal  from  Sturgeon  Bay  to  Green  Bay,  by  which 
the  danger  of  navigating  "Death's  Door' '  (as  the 
entrance  to  Green  Bay  is  known)  could  be  avoid- 
ed, as  well  as  saving  a  distance  of  about  one  hun- 


dred and  fifty  miles  on  each  round  trip  between 
Chicago  and  Green  Bay  ports.  This  was  com- 
pleted in  1882  by  the  Sturgeon  Bay  &  Lake 
Michigan  Ship  Canal  and  Harbor  Company,  of 
which  Mr.  Ogden  was  the  first  President,  suc- 
ceeded on  his  death  by  Mr.  Spalding.  During 
the  first  year  of  its  operations,  745,128  tons  of 
freight  passed  through  the  canal,  and  in  1892 
the  business  amounted  to  875,533  tons.  In  1891 
4,500  vessels  (trips)  passed  through,  and  the 
next  year  the  number  was  5,312.  Congress  hav- 
ing passed  an  act  to  purchase  the  canal  and  make 
it  free  to  all  navigators,  it  was  turned  over  to  the 
United  States  Government  in  1893. 


HON.  SAMUEL  P.  McCONNELL. 


HON.  SAMUEL  PARSONS  McCONNELL 
was  born  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  July  5, 
1849.  His  parents,  John  and  Elizabeth 
(Parsons)  McConnell,  still  reside  at  Springfield. 
James  McConnell,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  came  from  County  Down,  Ireland, 
about  1810,  and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
gunpowder  in  New  Jersey.  He  afterward  re- 
moved to  Sangamon  County,  Illinois,  where  he 
became  an  extensive  farmer  and  wool-grower. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  to  cultivate  the  prairie 
soil  of  Illinois,  demonstrating  its  fertility  and 
general  advantages  to  his  neighbors.  He  amassed 
considerable  property,  and  died  in  1867. 

John  McConnell  was  born  in  Madison  County, 
New  York,  but  went  with  his  parents  to  Illinois 
in  his  youth.  When  the  United  States  became 
involved  in  civil  strife,  he  recruited  a  company  of 
soldiers,  and  entered  the  military  service  as  a 
Captain,  rising  by  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Gen- 
eral. Since  the  close  of  the  war  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  business  in  Springfield. 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  McConnell  was  born  in  Connecti- 


cut, and  is  descended  from  English  emigrants  who 
located  there  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  Her  grandfather,  John  Parsons,  was  a 
Captain  in  the  Continental  army. 

Samuel  P.  McConnell  was  educated  at  the 
Springfield  High  School  and  Lombard  University 
at  Galesburg,  Illinois,  graduating  from  the  latter 
institution  in  1871,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  He  read  law  with  the  firm  of  Stewart, 
Edwards  &  Brown,  of  Springfield,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  in  1873.  In  December  of  the 
same  year,  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  has 
since  been  a  prominent  member  of  the  Bar,  and 
has  occupied  an  honorable  position  upon  the 
Bench. 

In  1889  he  was  elected  a  Judge  of  the  Circuit 
Court  of  Cook  County,  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  death  of  Judge  McAllister,  and,  upon  the 
expiration  of  the  term  in  1891,  he  was  re-elected. 
In  1894  he-resigned  this  office,  and  resumed  his 
private  practice.  He  was  led  to  take  this  step  by 
the  inadequacy  of  the  salary  paid  a  Circuit  Judge. 
It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  almost  any  man 


MINER  RAYMOND. 


fitted  to  grace  and  honor  the  Bench  is  able  to  earn 
several  times  the  salary  of  a  Judge  in  private 
practice. 

Among  the  most  prominent  cases  tried  before 
Judge  McConnell  may  be  mentioned  the  first 
Cronin  trial,  the  case  of  Ross  versus  White,  the 
Chicago  City  Railway  Company  versus  Springer, 
and  the  receivership  of  the  J.  H.  Walker  Com- 
pany, in  which  property  to  the  amount  of  five 
millions  of  dollars  was  involved.  His  impartial 
and  equitable  decisions  earned  him  the  respect  of 
attorneys,  jurors  and  litigants,  and  his  departure 
from  the  Bench  was  widely  regretted. 

In  1876  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Rogers, 
daughter  of  Judge  John  G.  Rogers,  of  whom  ex- 
tended mention  is  made  on  other  pages  of  this 
volume.  Judge  and  Mrs.  McConnell  are  the  par- 
ents of  three  children,  named,  respectively,  Julia, 
James  and  Eleanor. 

From  youth  Judge  McConnell  has  been  a  Dem- 
ocrat, departing  from  the  precepts  and  example 
of  his  father.  He  has  never  been  a  candidate  for 


any  other  office  than  that  of  Judge,  though  re- 
peatedly importuned  by  party  managers  to  be- 
come a  political  leader.  Among  the  social  and 
fraternal  associations  into  which  he  has  naturally 
been  drawn,  may  be  mentioned  the  Iroquois,  Lit- 
erary and  Waubansee  Clubs.  While  President  of 
the  first-named  organization,  he  took  a  decided 
position  on  the  silver  question,  which  was  antag- 
onistic to  that  of  many  members,  and  he  felt  it 
incumbent  upon  him  to  resign,  but  this  act 
aroused  such  a  strong  protest  in  the  club,  that  he 
was  induced  to  withdraw  his  resignation. 

He  presided  over  the  city  convention  which  se- 
lected delegates  to  the  State  Democratic  Confer- 
ence, held  at  Springfield  in  June,  1895,  to  deter- 
mine the  attitude  of  the  party  on  the  silver  issue. 
He  was  made  Permanent  Chairman  of  this  con- 
ference, which  wholly  sustained  his  views  upon 
the  question  at  issue.  In  this,  as  in  all  other 
matters  affecting  public  policy,  he  has  been  actu- 
ated by  a  desire  to  promote  the  general  welfare, 
and  without  wish  to  occupy  office. 


REV.  MINER  RAYMOND,  D.  D.,  LL.D. 


REV.  MINER  RAYMOND,  D.D.,  LL.D., 
the  oldest  college  professor  in  the  Methodist  - 
denomination,  both  in  respect  to  age  and 
length  of  service,  and  one  of  the  oldest  teachers 
of  theology  now  living,  is  a  resident  of  Evanston, 
and  until  a  short  time  since  was  active  in  edu- 
cational work,  in  which  he  had  been  engaged  for 
more  than  sixty  years.  He  is  a  native  of  New 
York  City,  and  was  born  on  the  2gth  of  August, 
1811.  His  father  was  Nobles  Raymond,  and  the 
genealogist  of  this  family  has  traced  its  descent 
from  Raimonde,  Count  of  Toulouse,  France,  and 
demonstrated  that,  on  account  of  its  espousal 
of  the  Huguenot  faith,  its  members  were  expa- 
triated, and  some  fled  to  Essex,  England,  whence 


the  emigration  to  America  occurred.  The  Ray- 
monds became  settlers  in  New  England,  and  now 
a  host  of  this  name,  many  of  them  prominent  in 
commercial  and  educational  affairs,  trace  their 
descent  to  the  two  or  three  who  came  to  the 
colonies  in  very  early  times. 

Nobles  Raymond  married  Hannah  Wood,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  nine  children,  of 
whom  Miner  was  the  eldest.  Soon  after  his  birth 
his  father  removed  with  his  family  to  the  village 
of  Rensselaerville,  New  York,  and  there  the  boy, 
when  of  school  age,  began  to  receive  the  rudi- 
ments of  his  education,  remaining  in  school  un- 
til twelve  years  of  age.  At  that  time  his  services 
were  required  in  his  father's  shop,  and  he  spent 


MINER  RAYMOND. 


179 


the  following  six  years  in  learning  the  art  of 
making  shoes,  in  which  he  became  so  proficient 
that  his  handiwork  was  second  to  that  of  no  other 
workman  in  style  or  finish.  The  same  rule  of 
doing  well  whatever  he  did  was  as  rigidly  ad- 
hered to  when  he  was  a  mechanic  as  it  has  been 
since  he  has  held  a  position  in  the  forefront  of 
educators. 

The  event  in  his  youth  most  far-reaching  in  its 
results  on  character  and  fortune  was  his  conver- 
sion and  union,  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years, 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  which 
he  was  to  be  so  conspicuous  and  honored.  His 
father  and  mother  were  faithful  adherents  of  that 
creed.  For  more  than  twenty  years  they  were 
the  only  permanent  residents  of  Rensselaerville 
who  were  connected  with  that  church,  and  their 
house  was  ever  a  home  for  Methodist  ministers. 
The  account  of  the  great  revival  at  Wilbraham, 
Massachusetts,  kindled  in  Miner  Raymond  a  de- 
sire for  knowledge;  it  was  the  turning-point  in  a 
great  life,  starting  him  on  a  new  course  and 
bringing  him  into  intimate  and  helpful  relations 
with  an  educational  institution.  Through  the 
efforts  of  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the  district  in 
which  he  resided,  he  began  his  advanced  educa- 
tion in  the  Wesley  an  Academy  at  Wilbraham, 
then  the  only  Methodist  institution  of  learning  of 
any  magnitude  on  this  continent,  of  which  only 
three  or  four  were  then  in  existence.  Like  many 
another  student,  he  added  to  his  limited  means 
by  the  labor  of  his  hands;  and  the  proceeds  of 
his  work  on  the  bench,  mending  the  boots  and 
shoes  of  his  fellow-students,  helped  to  meet  the 
expenses  incident  to  his  education.  But  this  did 
not  continue  long.  It  was  soon  discovered  that 
he  was  endowed  with  the  gift  of  teaching,  and  he 
was  made  assistant  teacher,  a  position  which  he 
held  for  three  years,  while  still  a  student  in  the 
academy.  His  especial  faculty  for  elucidating 
the  principles  of  arithmetic,  which  were  then 
very  imperfectly  treated  in  the. textbooks,  led  to 
his  selection  as  teacher  of  a  class  of  teachers,  and 
this  was  the  starting  point  of  his  long  career  as 
an  educator. 

Graduating  in  1831,  he  was  immediately  made 
a  member  of  the  faculty,  and  taught  in  that  in- 


stitution with  marked  success  for  ten  years.  In 
1833  his  name  appears  in  the  catalogue  as  usher, 
and  it  was  then  he  began  his  remarkable  peda- 
gogic labors.  In  1834  he  was  advanced  to  the 
charge  of  the  English  department,  where  he 
labored  with  great  success  and  growing  popu- 
larity for  four  years.  During  this  period  he  had 
been  a  diligent  student  and  had  delved  deep  into 
the  mysteries  of  ancient  languages,  the  natural, 
mental  and  moral  sciences,  and  the  higher  mathe- 
matics, for  which  he  discovered  a  taste  and  apti- 
tude. When  the  degrees  were  conferred  by  the 
Wesleyan  University  upon  the  students  he  had 
taught  at  the  academy,  he  received,  in  recogni- 
tion of  his  high  ability  and  efficient  services, 
the  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  In  1838 
he  was  promoted  to  the  chair  of  mathematics, 
which  he  filled  with  distinction  for  the  three 
years  he  remained  as  a  teacher  in  the  institution. 

While  yet  engaged  in  teaching,  Professor  Ray- 
mond joined  the  New  England  Conference,  in 
1838,  and  three  years  later  entered  upon  pastoral 
work.  He  served  two  years  at  Worcester,  Massa- 
chusetts, four  years  at  Church  and  Bennett  Street 
Churches,  Boston,  and  in  1847  went  to  Westfield, 
where  he  remained  one  year. 

Upon  the  resignation  of  Robert  Allyn  as  Prin- 
cipal of  the  Wesleyan  Academy,  Professor  Ray- 
mond was  requested  by  the  trustees  to  take  the 
position  at  the  head  of  that  institution.  The 
pastorate  was  the  ideal  life  work  to  which  he  was 
attached  and  for  which  he  had  educated  himself, 
but,  after  mature  consideration,  he  decided  to  put 
aside  preference,  and  accept  what  he  considered 
a  call  of  duty,  and  entered  upon  the  work  with  a 
devotion  and  energy  that  left  a  very  deep  impres- 
sion upon  the  school  at  the  head  of  which  he 
stood. 

The  first  two  or  three  years  of  Dr.  Raymond 
at  Wilbraham  were  tentative  and  preparatory. 
New  buildings  were  necessary  to  the  success  of 
the  school,  and  how  to  get  them  was  a  problem, 
the  solution  of  which  demanded  his  full  strength; 
but  he  met  the  difficulties  and  conquered  where 
most  men  would  have  failed.  In  spite  of  debt 
and  other  obstacles,  he  succeeded  in  erecting 
Fisk  Hall,  in  1851.  In  the  two  years  following 


i8o 


MINER   RAYMOND. 


the  number  of  pupils  greatly  increased,  and  in 
the  year  1853  rose  to  over  six  hundred,  nearly 
double  the  attendance  of  previous  years.  Through 
the  efforts  of  Dr.  Raymond,  Binney  Hall  was 
built,  in  1854.  The  principal  building  of  the 
institution,  including  its  dormitory  and  board- 
ing apartments,  was  destroyed  by  fire  two 
years  later.  Nothing  daunted  by  this  calamity, 
he  set  about  obtaining  the  means  to  rebuild  it  in 
still  nobler  proportions,  and  that  same  year  suc- 
ceeded in  completing  a  structure  costing  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  By  the  act  of  an  incendiary, 
in  1857,  this  structure  was  also  destroyed,  but 
Dr.  Raymond  and  a  few  brave  aids  rose  superior 
to  the  discouragements  that  had  beset  them,  ob- 
tained money  by  popular  subscription,  aroused 
the  friends  of  education  throughout  the  state,  and, 
by  petition  and  strong  personal  influence,  secured 
legislative  aid,  by  which  means  a  third  building, 
more  commodious,  more  beautiful  and  more  cost- 
ly than  its  predecessors,  rose  upon  the  site  of 
their  ruins,  and  to-day  is  the  chief  ornament  of 
this  seat  of  learning,  a  monument  to  the  faith 
and  indomitable  courage  of  Dr.  Raymond. 

In  1864  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of  system- 
atic theology  in  Garrett  Biblical  Institute,  Evans- 
ton,  Illinois,  and  resigned  his  position  at  the 
head  of  the  academy,  which  he  left  enjoying  a 
high  degree  of  prosperity.  Coming  to  Evanston, 
he  entered  upon  a  work  which  his  long  experience 
as  a  teacher,  ripe  scholarship,  and  devotion  to  his 
profession  have  made  eminently  successful  and 
gratifying  in  its  results.  For  thirty-one  years 
he  filled  a  position  in  which  he  was  eminently 
useful  as  a  teacher,  and  during  three  years  of 
that  time  was  also  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Evanston.  Soon  after  en- 
tering the  institute,  he  became  convinced  that  he 
was  spending  one-third  of  his  time  in  telling  the 
students  what  the  meaning  of  the  theological 
authors  was.  Then  came  the  determination  to 
write  out  his  lectures  and  make  the  expression 
as  plain  as  possible,  so  that  theology  might  be 
clearly  taught  and  readily  understood.  In  due 
time  appeared  his  "Systematic  Theology,"  in 
three  volumes,  intended  for  students  preparing 
for  the  Methodist  ministry,  which  has  proved  to 


be  a  very  popular  book.  One  distinguished 
authority  is  quoted  as  saying:  "It  is  the  strong- 
est defense  of  Arminianism  we  have  seen."  Be- 
sides his  pastoral  work,  Dr.  Raymond  has  helped 
to  direct  the  work  of  the  church  in  its  national 
councils.  Six  times  he  was  elected  as  a  delegate 
to  the  General  Conferences,  as  follows:  Pitts- 
burgh, in  1848;  Boston,  in  1852;  Indianapolis,  in 
1856;  Buffalo,  in  1860;  Philadelphia,  in  1864; 
and  Brooklyn,  in  1868. 

Dr.  Raymond  was  married,  August  20,  1837, 
to  Elizabeth  Henderson,  of  Webster,  Massachu- 
setts, who  died  September  19,  1877.  Five  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  union,  all  of  whom  are 
now  living.  Mary  is  the  widow  of  Philip  B. 
Shumway,  the  builder  of  the  Elgin,  Joliet  & 
Eastern  Railroad,  and  now  resides  in  Evanston. 
William  is  in  the  employ  of  that  railroad.  Samuel 
B.  is  a  prominent  citizen  and  prosperous  sugar 
broker  in  Chicago.  James  H.  is  a  well-known 
and  successful  patent  lawyer  in  Chicago.  Freder- 
ick D.  is  Secretary  and  Treasurer  of  the  Elgin, 
Joliet  &  Eastern  Railway  Company. 

On  July  28,  1879,  Dr.  Raymond  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Isabella  (nee  Hill),  widow  of  Rev. 
Amos  Binney.  Dr.  Raymond's  domestic  life  has 
been  a  pleasant  one;  his  house  has  been  the  dwell- 
ing-place of  peace  and  happiness.  His  exemp- 
tion from  illness  up  to  the  past  winter,  and  the 
contentment  of  his  mind,  have  conspired  to  pre- 
serve his  physical  vigor,  which  is  evidenced  by 
the  full  head  of  hair,  now  of  flowing  whiteness, 
and  the  clear,  bright  eye  which  lends  vivacity  to 
his  countenance. 

Rev.  David  Sherman,  D.  D.,  author  of  the 
' '  History  of  the  Wejleyan  Academy  at  Wilbra- 
ham,"  has  thus  written  of  Dr.  Raymond: 

' '  His  first  essays  in  teaching  reveal  the  born 
schoolmaster,  destined  to  advance  to  the  fore- 
front. No  one  who  attended  his  classes  can  ever 
forget  his  clear  and  forcible  instructions.  The 
principles  involved  in  the  study  were  seized  upon 
and  traced  onward  through  intricate  problems  as 
in  lines  of  light.  No  one  could  fail  to  see  or  to 
be  carried  with  the  demonstration.  But  his 
superiority  as  a  teacher  was  not  simply  in  the  ex- 
tent and  accuracy  of  his  knowledge,  or  even  in 


JAMES  McMAHON. 


181 


his  ability  to  make  truth  visible;  it  was  rather  in 
that  higher  ability  to  develop  the  student  and  to 
create  in  him  the  capacity  to  investigate  and 
master  truth.  It  was  not  simply  the  amount  of 
knowledge  he  communicated,  it  was  the  way  he 
impressed  himself  upon  other  minds  coming  un- 
der his  instruction.  The  man,  even  more  than 
the  pedagogue,  was  behind  his  utterances." 

The  same  writer,  in  speaking  of  him  as  a 
preacher,  says: 

' '  With  him  religion  was  the  main  considera- 
tion, and  his  convictions  on  the  subject  were 
deep  and  strongly  expressed.  He  spoke  with 
the  demonstration  of  the  spirit  and  power.  If 
his  prayers  and  exhortations  were  thoughtful  and 
intellectual,  they  were,  at  the  same  time,  intense 


and  fervid,  enlisting  the  emotions  of  the  heart  as 
well  as  the  accurate  formulations  of  the  brain. 
*  *  *  *  Though  gifted  with  large  capacity 
for  astute  and  accurate  thought,  he  was  gladly 
heard  by  the  people,  because  his  logic  usually 
came  to  a  white  heat.  To  the  religious  people  of 
Wilbraham  he  was  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  the 
oracle.  No  other  principal,  certainly  after  Dr. 
Fisk,  obtained  so  firm  and  enduring  a  hold  upon 
the  people  as  Miner  Raymond." 

What  was  said  in  those  days  may  be  repeated 
with  emphasis  concerning  his  labors  in  later 
years,  when  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  full  intel- 
lectual strength  and  the  knowledge  and  experi- 
ence gained  in  more  than  half  a  century  of  con- 
tinuous mental  activity. 


JAMES  McMAHON. 


(TAMES  McMAHON.     Few  people  in  Evan- 
ston  are  as  well  known,  or  regarded  with  as 


much  sincere  respect  and  admiration,  as  the 
subject  of  this  notice  and  his  excellent  wife. 
During  their  residence  of  over  thirty  years  in 
Cook  County,  they  have  been  almost  constantly 
identified  with  charitable  and  philanthropic  en- 
terprises, and  have  won  the  friendship  of  both 
rich  and  poor  to  an  unusual  degree. 

Mr.  McMahon  was  born  at  Belfast,  Ireland, 
June  4,  1813.  He  is  a  son  of  Alexander  Mc- 
Mahon and  Mary  Ann  Douglass,  both  of  whom 
were  of  the  stanch  Scotch-Irish  blood  which  has 
ever  been  active  in  promoting  the  best  interests 
of  mankind.  Alexander  McMahon  was  the  de- 
scendant of  a  family  which  had  been  for  many 
generations  engaged  in  the  linen  trade.  Two  of 
his  brothers  were  extensive  merchants  at  Belfast, 
Ireland,  and  amassed  a  fortune  there.  Alexander 
turned  his  attention  to  agriculture,  and  in  1819 
came  to  America.  After  living  for  a  time  near 


Watertown,  New  York,  he  removed  to  a  farm  near 
Kingston,  Canada,  upon  which  he  resided  for  fifty 
years,  departing  this  life  in  1883,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-three  years.  He  was  the  father  of  fourteen 
children,  of  whom  James  was  the  eldest.  He  was 
an  honorable  and  thrifty  business  man,  and  accu- 
mulated a  competence,  in  the  enjoyment  of  which 
his  later  years  were  spent.  He  and  his  wife  were 
devout  Presbyterians.  The  latter  died  at  King- 
ston, several  years  later  than  her  husband. 

James  McMahon  enjoyed  excellent  educational 
advantages,  pursuing  courses  of  study  success- 
ively at  Anddver  Academy ;  Cheshire  Academy,  at 
Cheshire,  Connecticut;  and  Washington  (now 
Trinity)  College,  at  Hartford,  Connecticut.  His 
parents  designed  to  fit  him  for  the  Presbyterian 
ministry,  but,  while  a  student  at  Washington 
College,  he  became  converted  to  the  Episcopal 
faith,  and  abandoned  his  theological  studies,  to 
their  great  disappointment.  While  a  young  man, 
he  spent  considerable  time  in  travel,  visiting  Eu- 


182 


JAMES  McMAHON. 


rope  three  times,  and  becoming  quite  familiar 
with  the  ways  of  the  world  and  its  business 
methods.  In  1849,  in  company  with  a  party  of 
young  men  of  his  acquaintance,  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, by  way  of  the  Isthmus.  He  remained 
three  years  in  that  state,  during  which  time  he 
mined  successively  at  Hangtown,  American  Val- 
ley and  Big  Bar,  and  also  recovered  his  health, 
which  had  become  considerably  impaired  before 
his  departure  from  the  East.  At  the  last-named 
mines  he  gained  a  rich  reward  for  his  labors,  and 
thence  returned  to  the  East,  again  making  the 
voyage  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  a  regular  line  of 
steamers  having  been  established  since  he  first 
made  the  journey. 

He  landed  at  New  Orleans,  thence  went  to  Dal- 
las County,  Alabama,  where  he  purchased  an  ex- 
tensive cotton  plantation  with  a  retinue  of  slaves, 
and  had  just  established  a  profitable  business 
when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  On  account  of  his 
political  views,  he  found  it  impracticable  to  re- 
main there,  and  in  1860  he  was  obliged  to 
abandon  his  property  and  remove  to  the  North. 
He  located  in  Chicago,  where  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  insurance  agency  of  Thomas  B. 
Bryan,  and  continued  to  carry  on  that  line  of 
business  for  a  number  of  years,  representing  the 
Mutual  Life,  the  Mutual  Benefit  and  the  Equit- 
able Life  Insurance  Companies.  His  business 
ventures  were  fairly  successful,  and  he  had  accu- 
mulated considerable  property  when  the  great  fire 
of  1871  visited  the  city.  Most  of  what  he  saved 
from  that  disaster  was  swept  away  by  the  panic 
of  1873.  At  the  latter  date  he  moved  to  Evans- 
ton,  and  for  a  few  years  conducted  a  restaurant 
in  Davis  Street.  Since  1882  he  has  filled  the  of- 
fice of  Township  Supervisor,  being  re-elected 
each  season  without  opposition.  In  addition  to 
his  official  duties,  he  acts  as  a  purchasing  agent 
for  Evanston  merchants,  making  regular  trips  to 
Chicago  in  their  interests. 

He  is  a  thirty-second-degree  Mason,  and  is 
held  in  the  highest  regard  by  his  brethren  of  that 
order,  from  whom  he  has  received  many  testimo- 
nials. He  first  joined  Oriental  Lodge,  and  is 
now  identified  with  Evans  Lodge,  Evanston 
Chapter,  Evanston  Commandery  and  Oriental 


Consistory,  his  duties  as  Tyler  of  these  several 
bodies  taking  up  considerable  of  his  time. 

Mr.  McMahon  was  married,  in  1865,  to  Martha 
Cornelia  Converse,  daughter  of  Samuel  Augustus 
and  Anna  (Easton)  Converse,  of  Stafford,  Con- 
necticut. Mr.  Converse,  who  was  a  descendant 
of  the  French  Huguenots  who  located  in  America 
during  the  Colonial  period,  died  in  Connecticut, 
at  the  extreme  old  age  of  ninety-three  years.  He 
was  an  influential  citizen  of  Stafford,  and  a  pen- 
sioner of  the  War  of  1812.  Mrs.  McMahon  came 
to  Chicago  in  1860,  and  was  associated  with  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Livermore  in  conducting  the  great  San- 
itary Fair.  Mr.  McMahon  was  also  one  of  the 
promoters  of  this  undertaking,  and  sold  thousands 
of  tickets  in  its  support.  Though  not  blessed 
with  children  of  their  own,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 
Mahon have  adopted  and  partially  reared  several 
children,  one  daughter,  Harriet  Wilmina,  having 
been  a  member  of  the  family  from  infancy.  She 
was  first  married  to  Professor  W.  W.  Graves,  an 
instructor  in  the  Northwestern  University,  and 
since  his  death  has  become  the  wife  of  Edwin 
O'Malley,  of  Chicago.  Jennie,  another  adopted 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McMahon,  is  now  Mrs. 
Cameron,  of  Winnipeg,  Manitoba. 

When  he  first  located  in  Chicago  Mr.  McMahon 
resided  on  the  South  Side,  near  the  home  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  became  his  intimate 
friend.  He  helped  to  organize  St.  Mark's  Church, 
on  Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  and  was  for  some 
years  one  of  its  most  active  and  influential  mem- 
bers. He  served  four  years  as  Superintendent  of 
Trinity  Mission,  and  he  and  his  wife  have  been 
communicants  of  St.  Mark's  Church  of  Evanston 
since  removing  to  that  city.  Previous  to  the 
Great  Rebellion,  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  since 
coming  to  Chicago  has  been  a  consistent  Repub- 
lican. He  is  a  life  member  of  the  Masonic  Vet- 
erans' Association  of  Chicago,  and  during  the 
war  acted  as  agent  for  the  numerous  Masonic 
charities  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  securing  relief 
and  transportation  for  many  indigent  members  of 
the  order  belonging  to  the  Union  army.  The 
retrospection  of  his  long  and  useful  life  may  well 
afford  comfort  and  satisfaction  in  his  declining 
years. 


JONATHAN  CLARK. 


183 


JONATHAN  CLARK. 


3ONATHAN  CLARK,  prominent  among  Chi- 
cago contractors  and  builders,  was  born  at 
West  Walton,  in  the  county  of  Norfolk,  Eng- 
land, May  28,  1828.  His  parents  were  William 
and  Christina  Clark,  and  his  father  died  when 
Jonathan,  the  eldest  of  four  children,  was  only 
seven  years  old.  At  the  age  of  eight  he  was  put 
to  work  herding  sheep  on  the  Norfolk  commons 
and  keeping  the  birds  off  the  fields  of  grain,  for 
which  he  received  two  shillings  (fifty  cents)  per 
week.  He  went  out  to  service  on  a  farm  at  twelve 
years  of  age.  His  earnings  during  the  last  year 
of  service  he  saved  to  pay  his  way  to  America. 
Previous  to  that  time  he  had  contributed  his 
wages  to  the  support  of  his  widowed  mother  and 
his  younger  brothers. 

On  the  2ist  of  September,  1848,  Mr.  Clark 
sailed  from  England,  and  arrived  in  Chicago  on 
the  27th  of  November,  via  New  York,  being  nearly 
ten  weeks  on  the  journey.  He  came  by  way  of 
the  Lakes  directly  to  Chicago,  penniless  and 
friendless,  but  resolute  and  ready  for  whatever 
came.  His  first  employment  was  hauling  wood 
into  Chicago.  The  winter  was  very  severe,  and 
he  froze  his  feet,  and,  through  the  dishonesty  of 
his  employer,  he  lost  his  wages.  In  the  spring 
of  1849  he  worked  six  weeks  for  Jefferson  Mun- 
son,  of  Downer's  Grove,  and  then  returned  to 
Chicago  and  became  an  apprentice  to  P.  L.  Up- 
dyke  and  John  Sollitt,  with  whom  he  spent  three 
years,  learning  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  joiner, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  receiving  the 
sum  of  $200  for  his  services.  He  spent  six  months 
as  a  journeyman,  and  then  began  contracting  on 
his  own  account,  and  was  successful,  accumulat- 


ing money  from  the  start.  By  saving  his  earn- 
ings, he  was  able  to  pay  his  brother's  passage  to 
America  in  1849,  and  in  1850  the  two  brought 
over  the  remainder  of  the  family. 

In  1860,  in  company  with  his  brother,  Mr. 
Clark  went  overland  to  Denver,  where  they 
fitted  up  the  first  express  building  and  the  post- 
office.  After  spending  the  summer  there,  they 
returned  in  the  fall  by  team,  as  they  had  gone. 
On  the  Platte  River  Mr.  Clark's  horse  was  stolen, 
and  while  trying  to  recover  it,  he  traveled  on 
foot  in  the  night,  and  was  surrounded  by  wolves, 
barely  escaping  with  his  life.  The  thief  was 
captured,  and  Mr.  Clark's  companions  wanted  to 
try  him,  but  as  that  meant  conviction  and  hang- 
ing, he  refused  to  allow  it,  and  the  offender  was 
permitted  to  accompany  the  outfit  to  Omaha,  and 
to  go  unpunished.  In  1867  Mr.  Clark  was  ap- 
pointed by  Gov.  Oglesby  to  superintend  the  con- 
struction of  Illinois  buildings  at  the  Paris  Expo- 
sition. There  the  United  States  Government, 
recognizing  his  worth,  secured  his  services  in  the 
Department  of  Works,  and  appointed  him  assist- 
ant to  the  Superintendent  of  the  American  por- 
tion of  the  exposition.  Before  returning  to  the 
United  States,  he  visited  his  old  home  and  por- 
tions of  Switzerland  and  Germany. 

During  the  years  he  was  engaged  in  contract- 
ing, Mr.  Clark  did  an  immense  business,  and 
erected  many  residences,  stores  and  business 
houses.  Among  them  were  the  Bowen  Block, 
McCormick  Hall  Block,  Kingsburg  Music  Hall, 
Kingsburg  Block,  the  Chicago  Water  Works, 
Bigelow  Hotel,  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation building  and  Academy  of  Design,  the 


184 


GEORGE  G.  CUSTER. 


Brother  Jonathan  building  and  the  First  National 
Bank  building.  The  reconstruction  of  the  Chi- 
cago 'Water  Works  was  the  first  job  he  did  after 
the  fire,  and  the  embers  were  still  hot  when  he 
began  work  on  it.  The  Bigelow  Hotel  occupied 
the  site  of  the  present  postoffice,  and  disappeared 
in  the  great  fire.  Mr.  Clark  was  both  builder 
and  owner  of  the  Academy  of  Design,  which  was 
the  first  building  ever  erected  in  Chicago  for  a 
fine-arts  exhibit. 

In  1852  Mr.  Clark  married  Miss  Alice  Sarde- 
son,  a  native  of  Lincolnshire,  England,  but  then  a 
resident  of  Chicago.  Of  the  marriage,  five  chil- 
dren were  born  and  all  are  now  living  in  Chicago. 
They  are:  Euna,  the  wife  of  Shea  Smith,  of  Shea 
Smith  &  Co.;  F.  W.;  George  T.;  Retta  M.,  now 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Kauffman,  of  Chicago;  and  J.  Y. 
The  sons  F.  W.  and  G.  T.  are  members  of  the  firm 
of  Jonathan  Clark  &  Sons  Co.,  contractors,  who 
have  erected  many  buildings,  notable  among 
which  are  the  Art  Institute  and  the  Government 
buildings  at  Ft.  Sheridan.  The  senior  member  of 


this  firm  is  not  now  actively  connected  with  the 
company,  but  is  employed  in  erecting  and  manag- 
ing buildings,  of  which  he  has  about  a  score,  built 
on  ground  held  on  ninety-nine-year  leases. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a  Republican,  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  and  Sunset  Clubs,  and  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason,  in  which  order  he  has  held 
many  high  offices.  He  attends,  but  is  not  a  mem- 
ber of,  Dr.  Thomas'  Church.  In  his  later  years 
he  has  traveled  largely  through  the  United  States, 
including  the  Pacific  Coast  and  Florida.  He  has 
a  fruit  farm  and  an  elegant  residence  at  Fru.tland 
Park,  in  the  latter  State. 

Jonathan  Clark  is  numbered  among  the  men 
who  have  made  Chicago,  and  given  it  the  char- 
acter which  it  bears.  Through  trials,  by  perse- 
verance and  an  honest  course,  he  has  risen  to 
prominent  place  in  the  city  which  he  has  made 
his  residence  for  almost  half  a  century,  and  where 
he  is  an  honored  citizen,  who  bears  his  years 
with  dignity,  and  grows  old  gracefully  in  the 
midst  of  a  large  circle  of  devoted  friends. 


GEORGE  GRANGER  CUSTER. 


(3  EORGE  GRANGER  CUSTER,  who  is  now 
I—  serving  as  Auditor  of  the  City  Board  of  Ed- 
\^\  ucation,  was  born  on  the  6th  of  December, 
1838,  in  Sanford,  Edgar  County,  Illinois.  His 
father's  ancestors  bore  the  name  of  Granger,  and 
came  from  England  to  America,  locating  in  Con- 
necticut.' His  father  was  a  physician,  and  in 
Newark,  Ohio,  married  Nancy  Link.  His  death 
occurred  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-eight  years, 
and  soon  after  our  subject,  then  a  child  of  six 
months,  was  taken  for  adoption  by  Isaac  D.  Cus- 
ter,  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  whose  name  he 
then  assumed.  He  found  in  his  foster-father  a 
kind-hearted  and  liberal  man,  who  could  not  have 


treated  an  own  son  with  more  kindness  and  con- 
sideration. The  maternal  ancestors  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  were  of  French  origin,  and  on 
emigrating  to  the  New  World  settled  in  Freder- 
icksburg,  Virginia,  about  the  middle  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century.  From  there  the  maternal  grand- 
father with  his  family  removed  about  the  year 
1825  to  Newark,  Ohio. 

When  George  was  a  child  of  six  years,  the 
Custer  family  removed  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  for  five  years  he  attended  Wyman's  private 
school.  Soon  after  he  accompanied  his  father  on 
a  trip  to  California,  where  they  remained  for  one 
year.  Mr.  Custer  went  to  the  West  to  see  the 


GEORGE  G.  CUSTER. 


185 


country,  and  took  his  adopted  son  on  account  of 
his  poor  health.  The  result  of  the  trip  proved  the 
wisdom  of  the  father,  as  the  son  became  a  strong, 
hearty  boy,  and  now  enjoys  a  vigorous  manhood. 
He  made  the  journey  across  the  plains  on  horse- 
back, leaving  St.  Louis  on  the  4th  of  April, 
1850,  on  the  steamboat  "Princeton,"  and  arriv- 
ing at  old  Ft.  Kearney,  Nebraska,  fifteen  days 
later.  There  they  remained  until  the  early  part 
of  May,  when,  the  grass  having  grown  sufficiently 
to  furnish  feed  for  horses  and  mules,  they  re- 
sumed their  journey.  They  were  eighty-six  days 
in  making  the  trip  from  the  Missouri  River  to 
Hangtown,  now  Placerville,  California.  Their 
next  resting-place  was  Sacramento,  from  whence 
they  went  to  San  Francisco.  They  suffered  the 
usual  hardships  and  privations  incident  to  the 
trip  across  the  plains  in  days  of  the  gold  excite- 
ment, being  sometimes  for  days  with  very  small 
rations  of  food,  and  only  water  sufficient  to  moisten 
the  lips;  but,  notwithstanding,  no  illness  fell  to  the 
lot  of  father  or  son  during  the  trip  to  and  from 
California.  Mr.  Custer  had  no  mining  experi- 
ences, for  he  was  then  too  young  to  dig  for  gold. 
After  a  sojourn  of  a  few  months  in  California,  he 
returned  home,  by  way  of  the  Isthmus,  stopping 
on  the  way  at  the  island  of  Jamaica  and  in  New 
York  City,  from  whence  he  came  West,  by  way 
of  the  Hudson  River  to  Albany,  thence  to  Buffalo 
by  rail,  by  lake  to  Chicago,  by  canal  to  La  Salle, 
and  on  the  steamer  "Robert  Fulton"  to  St.  Louis. 
Mr.  Custer  then  attended  Jones'  College  until 
eighteen  years  of  age,  and  resided  in  St.  Louis 
until  1854,  when  the  family  removed  to  a  farm 
near  Davenport,  Iowa.  In  the  fall  of  1855,  he 
returned  to  St.  Louis  and  accepted  a  position  as 
assistant  book-keeper  in  the  retail  grocery  house 
of  Ellis  &  Hutton,  at  that  time  the  largest  estab- 
lishment of  the  kind  in  the  city.  In  the  summer 
following  he  returned  to  Davenport  and  entered 
the  employ  of  Thomas  H.  McGee,  wholesale 
grocer,  as  chief  clerk  and  book-keeper,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1857  took  charge  of  the  office  of  the 
Burtis  House,  then  the  best-equipped  hotel  west 
of  Chicago.  After  a  few  months  he  was  taken 
sick  and  returned  to  the  farm,  where  he  remained 
until  coming  to  Chicago,  in  April,  1862. 


In  the  mean  time  Mr.  Custer  was  married.  On 
the  4th  of  October,  1860,  he  wec'ded  Miss  Sarah 
Ann  Kelly,  of  Davenport.  The  lady  was  born  in 
Mt.  Carmel,  near  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  September  7, 
1842.  Her  father,  Daniel  C.  Kelly,  a  native  of 
Cincinnati,  is  now  living  in  Davenport,  Iowa, 
where  the  foster-father  of  this  subject  also  resides. 
They  are  aged  respectively  eighty  and  eighty- 
three  years,  and  still  active  and  in  good  health. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  Custer  and 
his  wife:  Tillie,  who  is  now  the  wife  of  Robert  J. 
Clark,  and  has  one  child;  Hattie  Winchell,  wife 
of  William  G.  R.  Bell;  Sadie  Belle;  and  George  G. 

On  leaving  the  farm  in  Iowa,  Mr.  Cutter  came  to 
Chicago  and  accepted  a  position  as  assistant  com- 
mercial reporter  on  the  Morning  Post,  edited  by  J. 
W.  Sheahan,  with  which  he  was  connected  for  a 
year.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  Hobbs,  Oli- 
phant  &  Co. , commission  merchants,  and  at  the  end 
of  three  years  started  in  business  for  himself  as  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Olcott,  Lash  &  Co.,  in  the 
same  line  of  business.  This  venture  proved  un- 
successful, on  account  of  the  credit  given  country 
customers.  Mr.  Custer  then  engaged  in  the 
brokerage  business,  but  during  the  great  fire  again 
met  with  losses,  after  which  he  spent  three  years 
with  Hall  &  Winch,  sash  and  door  manufacturers. 
He  then  returned  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  and  was 
quite  successful  in  business  for  several  years,  but 
at  length  lost  his  fortune  in  a  "big  corner." 

At  that  time  Mr.  Custer  left  the  city,  removing 
to  Nevada,  Illinois,  where  he  took  charge  of  an 
elevator  owned  by  A.  M.  Wright  &  Co.  On  his 
return  in  1880,  he  accepted  a  position  with 
James  H.  Drake  &  Co. ,  commission  merchants, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  a  year  and  a-half, 
when  failing  health  forced  him  to  abandon  that 
work.  Farm  life  had  previously  proved  benefi- 
cial, and  he  again  resorted  to  that  cure,  carrying 
on  agricultural  pursuits  until  Lis  health  was  re- 
stored. Once  more  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Hall  &  Winch,  with  whom  he  continued  until 
the  death  of  the  junior  partner,  when  the  business 
was  closed  out.  He  was  then  with  the  firm  of 
Garvey  &  Jenkinson  until  they  retired  from  busi- 
ness. 

In  May,  1886,  Mr.  Custer  became   Auditor  of 


i86 


WILLIAM  WEST. 


the  Board  of  Education,  and  has  been  unani- 
mously re-elected  since  that  time.  He  was  the 
candidate  for  the  office  of  Assessor  of  West  Chi- 
cago, on  the  Democratic  ticket,  in  1871,  but 
never  sought  political  preferment,  although  he 
took  an  active  part  in  politics  in  early  life.  He  is 
known  as  a  conservative  Democrat.  Socially,  he 
is  connected  with  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the 
Royal  League,  and  is  the  First  Vice-President  of 
the  California  Pioneers.  In  early  life  he  joined 
the  Baptist  Church,  but  as  its  doctrines  were  not 
in  accordance  with  his  broad  and  liberal  views,  he 


joined  the  Third  Unitarian  Church,  and  was,  until 
his  removal  from  the  West  to  the  South  Side,  one 
of  its  active  and  respected  members.  He  is  so- 
cially inclined,  possessed  of  a  genial  nature  and 
pleasant  disposition.  He  is  popular  among  his 
acquaintances,  and  is  one  who  makes  and  retains 
friends.  He  possesses  a  sanguine  temperament, 
is  an  energetic  worker  and  not  easily  discouraged. 
Fond  of  home  and  family,  he  is  true  to  those  who 
rely  upon  him,  and  his  faithfulness  and  sterling 
worth  have  won  him  warm  regard. 


WILLIAM  WEST. 


WEST,  one  of  the  enterprising 
citizens  °f  Cook  County,  now  successfully 
engaged  in  farming  on  section  30,  Niles 
Township,  is  numbered  among  the  early  settlers 
of  the  State,  having  come  to  Illinois  with  his 
parents  in  1836.  He  is  a  native  of  Yorkshire, 
England,  born  on  the  aist  of  June,  1814.  His 
father,  James  West,  was  born  in  Ship  ton,  Eng-' 
land,  in  1768,  and  died  in  the  fall  of  1838,  two 
years  after  his  emigration  to  America.  His  wife 
bore  the  maiden  name  of  Jane  Hodgen,  and  was 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  Hodgen,  a  shoe-maker  of 
Great  Husband,  England.  As  above  stated, 
James  West,  accompanied  by  his  family,  bade 
adieu  to  friends  and  native  land  and  sailed  for 
America  in  the  good  ship  "Sylvenus  Jenkins," 
which  brought  him  to  New  York  after  an  un- 
eventful voyage  of  thirty-one  days.  He  was  de- 
tained in  New  York  quite  a  while  on  account  of 
the  sickness  of  a  relative,  John  Dewes,  but  at 
length  resumed  his  journey  and  traveled  toward 
the  setting  sun  until  he  reached  Cook  County. 
He  became  the  first  settler  of  Jefferson  Township, 
and  it  was  his  intention  to  purchase  a  claim  as 


soon  as  the  land  came  into   market,  but   death 
frustrated  his  plans. 

William  West  pre-empted  a  quarter-section  of 
land  in  Jefferson  Township,  on  which  he  resided 
until  1856,  when  he  came  to  Niles  Township,  his 
present  home.  One  of  the  most  important  events 
of  his  life  occurred  in  1843,  when  was  celebrated 
his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Isabella  Mosley,  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Kendel,  who  was  a  native  of  York- 
shire, England,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
Mrs.  West  was  born  in  Yorkshire,  December  18, 
1821,  and  died  January  28,  1864.  Their  union 
was  blessed  with  four  sons  and  five  daughters, 
and  five  of  the  number  are  still  living,  namely: 
William,  who  was  born  June  n,  1850,  and  now 
resides  in  Chicago;  Mary  Jane,  who  wras  born 
April  27,  1852,  and  is  the  wife  of  Robert  Robin- 
son, of  Avondale;  Isabella  E.,  who  was  born 
August  27,  1857,  and  is  the  wife  of  John  Proctor, 
a  resident  of  Arlington  Heights;  Martha  Ann, 
who  was  born  February  20,  1860,  is  the  widow 
of  Emil  Haag,  and  resides  in  Niles;  and  Edward, 
who  was  born  January  18,  1864,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  the  flour  and  feed  business  in  Chicago. 


J.  D.  TOBEY. 


187 


In  1866,  Mr.  West  was  again  married,  his  second 
union  being  with  Mrs.  Frances  Ollinger,  who  is 
now  deceased. 

Mr.  West  cast  his  first  vote  for  William  Henry 
Harrison  and  has  voted  at  each  Presidential  elec- 
tion since  that  time.  He  now  affiliates  with  the 
Democracy,  but  from  1860  until  1892  supported 
the  Republican  candidates.  He  received  no  spe- 
cial advantages  in  life,  his  school  privileges  being 


obtained  previous  to  his  tenth  year,  and  his  edu- 
cation from  that  time  was  acquired  through  con- 
tact with  the  world.  He  had  no  capital  or  influ- 
ential friends  to  aid  him  in  business,  and  the  suc- 
cess which  has  crowned  his  efforts  is  the  just  re- 
ward of  his  own  labors.  As  a  citizen  he  is  pub- 
lic-spirited and  progressive  and  devoted  to  the 
best  interests  of  the  community,  and  by  those  who 
know  him  he  is  highly  respected. 


JOHN  D.  TOBEY. 


(JOHN  DILLON  TOBEY,  who  is  doing  an 
I  extensive  business  as  a  dealer  in  hay  and 
C/  grain  in  Chicago,  was  born  at  Worth  Sta- 
tion, Cook  County,  on  the  3d  of  September, 
1859,  and  is  a  son  of  Wales  and  Elizabeth  Tobey, 
who  are  represented  on  another  page  of  this  work. 
He  spent  his  early  boyhood  days  upon  his  father's 
farm,  and  acquired  his  education  in  the  district 
school  of  the  neighborhood  and  in  the  High  School 
of  Blue  Island.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  left 
home  with  $2.85  in  his  pocket.  From  that  time 
he  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world  unaided, 
and  the  success  he  has  achieved  is  therefore  due 
entirely  to  his  own  efforts.  He  began  work  as  a 
farm  hand,  receiving  $15  per  month  in  compen- 
sation for  his  services.  With  his  first  season's 
wages  he  bought  a  half-interest  in  a  threshing- 
machine,  and  the  following  winter  started  a  hay 
press. 

Fifteen  months  after  leaving  home,  Mr.  Tobey 
had  accumulated  $3,300,  besides  a  hay-press, 
teams,  etc.  In  connection  with  his  other  work 
he  also  did  road  contracting  in  Worth  Township. 
For  one  year  after  coming  to  Chicago  he  was  in 
the  employ  of  Nelson  Morris  &  Co. ,  buying  sup- 
plies of  feed  for  the  stock.  Since  1886  he  has 
engaged  in  his  present  business  as  a  dealer  in  hay 
and  grain  at  No.  309  Twenty-sixth  Street.  He  al- 


so handles  ice.  His  business  has  steadily  in- 
creased in  volume,  until  it  has  now  assumed  ex- 
tensive proportions,  and  on  the  ist  of  June,  1894, 
the  J.  D.  Tobey  Hay  and  Grain  Company  was  in- 
corporated. Of  this  Mr.  Tobey  is  president  and 
general  manager.  For  some  years  he  has  been 
the  best  known  dealer  in  his  line  on  th,e  south  side 
and  is  now  the  largest  retail  dealer  in  the  United 
States.  He  also  deals  in  city  real  estate  and 
farm  property,  and  has  invested  to  some  extent  in 
western  lands. 

On  the  loth  of  September,  1885,  Mr.  Tobey 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Clara  M.  Burt. 
Tire  lady  is  a  native  of  Westport,  Essex  County, 
N.  Y. ,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Alvin  Burt.  Their 
union  has  been  blessed  with  one  child,  Gracie. 
They  also  lost  two  sons  who  died  in  infancy 
within  two  weeks  of  each  other. 

Mr.  Tobey  takes  considerable  interest  in  civic 
societies,  and  is  a  member  of  Golden  Rule  Lodge 
No.  726,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  a  life  member  of  Chi- 
cago Commandery  No.  19,  K.  T. ;  and  also  be- 
longs to  Medinah  Temple  and  the  Mystic  Shrine; 
to  Acacia  Club;  to  America  Lodge  No.  271,  K. 
P.;  Longfellow  Lodge  No.  708,  R.  A.;  George 
B.  McClellan  Council  of  the  National  Union; 
Chicago  Heavy-Weight  Base  Ball  Club,  the  Sud- 
seite  Turngemeinde,  and  several  other  social  and 


188 


ALEXANDER  McDANIEL. 


insurance  orders.  He  votes  with  the  Republican 
party,  but  has  never  sought  or  desired  political 
preferment,  in  fact  has  several  times  refused  pub- 
lic office.  Physically,  Mr.  Tobey  is  the  picture 


of  health  and  strength.  He  is  of  a  social,  genial 
nature,  and  is  a  gentleman  of  rare  business  abil- 
ity, having  attained  success  through  good  judg- 
ment, ready  decision  and  energetic  determination. 


ALEXANDER  McDANIEL 


LEXANDER  McDANIEL,  of  Wilmette,  is 
I  I  now  living  a  retired  life,  enjoying  a  rest  which 
/  I  he  has  truly  earned  and  richly  deserves.  He 
has  for  many  years  resided  in  Cook  County,  and 
is  so  widely  and  favorably  known  that  he  needs 
no  special  introduction  to  the  readers  of  this  vol- 
ume. This  work  would  be  incomplete  without 
the  record  of  his  life,  which  is  as  follows:  He 
was  born  February  13,  1815,  in  Bath,  Steuben 
County,  New  York,  and  is  a  son  of  Daniel  Mc- 
Daniel,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent,  but  was  born 
in  the  State  of  New  York  and  made  farming  his 
life  work.  He  married  Rachel  Taner,  a  lady  who 
was  born  and  reared  in  the  Mohawk  Valley,  and 
was  a  descendant  of  the  Mohawk  Dutch.  They 
became  the  parents  of  seven  children,  four  sons 
and  three  daughters. 

Alexander  McDaniel  is  the  eldest  son.  The 
days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  were  spent  in, his 
parents'  home  and  he  became  familiar  with  all  the 
duties  of  farm  life.  He  aided  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  old  homestead  until  he  had  attained  his 
majority,  when  he  started  out  for  himself,  and, 
leaving  the  East  upon  the  tide  of  emigration  which 
was  steadily  moving  westward,  he  came  to  Chica- 
go, arriving  in  this  city  011  the  27th  of  May,  1836. 
Here  he  worked  until  the  I4th  of  August,  when 
he  went  to  New  Trier  Township,  spending  sever- 
al days  looking  up  lands  on  the  Ouilmette  Indian 
reservation.  He  then  returned  to  Chicago,  where 
he  continued  until  October,  when  he  again  came 
to  New  Trier  Township,  and  pre-empted  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  Government  land  where 


the  town  of  Winnetka  now  stands.  The  land  in 
the  reservation  had  not  then  been  surveyed.  Mr. 
McDaniel  deposited  the  price  of  the  property  with 
the  Government  agent  until  it  should  be  surveyed 
and  placed  upon  the  market,  which  was  four 
years  later.  He  built  a  log  cabin,  one  of  the  first 
four  houses  which  stood  between  Chicago  and  the 
present  site  of  Winnetka,  and  there  he  kept  bach- 
elor's hall  for  four  years.  The  only  neighbors  he 
had  for  the  first  year,  except  Erastus  Patterson, 
were  Indians,  and  he  was  the  only  young  man  in 
that  locality.  Speaking  of  the  Indians,  he  said 
the  Ouilmettes  were  quite  enlightened  and  good 
neighbors,  always  being  peaceable.  Mr.  McDan- 
iel purchased  three  forty-acre  tracts  of  land,  pay- 
ing the  usual  price  of  $1.25  per  acre,  and  forty 
at  twenty  shillings  per  acre.  Upon  this  land  a 
part  of  the  town  of  Evanston  now  stands.  When 
he  first  came  to  Cook  County  there  were  only 
three  small  log  cabins  north  of  Chicago,  and  many 
of  the  now  thriving  villages  and  cities  had  not 
sprung  into  existence,  while  the  work  of  progress 
and  civilization  seemed  hardly  begun. 

On  the  27th  of  November,  1842,  an  important 
event  in  the  life  of  Mr.  McDaniel  occurred,  his 
marriage  with  Miss  Emeline  Huntoon.  The  la- 
dy was  born  in  Champlain,  New  York,  March  1 1, 
1824,  and  is  a  daughter  of  George  W.  and  Lucin- 
da  (Bowler)  Huntoon,  whose  family  numbered 
ten  children.  The  father  was  a  ship  carpenter, 
and  was  born  in  Vermont,  December  9,  1791. 
The  mother  was  born  January  9,  1796.  With 
their  family  they  came  to  Cook  County  in  1840, 


W.  R.  DERBY. 


189 


settling  on  the  present  site  of  South  Evanston. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDaniel  became  the  parents  of  six 
children.  Jane,  who  was  the  wife  of  William 
H.  Kinney,  Postmaster  of  Wilmette,  is  now  de- 
ceased; Ellen,  widow  of  A.  B.  Balcam,  resides 
with  her  parents;  Charles,  who  enlisted  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  and  served  three  years  in  the  Eighth 
Illinois  Cavalry,  is  now  a  carpenter  and  contractor 
of  Wilmette;  George  is  interested  in  mining  in 
Colorado;  Henry  is  a  policeman  of  Wilmette; 
and  William  Grant  is  a  fireman  on  the  North- 
Western  Railroad. 

Mr.  McDaniel  exercises  his  right  of  franchise 
in  support  of  the  Republican  party.  His  first  vote 
was  cast  on  the  4th  of  May,  1837,  for  William 
B.  Odgen,  first  mayor  of  Chicago,  and  his  first 
presidential  vote  supported  William  Henry  Harri- 
son .  Soon'  after  the  village  of  Wilmette  was  start- 
ed, he  was  appointed  the  first  Postmaster,  hold- 
ing the  office  for  nineteen  successive  years,  when 
he  resigned  in  favor  of  Mr.  Kinney,  the  present 
incumbent.  He  has  never  sought  or  desired  po- 


litical preferment,  his  time  and  attention  being 
largely  occupied  by  his  business  interests.  His 
wife,  a  most  estimable  lady,  holds  membership 
with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  takes 
an  active  part  in  its  work  and  upbuilding.  For 
twenty-six  years  Mr.  McDaniel  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Wilmette.  His  first  home  at  this  place, 
located  on  Center  Avenue,  was  the  fourth  house 
built  in  the  town,  and  in  it  he  resided  for  twen- 
ty-three years.  In  1891,  he  erected  a  more  sub- 
stantial and  modern  dwelling  on  the  same  street, 
and  there  spends  his  declining  days.  He  has  wit- 
nessed almost  the  entire  growth  and  development 
of  the  county,  the  best  interests  of  the  communi- 
ty ever  find  in  him  a  friend,  and  his  hearty  sup- 
port and  co-operation  are  given  to  those  enter- 
prises which  are  calculated  to  advance  the  gener- 
al welfare.  His  sterling  worth  and  strict  integri- 
ty have  made  him  a  leading  citizen  of  the  com- 
munity and  one  well  worthy  of  representation  in 
this  volume. 


WILLIAM  R.  DERBY. 


6>  QlLLIAM  R.  DERBY,  who  was  for  many 
\  A  /  years  prominently  identified  with  the  his- 
V  V  tory  of  this  community,  was  numbered 
among  the  honored  pioneer  settlers,  having  be- 
come a  resident  of  Cook  County  in  1834.  He 
was  born  in  Dorset,  Bennington  County,  Ver- 
mont, on  the  1 7th  of  March,  1805,  and  was  a 
son  of  Sylvester  Derby,  whose  birth  occurred  in 
the  same  locality  in  1780.  In  1816  the  father 
removed  with  his  family  to  Genesee  County,  New 
York,  where  he  remained  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety  years. 

William  Derby  spent  the  first  sixteen  years  of  his 
life  at  his  parents'  home,  and  then  began  to  learn 
the  trade  of  a  wool  carder  and  dresser,  which  he 


followed  for  nine  years.  He  later  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business  for  nearly  two  years,  and  in  1834 
he  emigrated  westward  to  try  his  fortunes  on  the 
broad  prairies  of  Illinois.  He  settled  on  section 
34,  township  37,  range  n,  about  three  miles 
southeast  of  the  village  of  Lemont.  At  that 
time  there  were  only  two  houses  between  Joliet 
and  Chicago.  The  latter  place  was  a  small  vil- 
lage, and  the  most  far-sighted  could  not  have 
dreamed  of  the  prominence  and  importance  which 
were  to  make  it  the  metropolis  of  the  West  and 
one  of  the  important  cities  of  the  world.  Mr. 
Derby  had  for  neighbors  a  brother-in-law,  Jere- 
miah Luther,  Orange  Chauncy  and  Joshua  Smith, 
all  natives  of  Vermont  except  Mr.  Luther,  who 


W.   R.   DERBY. 


was  born  in  New  York.  When  Mr.  Derby  came 
to  Cook  County  he  had  a  span  of  horses,  harness 
and  wagon,  some  household  effects  and  $40  in 
money.  He  disposed  of  his  team  in  order  to  pay 
for  his  land  when  it  came  into  market,  and  he 
was  thus  enabled  to  purchase  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres.  It  was  wild  land,  but  with  charac- 
teristic energy  he  began  its  development,  and  in 
course  of  time  transformed  it  into  a  fertile  farm. 
He  built  a  log  house,  in  which  he  lived  for  about 
twenty-five  years,  and  then  erected  a  two-story 
brick  residence,  which  he  made  his  home  until 
1879,  when  he  sold  his  farm  (then  containing 
two  hundred  acres)  and  removed  to  Lemont. 

Mr.  Derby  was  married  on  the  28th  of  June, 
1830,  in  Castile,  New  York,  to  Miss  Eliza  N. 
Luther.  Together  they  traveled  life's  journey  for 
about  half  a  century.  On  the  5th  of  April,  1880, 
Mrs.  Derby  was  called  to  the  home  beyond.  She 
was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  her  and  her  friends 
were  many,  By  their  marriage  were  born  four 
children,  of  whom  two  are  now  living.  Sylvester 
L.,  the  elder,  was  born  in  Castile,  New  York, 
September  18,  1836,  and  at  a  very  early  age  was 
brought  to  Lenient,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  He  graduated  from  the  high  school  of 
Chicago,  and  during  his  early  business  career 
followed  farming,  but  in  1879  he  disposed  of  his 
land  and  removed  to  Lemont,  where  he  embarked 
in  the  lumber  trade,  and  also  in  the  manufacture 
of  lumber  in  Michigan.  His  standing  as  a  busi- 
ness man  is  above  reproach.  His  systematic 
methods,  his  enterprise  and  his  fair  and  honor- 
able dealing  have  gained  him  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought 
in  contact.  He  enjoys  a  liberal  patronage,  and 
has  a  well-equipped  lumber-yard.  On  the  24th 
of  September,  1855,  he  was  married  to  Charlotte 
D.  Russell,  of  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  and  to 
them  were  born  five  children,  four  yet  living, 
namely:  Mrs.  Ida  E.  Brown,  Sylvester  O.,O.  R. 
and  J.  A.  L.  The  three  sons  are  associated  with 
their  father  in  the  lumber  trade.  They  are  thor- 
ough business  men,  of  sterling  integrity,  and  the 
firm  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  community. 


Sylvester  L.  Derby  has  been  honored  with  sev- 
eral offices  of  trust,  the  duties  of  which  have 
ever  been  discharged  with  promptness  and  fidel- 
ity. In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  In  1892  he 
was  President  of  the  Illinois  Retail  Lumber  Deal- 
ers' Association.  Although  he  is  now  Hearing 
his  sixtieth  birthday,  he  is  still  hale  and  hearty 
as  a  young  man  of  twenty-five,  and  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Lemont. 

John  T.  Derby,  the  younger  son  of  William  R. 
Derby,  was  born  in  Lemont,  October  29,  1840, 
acquired  his  early  education  in  a  log  schoolhouse 
at  Gooding's  Grove  and  later  was  graduated  from 
Castile  University.  He  began  life  as  a  school 
teacher  in  the  town  of  Palos,  Cook  County,  and 
for  several  years  continued  teaching  in  Cook  and 
Will  Counties.  He  studied  law  with  Judge  J.  P. 
Atwood,  of  Chicago,  where  he  was  admitted  to 
the  Bar,  and  in  1873  was  chosen  Assistant  County 
Superintendent  of  Schools  under  George  D.  Plant, 
which  position  he  held  until  the  close  of  Mr.  Plant's 
official  term.  He  was  the  first  City  Attorney  of 
Lemont,  and  was  a  member  of  its  first  Board  of 
Education.  On  the  7th  of  May,  1862,  was  cele- 
brated his  marriage  with  Clara  H.  Dakin,  of 
Millerton,  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  and  by 
their  union  were  born  three  children,  of  whom 
Nettie  E.  and  Edward  D.  are  now  living.  Mrs. 
Derby  died  February  i,  1885,  and  in  1886  Mr. 
Derby  married  Miss  Abbie  E.  Jones,  of  Du  Page, 
Will  County,  Illinois.  He  is  at  present  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law,  and  is  a  radical  temper- 
ance man,  who  supports  by  his  ballot  the  Prohi- 
bition party. 

William  R.  Derby,  whose  name  heads  this 
record,  was  an  advocate  of  Democratic  principles 
and  was  often  called  to  office  by  his  fellow-towns- 
men. He  served  as  Supervisor,  was  also  Justice 
of  the  Peace  for  five  years,  was  Township  Treas- 
urer sixteen  years  and  Township  Clerk  for  sev- 
eral years.  In  these  various  offices  he  was  ever 
true  and  faithful.  All  who  knew  him  respected 
him  for  his  upright  life  and  straightforward  deal- 
ings and  for  a  public  and  private  career  which 
were  alike  above  reproach. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
DIVERSITY  OF  ILL!' 


JOHN  V.  STEVKNS. 


191 


JOHN  VOSBURGH  STEVENS,  M.  D. 


(JOHN  V.  STEVENS  is  a  native  of  New  York, 
I  born  at  Lysander,  Onondaga  County,  Novem- 
O  her  23,  1851,  the  son  of  George  B.  and  Sarah 
(Kellogg)  Stevens.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  of  English  descent,  and  came  to  this  country 
before  the  Revolutionary  War,  his  maternal 
grandfather  being  also  of  an  old  family  and  of 
Holland-Dutch  extraction. 

When  he  was  very  young  his  parents  removed 
to  Cook  County,  Illinois,  where  they  remained 
about  four  years.  The  health  of  the  mother 
becoming  precarious,  the  family  returned  to  New 
York,  to  Oswego  County,  where  she  died  in  1858, 
leaving  a  daughter  seven  months  old,  who  grew 
to  womanhood,  and  died  iu  Wisconsin  in  1883. 

After  his  mother's  dea  h,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  left  largely  to  the  care  of  his  grand- 
mother and  mother's  sis.er.  During  his  early 
boyhood  he  attended  regi  ,larly  the  public  school 
and  also  received  considerable  benefit  from  study 
at  home.  Later  he  ente)  ^d  the  academy  at  Mex- 
ico, New  York,  an  institution  pf  high  grade,  and 
made  such  good  use  of  hJs  opportunities  that  he 
succeeded  in  passing  th.;  regents'  examination, 
which  entitled  successful  contestants  to  admission 
to  any  college  in  the  State  in  1866.  While  still 
in  his  teens,  young  Steve. us  found  his  health  giv- 
ing away  under  continued  and  close  application 
to  study,  and  on  the  adviue  of  the  family  physi- 
cian to  seek  an  outdoor  life  for  him,  his  father 
again  came  to  Illinois,  in  1866,  settling  near  Bar- 
rington,  in  Cook  County,  having  in  the  same  year 
married,  this  time  to  his  former  wife's  youngest 
sister,  Frances  Kellogg. 


Here  for  four  years  the  young  man  remained 
with  his  parents,  attending  school  and  pursuing 
his  studies  at  home,  at  the  end  of  which  time,  or 
when  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  obtained  a 
teacher's  certificate  in  Lake  County,  and  in  the 
winter  of  1870  taught  his  first  term  of  school 
with  success.  In  February  of  the  following  year 
he  came  to  Chicago  and  engaged  in  bookkeeping, 
but  soon  bought  out  an  interest  in  a  grocery  and 
crockery  store  on  the  North  Side,  and  was  begin- 
ning to  see  good  business  prospects  ahead  when 
the  great  fire  of  October,  1871,  swept  away  the 
store  and  all  its  contents.  Without  a  dollar, 
young  Stevens  returned  to  Lake  County  soon 
after  the  fire  and  again  taught  school  during  the 
winter  term.  Soon  after  the  conclusion  of  his 
school  he  became  the  agent  of  the  American  Ex- 
press Company  at  Barrington,  and  on  January 
i,  1873,  was  transferred  to  the  messenger  service 
of  the  company  at  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  in 
which  service  he  remained  until  the  following 
June,  when  he  resigned  to  engage  in  a  business 
of  his  own  at  Green  Bay,  and  in  which  he  con- 
tinued with  varying  fortunes  until  1876. 

In  the  latter  year  he  returned  to  Illinois  and 
engaged  in  teaching  in  McHenry  County.  With 
the  exception  of  the  following  year,  spent  as  a 
bookkeeper  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Stevens  continued 
in  the  work  of  teaching  until  1883,  most  of  the 
time  in  the  high  schools  of  Libertyville  and 
Wauconda.  He  had  long  cherished  the  desire  to 
enter  the  medical  profession,  and  now,  seeing  his 
way  clear,  he  left  his  position  at  Wauconda  in  the 
fall  of  1883  and,  coming  to  Chicago,  entered  Ben- 


JOHN  V.  STEVENS. 


nett  Medical  College,  where  lie  was  a  close  stu- 
dent, and  in  March,  1885,  graduated  with  much 
credit  to  himself. 

His  attainments  were  evidently  appreciated,  for 
upon  graduation  he  was  offered  a  professor's  chair 
in  the  college.  This  he  declined,  however,  pre- 
ferring to  enter  upon  the  exclusive  practice  of  his 
profession,  for  which  a  good  opportunity  offered 
in  partnership  with  an  old-established  physician 
in  Wisconsin,  with  whom  he  remained  for  two 
years.  The  partnership  was  then  dissolved,  and 
Dr.  Stevens  continued  an  independent  practice  in 
the  same  location  for  over  six  years,  during  which 
time  he  built  up  a  large  practice  and  became  well 
and  favorably  known  by  the  profession  through- 
out the  State.  While  here  he  became  President 
and  later  the  Secretary  for  two  years,  of  the  State 
Eclectic  Medical  Society  of  Wisconsin,  and  was 
prominent  in  all  its  affairs,  being  Chairman  for 
three  years  of  their  Committee  on  Medical  Legis- 
lation. 

In  1891  Dr.  Stevens  returned  to  Chicago  and 
was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Diseases  of  Children 
in  Bennett  Medical  College,  his  alma  mater,  to 
which  was  added  in  the  following  year  Clinical 
Medicine,  both  of  which  positions  he  still  holds, 
and  in  which  he  has  made  an  excellent  record. 
In  1891  he  was  elected  Corresponding  Secretary 
of  the  National  Eclectic  Medical  Association, 
and  now  serves  in  that  capacity,  having  been  re- 
elected  annually  ever  since.  He  was  also  Secre- 
tary of  the  World's  Eclectic  Medical  Congress, 
held  in  Chicago  in  June,  1893,  in  connection  with 
the  World's  Fair.  The  other  eleven  members  of 
the  Executive  Committee,  as  well  as  the  general 
officers  of  the  congress,  ascribe  a  great  part  of  the 
success  of  the  congress  to  his  untiring  efforts  for 
the  previous  nine  months  in  securing  papers  and 
a  very  large  attendance  and  making  all  necessary 
arrangements. 

The  Doctor  is  also  on  the  medical  staff  of  Ben- 
nett Hospital,  attending  physician  at  the  Willie 
Hipp  and  Bennett  Free  Dispensaries  for  children 
and  the  Evanston  Emergency  Hospital. 

Dr.  Stevens  is  a  member  both  of  the  Wisconsin 


and  the  Illinois  State  Eclectic  Societies,  of  the 
National  Eclectic  Medical  Association,  and  of  the 
Wisconsin  Pharmaceutical  Association.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  othei  duties  he  edits  and  publishes 
The  Annual  of  Eclectic  Medicine  and  Surgery,  a 
publication  of  recognized  merit.  It  is  a  royal- 
octavo  book  of  five  hundred  pages,  published 
each  year,  and  containing  the  meritorious  papers 
read  at  the  different  State  societies  at  their  an- 
nual sessions. 

The  Doctor  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity and  has  taken  much  interest  in  the  various 
degrees,  from  the  Blue  Lodge,  of  which  he  is  a 
Past  Master,  to  the  Commandery  of  Knights 
Templar,  of  which  he  is  a  member.  He  is  also 
an  Odd  Fellow,  a  membe'r  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Foresters  and  of  other  fraternal  orders, 
in  all  of  which  he  is  popular.  In  his  religious 
associations  Dr.  Stevens  is  a  Methodist  and  an 
active  worker  in  the  church  of  which  he  is  a 
member  at  his  Evanston  home,  although  his  sym- 
pathies and  his  benefactions  extend  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  his  own  church.  In  his  political 
affiliations  he  is  an  all-around  Republican,  as  re- 
gards national  and  State  affairs,  and  for  good 
men  only,  whatever  the  party,  in  the  control  of 
local  affairs. 

Dr.  Stevens  was  married  in  1873  to  Miss  Gertie 
Wood,  of  Lake  County,  Illinois,  of  an  excellent 
and  well-known  family  there.  Mrs.  Stevens  has 
not  only  proved  to  be  an  excellent  wife  and  de- 
voted mother,  but  is  known  outside  the  family 
circle  for  her  many  virtues.  They  have  three 
children,  a  daughter  named  Edith  G.,  aged  six- 
teen, and  two  bright  boys,  aged  six  and  eight, 
and  named  respectively  Clark  Jay  and  Karl  I. 
Personally,  Dr.  Stevens  is  a  fine-looking,  well- 
preserved  gentleman,  whose  genial  face  is  a  cor- 
rect index  to  a  generous  heart  and  a  naturally 
refined  nature.  He  easily  makes  and  keeps 
friends,  and  is  uniformly  regarded  as  a  welcome 
addition  to  any  social  circle.  He  has  fine  literary 
tastes,  and,  so  far  as  his  professional  duties  will 
allow,  finds  pleasant  companionship  among  his 
books. 


CALVIN  T.  HOOD. 


193 


CALVIN  T.   HOOD,  A.  M.,  M.  D. 


(3  ALVIN  TODD  HOOD,  A.  M.,  M.  D.     The 

1 I  remarkable  professional  career  of  Dr.  Hood 
\,J  illustrates  the  benefit  of  good  blood  and 
breeding,  supplemented  by  thorough  preparation 
and  intelligent  application.  The  grandfather  of 
Dr.  Hood,  Archie  Hood,  was  a  remarkable  man 
of  his  time,  descended  from  the  early  English 
settlers  of  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  and  being 
distantly  related  to  the  noted  Confederate,  Gen. 
Hood.  He  was  tall  and  stately,  measuring  six 
feet  and  four  inches  in  height,  without  his  boots, 
and  was  very  intelligent  and  active.  He  was 
what  is  often  called  a  "  natural  bone-setter,"  and 
though  he  never  studied  medicine  or  surgery,  was 
called  upon  by  people  for  forty  miles  around  to 
set  broken  bones,  which  he  did  with  success.  He 
was  straight  as  an  arrow  at  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  1872,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  He 
had  three  wives,  the  first  of  whom,  Mary  Walker, 
was  the  mother  of  his  children.  He  built  the 
first  gristmill  constructed  by  English-speaking 
people  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  This  was  at 
Elkhorn  Prairie,  Washington  County,  Illinois. 

Samuel  Gordon,  maternal  grandfather  of  Dr. 
Hood,  was  also  of  English  lineage,  and  opened 
the  first  store  and  blacksmith  shop  at  Kaskaskia 
after  it  became  a  modern  settlement.  He  also 
built  and  operated  the  first  mill  for  extracting  oil 
from  castor  beans,  one  of  the  principal  early  pro- 
ducts of  that  region.  He  stood  six  feet  seven 
inches,  and  was  a  famous  Indian  fighter,  winning 
many  a  contest  with  his  red  neighbors  in  the  early 
days  of  Kaskaskia,  and  participating,  as  well,  in 
the  Blackhawk  War.  When  the  bell  brought  out 
by  the  French  to  Kaskaskia  blew  down  and  was 
cracked  in  a  storm,  he  bargained  to  repair  it,  in 
consideration  of  the  gift  of  a  clock  made  in  Paris 
in  1672  and  brought  to  Illinois  the  next  year. 
The  case  was  destroyed  in  a  subsequent  fire,  but 


the  works  are  still  preserved  by  Mr.    Gordon's 
daughter,  the  mother  of  Dr.  Hood. 

Archie  Hood  had  eight  children,  seven  of  whom 
grew  up  and  are  still  living,  being  residents  of 
Illinois.  James,  the  third  child,  married  Nellie 
A.,  daughter  of  Samuel  Gordon,  and  settled  at 
Sparta,  Illinois,  where  he  engaged  many  years  in 
mercantile  business,  and  where  he  still  resides, 
being  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age,  his 
business  being  continued  by  his  son,  one  of  the 
most  active  and  enterprising  citizens  of  that  re- 
gion. Rev.  John  Hood,  pastor  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  Galesburg,  is  another  of  the 
sons  of  Archie  Hood.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Knox  College,  of  which 
body  he  has  been  President. 

Mrs.  Nellie  A.  Hood  is  a  graduate  of  Oberlin 
College,  Ohio,  a  woman  of  cultivated  tastes  and 
intellectual  attainments,  and  her  influence  in  form- 
ing the  character  and  directing  the  studies  of  her 
sons  (only  one  of  whom  displayed  any  taste  for 
business,  the  others  being  in  professional  life)  has 
been  powerful  and  lasting. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  is  the  eldest  of  a 
family  comprising  four  sons  and  a  daughter.  He 
was  born  at  Sparta,  Randolph  County,  this  State, 
on  the  nation's  eighty-sixth-birthday  anniversary, 
July  4,  1862.  At  a  very  early  age  he  began  as- 
sisting in  his  father's  'store,  in  the  intervals  be- 
tween school  days.  He  graduated  from  the  local 
high  school,  and  before  the  age  of  sixteen  began 
the  study  of  medical  science,  which  he  continued 
for  five  years,  under  the  tutelage  of  Dr.  David  S. 
Booth,  a  widely-known  physician  of  Sparta.  He 
attended  Princeton  (New  Jersey)  College  and  the 
University  of  Michigan,  where  he  was  Clinical 
Assistant.  After  teaching  school  a  year,  during 
which  time  he  continued  his  medical  studies,  he 
came  to  Chicago,  March  17,  1884,  and  entered 


I94 


R.  H.  CHAMBERLIN. 


the  spring  term  of  the  College  of  Physicians  and 
Surgeons.  In  February  of  the  following  year  he 
took  his  degree  from  this  institution  and  at  once 
began  practice.  In  September  of  the  same  year 
he  entered  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  February,  1886. 
Ever  since  that  time  he  has  enjoyed  a  steadily 
growing  practice.  He  occupies  an  office  in  the 
Marshall  Field  Building,  where  he  is  found  fore- 
noons, making  a  specialty  of  mental  and  nervous 
diseases,  in  the  treatment  of  which  ha  has 
achieved  a  remarkable  success.  He  is  constantly 
driven  with  the  applications  of  patients  in  the 
vicinity  of  his  home  office  on  West  Adams  Street. 

In  1887,  only  a  year  after  completing  his  medi- 
cal courses,  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Physi- 
ology and  Pathology  of  the  American  Dental 
College,  in  which  he  continued  to  lecture  five 
years.  In  1889  he  began  lecturing  on  Electro- 
Therapeutics  in  the  Chicago  Homoeopathic  Col- 
lege, and  a  year  later  was  made  Associate  Pro- 
fessor of  Mental  and  Nervous  Diseases  in  the 
same  institution,  and  has  fulfilled  the  duties  of 
that  chair  ever  since.  He  is  also  Assistant  Busi- 
ness Manager  of  this  institution,  and  has  had 
entire  charge  of  the  buildings  and  appurtenances 
for  the  last  four  years. 

Dr.  Hood  is  a  man  of  wonderful  vitality  and 
remarkably  strong  physique.  If  he  were  not,  he 
certainly  could  not  perform  one-half  the  work 
which  he  has  been  performing  for  many  3^ears.  For 
a  man  of  his  comparative  youth  he  is  carrying 
large  responsibilities,  with  credit  to  himself  and 


the  institutions  with  which  he  is  identified.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Homoeopathic  Society, 
the  Chicago  Academy  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons and  the  American  Institute  of  Homoepathy. 
He  .is  a  member  of  the  official  board  of  the  West- 
ern Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and, 
while  not  in  any  sense  a  politician,  adheres  from 
principle  to  the  Republican  party  in  matters  of 
public  policy. 

On  the  ist  of  September,  1886,  Dr.  Hood  mar- 
ried Miss  Ethel  May  Barker,  a  native  of  Nunda, 
New  York,  and  a  daughter  of  O.  W.  and  Mary 
(Swain)  Barker,  of  old  and  long-lived  American 
families.  Mrs.  Hood's  parents  reside  on  a  farm 
near  Nunda,  where  she  was  reared.  Having  fit- 
ted herself  by  a  course  of  study,  she  became  one 
of  the  first  trained  nurses  emplo}'ed  at  the  Pres- 
byterian Hospital  in  Chicago,  where  she  first  met 
the  Doctor.  They  have  two  daughters,  namely: 
Grace  Gordon,  born  on  the  anniversary  of  her 
father's  birth,  in  1887,  and  Ethel  May,  born 
March  5,  1890. 

Those  who  meet  Dr.  Hood,  either  socially  or 
professionally,  are  at  once  impressed  with  his 
manly  bearing,  his  kindly  courtesy  and  his  cul- 
tured intellect.  In  the  midst  of  his  multifarious 
duties  he  always  has  time  to  pass  a  pleasant  word 
with  any  one  who  may  have  occasion  to  call  upon 
him,  and  his  presence  in  the  community  is  a 
blessing,  for  his  personality,  as  well  as  his  pro- 
fessional skill,  carries  an  elevating  and  restorative 
power. 


RHUEL  H.  CHAMBERLIN. 


RHUEL    HAMPTON   CHAMBERLIN,  for- 
merly Superintendent  of  the  Illinois  Division 
of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Rail- 
road, was  born  in  Mendham,  Morris  County,  New 


Jersey,  in  1826.  When  quite  young,  he  was  taken 
by  his  parents  to  Milton,  Pennsylvania,  where 
they  remained  about  two  years.  They  then  re- 
moved to  Pottsville,  in  the  same  State,  and  from 


CANDIDUS  KOZLOWSKI. 


195 


there  to  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  where  they  stayed 
about  three  years.  After  that  the  family  moved 
to  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  where  Rhuel  attended 
the  common  school  for  four  years.  Later  he  was 
at  a  boarding-school  at  Lititz,  Pennsylvania,  in 
which  town  he  also  attended  school  under  the 
tuition  of  Mr.  J.  Beck  for  about  eighteen  months. 
The  family  then  moving  to  Philadelphia,  he  re- 
mained there  about  six  years,  and  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  was  apprenticed  to  a  Mr.  Brewer  in  the 
chair-making  business.  When,  however,  he  had 
been  for  two  years  with  Mr.  Brewer,  his  parents 
moved  to  New  York  City,  and  he  went  with  them. 
He  there  went  under  the  instructions  of  William 
Walling  and  finished  his  trade. 

After  learning  this  business,  Mr.  Chamberlin 
went  to  Troy,  New  York,  and  worked  for  W.  L. 
Adams,  but  being  in  ill  health  while  there  he 
returned  to  New  York  City.  After  his  recu- 
peration he  went  back  to  Troy,  and  there,  mak- 
ing a  contract  with  Burge  &  Bros. ,  who  were  the 
proprietors  of  a  chair  factory  on  Adams  Street, 
he  remained  until  their  factory  was  burned  down, 
about  two  years  later.  After  this  he  went  to 
New  York  City  and  engaged  in  the  chair  busi- 


ness. Being  unfortunate  in  this  enterprise  he 
failed,  but  paid  all  his  debts  in  full,  owing  no  one 
at  the  time  of  shutting  down  his  factory.  He 
then  accepted  an  offer  made  by  Burge  &  Bros. , 
who  had  rebuilt  their  factory  at  Troy.  From  there 
he  again  went  to  New  York  City,  and  secured  a 
position  on  the  Third  Avenue  City  Railway  as 
conductor  when  it  first  opened.  He  stayed  on 
that  road  three  years,  and  later  was  on  the  Dela- 
ware Division  of  the  New  York  &  Erie  Railroad 
as  head  brakeman,  under  Supt.  Hugh  Riddle. 
Here  he  remained  one  year,  and  then  for  about 
four  years  was  conductor  on  an  extra  freight  train. 
After  this,  in  the  year  1873,  he  was  made  pas- 
senger conductor  on  the  New  York  &  Oswego 
Midland  Railroad,  remaining  there  until  June, 
1874.  In  November  he  went  to  Chicago  to  take 
a  position  as  passenger  conductor  on  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad.  On  Jan- 
uary i,  1878,  he  was  appointed  Superintendent 
of  the  Illinois  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad. 

Mr.  Chamberlin  is  a  member  of  Port  Jervis 
Lodge  No.  328,  Delta  Chapter  No.  191,  and  Del- 
aware Commandery  No.  44,  K.  T.,  of  Port  Jervis. 


REV.  CANDIDUS  KOZLOWSKI. 


REV.  CANDIDUS  KOZLOWSKI,  Rector  of 
the  Polish  Church  at  Lemont,  was  born  on 
the  25th  day  of  March,  1836,  in  the  city 
of  Warsaw,  Poland.  His  father  was  Andreas 
and  his  mother  Josepha  (Majewska)  Kozlowski, 
natives  of  the  same  city.  Andreas  Kozlowski 
was  a  captain  in  the  French  army,  and  served  un- 
der Napoleon  I.  in  Spain,  in  1806,  and  in  the 
European  War  of  1812.  He  was  a  valiant  sol- 
dier, and  fought  for  what  he  considered  the  inter- 
ests of  Poland.  He  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy- 
six  years,  dying  in  1852.  He  was  married  three 


times  (the  second  wife  being  the  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  biography),  and  was  the  father  of 
twenty-one  children.  Josepha  Kozlowski  was 
the  mother  of  ten  children,  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters,  only  three  of  whom  are  now  living, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  only  one  in 
America. 

The  father  of  Andreas,  Adalbert  Kozlowski, 
was  also  a  soldier,  and  served  in  the  Polish  army, 
having  witnessed  the  coronation  of  the  last  king 
of  Poland  and  given  him  his  unswerving  adhesion. 
He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  means,  a 


196 


MENZO  RUSSELL. 


landed  proprietor,  and  owner  of  tenement  houses 
in  Warsaw.  He  lived  to  be  upwards  of  eighty 
years  old,  and  died  in  1847. 

Candidas  Kozlowski  is  a  man  of  rare  education 
and  attainments,  and  used  his  best  and  most 
strenuous  efforts  for  the  liberation  of  his  native 
land  from  Russian  rule.  He  was  educated  in  his 
native  city,  and  in  1863  became  a  leader  in  the 
revolutionary  movement  which  resulted  in  the 
complete  subjugation  of  the  Polish  patriots,  and 
the  execution  of  a  large  number  of  their  leaders 
— including  hundreds  of  the  friends  and  relatives 
of  Mr.  Kozlowski.  With  a  handful  of  men,  num- 
bering less  than  a  hundred,  he  fought  his  way 
through  to  the  Austrian  frontier,  where  he  was 
warmly  received  by  the  populace  and  Austrian 
common  soldiers,  who  applauded  his  bravery  and 
assisted  his  escape  toward  Italy.  He  is  still  un- 
der the  ban  of  a  Russian  death  sentence,  and  dare 
not  return  to  the  dominions  of  the  Czar. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1863,  at  Bologna, 
Italy,  he  was  ordained  a  priest  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  After  he  took  holy  orders,  he 
became  a  traveler  and  visited  many  countries,  in 
eluding  the  greater  portion  of  Europe  and  parts 
of  Asia  and  Africa.  He  came  to  the  United 


States  in  1872,  and  established  a  church  at  Cin- 
cinnati. He  purchased  a  Lutheran  Church,  which 
he  converted  into  a  Catholic  institution,  and  chris- 
tened it  St.  Stanislaus.  About  a  year  later,  he 
returned  to  Europe  and  revisited  many  of  the 
countries  in  which  he  had  previously  traveled.  In 
1874  he  became  a  permanent  resident  of  America, 
and  took  charge  of  a  parish  at  La  Salle,  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  seven  years.  After  a  visit  in 
Europe,  he  was  rector  of  St.  Josaphat  Church  in 
Chicago  for  five  years,  and  has  been  for  the  last 
five  years  in  his  present  charge.  His  parish  com- 
prises four  hundred  families,  and  the  school  in 
connection  numbers  three  hundred  and  fifty  pupils. 
Father  Kozlowski' s  liberal  education  and  wide 
travels  have  made  him  a  cosmopolite  in  ideas,  a 
practical  man  in  business,  a  genial  gentleman  and 
an  able  priest.  As  a  recreation,  he  gives  consid- 
erable attention  to  the  study  of  astronomy,  and 
is  the  possessor  of  a  fine  telescope,  which  he  pur- 
chased at  the  Paris  Exposition,  and  on  which  he 
was  obliged  to  pay  a  duty  of  $42.  He  is  loved 
and  respected  by  his  people  and  the  entire  com- 
munity, and  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  of  the 
country's  adopted  citizens. 


MENZO   RUSSELL. 


I ENZO  RUSSELL,  a  farmer  residing  on  sec- 
tion 22,  Northfield  Township,  has  the  honor 
of  being  a  native  of  Cook  County,  his  birth 
having  occurred  in  the  township  which  is  still  his 
home,  February  17,  1839.  He  is  the  only  child 
of  Jacob  and  Eliza  (Rhints)  Russell,  both  of 
whom  were  natives  of  Sharon,  Schoharie  County, 
New  York.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Henry 
Rhines,  a  shoemaker  and  farmer.  In  1 834  Jacob 
and  Eliza  Russell  emigrated  to  Cook  County,  Illi- 
nois, arriving  in  Chicago  with  a  capital  of  $6. 


The  father  first  engaged  in  burning  charcoal 
about  four  miles  from  the  city,  and  in  this  way 
secured  enough  money  to  purchase  a  team,  with 
which  to  engage  in  farming.  He  settled  on  sec- 
tion 22,  Northfield  Township,  where  he  still 
makes  his  home,  residing  with  his  son  Menzo. 
He  became  the  possessor  of  three  hundred  acres 
of  good  land,  and  may  truly  be  called  a  self-made 
man.  He  has  borne  all  the  hardships  and  expe- 
riences of  frontier  life,  and  is  familiar  with  the 
history  of  Cook  County  from  its  earliest  days. 


PETER  CRAWFORD. 


He  has  now  passed  his  eighty-fourth  birthday, 
but  is  remarkably  active  for  one  of  his  years,  and 
still  works  upon  the  farm.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
Democrat,  but  since  the  organization  of  the  Re- 
publican party  has  been  one  of  its  supporters. 
Mrs.  Eliza  Russell  died  January  8,  1892,  aged 
seventy-five  years,  three  months  and  six  days. 

Menzo  Russell  has  always  lived  upon  the  farm 
which  is  yet  his  home,  and  therefore  has  a  wide 
acquaintance  throughout  this  community.  No 
event  of  special  importance  occurred  during  his 
boyhood  and  youth,  which  were  quietly  passed 
on  his  father's  farm.  Having  attained  to  mature 
years,  he  chose  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  on 
life's  journey  Miss  Margaret  Russell,  the  wed- 
ding being  celebrated  July  3,  1859.  The  lady  is 
a  daughter  of  David  Russell,  who  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  lived  to  be  seventy-two  years 
of  age.  With  his  brothers,  William  and  John, 
their  wives  and  father  and  mother,  he  was  laid  to 
rest  in  the  family  burying-ground,  two  miles 
southeast  of  Shermerville.  Mrs.  Margaret  Rus- 
sell's three  brothers,  Norman,  Jacob  and  John 
Russell,  promptly  responded  to  their  country's 
call  for  troops  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War,  and  valiantly  aided  in  the  defense  of  the 


Union.  Her  grandmother  had  three  brothers  in 
the  Revolutionary  War;  therefore  the  Russell 
family  has  been  well  represented  in  military  af- 
fairs when  the  country-  was  in  need  of  valiant 
sons. 

To  our  subject  and  his  wife  were  born  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  but  the 
former  are  all  now  deceased.  Mary  Elizabeth, 
born  October  17,  1862,  is  the  wife  of  George 
Goebel,  a  stone  and  brick  mason  of  Evanston. 
Catherine,  born  June  16,  1864,  is  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Selzer,  a  farmer  of  Northfield  Township. 
Leona,  born  December  20,  1866,  is  the  wife  of 
Joseph  Bastien,  a  tinner  of  Evanston.  Lottie, 
born  January  13,  1877,  is  at  home.  The  parents 
of  this  family  are  both  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  are  highly  respected  people,  who 
have  many  warm  friends  in  the  community.  Mr. 
Russell  is  a  stalwart  Republican.  He  cast  his 
first  Presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
has  supported  each  Presidential  nominee  of  the 
party  since  that  time.  He  is  a  wide-awake  and 
progressive  citizen,  and  public  enterprises  calcu- 
lated to  advance  the  general  welfare  never  solicit 
his  aid  in  vain. 


PETER  CRAWFORD. 


CRAWFORD,  one  of  the  most  deserv- 
yr  ing  pioneers  of  Cook  County,  was  born  in 
\5  Argyleshire,  Scotland,  in  1796,  and  was  a 
son  of  Peter  and  Janet  (McNaught)  Crawford. 
The  father  was  born  near  Inverary ,  on  Loch  Tyne, 
Argyleshire,  in  1753,  and  was  a  boat-builder  in 
his  native  land.  He  died  in  Delaware  Count}', 
New  York,  in  1848.  His  wife  died  in  Hamden, 
New  York,  in  1836,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 


She  was  a  daughter  of  Malcolm  and  Catherine 
(McKinley)  McNaught.  Her  father  was  a  ship- 
carpenter,  and  came  to  America  at  the  age  of  nine- 
ty years.  His  death  occured  in  Delaware  Count}', 
New  York,  in  1825,  at  the  age  of  ninety-five. 
His  children  were:  Gilbert,  a  Baptist  minister  of 
Delaware  County,  New  York;  John;  Neil,  who 
died  in  Scotland;  Mrs.  Janet  Crawford;  Cather- 
ine and  Mary,  who  died  in  Scotland;  and  Archi- 


198 


PETER  CRAWFORD. 


bald.     The  mother  of  this  family  passed  away  in 
Scotland  in  1818,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four. 

To  Peter  and  Janet  Crawford  were  born  eight 
children:  Malcolm,  who  died  in  infancy;  Donald, 
who  died  in  Hamden,  New  York,  in  1868,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-two;  John,  who  died  in  Scotland  in 
1817,  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine;  Gilbert,  a  Pres- 
byterian minister,  who  for  a  number  of  years  was 
pastor  of  a  church  iu  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  but 
died  in  Leroy,  Genesee  County,  New  York,  in 

1848,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six;  Catherine,  who  was 
born  in  1796,  and  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years;  Peter,  of  this  sketch;  Sarah,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Malcolm  McFarland,  and  died  in  Ham- 
den  in  1853,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two;  and  Janet,  who 
died  in  Hamden  in  1872,  at  the  age   of  sixty- 
eight. 

Peter  Crawford,  whose  name  heads  this  notice, 
came  to  America  in  1820,  on  a  sailing-vessel,  lo- 
cating first  in  Delaware  County,  New  York,  with 
his  parents.  In  Buffalo,  New  York,  he  wedded 
Juliet  Sophronia  Hubbard,  a  native  of  Westmin- 
ster, Windham  County,  Vermont,  born  October 
19,  1807.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Salmon  and 
Caroline  (Pratt)  Hubbard.  Mrs.  Crawford's  fa- 
ther was  a  son  of  Daniel  Hubbard,  who  died  in 
Massachusetts  in  1813,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years. 
Salmon  Hubbard  was  born  in  Sunderland,  Hamp- 
shire County,  Massachusetts,  in  1774,  and  was 
the  eldest  in  a  family  of  five  children,  the  others 
being  Spencer,  Lemuel,  Polly  and  Electa.  Salmon 
Hubbard  died  in  Canadice,  'Livingston  County, 
New  York,  about  1859.  His  children  were:  Hi- 
ram, who  was  proprietor  of  a  livery  and  stage  line 
and  died  in  Canandaigua,  New  York,  in  1848,  at 
the  age  of  forty-nine  years;  Daniel,  who  died  in 

1 849,  at  the  age  of  forty-eight;  Elijah  H. ,  who  was 
born  in  Guilford,  Vermont,  and  died  in  New  York 
in  1830,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven ;  Salmon,  who 
was  born  in  Westminister,  Vermont,  in  1805,  and 
died  in  1835;   Juliet   Sophronia,    wife   of  Peter 
Crawford;  Almira,   who  was  born  in  Greenwich, 
New  York,  in  1810,  became  the  wife   of  John 
Purcell,  and  died  in  Canadice,  New  York,  in  1884; 
and  Oman,  who  was  born  in  Williamson,  Ontar- 
io County,  New  York,  in  1813,  and  died  in  1834. 
Mrs.     Caroline      (Pratt)      Hubbard    was    born 


Decembers,  1774,  and  died  iu  1816,  in  Wind- 
ham  County,  Vermont.  She  was  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Mary  (Clark)  Pratt.  One  of  her 
brothers,  Samuel  Pratt,  located  at  Buffalo,  New 
York,  in  1804,  driving  thither  from  Vermont  in 
the  first  carriage  that  ever  entered  that  place. 
He  became  a  leading  merchant  of  Buffalo,  and 
his  descendants  are  prominent  hardware  and  iron 
dealers  in  that  city.  The  Pratt  family  is  supposed 
to  have  been  established  in  America  by  ancestors 
who  came  from  the  north  of  Ireland.  The  Hub- 
bards  are  probably  of  English  origin.  Both  were 
well-to-do  families  in  Vermont  before  moving  to 
New  York. 

In  1844,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crawford  left  their  New 
York  home  and  came  to  the  young  and  growing 
city  of  Chicago.  In  their  family  were  four  chil- 
dren, who  reached  mature  years.  Gilbert,  who  is 
now  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  in  Chica- 
go; John,  who  was  prominently  connected  with 
the  same  business  for  some  years,  but  is  now  de- 
ceased; Sophronia  A.,  widow  of  A.  B.  Kellogg  and 
a  resident  of  Denver,  Colorado;  and  Hiram  P., 
whose  sketch  is  given  on  another  page  of  this 
work. 

On  coming  to  Chicago,  in  the  year  1844,  Peter 
Crawford  began  dealing  in  lumber.  Twelve  years 
later  he  removed  to  Cicero  Township,  where,  in 
1848,  he  had  purchased  a  tract  of  land  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  paying  for  the  same  $15 
per  acre.  This  tract  is  now  within  the  city  lim- 
its. Mr.  Crawford  lived  upon  that  farm  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1876,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-two  years.  He  had  been  in  good  health 
until  a  few  days  before  his  death,  which  was  the 
result  of  a  severe  cold,  contracted  while  attending 
an  election.  He  had  voted  at  every  Presidential 
election  from  1836,  at  which  time  he  supported 
William  Henry  Harrison.  He  was  always  an 
advocate  of  a  protective  tariff,  and  his  last  vote  was 
cast  for  R.  B.  Hayes.  His  wife,  who  survived 
him  about  ten  years,  died  in  1886,  at  the  ripe  old 
age  of  eighty  years.  Peter  Crawford  possessed  a 
large  fund  of  general  information,  and  a  remark- 
able memory,  which,  combined  with  good  judg- 
ment and  natural  business  ability,  fitted  him  fora 
successful  and  honorable  business  career. 


JOHN  SOLLITT. 


199 


JOHN    SOLLITT. 


3OHN  SOLLITT,  now  in  his  eighty-first  year, 
was  in  his  younger  days  one  of  the  largest 
contractors  and  builders  of  Chicago.  He  was 
born  November  19,  1813,  in  Stillington,  County 
of  York,  in  what  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sec- 
tions of  England.  His  ancestors  were  Hugue- 
nots, who  emigrated  from  France  to  England  some 
two  hundred  years  ago.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  John  Sollitt,  and  his  maternal  John  Cass. 
The  former  was  a  stone-mason,  and  the  latter  a 
carpenter.  The  father  of  our  subject,  John  Sol- 
litt, was  also  a  stone-mason  and  a  sculptor.  All 
were  prominent  in  their  professions  and  lived  and 
died  in  England. 

At  the  age  of  six  years  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  entered  the  common  schools  of  Stillington, 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  his  twelfth  year, 
after  which  he  began  learning  the  carpenter's 
trade  with  his  grandfather.  He  remained  in  his 
employ  until  his  twenty-first  year,  when,  in  May, 
1834,  with  his  wife  and  child,  he  went  to  Canada. 
He  worked  at  his  trade  in  Hamilton  and  Toronto 
for  a  year  or  two,  when  a  friend,  residing  in  Mad- 
ison, Wisconsin,  wrote  to  him  glowing  accounts 
of  that  country,  and  he  decided  to  remove  to  that 
place.  He  started  by  way  of  the  Lakes  for  Milwau- 
kee, but,  experiencing  difficulty  in  reaching  that 
point,  on  account  of  a  storm  raging  on  Lake  Mich- 
igan, he  landed  in  Chicago.  This  was  on  the  6th 
of  June,  1838,  and  he  had  but  $5  in  his  pocket. 
Chicago,  at  that  time,  contained  a  population  of 
about  four  thousand. 

Business  was  very  dull  in  this  city  then,  and  he 
had  difficulty  in  obtaining  employment;  but  he 
finally  made  an  arrangement  with  Azel  Peck,  a 
prominent  contractor  and  builder,  in  whose  em- 
ploy he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then  en- 
tered the  service  of  Peter  Lewis  Updyke,  with 


whom  he  continued  for  five  years.  On  the  expi- 
ration of  that  period  he  entered  into  partnership 
with  Messrs.  Peck  and  Updyke,  and  their 's  be- 
came the  leading  firm  of  the  kind  in  Chicago. 
Mr.  Peck  died  in  1848,  and  the  partnership  was 
continued  between  Mr.  Sollitt  and  Mr.  Updyke 
until  the  latter's  death,  in  1850.  In  the  fall 
of  1849  they  erected  the  old  Tremont  House, 
which  was  destroyed  in  the  great  fire  of  1871. 
Mr.  Sollitt  then  carried  on  building  operations 
alone,  with  great  success.  He  erected  several  of 
the  finest  buildings  in  Chicago,  including  the  old 
courthouse,  built  in  1852-53,  and  having  acquired 
a  competency  through  thrift  and  enterprise,  he 
retired  from  business,  and  has  since  given  his  time 
to  his  private  interests  and  the  enjoyment  of  a 
well-earned  rest.  Soon  after  his  retirement  from 
building  operations,  he  purchased  large  tracts  of 
land  in  Kankakee  and  Will  Counties,  forty-three 
miles  from  Chicago,  and  there  moved  his  family, 
hoping  the  country  air  would  prove  beneficial  to 
his  wife's  health.  This  hope,  however,  was  disap- 
pointed, for  she  died  in  1871.  During  this  period 
Mr.  Sollitt  spent  a  portion  of  his  time  in  Chicago 
and  the  remainder  with  his  family.  The  town  of 
Sollitt,  in  Will  County,  was  named  in  his  honor, 
and  he  gave  to  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois 
Railroad  Company  $1,000,  with  which  to  build  a 
new  depot  at  that  place.  After  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Sollitt  he  brought  his  family  back  to  Chicago, 
and  now  resides  in  his  handsome  home  at  No.  515 
Jackson  Boulevard. 

When  scarcely  twenty  years  old  Mr.  Sollitt  was 
joined  in  wedlock  with  Mary  Smith,  daughter  of 
Thomas  Smith.  Her  father,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, resided  in  Tollerton,  Yorkshire,  England. 
Her  uncle,  Thomas  Pollard,  carried  on  a  large  and 
popular  hotel,  called  the  "Angel  Inn,"  situated 


200 


BARNARD  THALMANN. 


near  Tollerton,  on  the  main  stage  road  between 
London  and  Edinburgh.  Mrs.  Sollitt  died  of 
cholera  in  Chicago,  in  1850,  and  was  buried  in 
Graceland  Cemetery.  Eight  children  were  born 
of  their  union.  Elizabeth,  now  a  resident  of  En- 
glewood,  has  been  twice  married.  Her  first  hus- 
band was  Alfred  Bromfield,  and  her  present  hus- 
band is  William  Ivers.  By  each  marriage  she 
has  had  three  children.  Mary  died  in  childhood. 
Hannah,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Henry  Curtis. 
Jane,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  Thomas  Wallin. 
James  J.  lives  in  Sollitt.  Oliver  died  when  one 
year  old.  John  resides  in  Oklahoma;  and  Fanny 
died  in  Chicago  in  1865.  In  1854  Mr.  Sollitt  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Anna  Rowntree,  who  was 
one  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  She  was  born 
in  or  near  Richmond,  Yorkshire,  England,  and 
came  to  America  with  her  parents,  who  located  in 
Rochester,  Racine  County,  Wisconsin.  On  their 
deaths  she  went  to  live  with  her  brother  Chris- 
topher, who  resided  near  that  city,  and  at 
his  home  was  married.  After  a  happy  wed- 
ded life  of  seventeen  years,  which  was  ?11  passed 
in  Chicago,  with  the  exception  cr  one  year 
in  Sollitt,  she  died  of  consumption,  and  was  laid 
to  rest  in  Graceland.  She  had  two  children. 
Charles,  who  resides  in  Sollitt,  where  he  follows 
farming,  is  married  and  has  two  children,  Leslie 
and  John.  The  daughter,  Blanche,  is  the  wife  of 
Nathaniel  Board,  a  solicitor  for  the  Chicago  & 


North-Western  Railroad,  residing  in  Oak  Park. 
In  1874  Mr.  Sollitt  was  married  in  the  town  of 
Waterford,  Wisconsin,  to  Anna  Blackburn,  and 
they  have  a  son,  Walter,  a  bright  and  promising 
youth  of  seventeen  years,  who  is  now  preparing 
for  college  in  a  Chicago  academy. 

Mr.  Sollitt  cares  little  for  society,  preferring  to 
give  his  time  and  attention  to  his  family.  He  was 
reared  in  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  he  at- 
tended for  a  time  on  first  coming  to  Chicago. 
Later,  he  joined  Robert  Collyer's  Unitarian 
Church,  and  occupied  a  pew  there  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  erected  the  first  Unitarian  Church 
built  in  Chicago,  its  location  being  on  Washing- 
ington  Street,  between  Clark  and  Dearborn.  Po- 
litically, Mr.  Sollitt  is  a  conservative  Democrat, 
and  has,  with  few  exceptions,  voted  that  ticket. 
He  is  an  advocate  of  free  trade,  the  advantages 
of  which  have  been  made  evident  to  him  since 
leaving  England.  While  never  aspiring  to  office 
or  taking  an  active  part  in  politics,  he  ran  for 
Alderman  in  1852  and  County  Clerk  in  1854.  He 
has  always  been  a  reader  of  the  Chicago  Tribune, 
and  is  a  man  well  informed  on  all  questions  of  the 
day.  He  was  one  of  Chicago's  earliest  settlers, 
and  is  a  model  of  a  healthy  mind  in  a  healthy 
body,  of  business  industry  and  integrity,  and  of 
civic  virtue.  His  memory  of  events  relative  to 
the  past  history  of  Chicago  is  perfect,  and  a  rec- 
ord of  them  would  make  a  volume. 


BARNARD  THALMANN. 


gARNARD   THALMANN,  who  carries  on 
agricultural   pursuits   on   section    30,    New 
Trier  Township,  was  born   in   Prussia   on 
the  23d  of  March,  1836,  and  is  a  son  of  Gerhard 
Thalmann,  who  was  born   in   the  same  country, 
July  24,  1801,  made  farming  his  life  work,  and 
died  on  the   1 6th  of  July,  1867.     His  wife  bore 


the  maiden  name  of  Kerdrad  Kohle,  and  was  a 
daughter  of  Adolph  Kohle,  a  native  of  Prussia, 
and  a  stone-cutter  by  trade.  She  was  born  in 
that  country  in  1804,  and  by  her  marriage  had  a 
family  of  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom 
three  sons  are  living,  namely :  Barnard  of  this 
sketch;  Henry,  Postmaster  of  Gross  Point;  and 


ADAM  MELZER. 


20 1 


Joseph,  a  farmer  of  that  community.  The  parents 
came  to  America  in  1847,  landing  in  New  York 
on  the  I4th  of  April,  after  thirty  days  spent  upon 
the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic.  After  visiting  rela- 
tives in  Boston  for  three  weeks  they  came  to 
Cook  County,  and  Mr.  Thalmann  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  land  on  section  30,  New  Trier 
Township.  He  afterwards  added  forty-four  acres 
on  section  33,  and  there  made  his  home  until 
called  to  his  final  rest. 

Barnard  Thalmann  spent  the  first  eleven  years 
of  his  life  in  his  native  land,  and  then  accompa- 
nied his  parents  on  their  emigration  to  America. 
In  his  father's  home  his  childhood  days  were 
passed,  and  during  his  youth  he  became  familiar 
with  farm  work  in  all  its  departments.  On  the 
26th  of  September,  1865,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Mary  Feldmann,  who  was  born  in 
Gross  Point,  June  4,  1848,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Jo- 
seph Feldmann,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Prussia 
on  the  4th  of  August,  1817.  He  came  to  America 
with  his  parents  in  August,  1833.  His  father 
died  in  Albany,  New  York,  while  en  route  for 
Chicago,  and  the  other  members  of  the  family 
continued  their  westward  journey.  For  two  years 
they  lived  in  Chicago,  and  then  removed  to  New 
Trier  Township.  Here  Mr.  Feldmann  still  re- 
sides, making  his  home  with  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Thalmann.  His  other  children  are:  Christina, 
wife  of  Anton  May,  a  contractor  and  builder  of 
Wilmette;  Frank,  an  engineer  on  the  Ft.  Wayne 


Railroad,  residing  in  Chicago.  Mrs.  Mathias 
Pauly,  Mrs.  Nick  Fellens  and  Mrs.  Peter  Kunz, 
all  of  Chicago;  and  Mrs.  Nick  Surges,  of  Lom- 
bard, Du  Page  County,  Illinois. 

Unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thalmann  have  been  born 
twelve  children,  of  whom  nine  are  living,  five 
sons  and  four  daughters:  John  G.,  who  was  born 
April  5,  1867,  and  is  a  carpenter  residing  in  New 
Trier;  Joseph,  born  February  24,  1871,  who  fol- 
lows farming;  Barnard,  born  May  25,  1873,  a  car- 
penter; Elizabeth,  born  August  n,  1875;  Kate, 
September  23,  1877;  Frank,  December  7,  1880; 
Anton,  June  27,  1883;  Mary,  March  28,  1885; 
and  Anna,  July  25,  1890.  Elizabeth  attended 
St.  Joseph's  College,  of  Milwaukee,  for  one  year, 
and  all  have  received  good  common-school  ad- 
vantages. The  parents  and  their  family  are 
members  of  St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church  of  Gross 
Point. 

Mr.  Thalmann  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  and  has  since  been  a  sup- 
porter of  the  Democratic  party  and  its  principles. 
He  was  twice  elected  Overseer  of  Roads,  and  was 
School  Director  for  several  years.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  St.  Joseph's  Library  and  Sick  Benefit 
Association.  His  farm,  located  on  section  30, 
New  Trier  Township,  is  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation  and  well  improved  with  all  modern 
accessories,  and  the  owner  is  regarded  as  one  of 
the  leading  agriculturists  of  the  community. 


ADAM  MELZER. 


(S\  DAM  MELZER,  a  self-made  man  and  enter- 
I  1  prising  citizen,  now  residing  in  the  town  of 
/  I  Northfield,  Cook  County,  is  of  German  birth. 
He  was  born  in  the  province  of  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, March  29,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  John  C. 
and  Catherine  (Horn)  Melzer.  His  parents  were 


also  natives  of  Germany,  and  were  there  married 
in  1835.  The  father  was  born  on  the  2Oth  of 
April,  i8n,  and  at  this  writing,  in  the  summer 
of  1894,  makes  his  home  with  his  son  Adam,  en- 
joying remarkably  good  health  for  one  who  has 
attained  the  very  advanced  age  of  eighty-three 


202 


N.  J.  BROWN. 


years.  His  wife  passed  away  in  November,  1893, 
in  the  seventy-eighth  year  of  her  age.  The  year 
1853  witnessed  their  emigration  to  America,  and 
after  a  long  and  tempestuous  voyage  of  seventy- 
nine  days  they  reached  New  York.  Their  fam- 
ily numbered  ten  children,  eight  of  whom  are  yet 
living.  The  eldest  daughter  died  in  New  York 
City  soon  after  the  family  came  to  America.  John, 
a  carpenter  and  farmer,  now  resides  in  Niles 
Township;  Jacob  is  a  cabinet-maker  and  under- 
taker of  Northfield;  Adam  is  next  in  order  of 
birth;  Margaret,  who  became  the  wife  of  John 
Ward,  of  Maine  Township,  died  May  19,  1888;  Jo- 
hanna is  the  wife  of  Nicholas  Haupt,  a  farmer  of 
Maine  Township;  Eva,  twin  sister  of  Johanna, 
and  the  widow  of  Peter  Soergel,  now  lives  in  Chi- 
cago; Nicholas  is  a  cabinet-maker  and  farmer  of 
Northfield;  Katie  makes  her  home  with  her 
brothers  and  sisters;  and  William  carries  on 
agricultural  pursuits  in  Massena,  Cass  County, 
Iowa.  After  landing  in  New  York  the  family  at 
once  resumed  their  westward  journey  and  came 
by  way  of  Buffalo  and  Detroit  to  Chicago.  They 
at  once  took  up  their  residence  in  Maine  Town- 
ship, but  after  three  years  removed  to  Northfield 
Township,  where  different  members  of  the  family 
now  reside. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  during 
the  childhood  and  youth  of  Adam  Melzer.  The 
first  nine  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  his  native 
land,  and  he  then  came  with  his  father  and 
mother  to  the  New  World.  Since  that  time  he 


has  resided  in  Cook  County,  and  is  therefore 
numbered  among  its  early  settlers.  In  the  fall 
of  1866,  as  a  companion  and  helpmate  on  life's 
journey,  he  chose  Miss  Louisa  Wildhage,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Wildhage,  a  native  of  Hessen- 
Schaumberg,  Germany.  The  lad}'  was  born  in 
the  same  locality  in  February,  1846.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Melzer  have  been  born  five  children,  a 
son  and  four  daughters,  who  in  order  of  birth  are 
as  follows:  William,  born  March  2,  1868;  Mag- 
gie, August  15,  1872;  Katie,  June  17,  1875; 
Lulu,  May  18,  1881;  and  Josie,  August  5,  1884. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Melzer  have  spent  their  entire 
wedded  life  in  their  pleasant  country  home,  which 
is  the  abode  of  hospitality  and  good  cheer.  Mr. 
Melzer,  with  foresight  and  sagacity,  saw  that  the 
best  investment  a  farmer  could  make  to  improve 
his  land  in  this  locality  would  be  to  drain  it,  so 
he  has  spent  over  $1,000  in  tiling  his  eighty-acre 
tract.  He  is  now  receiving  a  rental  of  $8  per 
acre  for  his  farm,  almost  double  what  he  could 
have  obtained  previous  to  draining  it.  It  is  now 
a  valuable  and  desirable  property. 

Socially,  Mr.  Melzer  is  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  belonging  to  Vesuvius  Lodge 
No.  81,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of  East  Wheeling.  Until 
quite  recently  he  was  a  Democrat  in  his  political 
views,  but  is  now  independent.  Whatever  suc- 
cess he  has  achieved  in  life  is  due  to  his  own 
efforts.  He  started  out  for  himself  empty-handed, 
and  the  property  which  he  has  acquired  is  the 
just  reward  of  his  labors. 


NATHANIEL  J.  BROWN. 


J.  BROWN  is  one  of  the  noted 
I  /  pioneers  of  Illinois,  for  many  years  having 
I  £S  been  prominently  identified  with  the  busi- 
ness interests  and  leading  enterprises  of  Cook 
County.  During  his  boyhood  he  took  up  his  res- 


idence on  ;he  frontier,  living  in  Michigan.  He 
wasboin  in  Windsor,  Vermont,  in  1812,  and  at 
the  age  of  three  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  New 
York,  living  in  the  neighborhood  of  Rochester 
and  Lockport  until  1826,  when, with  the  family,  he 


N.  J.  BROWN. 


203 


emigrated  to  Aim  Arbor,  Michigan.  The  public 
schools  of  the  Empire  State  afforded  him  the 
greater  part  of  his  educational  privileges.  Early 
in  life  he  embarked  in  small  business  ventures, 
and  later  became  associated  with  his  brother,  who 
was  the  owner  of  flouring-mills  at  Ann  Arbor. 
His  brother  also  established  a  stage  line,  and  he 
became  one  of  its  agents.  While  thus  engaged 
he  became  familiar  with  a  largeamount  of  territory, 
and  when  a  favorable  opening  presented  itself,  he 
made  good  investments  in  real  estate,  purchasing 
land  in  Kent,  Ionia  and  Clinton  Counties,  which 
afterward  yielded  him  rich  returns.  His  land  in 
Kent  County  was  covered  with  pine  timber,  and, 
with  his  usual  sagacity,  Mr.  Brown  saw  that  it 
would  one  day  become  very  valuable.  He  resolved 
to  place  it  on  the  market  in  Chicago,  and  to  this 
end  chartered  the  schooner  '  'White  Pigeon. ' ' 

Mr.  Brown  built  a  mill  upon  his  land,  and  as 
soon  as  possible  in  the  spring  of  1835,  a  raft  of 
lumber,  which  contained  six  schooner  loads,  was 
launched  at  what  is  now  Granville.  With  a  big 
lumberman  from  Maine  to  assist  him,  Mr.  Brown 
cut  the  craft  loose  from  its  moorings.  No  such 
attempt  as  this  to  carry  lumber  down  the  stream 
had  been  made  before,  or  since,  but  the  journey 
was  safely  accomplished.  Arriving  in  Chicago, 
he  found  that  objections  were  made  by  the  local 
dealers  to  him  selling  lumber  there,  but  he  finally 
obtained  permission,  and  disposed  of  his  cargo  at 
a  handsome  profit.  For  some  time  he  continued 
his  lumber  shipments  to  Chicago  with  excellent 
success. 

While  in  this  city,  Mr.  Brown  formed  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Augustus  Garrett,  who  afterward 
founded  the  Biblical  Institute  of  Evanston.  Mr. 
Garrett  proposed  that  they  form  a  partnership, 
and  they  finally  agreed  to  form  a  combination 
which  should  not  interfere  with  Mr.  Brown's  land 
speculations  in  Michigan.  He  owned  a  section 
of  land  in  the  center  of  Ionia  County,  Michigan, 
and  a  town  was  platted  upon  it.  Mr.  Garrett  was 
to  have  charge  of  the  sale  of  the  lots,  and  Mr. 
Brown  proceeded  to  the  new  town  of  Ionia  and 
proposed  to  erect  a  sawmill  there.  Lots  sold 
rapidly,  and  the  following  winter  Senator  Ewing 
succeeded  in  having  the  Grand  River  district  land- 


office  located  there.  Through  some  trickery, 
however,  this  was  not  done,  but  Mr.  Brown  man- 
aged to  sell  his  lots  and  realized  therefrom  a  small 
fortune.  This  was  invested  in  Chicago  land,  and 
Garrett  &  Brown  became  the  owners  of  three 
thousand  acres  in  the  Chicago  land  district.  They 
became  the  owners  of  the  most  famous  auction 
house  in  the  West,  and  it  was  soon  filled  with 
goods  of  every  kind  from  the  East,  to  be  sold  at 
auction  or  traded  for  town  lots,  for  settlers  were 
rapidly  coming  in  and  there  was  a  wild  scramble 
for  property .  The  business  done  at  the  first  house 
increased  so  rapidly  that  two  branch  houses  were 
established.  They  not  only  sold  all  kinds  of  com- 
modities and  town  lots,  but  also  disposed  of 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin  property.  At  one  time 
they  owned  nine  thousand  acres  in  and  near  Chi- 
cago. In  1837  the  partnership  was  dissolved. 

Mr.  Brown  is  a  keen,  far-sighted  business  man, 
and  this  characteristic  was  shown  by  his  invest- 
ment in  lands  at  Madison,  Wisconsin,  at  the  time 
the  State  Capitol  was  located  there.  Knowing 
that  the  location  would  cause  a  boom,  he  made  ar- 
rangements whereby  he  received  the  news  of  the 
location  eighteen  hours  in  advance  of  any  official 
report;  thus  he  had  ample  opportunity  for  secur- 
ing the  property,  and  within  a  day  he  had  sold 
land  until  he  had  realized  in  cash  more  than  half 
as  much  money  as  he  had  invested.  His  later 
sales  also  added  materially  to  his  income.  Mr. 
Brown  became  interested  in  banking  with  Lyman 
A.  Spaulding,  of  Lockport,  New  York,  establish- 
ing a  bank  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan.  In  later 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  taking  a  contract  to 
complete  two  sections,  running  through  what  is 
now  the  village  of  I^emont.  The  financial  panic 
caused  by  the  suspension  of  the  National  Bank 
about  that  time  caused  the  canal  contractors  to 
receive  no  pay,  and  Mr.  Brown  suffered  an  enor- 
mous loss.  During  his  work  on  thecanal,  however, 
he  obtained  a  knowledge  of  the  geology  of  the 
neighborhood  and  noted  the  immense  deposits 
of  limestone.  Afterward  investing  in  these,  he  de- 
veloped an  important  industry,  and  became  the 
owner  of  a  valuable  property.  He  removed  to 
Lemont  and  was  soon  recognized  as  its  leading 


204 


FRANCIS  SIXT. 


citizen,  and  now  has  a  larger  property  interest  in 
the1  city  than  any  other  citizen. 

Mr.  Brown  has  ever  been  a  friend  to  the  labor- 
ing classes,  in  fact  his  own  life  has  been  one  of 
labor.  The  cause  of  temperance  has  found  in  him 
a  warm  friend  and  he  has  done  much  to  promote 


sobriety  among  working  men.  In  politics,  he 
was  a  Democrat,  and  supported  that  party  until  its 
members  in  the  South  fired  on  Ft.  Sumter,  when 
he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Union  and  joined 
the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  with  which  he 
has  since  affiliated. 


REV.  FRANCIS  SIXT. 


REV.  FRANCIS  SIXT.  In  the  mediaeval 
ages  of  chivalry,  when  men  shed  their  blood 
and  gave  up  their  lives  freely  on  the  field  of 
battle  in  support  of  the  principles  they  loved,  it 
was  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  warrior,  after  his 
days  of  wars  and  battles  were  over,  to  retire  to  a 
religious  institution  arid  devote  the  remainder  of 
his  days  as  zealously  to  the  cause  of  Christianity 
as  he  had  fought  for  the  success  of  his  chosen 
cause  in  secular  matters.  Loyola,  whose  name 
will  be  ever  dear  to  the  heart  of  true  Catholics, 
was  a  soldier  priest,  whose  military  training  and 
experience  fitted  him  for  the  ecclesiastical  offices 
he  was  later  to  fill  with  so  much  honor.  The 
fathers  in  the  church  at  the  present  day  are  not 
so  frequently  graduates  from  the  school  of  arms, 
or  men  who  have  responded  to  their  country's 
call  for  defenders,  but  there  are  some  such,  even 
now. 

Rev.  Francis  Sixt,  of  Lemont,  is  one.  His 
family  dates  back  to  the  year  1200.  On  the  2ist 
of  May,  1850,  he  first  saw  the  light  of  day  at  the 
village  of  Unterroedel,  among  the  fruit  and  grain 
fields  of  Bavaria,  and  there  his  youth  was  passed. 
At  the  early  age  of  five,  he  began  his  education 
at  the  public  school,  where  he  continued  until  he 
was  twelve  years  old.  At  that  date  he  went  to 
the  Gymnasium  in  Eichstadt,  attending  there  and 
at  Amberg  till  he  had  reached  the  age  of  nine- 
teen. He  was  then  drafted  into  the  army,  and 
served  in  the  Sixth  Cavalry  Regiment  of  Bavaria 


for  two  3'ears.  During  his  term  of  service  the 
Franco- Prussian  War  occurred,  and  he  saw  some 
of  the  most  arduous  service  in  that  hard-fought 
and  terrible  struggle.  He  was  present  at  the 
victories  of  Sedan,  Orleans  and  Paris.  In  follow- 
ing the  army  of  McMahon  with  "Unser  Fritz" 
into  Sedan,  he  spent  twenty-one  hours  in  the  sad- 
dle each  day  for  three  days,  and  he  and  many 
other  soldiers  were  so  blistered  by  hard  riding 
that  the  blood  from  their  mutilated  limbs  ran  into 
their  boots,  and  the  scars  of  their  wounds  yet 
remain. 

In  March,  1871,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  his 
military  service  being  ended,  Mr.  Sixt  came  to 
the  United  States,  landing  at  New  York  on  the 
2ist  of  April.  He  then  proceeded  to  Milwaukee, 
where  he  entered  St.  Francis'  College.  Among 
his  instructors  were  Rev.  Mr.  Salzmann,  D.  D., 
Rector;  Archbishop  Katzer,  Professor  of  Dogmas 
and  Philosophy;  Reverend  (now  Monseignor) 
Zeininger,  teacher  of  Philosophy  and  Chemistry; 
Rev.  Joseph  Reiner,  now  rector  of  St.  Francis  and 
Professor  of  Modem  Languages;  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Moppethorst,  rector  and  Professor  of  Moral  The- 
ology and  Common  Law.  Our  subject  was  gradu- 
ated in  1876,  and  on  the  loth  of  June  of  that  year 
was  ordained  by  Rt.-Rev.  Bishop  Folly,  D.  D., 
Bishop  of  Chicago.  Soon  after  he  became  assistant 
to  the  Rev.  Patrick  Riordan,  rector  of  St.  James' 
Church,  of  Chicago,  now  Archbishop  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, remaining  six  months,  and  then  taking  a 


A.  W.  BURNSIDE. 


205 


similar  place  with  Rev.  Ferdinand  Kalvelage,  of 
St.  Francis'  Church,  where  he  remained  two  years 
longer.  He  was  then  transferred  to  Lockport,  Illi- 
nois, where  he  took  charge  of  St.  Joseph's  Church, 
with  two  missions,  Goocling's  Grove  and  Mokena, 
attached.  This  work  occupied  his  time  and  at- 
tention for  the  next  six  years. 

On  the  ist  of  April,  1884,  Father  Sixt  was 
transferred  to  Lemont,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  rector  in  charge  of  St.  Alphonsus'  Church. 
At  his  coming,  he  found  the  financial  affairs  of 
the  parish  in  a  very  bad  condition,  two-thirds  of 
the  church  property  sold  for  taxes,  and  the  parish 
about  to  dissolve.  Father  Sixt  is  a  positive  man, 


and  he  took  hold  of  the  spiritual  and  temporal 
affairs  with  a  firm  hand  and  brought  together  the 
members  of  the  church,  collected  money,  paid  off 
the  indebtedness,  redeemed  the  property,  and  re- 
paired the  buildings,  spending  upwards  of  $10,000 
in  that  way.  He  put  everything  in  a  prosperous 
condition,  and  the  people  of  his  parish  are  now 
among  the  most  happy  and  contented.  He  was 
the  man  for  the  place,  and  by  precept  and  exam- 
ple has  shown  his  people  how  to  succeed,  and 
they  follow  his  teachings  to  a  very  great  de- 
gree, for  his  influence  has  been  and  still  is  great 
among  his  parishioners,  many  of  whom  he  has 
helped  to  buy  homes. 


AARON  W.  BURNSIDE,  M.  D. 


GlARON  WALLACE  BURNSIDE,  M.  D. 
j  j  The  retrospect  of  a  well-spent  life,  whose 
/  I  chief  element  has  been  one  of  usefulness  to 
diseased  and  suffering  humanity,  is  a  thing  that 
any  man  would  contemplate  with  satisfaction. 
The  man  who  has  lived  such  a  life,  coupled  with 
the  elements  of  honesty,  uprightness  and  kind- 
ness of  heart,  is  loved  and  honored  by  his  fellow- 
men.  Such  a  man  is  Dr  Burnside,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 

The  Empire  State,  which  has  contributed  so 
many  valuable  citizens  to  the  West,  is  the  place 
of  his  nativity.  He  was  born  March  21,  1829,  at 
Wheeler,  Steuben  County.  His  ancestors  were 
of  the  famous  Wallace  family,  and  were  known 
as  the  Wallaces  of  the  Burnside  (/.  e. ,  Brookside) 
from  the  place  of  their  residence  in  Scotland,  and 


in  later  years  adopted  Burnside  as  a  surname,  but 
retained  Wallace  as  a  Christian  name  in  most 
cases.  Three  brothers  of  this  family  came  to 
America  in  an  early  day  and  settled  in  New  York 
and  New  Jersey,  and  from  them  sprung  a  nu- 
merous progeny,  numbers  of  whom  have  located 
in  many  States  of  the  Union,  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific.  The  grandfather  of  Dr.  Burnside 
married  at  an  early  age,  and  with  his  brave 
young  wife  made  his  way  from  Albany  to  Otsego 
County,  New  York,  part  of  the  way  following  a 
bridle-path  through  the  wilderness,  and  settled 
in  the  forest,  where  he  had  purchased  land.  He 
erected  a  sawmill,  later  built  others,  and  being  a 
man  of  great  energy  and  endurance,  by  hard 
work  and  economy  succeeded  far  beyond  his  ex- 
pectations. He  died  when  fifty-six  years  of  age, 


2O6 


A.  \V.   BURNSIDE. 


having  been  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  that 
section  of  the  State. 

His  son  John,  the  father  of  Dr.  Burnside,  was 
a  resident  of  Steuben  County,  and  was  exten- 
sively engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  stage 
coaches,  which  were  widely  known  for  their  ex- 
cellence, and  were  used  over  a  large  territory. 
He  married  Ann  Eliza  Teller,  daughter  of  James 
and  Lucretia  (Brown)  Teller,  who  was  descended 
on  the  maternal  side  from  Anneke  Jans,  the 
granddaughter  of  William  IV.  of  Holland,  who. 
has  become  celebrated  in  and  out  of  the  courts  of 
law  as  the  owner  of  the  immensely  valuable 
Trinity  Church  property  of  New  York,  over 
which  almost  endless  litigation  has  arisen. 

Aaron  W.  Burnside  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven 
children,  and  accompanied  his  parents  to  near 
Bucyrus,  Ohio,  where  they  settled  in  1842.  His 
home  was  on  a  farm  until  he  attained  his  ma- 
jority, and  in  the  work  he  performed  he  found 
health  and  strength,  and  his  surroundings  were 
such  that  he  grew  to  manhood  in  the  community 
where  manliness  and  morality  were  valued,  and 
his  training  in  those  matters  was  what  it  should 
have  been,  as  his  after  life  has  shown.  The 
common  schools  gave  him  his  education  in  the 
fundamental  branches.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  entered  the  Wesleyan  University,  at  Delaware, 
Ohio,  where  he  spent  two  profitable  years,  and 
then,  having  decided  to  adopt  the  practice  of 
medicine  for  his  life  work,  he  matriculated  at  the 
Eclectic  Medical  College,  of  Cincinnati,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1854.  He  at  once 
engaged  in  practice  in  that  city,  and  enjoyed 
three  years  of  success.  He  then  migrated  west- 
ward and  settled  at  Belvidere,  Boone  County, 
Illinois,  where  for  many  years  he  was  a  leading 
physician  and  did  a  large  practice. 

In  1 88 1,  on  account  of  ill  health,  caused  by 
overwork  and  the  great  amount  of  driving  inci- 
dent to  a  large  country  practice,  he  removed  to 
Chicago.  Here  his  ability  as  a  physician  was 
speedily  recognized,  and  he  was  soon  possessed  of 
a  large  practice.  In  the  year  1882,  Dr.  Burn- 
side  was  appointed  on  the  medical  staff  of  the 
homeopathic  department  of  the  Cook  County 


Hospital,  and  later  becoming  President  of  this 
body  served  in  that  capacity  for  several  years, 
and  then  terminated  his  relation  therewith  by 
resignation.  The  only  other  public  position  the 
Doctor  has  filled  is  that  of  Examining  Surgeon 
of  Pensions,  which  he  held  for  fourteen  years, 
while  residing  in  Boone  County.  During  his  in- 
cumbency of  that  position  he  examined  many 
hundreds  of  applicants  for  pensions  and  never 
had  one  returned  for  re-examination. 

Dr.  Burnside  married  Mary  Ann  Leslie, 
daughter  of  John  Leslie,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in 
1854.  One  son  was  born  to  them  in  1857,  John 
I,.  Burnside,  for  many  years  connected  with  the 
firm  of  King  Bros.,  furnishing  goods. 

Dr.  Burnside  was  again  married,  October  30, 
1864,  this  time  to  Margaret  E.  Fuller,  daughter 
of  Judge  Lucius  and  Candice  (Newell)  Fuller,  of 
Belvidere,  111.,  and  sister  of  Allen  C.  Fuller,  Ad- 
jutant-General of  the  State  of  Illinois  during  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  By  this  marriage  one 
child  was  born,  Vincent  Wallace,  who  is  connect- 
ed in  business  with  the  National  Printing  and 
Engraving  Company. 

Dr.  Burnside  became  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order  in  1856,  and  has  repeatedly  held  the  posi- 
tions of  Master  of  the  Blue  Lodge,  and  High 
Priest  of  the  Chapter,  having  been  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason  since  April  29,  1869.  He  has 
been  a  life- long  Republican,  but  has  never  been 
active  in  politics,  nor  held  a  political  office.  In 
1857  he  became  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Homeo- 
pathic Medical  Association,  and  twenty-five  years 
ago  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy. 
As  has  been  said  above,  Dr.  Burnside  has  never 
sought  office  or  political  preferment.  His  life  has 
been  devoted  to  the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a 
physician  to  his  fellowmen,  and  in  this  he  has 
been  successful,  and  in  his  success  he  has  been 
charitable,  as  is  attested  by  thousands  of  uncol- 
lected  bills  for  medical  attendance  upon  the  poor 
and  distressed.  His  life  shows  him  to  be  a  credit 
to  the  illustrious  family  from  which  he  springs, 
and  to  his  kinsman,  the  'ate  Gen.  Ambrose  E. 
Burnside. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

I:::VERSITY  OF 


JOHN   A.  HITCHINGS 


MRS.  J.  A.  HUTCHINGS. 


OF  THE 
UiVtSSITY  OF 


J.  A.  HUTCHINGS. 


207 


JOHN  A.  HUTCHINGS. 


(TOHN  ALEXANDER  HUTCHINGS,  of  Oak 
I  Glen,  is  numbered  among  the  boys  in  blue 
Q)  who  during  the  late  war  valiantly  aided  in 
the  defense  of  the  Union.  He  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  loyal  and  patriotic  citizens  of  this 
community,  as  well  as  one  of  the  leading  business 
men.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  he 
has  been  prominently  connected  with  the  com- 
mercial interests  of  this  place  and  is  now  success- 
fully engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  tile. 

Mr.  Hutchings  is  a  native  of  Somerset,  Eng- 
land, born  March  14,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
Young  and  Sarah  Jane  (Linden)  Hutchings. 
His  father  was  born  in  Somerset,  in  the  year 
1809,  and  was  a  wheelwright  by  trade.  His  moth- 
er was  born  January  18,  1801,  at  Bridgewater, 
London,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Linden,  a 
sea-captain.  In  1838  James  Y.  Hutchings,  leav- 
ing his  family  behind  him,  sailed  from  the  land 
of  his  birth  to  the  New  World,  and  after  a  voyage 
of  one  month  found  himself  on  American  soil. 
He  landed  at  New  York,  and  after  looking  about 
him  for  a  time  was  so  well  pleased  with  the 
country  that  he  sent  for  his  family,  who  joined  him 
the  following  year.  In  1843,  he  followed  the  ' '  Star 
of  Empire' '  westward  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
Northfield  Township,  Cook  County,  Illinois. 
The  journey  was  made  by  canal  to  Buffalo  and 
thence  to  Chicago  by  way  of  the  Lakes.  Shortly 
before  reaching  their  destination  they  encountered 
a  heavy  gale,  which  drove  them  back  to  Mackinaw 
and  made  the  time  of  their  trip  one  month.  In  1847 
Mr.  Hutchings  purchased  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty acres  of  land,  for  which  he  paid  $7.50  per  acre. 
A  few  years  afterwards  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  Railroad  Company  was  induced  to 
build  its  depot  at  Oak  Glen  on  the  Hutchings 


farm,  and  this  land  was  subdivided  and  a  part  of 
the  village  has  been  built  thereon. 

Our  subject  is  the  fourth  in  the  family  of  six 
children.  The  eldest  daughter  died  in  infancy. 
Henry  Joseph  is  a  miller  living  in  Oak  Glen. 
Frederick  James  is  now  deceased.  John  A.  is  the 
next  younger.  William  L.  is  a  farmer  of  Oak 
Glen.  Sarah  Jane  is  the  wife  of  E.  F.  Conner,  of 
Albert  Lea,  Minnesota. 

It  was  during  the  infancy  of  John  A.  Hutch- 
ings that  he  was  brought  by  his  mother  to  Amer- 
ica, and  upon  the  old  home  farm  in  Northfield 
Township  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth 
were  passed.  On  the  3d  of  August,  1861,  when 
rebellion  threatened  the  destruction  of  the  Union, 
he  volunteered  his  services  in  defense  of  his  coun- 
try, and  was  assigned  to  Company  F,  Thirty- 
ninth  Illinois  Infantry — the  celebrated  ' '  Yates 
Phalanx."  His  captain  was  Amasa  Kennicott, 
and  he  was  under  Cols.  O.  L.  Light,  Thomas 
O.  Osborn  and  O.  L-  Mann.  He  faithfully  and 
valiantly  served  until  November  28,  1865,  when, 
the  war  having  ended,  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. At  Weir  Bottom  Church,  Virginia,  he 
was  twice  wounded  in  one  minute.  On  all  nation- 
al holidays  he  demonstrates  his  love  for  ' '  Old 
Glory  "  and  the  nation  he  defended  by  unfurling 
to  the  breezes  the  largest  flag  in  Northfield  Town- 
ship. 

On  the  gth  of  December,  1869,  Mr.  Hutchings 
was  married  to  Miss  Amelia  J.  Whitney,  who 
was  born  at  Diamond  Lake,  Lake  County,  Illi- 
nois, March  17,  1852.  Mrs.  Hutchings  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  David  Bagley  and  Elizabeth  (Hicks)  Whit- 
ney. Mr.  Whitney  was  born  in  Topsham,  Orange 
County,  Vermont,  October  i,  1810,  but  most  of 
his  boyhood  was  spent  in  Dalton,  Coos  County, 


208 


JOHN  JENKINS. 


New  Hampshire,  where  his  ancestors  had  lived 
for  several  generations  and  where  some  of  their 
descendants  still  reside.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Andrews.  Her  family  were  early  set- 
tlers of  Orange  County,  Vermont. 

In  1835,  Mr.  Whitney  came  to  Illinois,  first  lo- 
cating at  Joliet.  A  few  years  later  he  removed 
to  Lake  County,  Illinois,  becoming  one  of  the 
first  settlers  of  that  county,  where  he  owned  a 
valuable  farm.  His  death  occurred  March  26, 
1886. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Whitney  was  born  in  England, 
and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  when  sev- 
enteen years  of  age.  Her  father,  John  Hicks, 
was  an  early  settler  at  Joliet,  but  afterwards  re- 
moved to  .I,ake  County,  Illinois,  where  the  bal- 
ance of  his  days  were  spent.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Whitney  died  at  Diamond  Lake,  Illinois,  Janu- 
ary 31,  1856. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hutchings  have  three  children: 
Oliver  A.,  who  was  born  September  29,  1870, 
and  is  a  live-stock  dealer  of  Kansas;  Elsie  Ada, 
who  was  born  May  8,  1875,  and  is  the  wife  of 
Philip  A.  Kennicott,  a  promising  young  phy- 


sician, who  is  practicing  his  chosen  profession  in 
Oak  Glen;  and  Lillian  Minerva,  who  was  born 
November  14,  1884,  and  is  yet  with  her  parents. 
Mr.  Hutchings  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  of  Oak  Glen.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican  until  the  organization 
of  the  Prohibition  party,  when  he  joined  its  ranks. 
Socially  he  is  a  member  of  Vesuvius  Lodge,  A. 
F.  &  A.  M.,  at  Wheeling. 

In  his  business  dealings  Mr.  Hutchings  has  met 
with  success.  For  ten  years  he  was  an  engineer, 
and  in  1866  he  and  his  brothers  put  into  a  grist 
and  saw  mill  the  first  steam  power  in  Northfield 
Township.  For  eleven  years  he  was  a  success- 
ful grocer,  and  is  now  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  tile.  This  is  one  of  the  leading  industries  of 
the  town,  and  his  constantly  increasing  business 
yields  to  him  a  good  income.  Mr.  Hutchings  is 
a  gentleman  of  more  than  ordinary  intelligence, 
and  his  friendly  and  courteous  manner  makes  him 
at  home  in  all  society  and  wins  him  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  those  with  whom  he  has  been 
brought  in  contact. 


JOHN  JENKINS. 


(JOHN  JENKINS,  who  owns  and  operates 
I  forty  acres  of  rich  and  valuable  land  on  sec- 
\~)  tion  5,  Jefferson  Township,  but  now  resides  in 
Forest  Glen,  where  he  has  recently  erected  a  beau- 
tiful home,  claims  Wales  as  the  land  of  his  birth, 
which  occurred  in  Carmarthen  County,  on  the 
8th  of  February,  1818.  His  father,  Thomas  Jen- 
kins, was  a  native  of  the  same  locality,  and  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  In  1834  he  crossed  the 
briny  deep  to  Canada,  taking  up  his  residence  in 
Huron  County.  Six  years  later  he  was  drowned 
in  the  Maitland  River. 
John  Jenkins  is  the  only  surviving  member  in 


a  family  of  five  children.  He  came  from  Canada 
to  Chicago  in  the  summer  of  1843,  and  worked  in 
the  city  until  the  following  winter,  when  he  went 
to  the  town  of  Jefferson,  and  was  engaged  in  tak- 
ing out  ship  timber,  being  employed  by  George 
Allen.  When  that  work  was  completed  he  bought 
of  B.  W.  Ogden  the  timber  on  a  five-acre  tract  of 
land,  and  began  chopping  cordwood  and  making 
staves.  Thus  he  made  his  start  in  life.  Saving 
his  money,  he  at  length  was  enabled  to  enter 
eighty  acres  of  Government  land  on  section  8, 
Jefferson  Township,  where  Gladstone  Park  now 
stands.  At  that  time  many  would  claim  land  to 


GEORGE  DRIGGS. 


209 


which  they  had  no  title,  and  when  Mr.  Jenkins 
secured  his  farm  he  was  warned  not  to  do  so,  be- 
ing told  that  he  would  never  live  to  enjoy  it;  but 
the  threat  did  not  terrify  him,  and  he  replied 
that  he  expected  to  improve  his  land,  and  that 
he  was  able  to  take  care  of  himself.  On  one  oc- 
casion he  was  attacked,  and  had  quite  a  scuffle 
with  one  of  the  settlers,  during  which  his  team 
got  away  from  him ;  but  he  came  off  victorious  in 
the  end,  and  his  property  was  not  wrested  from 
him.  He  can  relate  many  incidents  of  pioneer 
life,  and  was  prominently  identified  with  the  de- 
velopment of  the  community.  He  and  Mr.  Bar- 
num,  of  Chicago,  did  the  first  grading  on  Mil- 
waukee Avenue.  While  he  was  working  in  the 
timber,  a  young  man  by  the  name  of  William 
West  approached  him,  and  proposed  that  they 
together  keep  bachelors'  hall.  This  they  agreed 
to  do.  Early  next  day  Mr.  West  started  for 
Chicago  with  a  load  of  wood,  and  Mr.  Jenkins 
concluded  in  his  absence  to  clean  the  house. 
While  doing  this  he  found  a  barrel  of  cabbage 
which  he  thought  had  spoiled,  and  threw  it  into 


a  hole  and  covered  it  over,  '  'so  as  not  to  smell  the 
rotten  stuff."  When  Mr.  West  returned  he 
found  that  his  barrel  of  sauerkraut  had  been 
thrown  away,  and  was  anything  but  pleased  with 
Mr.  Jenkins  as  a  housekeeper. 

In  1883  Mr.  Jenkins  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Elizabeth  Ann  Curgenven,  daughter  of  John 
Curgenven,  a  farmer  of  Cornwall,  England. 
They  are  both  members  of  the  Congregational 
Church.  By  a  former  marriage  Mr.  Jenkins  had 
two  children:  Elizabeth,  wife  of  William  Irwin, 
a  real-estate  and  insurance  agent  of  Chicago; 
and  Thomas  W.,  who  died,  leaving  a  son,  John 
J.,  who  is  now  attending  a  business  college  in 
Chicago.  Mr.  Jenkins  resided  upon  his  farm  un- 
til 1894,  when  he  removed  to  his  beautiful  home 
in  Forest  Glen.  By  his  well-directed  efforts  in 
former  years,  he  acquired  a  handsome  compe- 
tency, which  supplies  him  with  all  the  comforts 
of  life,  and  enables  him  to  lay  aside  business 
cares,  resting  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of 
his  former  toil. 


JUDGE  GEORGE  DRIGGS. 


(JUDGE  GEORGE  DRIGGS  was  born  at 
I  Mount  Morris,  New  York,  May  18,  1846, 
Q)  and  was  a  son  of  Elias  and  Sarah  (Rowell) 
Driggs.  His  father  was  a  tinner  and  a  man  of 
moderate  means.  When  he  had  reached  the  age 
of  seven,  both  his  parents  died,  leaving  him  in 
charge  of  his  brother,  Benjamin  P.  Driggs,  who 
sent  him  to  Fairlee,  Vermont,  where  he  began 
work  on  a  farm.  There  he  remained  until  he  was 
thirteen  years  old,  performing  the  heavy,  weari- 
some labor  incident  to  New  England  farming, 
working  early  and  late  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  year,  and  attending  school  in  the  winter.  But 
he  was  a  hardy  boy  and  ambitious,  and  did  not 


allow  himself  to  be  discouraged  by  his  condition 
or  environment,  but  struggled  manfully  to  better 
his  circumstances  and  get  an  education  —  and 
succeeded. 

Mr.  Driggs  attended  Oxford  Academy,  in  New 
Hampshire,  for  some  time,  and  finally  decided  to 
give  up  farming.  With  this  end  in  view,  he  went 
to  Boston,  expecting  easily  to  obtain  a  position  in  a 
store,  but  he  found  it  a  seeming  impossibility,  and 
became  a  newsboy.  He  had  determined  to  be  in- 
dependent, and  it  was  his  ambition  to  be  a  law- 
yer. To  that  'end  he  sought  any  honorable  em- 
ployment that  seemed  to  promise  an  opportunity 
for  study  or  to  provide  the  means  for  carrying  out 


210 


GEORGE  DRIGGS. 


his  plans.  It  was  not  an  easy  thing  for  this  coun- 
try boy,  unused  to  city  ways,  to  maintain  him- 
self in  such  surroundings;  but,  with  the  energy 
that  permeated  his  whole  career,  he  did  it,  and 
did  it  well.  In  after  years,  speaking  of  that  time 
in  his  life,  he  said:  "I  did  not  make  much  money, 
but  I  had  my  eyes  opened  to  the  intensity  of  busi- 
ness competition,  and  I  think  I  learned  most  of 
the  tricks  of  the  newsboy's  trade."  His  experi- 
ence in  this  line  was  brief,  however,  lasting  only 
four  or  five  months,  after  which  the  future  jurist 
returned  to  his  home. 

Shortly  after  this  he  enlisted  for  service  in  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion,  but  his  brother  objected  to 
this  on  account  of  his  youth,  and  secured  his  re- 
lease. The  young  man  was,  however,  determined 
to  do  what  seemed  to  him  to  be  his  duty  to  his 
country,  and  it  was  with  a  great  deal  of  difficulty 
that  the  brother  got  him  away  from  the  United 
States  authorities  after  a  second  enlistment.  In 
after  life  Judge  Driggs  manifested  in  many  ways 
the  same  spirit  of  patriotism,  and  was  the  warm 
friend  of  the  veteran  soldier  and  advocate  of  his 
claims  to  recognition  on  the  part  of  the  country. 
In  consideration  of  these  facts  he  was  made  an 
honorary  member  of  the  Union  Veterans'  League 
of  Chicago.  For  a  while  he  acted  as  clerk  in  a 
village  store,  but  in  1865  he  met  the  present  Sen- 
ator from  Vermont,  Justin  S.  Morrill,  and  through 
him  secured  a  position  in  the  treasury  at  Wash- 
ington, with  a  view  to  the  opportunity  for  study 
which  that  connection  offered,  and  entered  the 
Columbia  University  Law  School. 

In  1867  Mr.  Driggs  was  graduated,  and  then 
endeavored  to  find  a  location  in  which  to  settle 
down  to  his  legal  work;  but  neither  New  York 
nor  Washington  suited  him,  and  he  started  west. 
Columbus,  Ohio,  proved  attractive  to  him,  and  in 
1871  he  made  that  place  his  home.  Judge  J.  R. 
Swan,  a  distinguished  jurist,  took  the  young  law- 
yer into  his  office,  and  all  went  favorably  from 
that  time  forward.  A  short  time  later  he  entered 
the  office  of  Hugh  J.  Jewett,  President  of  the 
"Panhandle"  Railroad,  and  later  President  of  the 
"Erie,"  and  here  gained  a  practical  knowledge 
and  experience  in  railroad  law.  In  1876  he  went 
to  Pittsburgh,  as  assistant  counsel  of  the  Penn- 


sylvania Railroad  Company,  and  remained  there 
in  that  capacity  until  1881,  when  he  moved  to 
Chicago.  Here  he  entered  into  a  law  partnership 
with  George  Willard,  also  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  staff,  and  continued  to  act  as  solicitor 
for  that  line  until  a  short  time  before  his  eleva- 
tion to  the  Bench. 

This  connection  was  dissolved  in  1887,  when 
Mr.  Driggs  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Tenney,  Driggs  &  Coffeen.  This  association  was 
of  necessity  of  short  duration,  for  with  Judge 
Williamson's  death,  in  1888,  came  the  almost 
unanimous  demand  that  Mr.  Driggs  succeed  him 
on  the  Circuit  Bench.  His  election  was  not  op- 
posed. He  went  upon  the  Bench  immediately  on 
his  election,  and  in  June,  1890,  was  re-elected 
without  opposition  for  a  term  of  six  years,  but  in 
the  midst  of  his  bright  career  of  usefulness  he 
was  removed  by  death,  suddenly  and  unexpect- 
edly. He  died  of  quinsy,  after  an  illness  of  only 
five  days,  March  19,  1892.  His  funeral  services 
were  held  at  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Hyde  Park,  where  fifteen  hundred  persons  at- 
tended, among  them  three  hundred  and  fifty 
members  of  the  Bar  and  every  Judge  of  the  Cir- 
cuit and  Superior  Courts  and  the  jurists  upon  the 
Probate  and  County  Benches. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  1872,  George  Driggs 
and  Miss  Helen  Griffing,  of  Washington,  D.  C., 
were  married.  The  lady  was  born  in  Litchfield, 
Ohio,  and  is  a  talented  member  of  an  old  colonial 
family  of  prominence  in  Connecticut.  Her  father, 
Charles  Griffing,  was  born  in  New  London.  Her 
mother,  Josephine  Sophia  (White)  Griffing,  was 
a  direct  descendant  of  Peregrine  White,  the  first 
child  born  in  Plymouth  Colony.  Both  her  parents 
were  ardent  Abolitionists,  and  severed  their  rela- 
tions with  the  Methodist  Church  on  account  of 
their  radical  views  on  the  slavery  question.  They 
were  persons  of  much  more  than  ordinary  ability, 
and  rendered  all  possible  aid  to  the  Underground 
Railroad,  so  well  known  before  the  war.  Among 
their  friends  and  associates  were  William  Lloyd 
Garrison,  Wendell  Phillips  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Stone 
Blackwell.  Mrs.  Griffing  originated  the  idea  of 
the  Freedman's  Bureau,  and,  as  a  Government 
official,  directed  the  work  of  caring  for  the  desti- 


GEORGE  DRIGGS. 


211 


tute  negroes  who  thronged  Washington  after  the 
war,  having  her  residence  there,  and  holding  that 
position  from  1865  until  1872.  Judge  Driggsleft 
two  children,  a  son  and  daughter,  Herbert  and 
Josephine. 

What  Judge  Driggs  was,  and  the  esteem  in 
which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow-citizens,  is  best 
told  in  the  words  of  those  who  knew  him  best. 
Judge  Oliver  H.  Horton  said  of  his  late  associate: 
"He  was  my  warm  personal  friend  before  he  went 
on  the  Bench.  He  was  a  man  who  drew  others 
to  him.  He  had  a  genial  manner  and  it  was  from 
the  heart;  he  was  a  remarkably  kind-hearted 
man.  He  was  a  gentleman.  His  was  a  well- 
rounded  character.  He  was  an  able  public 
speaker.  His  presence  was  pleasing.  His  eye 
spoke  before  he  had  opened  his  mouth — there  are 
some  men  who  have  the  gift  of  conveying  an  idea 
to  an  audience  without  speaking.  He  had  a  most 
pleasing  voice  and  the  faculty  of  expressing  him- 
self in  full,  round,  felicitous  phrases.  His  death 
was  a  terrible  shock  to  all  his  associates,  and  it 
was  so  unexpected  by  his  wife  that  it  would 
hardly  have  been  a  greater  shock  if  he  had  died 
from  a  pistol  shot. ' ' 

M.  L.  Coffeen,  once  his  law  partner,  said:  "He 
was  a  thorough  trial  lawyer,  a  magnificent  pleader, 
and  a  man  who,  in  the  trial  of  a  jury  case,  exer- 
cised a  magnetic  influence.  His  instincts  were 
based  upon  microscopical  integrity  in  every  in- 
stance. He  loved  the  right,  the  true  and  the 
good  with  ardor.  He  was  by  all  means  the  most 
popular  man  we  ever  had  on  the  Bench.  In  social 
life  he  was  equally  loved  and  admired.  He  was 
constantly  sought  for  to  attend  dinners  and  ban- 
quets. He  was  a  true  admirer  of  music  and  art, 
and  a  man  of  the  finest  esthetic  sensibility.  His 
affection  for  his  family  was  tender  and  charming. 
His  geniality  was  unvarying.  Never  was  there 
a  more  approachable  man;  never  was  there  a 
kindlier  spirit.  There  was  never  a  breath  of 
suspicion  blown  upon  his  character,  for  his  face 
was  a  living  refutation  of  calumny,  of  aspersion, 
of  suspicion.  Too  often  it  is  a  fact  that  the  beauty 
of  a  man's  character  becomes  apparent  only  when 
he  lies  cold  in  death;  but  his  character  was  known 
and  loved  all  his  life. ' ' 


It  is  doubtful  if  there  was  a  more  popular  man 
in  Chicago  than  Judge  Driggs.  Pretty  nearly 
everyone  knew  him  and  everyone  liked  him.  He 
was  fond  of  the  innocent  social  pleasures  of  life, 
and  invitations  of  all  kinds  were  showered  upon 
him.  Nor  did  he  slight  the  broader,  more  seri- 
ous, things  of  life.  He  was  a  reader,  a  scholar, 
a  man  of  keen  artistic  instincts,  a  lover  of  music 
and  of  the  stage.  He  was  a  close  friend  of  Joe 
Jefferson.  Between  him  and  Robert  G.  Ingersoll 
there  was  an  unusually  warm  friendship.  Wher- 
ever the  wits  congregated,  there  was  his  pleasure. 
His  special  ties  were  warm  and  many.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Knights  Templar  and  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum.  Of  the  city  clubs,  the  Union 
Iveague,  the  Sunset,  the  Fellowship  and  the 
Forty  Club  claimed  him.  In  his  own  neighbor- 
hood the  Kenwood  Club  had  honored  him  with 
its  presidency,  and  of  the  Hyde  Park  Club  he 
was  a  valued  member.  And  yet  no  man  was 
more  attached  to  his  friends  and  to  his  family;  no 
man  had  a  more  charming  home  life.  His  home 
in  the  "East  End"  was  the  hospitable  rendezvous 
of  a  large  and  pleasant  circle  of  friends.  He  was 
a  kind  husband  and  an  indulgent  parent;  in  fact, 
he  was  much  like  an  elder  brother  of  his  son  and 
daughter.  He  was  open-handed  and  charitable, 
but  his  foresight  leaves  his  family  in  comfort. 

Judge  Driggs  was  one  of  the  readiest  of  men. 
His  wits  were  always  with  him  and  in  working 
order.  What  his  brain  conceived  his  lips  could 
always  utter,  and  the  thought  lost  nothing  in 
transmission,  It  was  this  faculty  that  made  him 
a  delightful  conversationalist,  whose  range  was  as 
wide  as  his  erudition;  a  kindly  wit,  whose  shafts 
never  hurt  the  most  sensitive;  a  raconteur  whose 
listeners  never  grew  weary;  a  toastmaster  before 
whom  dullness  and  formality  fled ;  an  after-dinner 
speaker  whose  graceful  fancy  could  redeem  whole 
programs  of  stilted  nothings;  a  campaign  orator 
whose  political  utterances  were  a  treat;  a  pleader 
whose  arguments  never  failed  to  impress  both 
court  and  jury.  But,  better  still,  his  gift  of  sil- 
ver speech  soared  higher  to  what  men — for  want 
of  a  better  word — call  eloquence.  As  a  public 
speaker,  able  to  handle  the  occasion  and  the  sub- 
ject, he  made  his  mark  by  repeated  successes.  It 


212 


T.  W.  HESUNGTON. 


is  touching  to  remember  that  his  last  public  ad- 
dress was  his  oration  at  the  annual  memorial 
services  of  the  Chicago  Bar  Association,  Decem- 
ber 27,  1891,  in  the  Auditorium,  where  a  vast 


audience  listened  to  his  eloquent  tribute  to  the 
profession  he  loved  so  well  and  so  brightly 
adorned. 


THOMAS  W.  HESUNGTON. 


'HOMAS  WIUJAM  HESUNGTON,  a 
worthy  representative  of  the  agricultural 
interests  of  Cook  County,  has  long  made 
his  home  in  this  community  and  is  familiar  with 
much  of  its  history.  He  has  the  honor  of  being  a 
native  of  the  county,  and  has  witnessed  its  growth 
from  the  time  when  the  Indians  were  frequent 
visitors  to  the  neighborhood,  and  when  the  land 
was  wild  and  unimproved.  He  has  seen  the  devel- 
opment of  homes  and  farms  and  the  rapid  growth 
of  Chicago,  and  has  ever  borne  his  part  in  the 
work  of  progress  and  advancement. 

His  father,  George  Heslington,  numbered 
among  the  honored  pioneers  of  Cook  County,  was 
born  in  Maunley,  near  Northallerton,  York- 
shire, England,  on  the  7th  of  August,  1799.  He 
married  Ann  Dewes,  a  native  of  Marton  Grafton, 
Yorkshire,  born  October  i,  1803,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  Dewes,  a  Yorkshire  farmer.  They,  be- 
came the  parents  of  the  following  children:  John, 
now  deceased;  Ann,  wife  of  William  Blann,  who 
for  eight  years  has  served  as  night  watchman  in 
the  great  store  of  A.  H.  Revell  &  Co.,  Chicago, 
and  during  all  this  time  has  never  been  absent 
from  duty  a  single  night;  Mrs.  Isabel  Langrehr; 
George,  also  deceased;  Elizabeth  Jane  Dewes, 
widow  of  George  Millen;  Margaret  Ella,  who 
lives  with  her  brother  and  manages  the  affairs  of 
the  household  with  marked  ability;  Thomas  W.; 
Mrs.  Sophia  Amelia  Jones,  now  deceased;  and 
Maria  Antoinette,  wife  of  Otto  L,inemann,  of 
Northfield  Township.  The  first  four  were  born 
in  England,  the  others  in  Cook  County,  Illinois. 


In  the  summer  of  1833,  the  parents,  accom- 
panied by  their  children,  bade  adieu  to  their  na- 
tive land  and  sailed  for  America.  They  came  at 
once  to  Illinois  and  took  up  their  residence  in 
Niles  Township,  where  the  father  secured  a  Gov- 
ernment claim,  comprising  eighty  acres  of  timber 
land  and  eighty  acres  of  prairie  land.  The  voy- 
age across  the  Atlantic  was  a  very  pleasant  one, 
and  consumed  thirteen  weeks.  The  captain  of 
the  vessel  became  a  friend  of  Mr.  Heslington,  and 
he  made  the  family  his  guests  during  the  trip. 
Mrs.  Heslington  remarked,  "It  was  thepleasant- 
est  thirteen  weeks  that  I  ever  spent. ' '  In  the 
pioneer  home  of  the  family  their  Indian  neighbors 
were  frequently  entertained,  and  as  a  return  for 
his  kindness  Mr.  Heslington  was  the  recipient  of 
many  favors  at  the  hands  of  the  red  men.  He 
continued  an  honored  and  highly-respected  citi- 
zen of  this  community  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  Northfield  Township,  March  16,  1879, 
aged  nearly  eighty  years.  His  wife  passed  away 
September  4,  1881. 

Thomas  W.  Heslington  whose  name  heads  this 
record  was  born  in  Niles  Township  October  15, 
1839,  but  has  spent  most  of  his  life  in  North- 
field  Township,  which  is  yet  his  place  of  resi- 
dence, his  household  being  presided  over  by  his 
amiable  sister,  whose  work  has  been  to  assist 
him  in  making  home  pleasant  and  prosperous. 
By  earnest  labor,  economy  and  careful  manage- 
ment they  have  accumulated  a  respectable  por- 
tion of  this  world's  goods  to  maintain  them  in 
their  declining  years.  Mr.  Heslington  cast  his 


E.  J.  WILBER. 


213 


first  Presidential  vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln,  and 
supported  the  Republican  party  until  recently, 
when  he  cast  his  vote  with  the  Prohibitionists. 
He  has  never  been  an  office-seeker,  preferring  to 


give  his  entire  time  and  attention  to  his  business 
interests.  His  deeds  of  kindness  and  charity  are 
performed  in  a  quiet,  unassuming  way,  and  his 
life  is  well  spent. 


EDWIN  JEREMIAH  WILBER. 


IT  J.  WILBER,  of  Chicago,  who  is  at  the  head 
fJ  of  the  Wilber  Mercantile  Agency,  which  is 
I  known  throughout  the  country,  was  born  in 
Dutchess  County,  N.  Y. ,  on  the  3oth  of  Decem- 
ber, 1826,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Keziah  C. 
(Dodge)  Wilber.  His  mother  was  a  daughter 
of  Dr.  Dodge,  and  was  the  eldest  of  twelve  chil- 
dren. His  father  was  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  was  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  eight 
children. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  as  a  farm- 
er, and  from  an  early  age  was  familiar  with  the 
labors  of  the  field  and  the  other  work  of  an  agri- 
culturist. His  early  education  was  acquired  in 
the  district  schools  of  the  neighborhood,  but  dur- 
ing the  winter  season,  when  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  twenty  years,  he  attended  an  acad- 
emy in  Fairfield,  N.  Y.  He  entered  upon  his 
business  career  as  a  teacher,  and  was  thus  em- 
ployed in  1848  and  1849.  In  the  latter  year  he 
went  to  California,  attracted  by  the  discovery  of 
gold  on  the  Pacific  Slope.  On  reaching  his  des- 
tination he  began  mining,  and  was  thus  engaged 
for  two  years  with  good  success.  Later  he  engaged 
in  selling  supplies  to  the  miners  for  a  year;  and 
spent  one  year  in  farming  near  Sacramento,  Cal. 
At  length  he  determined  to  return  home,  for  he 
had  been  absent  four  years.  In  February,  1 85  3 ,  he 
took  passage  on  a  steamer  at  San  Francisco.  He 
sailed  to  San  Juan  del  Sur,  Nicaragua,  and  thence 
by  way  of  Lake  Nicai  agua  and  the  San  Juan  River 
to  Grey  town,  where  he  boarded  a  steamer  bound 
for  New  York  City.  He  arrived  in  the  metropolis 


in  March,  and  then  went  to  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y., 
where  the  succeeding  twenty  years  of  his  life  were 
passed.  During  his  residence  in  that  place  he 
was  engaged  for  a  time  in  the  dry-goods  business. 
Subsequently,  he  became  connected  with  East- 
man's Business  College  as  a  teacher,  and  later 
served  as  its  principal  for  six  years.  He  then 
turned  his  attention  to  the  fire-insurance  business, 
and  also  engaged  in  the  publication  of  the  Daily 
News.  Leaving  the  East  in  1873,  he  removed  to 
Michigan,  where  he  spent  two  years,  and  in  1875 
embarked  in  an  enterprise  with  Hon.  MarkD.  Wil- 
ber, bringing  into  use  a  new  system  of  collecting 
and  reporting.  This  soon  became  known  as  the 
Wilber  Mercantile  Agency,  and  business  was  es- 
tablished in  Chicago  in  1876,  withE.  J.  Wilber  as 
Secretary  and  Manager.  Ten  years  later,  John 
D.  and  Marshall  D.  Wilber  became  stockholders, 
and  soon  after  it  was  incorporated,  with  Mark  D. 
Wilber  as  President,  E.  J.  Wilber  Secretary, 
Marshall  D.  Wilber  Treasurer,  and  John  D.  Wil- 
ber Assistant  Secretary  and  Manager  of  the  re- 
porting department.  S.  D.  King  was  made  Su- 
perintendent of  the  collection  department,  and 
John  C.  Cummings  was  made  Superintendent 
of  the  attorney  list  and  was  given  charge  of 
the  annual  and  monthly  revisions.  Great  care 
is  taken  in  the  preparation  of  these  lists  and 
revisions,  and  copies  of  the  same  are  furnished  to 
all  patrons  and  associate  attorneys.  From  the 
beginning  the  business  of  the  company  has  con- 
stantly increased,  until  it  has  now  assumed  exten- 
sive proportions,  and  the  Wilber  Mercantile 


2I4 


AUGUST  HEUCK. 


Agency  is  known  throughout  the  country.  It 
has  gained  the  confidence  of  people  everywhere, 
and  prominent  business  men  of  various  places  in- 
trust large  moneyed  interests  to  its  care. 

After  removing  to  Chicago,  Mr.  Wilber  studied 
law  in  the  Union  Law  College  and  was  graduated 
therefrom  in  1882.  He  did  this  in  order  to  better 
fit  himself  for  his  work.  Honorable  and  upright 
in  all  dealings,  his  success  has  been  won  by  a 
straightforward  career,  by  enterprise,  persever- 
ance and  well-directed  efforts.  He  is  a  man  of 


untiring  energy,  and  carries  forward  to  a  success- 
ful completion  whatever  he  undertakes.  His 
prosperity  is  certainly  well  deserved.  He  is  an 
earnest  Christian  gentleman  and  has  been  an  of- 
ficer and  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Woodlawn  since  its  organization  in  1884.  Thus 
have  we  briefly  sketched  the  life  of  a  self-made 
man,  who  by  his  own  efforts  has  steadily  worked 
his  way  upward  to  a  position  of  prominence,  and 
is  now  at  the  head  of  his  line  of  business  in  the 
country. 


AUGUST  HEUCK. 


(S\  UGUST  HEUCK,  who  is  engaged  in  black - 
J  I  smithing  in  Oak  Glen,  was  born  in  Hano- 
/  |  ver,  Germany,  on  the  loth  of  January, 1839. 
His  father,  George  Heuck,  was  born  in  Kiel, 
Holstein,  Germany,  in  1811,  and  served  as  an 
apprentice  to  the  blacksmith  and  locksmith's 
trades  in  a  machine  shop.  He  also  learned  the 
business  of  manufacturing  surgical  instruments, 
and  was  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  term  a  master 
mechanic.  The  mother  of  our  subject  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Marguerite  Oldenbuttel,  and  was 
born  in  Hanover,  in  1814.  They  were  married 
January  9,  1839,  and  by  their  union  became  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  three  sons  and  four 
daughters,  of  whom  August,  the  eldest,  and  Fred- 
erick, the  youngest,  yet  survive.  In  1857,  George 
Heuck,  accompanied  by  his  family,  boarded 
the  sailing-vessel  "Atalanta,"  bound  for  America. 
They  were  delayed  by  severe  storms  while  pass- 
ing through  the  English  Channel,  and  collided 
with  a  vessel.  They  also  ran  on  a  rock  in  the 
channel,  and  the  captain,  mate  and  five  sailors 
from  a  wreck  were  picked  up.  After  a  voyage 
of  seven  weeks,  the  "Atalanta"  dropped  anchor 
in  the  harbor  of  New  York  and  they  landed  at 
Castle  Garden.  From  New  York  they  made  their 


way  to  Albany,  and  thence  by  rail  to  Chicago. 
For  two  or  three  years  the  father  rented  land  in 
Northfield  Township,  and  then  purchased  an  acre 
of  ground,  on  which  he  built  a  dwelling  and 
blacksmith  shop.  For  some  years  he  there  car- 
ried on  business  in  his  own  interest.  He  died 
January  5,  1881. 

August  Heuck,  whose  name  heads  this  record, 
began  learning  the  blacksmith's  trade  with  his 
father  when  a  youth  of  nine  summers.  He  also 
attended  school  during  a  portion  of  the  time,  and 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  had  acquired  a  good  practi- 
cal education.  With  the  family  he  came  to 
America,  and  has  since  made  his  home  in  Cook 
County. 

On  the  25th  of  June,  1868,  was  celebrated  the 
marriage  of  August  Heuck  and  Miss  Wilhelmina, 
daughter  of  Lorenzo  Heick.  She  was  born  April 
17,  1848,  in  Kiel,  Holstein,  Germany,  and  emi- 
grated to  America  in  1867.  Their  surviving 
children  are:  August,  born  March  20,  1872; 
Henry,  September  14,  1873;  and  Johanna,  No- 
vember 25,  1877. 

Mr.  Heuck  and  his  family  are  all  members  of 
the  Lutheran  Church.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  has  always  been  a  zealous  and  active 


NOAH  B.  BACON. 


215 


adherent  of  that  party  since  casting  his  first  Pres- 
idential vote  for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  still  works 
at  his  trade  and  is  also  interested  in  farming.  He 
owns  the  acre  of  land  which  his  father  first  pur- 
chased, and  has  by  industry  and  energy  added  to 
this  until  he  is  now  the  possessor  of  ninety-three 
acres  of  well-improved  land,  and  some  Evanston 
property,  besides  his  pleasant  home  in  Oak  Glen, 


built  in  1877,  which  is  surrounded  by  fruit  and 
ornamental  shrubbery  planted  by  himself. 

Gerhardt  Oldenbuttel,  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Mar- 
guerite Heuck,  still  resides  with  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  He 
came  to  America  in  1840,  landing  at  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  and  has  since  traveled  extens- 
ively in  the  United  States. 


NOAH 


BACON. 


E)OAH  BROCKWAY  BACON,  one  of  the  few 
|  /  men  now  living,  with  clear  memories,  who 
1 1^  were  born  in  the  eighteenth  century,  is  an 
example  of  the  benefits  of  temperance  and  right- 
eous living.  When  near  the  close  of  his  ninety- 
fifth  year,  he  wrote  the  following,  at  the  request 
of  the  editor  of  this  volume: 

"I  know  very  little  of  my  ancestors.  My  father 
moved  to  the  State  of  New  York  soon  after  his 
marriage,  leaving  all  of  his  relatives  in  the  East- 
ern States.  He  was  a  son  of  Ebeneezer  Bacon, 
of  Massachusetts.  When  a  boy  of  sixteen  years, 
he  and  two  older  brothers  enlisted  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  One  brother  died  in  the  army 
and  the  other  lost  his  right  arm.  My  father 
served  seven  years,  without  a  day's  relief,  and 
was  honorably  discharged,  a  sound,  strong  man 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  pounds'  weight,  and 
paid  off  in  Continental  money,  of  which  it  would 
take  $5,000  to  buy  a  pair  of  top  boots.  I  have 
heard  my  father  say  it  would  take  $150  to  buy  a 
dinner. 

'  'Some  four  years  after  the  war  my  father  married 
Ruth  Brockway,  a  Connecticut  school  teacher, 
and  moved  west  to  the  State  of  New  York.  The 
result  of  their  marriage  was  five  sons  and  two 
daughters.  The  youngest  son  died  in  infancy. 
Their  names  were  Olive,  Elijah,  Noah  B.,  Tru- 
man Norton,  Joseph  Franklin,  Ruth  Anna  and 


Timothy.  Six  lived  to  marry  and  rear  families. 
My  brothers  and  sisters  have  all  passed  on  to  the 
spirit  life,  and  I  am  the  only  representative  of  my 
father's  family.  My  health  is  good  for  one  of 
my  years. 

"I  was  born  on  the  igth  of  December,  1799,  and 
am  this  day  ninety-four  years,  seven  months  and 
twenty-two  days  old,  and  I  write  this  history  from 
memory,  and  without  spectacles,  in  this  cloudy, 
dark  day,  August  10,  1894.  My  cup  of  life  has 
been  mixed  with  joy  and  grief.  Our  sorrows  last 
for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the  morning.  My 
history  is  peculiar  to  myself — perhaps  of  little 
interest  to  others.  I  have  been  told  that  my 
brother,  Joseph  F.  Bacon,  who  died  in  Milwau- 
kee, Wisconsin,  February  5,  1892,  traced  the  line 
of  our  ancestors  back  to  Lord  Bacon.  I  never 
had  time  for  such  work.  Lord  Bacon  was  what 
he  was  in  his  time,  and  I  am  what  I  am  in  my 
day.  Character,  not  genealogy,  is  what  makes 
the  man  of  to-day  famous  or  infamous.  Vice 
may  be  dandled  in  the  lap  of  wealth  and  fame, 
while  virtue,  in  obscurity,  struggles  with  the  iron 
hand  of  poverty,  and  unknown  in  the  annals  of 
the  world's  history.  Yet  virtue  carries  her  re- 
ward with  her,  and  sometimes  it  is  an  open  reward. 
Many  years  of  experience  have  taught  me  to  re- 
gard everyone  according  to  his  virtue,  from  the 
king  on  his  throne  to  the  beggar  in  the  street.  I 


NOAH  B.  BACON. 


have  living  twenty-five  grandchildren,  forty-three 
great-grandchildren  and  three  great-great-grand- 
children. Nine  grandchildren  have  died  and  two 
great-grandchildren  have  died.  Three  of  my 
daughters  have  died,  and  I  have  five  sons  and 
one  daughter  living. ' ' 

Elijah  Bacon,  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  1765  (probably  at  Dedham, 
Massachusetts),  and  reached  the  age  of  ninety-six 
years.  His  wife  lived  to  be  ninety  years  old. 
They  were  faithful  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  engaged  chiefly  in  agriculture. 

Noah  B.  Bacon  was  born  in  Westmoreland, 
Ontario  County,  New  York,  and  had  a  limited 
common-school  education.  He  has  been  observ- 
ant and  studious  and  has  secured  a  valuable 
practical  education.  As  shown  in  the  extract 
preceding,  he  has  sound,  practical  views  of  life. 
After  spending  some  years  in  carrying  mail — first 
on  horseback,  then  on  a  stage  line — through  the 
wilds  of  southern  New  York  and  northern  Penn- 
sylvania, in  the  employ  of  Stephen  B.  Leonard, 
Mr.  Bacon  took  a  sub-contract  from  Mr.  Leonard 
to  carry  the  mail  (in  connection  with  which  he 
operated  a  stage  line)  between  Bath.  Steuben 
County,  New  York,  and  Elmira,  Tioga  County, 
in  the  same  State,  which  he  faithfully  carried  out, 
but  without  financial  gain.  Farming  has  been  his 
main  occupation  in  life.  For  about  fifteen  years 
he  operated  a  linseed-oil  mill  at  Bath,  New  York, 
during  part  of  the  year. 

In  1843  he  moved  to  Mukwanago  (then  Mil- 
waukee) County,  Wisconsin,  where  he  rented'land 
four  years.  He  then  removed  to  La  Grange,  Wai- 
worth  County,  in  the  same  State,  and  combined 
farming  with  the  operation  of  a  blacksmith  shop, 
in  partnership  with  his  eldest  son.  Here  he  im- 
proved his  financial  condition  and  established  a 
reputation  for  rectitude,  to  which  the  writer  of 
these  lines  cheerfully  testifies  from  personal 
knowledge.  In  1856  he  went  to  Easton,  Adams 
County,  Wisconsin,  where  he  purchased  wild  land 
and  improved  it  successfully.  Here,  in  1875,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-seven  years,  his  faithful  help- 
mate was  taken  away  by  death,  and  he  soon  after 
retired  from  active  life.  On  the  evening  of  the 
first  day  of  the  year  1821,  in  Bath,  Steuben 


County,  New  York,  Mr.  Bacon  was  wedded  to 
Miss  Charlotte  York.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Stephen  and  Amy  (Franklin)  York,  and  was 
born  in  Canandaigua,  Ontario  County,  New  York, 
being  one  of  a  family  of  three  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters. Stephen  York  was  of  Dutch  descent.  Amy 
Franklin  was  a  daughter  of  Roswell  P.  Franklin, 
a  near  relative  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  the  Amer- 
ican sage.  Five  sons  and  four  daughters  were 
given  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bacon,  named  in  order  of 
birth:  Mary  Ann,  Joseph  Franklin,  Ruth  Amy, 
George  Brockway,  Huldah  Emmarilla,  Elijah 
Fremont,  Jeremiah  D.,  David  Noah  and  Char- 
lotte Amanda.  Joseph  Franklin  resides  in  Por- 
tage City,  Wisconsin,  and  has  four  living  children  ; 
George  Brockway  has  two  children  and  resides  in 
Des  Moines,  Iowa;  Elijah  Fremont,  also  of  Des 
Moines,  has  eight  children;  Jeremiah  D.  makes 
his  home  in  Chicago;  David  N.  resides  in  Point 
Bluff,  Wisconsin;  Mrs.  Mahlon  Dewing,  a  widow, 
resides  in  Winfred,  South  Dakota.  Her  husband 
served  for  four  years  in  the  Eleventh  Wisconsin 
Regiment  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion.  The 
second  daughter  was  buried  in  Bath,  Steuben 
County,  New  York;  the  third  in  Mukwanago, 
Wisconsin;  and  the  eldest  in  White  Creek,  Wis- 
consin. 

Mr.  Bacon,  though  now  so  well  advanced  in 
years,  is  remarkably  well  preserved.  His  health 
is  good,  his  step  firm  and  elastic,  and  his  eyesight 
and  hearing  are  very  slightly  impaired.  He  pos- 
sesses considerable  literary  ability,  and  it  has  been 
his  custom  for  several  years  to  compose  a  poem 
on  his  birthday.  He  also  corresponds  regularly 
with  several  friends  and  writes  daily  in  a  diary. 
Until  his  retirement  his  life  was  a  very  busy  one, 
and  he  is  now  spending  his  declining  years  in  a 
well-earned  rest.  In  pleasant  weather  he  accom- 
panies his  grandchildren  through  the  busy  por- 
tions of  the  city,  and  during  1893  he  several 
times  visited  the  World's  Fair,  which  he  enjoyed 
greatly.  His  excellent  health  is  undoubtedly  due 
in  a  large  measure  to  his  abstinence  from  intoxi- 
cating liquors.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Univer- 
salist,  and  has  acted  with  the  Republican  Party 
since  its  organization — "pledged  to  truth  and  the 
public  good:  God  first  and  my  country  next." 


JOHN  M.  MATHIS. 


217 


While  in  Chicago  Mr.  Bacon  resides  with  his 
son,  Jeremiah  D.,  who  was  born  March  23,  1832, 
in  Bath,  Steuben  County,  New  York.  He  at- 
tended school  at  that  place  and  completed  his 
education  in  Wisconsin.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  began  to  learn  the  blacksmith's  trade  with  his 
brother,  Joseph  Franklin,  with  whom  he  worked 
(at  La  Grange,  Wisconsin)  four  years,  after 
which  he  carried  on  mercantile  pursuits  in  con- 
nection with  another  brother  at  White  Creek, 
Wisconsin.  They  built  a  flouring-mill  and  car- 
ried on  business  along  that  line  until  the  spring 
of  1865,  at  which  time  Jeremiah  Bacon  went  to 
Hannibal,  Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  for  one  year.  He  then,  with 
others,  organized  an  insurance  company,  with 
which  he  was  connected  for  four  years,  when  he 
returned  to  the  grocery  business,  carrying  on 
trade  until  1876.  On  his  removal  to  Chicago,  in 
the  Centennial  year,  he  embarked  in  the  com- 
mission business  on  South  Water  Street,  being 


thus  engaged  for  two  years,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Rosenbaum  Bros.  He  severed  his 
connection  with  that  firm  to  engage  in  the  grain 
business,  and  subsequently  entered  the  employ  of 
Rogers  Bros. ,  grain  receivers,  and  his  next  ven- 
ture was  in  the  real-estate  business,  which  he  yet 
carries  on. 

Jeremiah  Bacon  has  been  twice  married.  He 
first  wedded  Bianca  A.  Walworth,  and  afterward 
Susan  E.  Lanphear.  His  children  are:  Hattie 
B.,  wife  of  C.  L.  Thayer,  of  Chicago,  by  whom 
she  has  one  child,  Charles  L,.;  Mary  C.,  a  teacher 
in  the  Kershaw  School  of  Chicago;  Lulu  S.,  at 
home;  Anna  L-,  wife  of  W.  C.  Allen,  of  Chicago, 
by  whom  she  has  two  children;  and  Henrietta  L., 
wife  of  E.  G.  Colburn,  a  druggist  of  this  city. 
In  his  political  views  Mr.  Bacon  is  a  Democrat, 
and  is  a  well-informed  man,  who  keeps  abreast 
with  the  times  on  all  questions  of  the  day.  A 
courteous,  genial  gentleman,  those  who  know 
him  esteem  him  highly  for  his  sterling  worth. 


JOHN  M  MATHIS. 


(lOHN  MICHAEL  MATHIS  resides  on  sec- 
I  tion  31,  Niles  Township,  Cook  County.  The 
O  men  who  start  out  in  life  without  capital  and 
work  their  way  upward  unaided,  depending  en- 
tirely on  their  own  resources,  deserve  great  credit 
for  their  success.  Such  a  man  is  our  subject. 
He  was  the  eldest  of  five  children  and  was  born 
on  the  i  gth  of  May,  1819.  His  ancestors  were 
stalwart  men,  prominent  in  the  military  service  of 
France.  His  father,  John  Michael  Mathis,  Sr. , 
who  lived  to  see  his  eighty-fourth  year,  was  a  sol- 
dier under  Napoleon  and  witnessed  the  fall  of  the 
"Great  Commander. ' '  His  mother,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Barbara  Myer,  was  a  daughter 
of  Casper  Myer,  a  blacksmith.  All  were  natives 
of  Alsace,  Germany,  then  a  part  of  France. 


Mr.  Mathis  whose  name  heads  this  record  en- 
listed in  the  French  army  in  1840,  and  after  six 
years'  service  was  honorably  discharged,  on  the 
a6th  of  November,  1846.  While  in  the  army  he 
excelled  in  all  the  athletic  sports  that  so  much 
interest  men  during  soldier-life,  and  in  a  contest 
received  the  prize — a  gold  watch — for  being  the 
"best  man"  in  the  regiment.  He  was  thirty 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  emigration  to  Amer- 
ica. In  1849,  he  crossed  the  briny  deep  and  took 
up  his  residence  in  Lake  County,  Illinois,  near 
the  Cook  County  line.  After  a  few  years  he  re- 
moved to  Arlington  Heights,  in  this  county, where 
he  made  his  home  for  a  period  of  twelve  years. 
He  then  went  to  Mobile,  Alabama,  where  he 
spent  two  years  engaged  in  hunting  and  fishing. 


218 


J.  A.  BOLLMANN. 


While  engaged  in  the  latter  pursuit  his  only  com- 
petitors were  the  Spanish  fishermen,  who  were 
not  adepts  in  inveigling  the  finny  tribe.  His 
superior  ability  in  this  line  made  the  business 
quite  profitable,  he  often  catching  fish  to  the  value 
of  about  $30  in  two  or  three  hours.  In  the  spring 
of  1867  he  came  to  the  village  of  Niles  and  em- 
barked in  the  hotel  and  saloon  business,  which  for 
seventeen  years  proved  to  be  very  remunerative. 
In  1884,  having  acquired  a  handsome  compe- 
tency, he  retired  to  private  life,  and  is  now  living 
in  a  substantial  two-story  residence,  in  a  very  de- 
sirable part  of  the  town,  enjoying  the  rest  which 
he  has  so  truly  earned  and  richly  deserves. 

In   1856,  Mr.  Mathis  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Lena  Deabolt,  a  native  of  Alsace.  Her 


death  occurred  in  1884.  Two  of  the  nephews  of 
our  subject,  William  and  Jacob,  sons  of  his 
brother  Jacob,  of  Alsace,  are  living  with  him. 
Jacob  Mathis,  Jr.,  married  Miss  Lena  Laesser, 
and  they  have  two  children,  Bertha  and  Lena. 

Mr.  Mathis  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  and  in  his  political  affiliation  is  a  Demo- 
crat, but  has  never  had  time  or  inclination  for 
public  office.  His  first  Presidential  vote  was  cast 
for  Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has  lived  a  quiet  and 
unassuming  life.  Being  at  a  very  early  age 
thrown  upon  his  own  resources,  he  had  few  ad- 
vantages, educational  or  otherwise,  and  his  success 
has  been  achieved  by  earnest  efforts  and  good 
management. 


REV.  JOSEPH  A.  BOLLMANN. 


REV.  JOSEPH  A.  BOLLMANN,  of  Sag 
Bridge,  is  a  native  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
was  born  on  the  yth  of  December,  1854. 
His  father,  Frederick  Bollmann,  was  a  goldsmith, 
born  near  Osnaburg,  Germany,  and  came  to 
America  in  1840.  Nine  years  later,  in  1849,  he 
married  Miss  Lena  Dahme,  a  native  of  Muenster, 
Germany,  who  emigrated  to  the  United  States  in 
1842.  By  this  union  were  born  two  children, 
the  younger  of  whom  is  our  subject.  His  first 
year's  education  was  obtained  in  the  public  schools 
of  Springfield,  Ohio,  after  which  he  attended  the 
high  school  of  the  same  city.  He  studied  the 
classics  in  Mount  St.  Mary's,  in  Cincinnati,  and 
after  completing  the  prescribed  course  entered  the 
school  of  St.  Viateur  at  Kankakee,  where  he  took 
the  theological  course,  being  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1880.  He  was  ordained  on  the  iyth 
of  June  of  the  same  year  by  Bishop  Spalding,  of 
Peoria,  111.  During  the  last  two  years  of  his 


course  he  was  a  teacher  of  Latin  and  Greek  in 
the  college. 

Rev.  Mr.  Bollmann's  first  pastoral  work  was  as 
assistant  to  Father  Barrett, of  St.  Stephen's  Church 
of  Chicago,  where  he  spent  three  months,  and 
then  he  went  to  Lemont  as  assistant  priest  to  Rev. 
J.  E.  Hogan,  of  St.  Patrick's  Church,  thus  serv- 
ing for  two  years.  In  1882  he  was  made  priest 
in  charge  of  St.  James'  Church  at  Sag  Bridge, 
being  the  first  resident  pastor  at  that  place.  There 
he  built  the  parochial  residence,  enlarged  the 
church  edifice,  and  built  a  steeple  to  it.  This 
church  is  of  stone,  beautifully  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  natural  forest,  on  the  summit  of  a  hill, 
commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  country  around. 
Here  Father  Bollmann  has  passed  twelve  years 
in  the  midst  of  a  community  of  farmers.  Al- 
though he  has  been  offered  the  pastorate  of 
wealthy  city  churches  in  Chicago,  he  prefers  to 
remain  where  he  can  live  close  to  nature,  of  which 


WILLIAM  NETTSTRAETER. 


219 


he  is  a  great  lover.  His  leisure  time  he  spends 
in  reading  the  classics,  of  which  he  is  very  fond, 
in  fishing,  hunting,  and  in  studying  the  things 
of  nature,  which  are  always  interesting  to  a  man 
of  his  education  and  bent  of  mind.  Genial  and 
kindly  by  nature,  with  an  eye  single  to  the  ad- 


vancement of  his  parishioners  in  material  as  well  as 
spiritual  matters,  Rev.  Mr.  Bollmann  fills  a  place 
in  which  he  finds  pleasure  and  success  and  enjoys 
the  profound  respect  and  regard  of  those  of  his 
own  church  over  whom  he  has  charge,  and  those 
of  other  denominations  as  well. 


WILLIAM  NETTSTRAETER. 


REV.  WILLIAM  NETSTRAETER,  pastor  of 
St.  Joseph's  Catholic  Church  at  Wilmette,  is 
a  native  of  Prussia,  his   birth   having   oc- 
curred in  that  country  at  Meschede,  on  the  ist  of 
January,    1843.      His   parents   were   Frank  and 
Josephine  Frances  (Sels)  Netstraeter.  The  former 
came  to  America  in  1867  and  spent  his  remain- 
ing days  in  this  country.     The  mother  died  when 
her  son   William  was  a  lad  of  only  about  eight 
summers. 

The  primary  education  of  Father  Netstraeter 
was  obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
town,  and  subsequently  at  the  college  of  Arns- 
berg,  from  which  he  was  graduated  at  the  age  of 
twenty  years.  He  then  entered  the  University  of 
Muenster  to  prepare  for  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
Here  he  studied  for  a  period  of  two  years,  and 
then  went  to  Paderborn  to  continue  his  studies, 
until  the  year  1867,  which  witnessed  his  emigra- 
tion to  America,  whither  he  had  been  called  by 
the  president  of  St.  Francis'  Seminary  of  Milwau- 
kee. There  he  completed  his  theological  studies, 
and  entered  the  ministry  in  September,  1867. 
His  first  appointment  was  at  Gross  Point,  Illinois, 
where  he  served  for  a  few  months  as  assistant 
pastor.  Shortly  afterwards  he  was  removed  to 
Lincoln,  Illinois,  where  he  had  charge  of  all  the 
German  Catholics  in  Logan  and  McLean  Counties. 
He  organized  congregations  in  Lincoln,  Bloom- 
ington,  Pulaski,  Atlanta  and  several  small  country 
places,  and  through  his  instrumentality  houses  of 
worship  were  erected  at  the  first  two  above-named 
towns. 


On  the  expiration  of  a  period  of  five  years, 
Father  Netstraeter  was  recalled  to  Gross  Point  to 
become  pastor  of  the  church  at  that  place,  and 
still  continues  his  ministerial  labors  there.  The 
membership  of  the  church  has  largely  increased, 
and  several  congregations  have  been  cut  off  from 
the  original  society.  During  the  first  two  years 
of  his  residence  here  he  also  had  charge  of  the 
church  at  Highland  Park.  The  congregation  at 
Wilmette  was  organized  in  December,  1845,  by 
Father  G.  H.  Plathe.  A  block  church  was  first 
built,  and  all  the  Catholics  for  thirty  miles  around 
worshipped  here.  Afterwards  a  frame  church  was 
erected,  and  in  1869  a  large  brick  edifice  was 
built  and  an  extensive  addition  was  made  in  1892. 
The  present  seating  capacity  of  the  building  is 
six  hundred,  with  standing  room  for  two  hundred 
more.  It  is  now  the  intention  to  build  within  a 
few  years  a  new  house  of  worship  and  use  the 
present  church  for  school  purposes  and  assembly 
rooms.  At  an  early  day  a  school  was  organized 
in  connection  with  the  church,  and  at  this  writ- 
ing (in  the  fall  of  1894)  about  three  hundred  and 
fifty  pupils  are  instructed  therein. 

Father  Netstraeter  is  not  only  an  able  minister, 
but  manifests  a  keen  interest  in  all  worthy  public 
enterprises  which  are  calculated  to  advance  the 
welfare  of  the  community.  He  has  taken  an 
active  interest  in  the  growth  and  development  of 
the  village  of  Wilmette,  which  has  sprung  into 
existence  during  his  residence  here.  He  served 
for  eight  years  as  Trustee  of  the  village  and  twice 
during  that  time  was  called  to  the  Presidency  of 


220 


EUGENE  BURHANS. 


the  Board.  He  platted  a  subdivision  of  the  town, 
and  owns  some  choice  property  there.  Father 
Netstraeter  is  a  deep  student,  an  able  speaker  and 
writer,  and  a  progressive  and  useful  citizen.  His 


practical  methods  and  kindly  manners  have 
greatly  endeared  him  to  the  congregation  to 
whom  he  has  ministered  for  so  many  years. 


EUGENE  BURHANS. 


IT  UGENE  BURHANS,  who  since  November 
1^  i,  1889,  has  held  the  position  of  depot  mas- 
I  ter  at  the  Chicago  station  of  the  Rock  Island 
and  I,ake  Shore  Railways,  is  a  native  of  the 
Empire  State.  He  was  born  in  Kingston,  Ulster 
County,  on  the  26th  of  March,  1851,  and  is  a  son 
of  William  P.  and  Catherine  (Folant)  Burhans. 
The  father  died  January  18,  1892,  in  Bristol, 
Indiana,  when  seventy-three  years  of  age.  He, 
too,  was  born  in  Kingston,  New  York,  and 
was  of  Holland  descent.  His  ancestors  crossed 
the  Atlantic  in  an  early  day,  settling  in  New 
York  in  the  seventeenth  century.  The  father 
was  a  shoemaker  by  trade  and  carried  on  a 
shoe  store  in  Kingston  for  many  years,  but  at 
length  disposed  of  his  business  interests  in  the 
East  and  in  1867  removed  to  Bristol,  Indiana, 
where  his  remaining  days  were  passed.  The 
mother  of  Eugene  died  during  his  infancy.  She, 
too,  was  born  in  Kingston,  where  many  of  her 
relatives  still  live.  The  Folant  family  is  also  of 
Holland  origin.  After  the  death  of  his  first  wife 
Mr.  Burhans  was  united  in  marriage  with  Mrs. 
Uretta  (Smith)  Heald,  who  is  still  living  in  Bris- 
tol, Indiana.  She  proved  to  Eugene  a  kind  and 
faithful  mother,  taking  the  place  of  the  one  whom 
he  had  lost. 

Mr.  Burhans,  whose  name  heads  this  record, 
acquired  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  town,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself.  He  began  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  confectioner,  serving  a  three-years  ap- 
prenticeship to  the  same.  At  the  age  of  seven- 
teen he  accompanied  his  parents  on  their  removal 


to  Indiana,  and  after  spending  two  years  on  the 
farm  he  resumed  work  at  his  trade  at  South  Bend. 
Subsequently  he  abandoned  that  business  and  was 
made  a  member  of  the  police  force  in  that  city, 
thus  serving  some  time. 

While  in  the  Hoosier  State  Mr.  Burhans  was 
married,  on  the  23d  of  November,  1871,  the  lady 
of  his  choice  being  Miss  Sarah  M.  Finch,  daugh- 
ter of  Hiram  Finch,  a  pioneer  of  St.  Joseph 
County,  Indiana.  She  was  born  in  New  York, 
and  died  on  the  I4th  of  December,  1882,  in  her 
twenty-ninth  year,  leaving  three  children:  Ella, 
now  the  wife  of  Iy.  A.  Babcock,  of  Chicago; 
Emma;  and  William,  who  makes  his  home  in 
Bristol,  Indiana.  Mr.  Burhans  was  again  mar- 
ried, in  November,  1888,  his  second  union  being 
with  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Boys,  a  sister  of  his  first  wife. 
She  had  one  child  by  her  former  marriage,  a 
daughter,  Maud. 

Mr.  Burhans  arrived  in  Chicago  in  September, 
1883,  and  secured  employment  in  the  repair  shops 
of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad 
Company.  He  afterwards  became  assistant  depot 
master,  and  since  the  ist  of  November,  1889,  he 
has  held  the  position  of  depot  master,  the  duties 
of  which  he  discharges  in  a  creditable  and  accept- 
able manner.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  belonging  to  the  Blue  I/)dge  of  Engle- 
wood  and  the  Chapter  of  Normal  Park.  In  poli- 
tics he  has  been  a  life-long  Republican. 

During  his  connection  with  the  railroad  inter- 
ests of  Chicago,  Mr.  Burhans  and  his  fellow-officers 
have  twice  been  confronted  by  gigantic  strikes  on 
the  part  of  organized  workmen.  In  these  emerg- 


W.  D.   GORDON. 


221 


encies  the  corporations  whom  he  serves  have  ever 
found  in  him  a  faithful  adherent  and  a  powerful 
ally,  in  every  way  worthy  of  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  him.  At  the  same  time  he  has  won  the 


respect  and  good-will  of  the  traveling  public,  who 
always  regard  him  as  a  prompt  and  accommodat- 
ing gentleman. 


WILLIAM  D.  GORDON. 


fDQlLLIAM  DENNIS  GORDON,  Auditor  of 
\  A  I  Receipts  in  the  Treasurer's  office  of  the 
VY  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  on 
the  1 5th  of  April,  1860,  and  is  a  son  of  Dennis 
and  Frances  A.  (Chandlee)  Gordon,  the  latter' s 
parents  being  natives  of  Baltimore,  Maryland. 
On  the  paternal  side  the  family  is  of  Scotch  ori- 
gin. The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Benjamin 
Gordon,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  and,  having 
emigrated  to  the  New  World,  he  engaged  in  the 
United  States  Naval  Service,  under  Commodore 
Decatur.  He  took  part  in  the  expedition  to  Al- 
giers, and  during  that  trip  lost  his  life.  His  wife 
was  a  native  of  Ireland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gordon 
both  died  when  their  son  Dennis  was  a  child  of  six 
summers. 

The  latter  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  South, 
and  in  1858  started  westward,  hoping  thereby  to 
benefit  his  financial  condition.  He  took  up  his 
residence  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness as  a  dealer  in  boots  and  shoes,  carrying  on 
operations  along  that  line  until  the  war  broke  out, 
when  he  enlisted  among  the  Mounted  Patrol.  He 
was  afterwards  connected  with  the  police  force  of 
the  city  until  the  war  ended.  In  1869  became  to 
Chicago  and  engaged  with  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  as  Depot  Passenger  and  Ticket  Agent. 
He  was  also  employed  in  a  similar  capacity  with 
the  Michigan  Central  Railroad,  and  to  this  work 
devoted  his  energies  until  his  death,  which  resulted 
from  accident.  During  the  severe  snow  storm 
of  February  14,  1885,  he  was  run  over  by  an  en- 
gine, and  death  resulted.  He  was  at  that  time 


sixty-seven  years  of  age.  His  wife  still  survives 
him  and  is  yet  living  in  Chicago.  She  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Lewis  and  Ann  Chandlee.  Her  mother  was 
a  Quaker,  and  died  in  Chicago  in  1874,  at  the 
very  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years. 

In  the  Gordon  family  were  nine  children,  four 
sons  and  five  daughters,  namely:  Thomas  B. ,  who 
was  accidentally  killed  on  the  Chicago,  Rock  Is- 
land &  Pacific  Railroad  in  November,  1891;  Lewis 
C. ,  who  was  accidentally  killed  on  the  same  road 
in  November,  1889,  while  serving  as  a  conductor, 
in  which  capacity  his  brother  was  also  employed  ; 
George  E.,  who  is  now  in  the  Treasurer's  office 
of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Road; 
William  D.  of  this  sketch;  Margaret;  Susan  C.; 
Nellie;  Charlotte,  wife  of  P.  F.  Webster,  of  Chi- 
cago; and  Sarah  E.,  wife  of  George  M.  Black,  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  a  child  of  nine 
years  when  his  parents  came  to  Chicago.  He  at- 
tended the  Cottage  Grove  public  school,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1877,  and  later  was  a  stu- 
dent in  the  Mosley  High  School.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  entered  upon  his  business  career  as 
city  buyer  for  A.  G.  Spaulding  &  Bros.,  the  lead- 
ing dealers  in  sporting  goods  in  the  city.  Two 
years  were  thus  passed,  after  which  he  entered 
the  Treasurer's  office  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  He  began  work 
there  in  May,  1880,  in  the  humble  capacity  of  office 
boy,  and  attained  his  present  position  by  a  series 
of  well-merited  promotions. 

On  December  31,  1889,  Mr.  Gordon  wedded 
Miss  Anna  Mary  McPherson,  daughter  of  John  W. 


222 


PETER  WOHLER. 


McPherson,  of  Shippensburg,  Pennsylvania,  in 
which  place  Mrs.  Gordon  was  born.  Their  union 
has  been  blessed  with  two  daughters,  Margaret 
McPherson  and  Dorothy  Chandlee.  The  family 
attends  the  Forty-first  Street  Presbyterian  Church. 
Mr.  Gordon  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity and  on  questions  of  State  and  National 


importance  is  a  Democrat,  but  at  local  elections, 
where  no  issue  is  involved,  he  votes  independent 
of  party  ties.  During  his  fourteen  years'  connec- 
tion with  the  office  of  which  he  is  an  important 
factor,  Mr.  Gordon  has  become  one  of  the  most 
indispensable  employes  thereof. 


PETER  WOHLER. 


F^ETER  WOHLER  is  at  the  head  of  a  leading 
yr  industry,  being  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
t$  of  sash,  doors  and  stairs  in  Chicago.  He 
was  born  in  Fehmer,  Schleswig-Holstein,  Ger- 
many, on  the  28th  of  January,  1846,  and  is  a  son 
of  Henry  and  Mary  (Kolbaum)  Wohler.  He  ac- 
quired his  education  in  the  common  schools,  and 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  entered  upon  his  business 
career.  It  was  then  that  he  began  to  learn  the 
trade  of  cabinet-making,  serving  an  apprenticeship 
of  four  and  a-half  years,  during  which  he  com- 
pletely mastered  the  business,  becoming  an  expert 
workman. 

The  year  1 866  witnessed  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Wohler  in  America.  He  sought  a  home  in  Chi- 
cago, where  he  obtained  employment  in  a  furni- 
ture factory,  and  subsequently  secured  a  situation 
in  a  sash  and  door  factory,  located  at  the  corner  of 
Clark  and  Twelfth  Streets.  Three  years  later  he 
was  offered  a  position  in  a  stair  factory  and  became 
foreman  of  the  business.  After  the  great  fire 
which  swept  away  so  much  of  the  city  in  October, 
1871,  he  established  a  factory  of  his  own  at  the 
corner  of  Centre  Avenue  and  Eighteenth  Street. 
His  place  of  business  was  subsequently  changed 
to  Twenty-first  Street,  near  Laflin,  his  present 
location,  where  he  now  manufactures  sash  and 


doors  and  does  stair  work.  He  also  carries 
011  contracting  and  building,  and  does  a  good  bus- 
iness, employment  being  furnished  to  over  one 
hundred  workmen.  Having  thoroughly  learned 
his  trade  in  boyhood,  he  is  enabled  to  turn  out 
the  finest  and  most  skillful  work  and  to  superin- 
tend his  employes  to  the  best  advantage. 

In  January,  1869,  was  celebrated  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Wohler  and  Mary  Jubekel,  a  native  of 
Holstein,  Germany.  Five  children  have  been 
born  of  their  union:  Lena,  now  the  wife  of  C. 
Shreiber,  of  Chicago;  Lucy,  Sophia,  Emma  and 
Anna.  The  mother  of  this  family,  who  was  a  de- 
vout member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  a  highly 
respected  lady,  died  on  the  iyth  of  May,  1892,  at 
the  age  of  forty-two  years. 

In  his  social  relations,  Mr.  Wohler  is  connected 
with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the 
Order  of  Druids  and  the  National  Turners.  In 
his  political  views  he  is  a  Republican,  and  cast  his 
first  Presidential  vote  for  U.  S.  Grant  in  1868.  He 
came  to  Chicago  with  no  capital  except  a  good 
trade,  thoroughly  learned,  and  his  success  is  due 
to  his  own  skill,  integrity  and  perseverance.  He 
may  truly  be  called  a  self-made  man,  and  his  ex- 
ample may  well  serve  to  encourage  those  who, 
like  himself,  have  to  start  out  in  life  empty  handed. 


OF  THE 

i..:;vEr,siTY  OF 


J.  N.  GAGE. 


223 


JOHN  N.  GAGE. 


(JOHN  NEWTON  GAGE.  The  subject  of 
I  this  sketch  was  born  in  Pelham,  New  Hamp- 
(~)  shire,  May  30,  1825,  unto  Nathan  and  Me- 
hitable  (Woodbury)  Gage.  Being  brought  up 
on  a  farm,  a  fact  which  holds  true  of  most  of  our 
leading  pioneer  citizens,  his  early  educational  ad- 
vantages were  limited  to  such  common  schools  as 
the  ubiquitous  energy  so  characteristic  of  New 
England  Puritans  and  their  descendants  had  at 
that  early  date  made  possible  at  the  scene  of  his 
nativity.  At  about  twenty  years  of  age,  he  put 
forth  his  "best  foot"  in  taking  the  first  step  upon 
his  pathway  through  life,  and  though  he  often 
found  the  way  beset  with  difficulties,  yet  he  was 
always  found  bravely  and  tirelessly  at  work,  per- 
forming his  tasks  as  a  man  and  Christian  in  the 
best  of  the  light  given  unto  him. 

His  first  independent  work  was  in  the  Waltham 
(Massachusetts)  Cotton  Company's  Mills,  where, 
in  he  later  became  overseer  in  its  weaving-room. 
After  a  period  of  eight  years  of  such  service,  mak- 
ing it  his  determination  to  come  West,  he  took 
private  evening  lessons  in  bookkeeping,  so  as  not 
to  interfere  with  the  discharge  of  his  paid  duties, 
which  he  finally  resigned  to  others  (and,  we  fain 
believe,  less  competent)  hands.  He  set  out  for 
Chicago,  the  distant  but  much-sought  El  Dorado 
of  our  country  at  that  time,  which  he  first  saw, 
spread  out  in  a  panorama  almost  as  Nature's  God 
had  made  it,  in  the  spring  of  1857. 

He  soon  met  with  co-operative  energies  in  the 
persons  of  Christopher  C.  and  Daniel  Webster, 
with  whom  he  directly  entered  into  articles 
of  partnership,  establishing  one  of  the  earliest 
wholesale  and  retail  millinery  houses  of  our  city, 
known  then  by  the  firm  style  of  Webster  &  Gage, 


their  first  place  of  business  being  located  on  Lake 
Street.  Having  the  misfortune  of  being  burned 
out  in  1857,  tnev  re-opened  at  No.  78  Lake  Street, 
where  they  continued  until  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Websters,  about  1868.  Mr.  Gage  took  into  a 
new  partnership  formed  at  that  time  a  brother, 
Seth  Gage,  and  a  nephew,  Albert  S.  Gage,  under 
the  new  name  of  Gage  Brothers  &  Company,  a 
name  retained  to  this  day  (after  a  brief  interval  of 
change  to  A.  S.  Gage  &  Company),  by  which  the 
house  has  continued  to  grow  and  remain  known 
throughout  the  entire  West  and  Northwest. 

Being  burned  out  by  the  Great  Fire,  they  set  up 
temporarily  in  A.  S.  Gage's  private  house,  until 
they  were  enabled  to  re-open  for  a  period  of  two 
months  in  a  temporary  structure  upon  the  Lake 
Front.  From  this -location  they  removed  to  Wa- 
bash  Avenue,  near  Jackson,  thence  to  the  corner 
of  Madison  Street  and  Wabash  Avenue,  where 
the  trade  still  finds  them  profitably  busy,  one  of 
the  noted  houses  of  the  city. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  sold  out  to  his  part- 
ner, A.  S.  Gage,  about  1878.  Thereafter,  though 
in  excellent  health,  he  lived  a  life  of  respected  re- 
tirement until  the  sad  event  of  his  demise  from 
blood  poisoning,  following  upon  what  seemed  to 
be  a  trivial  complaint,  June  1 1,  1887,  at  his  man- 
sion house,  No.  1308  Michigan  Avenue,  whence 
his  remains  were  borne  to  the  family  lot  in  Oak- 
wood  Cemetery. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  Directors  of  the  Wright  &  Law- 
ther  Oil  and  Lead  Manufacturing  Company  on 
this  sad  occasion: 

"WHEREAS,  Death  having  taken  from  us  our 
esteemed  fellow-member  and  Vice-President,  Mr. 


224 


J.  N.  GAGE. 


John  N.  Gage,  one  of  the  founders  of  this  com- 
pany, who  died  June  n,  1887,  it  is  hereby 

"Resolved:  That  in  the  death  of  Mr.  John  N. 
Gage  the  company  has  suffered  an  irreparable 
loss.  Appreciating,  as  we  do,  his  worth  as  a 
man,  his  careful,  just  and  conservative  business 
methods,  we  can  never  fully  fill  his  place  in  the 
Company's  affairs; 

"Resolved:  That  the  heartfelt  sympathy  of  each 
and  every  member  of  this  Board  is  felt  for  his 
family  in  their  great  loss  and  affliction;  and  that 
a  copy  of  these  Resolutions  be  sent  to  them,  and 
also  spread  upon  the  records  of  this  Company. ' ' 

In  politics  he  was  an  inflexible  Republican, 
always  casting  his  ballot,  but  as  carefully  avoid- 
ing any  approach  towards  active  politics.  In  re- 
ligious faith  he  was  liberal,  having  for  many 
years  attended  Dr.  Ryder's  church,  St.  Paul's 
Universalist,  whose  pastor  held  and  was  held  in 
mutual  esteem  from  as  far  back  as  the  early  '6os. 

And  so,  with  little  variety  or  romance,  lived 
and  died  one  of  the  sturdiest,  most  useful  of  our 
citizens.  Subsequent  generations,  with  more  lei- 
sure and  wealth,  may  develop  more  elegance  and 
refinement;  but  to  men  of  Mr.  Gage's  virile  stamp 
the  city  of  Chicago  (as  well  as  the  entire  West, 
yes,  in  truth,  all  new  countries)  owes  the  founda- 
tion stones  of  future  greatness  and  prosperity. 
Without  the  first  courses  of  masonry  there  can 
never  be  builded  high  superstructures,  with  or- 
nate, elaborate  and  admirable  dome  and  spire. 
What  Washington,  Jefferson,  the  Adamses  and 
others  were  to  the  infant  colonies,  struggling  for 
very  existence  and  recognition  as  an  independent 
nation,  such  were  Mr.  Gage  and  his  associates  to 
Chicago.  Most  of  them  are  now  gathered  to 
their  fathers,  but  their  deeds  are  immortal.  That 
Chicago  is  now  the  wonder  and  envy  of  the  world 
is  mainly  owing  to  the  persistent,  honest  efforts 
early  and  late  of  such  citizens  as  Mr.  Gage  fitly 
typifies. 

Mr.  Gage  married,  December  15,  1849,  at  the 
scene  of  his  nativity,  Miss  Martha  Webster,  by 
whom,  fortunately,  he  left  one  child,  a  son,  to 
bear  his  esteemed  name,  Fr^ank  Newton  Gage, 
who  was  born  July  24,  1853.  After  receiving  a 
good  education  in  Chicago,  he  entered  his  father's 
store,  but  later  withdrew,  and  is  at  present  an 
active  member  of  the  Stock  Exchange.  He  mar- 


ried, in  1889,  Olive  E.  Lewis,  of  this  city,  who 
has  borne  him  a  son,  John  Newton  Gage,  named 
for  his  grandfather,  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

Martha  Webster  is  a  daughter  of  Enoch  and 
Betsy  Webster  (relatives  before  marriage)  born  in 
Haverhill,  Massachusetts.  Enoch  was  a  son  of 
Caleb  Webster,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  Betsy  was 
a  daughter  of  Stephen  Webster.  Mrs.  Gage  is  thus 
related  through  both  her  parents  to  the  greatest 
of  America's  statesmen  and  orators,  Daniel  Web- 
ster, of  Marshfield,  Massachusetts.  She  is  also 
related  to  the  famous  Mrs.  Dustin,  of  Colonial 
times.  Captured  by  Indians,  who  dashed  out 
the  brains  of  her  sleeping  babe,  she  was  marched 
miles  into  the  wilderness.  While  her  captors 
were  asleep,  she  loosened  her  fetters,  and,  having 
slain  every  colored  face  of  them,  safely  made  her 
return  home,  as  set  out  in  graphic  early  historical 
authorities.  Of  all  the  heroines  of  "good  old 
colony  times, ' '  and  there  were  thousands  of  such, 
it  has  always  appeared  that  she  was  queen  of 
them  all  by  this  single  episode. 

The  family  of  Gage  (which  is  of  Norman  ex- 
traction) derives  its  descent  from  one  De  Gaga 
(Gauga  or  Gage),  who  accompanied  William 
the  Conqueror  into  England  in  1066.  After  the 
"Conquest"  he  was  rewarded  by  a  large  grant  of 
land  in  the  forests  of  Dean,  Gloucester  County, 
adjacent  to  which  he  fixed  his  abode  and  erected 
a  family  seat  at  Clerenwell  (otherwise  Clarewell). 
He  also  built  a  large  mansion  house  in  the  town 
of  Chichester,  wherein  he  died,  and  was  buried 
in  the  neighboring  abbey.  His  posterity  re- 
mained in  the  vicinity  for  many  generations,  in 
credit  and  esteem,  of  whom  there  were  Barons  in 
Parliament  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II.  The  line 
from  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century  has 
been  traced  as  follows:  John  Gage  had  a  son, 
John  Gage,  born  1408;  married  Joan  Sudgrove. 
Their  son  was  Sir  John,  knighted  1454;  married 
Eleanor  St.  Clere;  died  September,  1486.  Will- 
iam, Esquire,  born  1456;  married  Agnes  Bolney. 
Their  son,  Sir  John,  born  1480,  knighted  May 
22,  1541;  married  Phillippa  Guilderford;  died 
April  28,  1557.  Their  eldest  son,  Sir  Edward, 
knighted  by  Queen  Mary,  married  Elizabeth 
Parker.  Their  son,  John,  Esquire  (eldest  of  nine 


E.  McK.  TEALL. 


225 


sons),  thirty  years  old  at  his  father's  death;  heir 
to  fifteen  manors  and  other  Sussex  lands.  John 
(nephew)  made  Baronet  March  26,  1622;  married 
Penelope,  widow  of  Sir  George  Trenchard;  died 
October  3,  1633. 

John  (second son),  of  Stoneham,  Suffolk  Coun- 
ty, England,  came  to  America  with  John  Win- 
throp,  Jr.,  landing  at  Salem  June  12,  1630;  in 
1633  one  of  twelve  proprietors  of  Ipswich;  wife 
Anna  died  in  June,  1658;  married  (2d)  Mary 
Keyes,  November,  1658;  moved  to  Rowley  1664.; 
held  many  responsible  offices  of  trust  and  fidelity 
in  Ipswich  and  Rowley,  in  which  latter  place  he 
died  in  1673.  Daniel  (second  son)  married 


Sarah  Kimball  in  1675;  died  November  8,  1705. 
Daniel,  born  March  12,  1676;  married  Martha 
Burbank,  March  9,  1697;  settled  on  the  banks  of 
the  Merrimac  River,  on  the  main  road  to  Me- 
thuen,  where  the  old  Gage  House,  the  oldest  in 
town,  still  stands.  Died  March  14,  1747.  Dan- 
iel (third  son),  born  April  22,  1708,  removed  to 
Pelham,  New  Hampshire;  died  September  24, 
1775.  David  (fourth  son),  born  August  9,  1750. 
Nathan  (fifth),  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  whose  son  and  grandson,  enumerated 
herein,  bring  the  record  up  to  the  extraordinary 
number  of  seventeen  consecutive  male  generations. 


EDWARD  McK.  TEALL. 


[TOWARD  McKINSTRY  TEALL.  Thede- 
1^  velopment  of  the  insurance  business  has  kept 
L_  pace  with  the  growth  of  other  commercial 
enterprises  and  has  assumed  such  magnitude  and 
variety,  and  become  so  complex  and  at  the  same 
time  so  vital  to  life  and  property,  that  it  must  now 
be  regarded  as  one  of  the  important  industries  of 
the  United  State.  The  last  few  years  have  seen 
reductions  in  the  rates  of  insurance,  and  corres- 
ponding advantages  to  property-holders,  in  Chi- 
cago, in  consequence  of  the  rapid  development  of 
the  art  of  constructing  fire-proof  buildings  and 
the  great  improvement  in  the  facilities  for  check- 
ing and  extinguishing  fires.  These  important 
changes,  which  are  still  in  progress,  require 
prompt  attention  and  action  by  the  companies 
doing  business  here,  for  competition  is  just  as 
fierce  in  this  line  of  business  as  in  any  other.  In 
fact,  the  sharp,  but  honorable,  rivalry  among  in- 
surance men  has  developed  a  number  of  experts 
in  the  business,  men  with  sufficient  mental  pene- 
tration to  foresee  the  result  of  changed  conditions, 
and  sufficient  executive  ability  to  carry  out  such 


methods  as  are  most  likely  to  secure  favorable 
results. 

Among  the  most  successful  and  systematic 
manipulators  of  this  art  is  the  gentleman  whose 
name  heads  this  notice.  His  birth  occurred  at 
Albany,  New  York,  July  27,  1839,  his  parents 
being  Edward  McKinstry  Teall  and  Eliza  Perry. 
The  founder  of  the  family  in  America  was  Oliver 
Teall,  who  came  from  England  and  settled  at 
New  Haven,  Connecticut,  about  1723.  His  fa- 
ther had  been  Apothecary  General  to  the  British 
army,  serving  under  the  Duke  of  Marlborough 
during  the  reigns  of  William  I.  and  Queen  Anne. 
Prudence,  the  wife  of  Oliver  Teall,  who  came 
with  him  to  America,  died  at  Killingsworth,  Con- 
necticut, June  24,  1780.  Oliver  Teall,  second 
son  of  this  couple,  married  Ruth  Hurd  and  set- 
tled at  Killingsworth.  He  served  as  a  Surgeon 
in  the  British  Army  during  the  French  and  In- 
dian War,  and  also  during  the  War  of  the  Amer- 
ican Revolution,  maintaining  his  loyalty  to  the 
crown  throughout  his  life.  Five  of  his  sons, 
Timothy,  Titus,  Oliver,  Joseph  and  Nathan, 


226 


E.  McK. 


served  in  the  Continental  army.  Father  and 
sons  were  mutually  antagonized  by  their  loyalty 
to  their  respective  causes,  and  never  became  rec- 
onciled. Another  son,  named  Benjamin,  having 
lost  an  eye  during  his  childhood,  was  thus  inca- 
pacitated for  military  service  and  did  not  partici- 
pate in  the  conflict. 

Oliver  Teall  (third)  was  born  in  Middletown, 
Connecticut,  January  i,  1759.  When  only  six- 
teen years  old  he  enlisted  under  General  Putnam, 
Captain  Gale's  company,  and  afterward  served 
in  Captain  Hyde's  company,  which  was  success- 
ively stationed  at  Fort  Trumbull  and  at  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island.  He  was  subsequently  as- 
signed to  Colonel  Sommers'  command  at  Ger- 
mantown,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  one  of  the 
devoted  band  which  endured  the  historic  hard- 
ships of  Valley  Forge,  where  his  brother  Titus 
died  of  smallpox.  Later  in  the  war  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  West  Point  and  on  the  Highlands.  He 
acted  as  guard  to  General  Washington  and  his 
family  while  they  attended  church.  After  peace 
came  he  married  Susan,  daughter  of  Col.  Brin- 
ton  Paine,  of  Dutchess  County,  New  York. 
They  settled  at  Upper  Hillsdale,  Columbia  Coun- 
ty, New  York,  where  he  became  a  prosperous 
farmer.  They  were  the  parents  of  twelve  chil- 
dren. His  death  occurred  at  Albany  on  the  i8th 
of  September,  1842,  aged  eighty-two  years. 

Col.  Brinton  Paine,  who  was  an  officer  of  the 
Continental  army,  was  a  descendant  of  Stephen 
.Paine,  who  came  to  Massachusetts  in  1638,  and 
became  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the  colony-, 
He  was  one  of  the  chief  contributors  to  the  pros- 
ecution of  the  Indian  wars.  His  son  Stephen 
was  present  at  the  great  swamp  fight  in  which 
King  Philip's  band  was  exterminated. 

Edward  M.  Teall,  Sr.,  was  a  son  of  Oliver 
Teall,  third.  He  became  a  prominent  merchant 
of  Albany,  and  was  also  proprietor  of  one  of  the 
first  lines  of  boats  on  the  Erie  Canal.  He  did  a 
general  forwarding  business,  and  the  Chicago 
American  of  April  9,  1839,  the  first  issue  of  a 
daily  paper  in  this  city,  contained  his  business 
advertisement.  He  was  for  many  years  influen- 
tial in  New  York  politics.  Eliza  Perry  was  born 
at  I^enox,  Massachusetts.  Her  father,  Freder- 


ick Perry,  who  was  a  son  of  a  clergyman,  was  a 
native  of  Connecticut.  He  was  a  graduate  of 
Williams  College,  and  became  a  cotton  manufac- 
turer at  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  received  his 
primary  education  in  private  schools,  and  after- 
ward became  a  student  in  the  academy  of  Albany. 
In  the  spring  of  1857  he  came  to  Chicago  and 
soon  after  secured  employment  as  a  clerk  in  the 
insurance  office  of  Higginson  &  James.  This  line 
of  business  was  then  in  its  infancy,  and  the  most 
sanguine  enthusiasm  could  not  have  foreseen  the 
extent  to  which  that  industry  would  be  developed. 
He  went  to  work  with  a  will,  and  his  fidelity, 
thoroughness  and  aptitude  soon  won  the  confi- 
dence and  good- will  of  his  employers.  In  1863  he 
became  one  of  the  partners  of  the  firm  of  Alfred 
James  &  Company,  which  continued  to  transact 
business  for  about  three  years.  Their  place  of 
business  was  at  the  southeast  corner  of  South 
Water  and  Clark  Streets,  which  location  was  the 
center  of  the  insurance  business  at  that  time. 
He  afterward  formed  a  partnership  with  Freder- 
ick P.  Fisher,  a  relation  which  continued  for  ten 
years,  during  one  of  the  most  important  eras  of 
the  insurance  business  in  the  West.  At  the  end 
of  that  period  the  present  firm  of  Edward  M. 
Teall  &  Company  was  formed,  Cyrus  A.  Hardy, 
a  trusted  clerk  of  the  former  firm,  being  the  jun- 
ior member.  Mr.  Teall  is  one  of  the  Directors 
of  the  Westchester  Fire  Insurance  Company  of 
New  York,  and  in  addition  to  serving  the  local 
interests  of  that  corporation  the  firm  represents 
several  leading  insurance  companies  of  other 
cities.  The  business  in  its  charge  is  conserva- 
tively and  honorably  conducted,  and  the  firm  en- 
joys the  confidence  of  the  public  and  of  under- 
writers to  a  remarkable  degree.  Mr.  Teall  is 
President  of  the  Chicago  Fire  Underwriters'  As- 
sociation, and  has  been  for  a  number  of  years. 

On  the  nth  of  June,  1862,  Mr.  Teall  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Katherine  Mead,  of  New  York  City, 
daughter  of  Isaac  H.  Mead  and  Rachel  Van  Voor- 
hees  Demorest.  Mrs.  Teall's  maternal  grand- 
father was  also  a  native  of  New  York  City,  being 
a  scion  of  a  very  old  and  well-known  family  of 
that  municipality.  Mr.  Teall  has  been  for  many 


A.  G.  BURLEY. 


227 


years  a  member  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Chicago,  in  which  he  officiates  as  Trustee  and 
Elder.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Club, 
and  Deputy  Governor  of  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  which  he  helped 
to  organize.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
Society  of  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  and 
still  preserves  the  Teall  coat-of-arms  granted  to 
the  family  by  George  I.  in  1723.  He  has  been 


often  urged  to  enter  the  arena  of  politics,  has 
been  tendered  important  nominations  by  the  Re- 
publican party,  of  which  he  is  an  active  and  dis- 
tinguished member,  but  prefers  to  devote  himself 
to  his  business,  home  and  social  duties.  For  rec- 
reation, he  and  his  wife  have  always  spent  the 
summer  at  their  beautiful  farm  and  summer  home 
in  the  Berkshire  Hills,  Stockbridge,  Massachu- 
setts. 


ARTHUR  G.  BURLEY. 


GILMAN  BURLEY.     The    year 

Hi8i2  is  a  national  epoch,  for  at  that  time 
the  United  States,  for  a  second  time  within 
the  easy  memory  of  man,  started  in  to  chastise 
the  British  Lion.  What  events  of  world-wide 
significance  have  transpired  during  those  more 
than  eighty  intervening  years  !  To  think  of  it  is 
like  a  dream:  to  have  predicted  it,  would  have  re- 
sulted in  that  day  in  an  inquirendo  de  lunico  pro- 
ceeding concerning  the  lack  of  brain  matter  in  the 
bold  transgressor  of  common  sense  who  should 
prophesy.  Two  years  later,  Robert  Fulton  was 
making  his  (the  very  first)  steamboat  trial  upon 
the  Hudson  River.  Then  came  steam  as  applied 
to  locomotives,  which  has  done  more  than  any- 
thing else  in  so  rapidly  opening  up  the  great  in- 
terior and  West  of  bur  immense  country,  where- 
as, before,  ox-carts  and  canal-boats  were  the 
most  approved  forms  of  transportation  of  chattels, 
prior  to  the  advent  of  the  "prairie  schooner," 
which  shortly  preceded  the  "Union  Pacific." 
The  telegraph,  reapers,  thousandfold  manufac- 
tories, electric  light  and  locomotion  (not  to  men- 
tion scores  of  other  wonderful  economic  and  utili- 
tarian inventions  of  more  recent  date  within  the 
present  century),  all  cry  out  that,  in  point  of 
actual  comfort  and  intelligent  means  of  effecting 


business  ends,  the  world  has  since  that  year  1812 
done  almost  more  than  had  been  done  in  the 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  years  which  had  pre- 
ceded. And  all  this  within  the  memory  of  liv- 
ing men;  yes,  within  the  memory  of  one  now  liv- 
ing in  our  midst,  who,  wonderful  to  relate,  like 
Gladstone,  an  octogenarian,  is  still  in  the  harness 
of  active  business  life.  We  who  live  in  Chicago 
know  what  that  means  in  this  day.  Honor  to 
whom  honor  is  due  ! 

Arthur  Gilman  Burley,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  the  aforesaid  year  of  1812, 
upon  the  fourth  day  of  October,  at  Exeter,  New 
Hampshire,  unto  James  and  Charlotte  I.  (Gilman) 
Burley,  his  father  being  the  Cashier  of  the  Exeter 
Bank. 

The  Burleys  are  regarded  Down  East  as  '  'good 
stock;"  that  seems  to  be  the  prevailing  opinion 
in  our  city,  from  all  that  is  thus  far  known  of 
them  in  our  midst.  The  first  by  the  name  who 
came  to  our  shores  was  Giles  Burley,  who,  with 
his  wife,  Elizabeth,  settled  at  Ipswich,  Massachu- 
setts, in  the  year  1648.  Here,  in  1664,  he  took 
the  proper  oath  and  became  a  '  'commoner. ' '  He 
was  also  a  '  'planter, ' '  and  lived  eight  years  of 
his  useful  life  upon  Brooke  Street  of  that  ancient 
town,  and  owned  "Division  Lot  No.  105,  on 


228 


A.  G.  BURLEY. 


Great  Hill,  Hogg  Island,"  in  that  vicinage.  He 
had  a  son,  Andrew  Burley,  who  was  born  at 
Ipswich,  September  5,  1657.  The  latter  married 
Mary,  a  daughter  of  the  rather  celebrated  Roger 
Conant.  Upon  the  death  of  his  father,  while  in 
childhood,  he  was  bound  out  (as  was  the  old  cus- 
tom) to  one  John  Brown.  He  was  called  in 
records  "husbandman  and  yeoman,"  and  bore  the 
rather  dignified  title  of  '  'Cornet. ' '  He  had  a  son, 
Hon.  Andrew  Burley,  who  was  born  at  Ipswich 
in  June,  1 694.  His  career  was  replete  with  hon- 
ors, including  among  others  the  positions  of  Jus- 
tice of  the  Court  of  Sessions  and  Representative 
to  the  State  Legislature  in  the  years  1741  and 
1742.  He  acquired,  and  left  intact,  a  large  es- 
tate. He  was  twice  married;  first,  to  Lydia 
Pengry,  by  whom  he  had  six  children;  secondly, 
to  Mrs.  Hannah  Burnham.  He  had  a  son,  An- 
drew Burley,  Jr.,  who  married  a  Mrs.  Hannah 
Cogswell  (a  daughter  of  his  father's  wife).  He 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1742,  and  lived 
on  Brooke  Street  in  Ipswich  (near  the  location 
of  his  first  American  progenitor) ,  upon  land  for- 
merly granted  to  Governor  Dudley's  son  Samuel. 

He  left  a  son,  James  Burley,  who  was  by  trade 
a  cabinet-maker,  also  an  officer  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  The  latter  married  Susannah 
Swazey,  and  died  in  Exeter,  New  Hampshire, 
leaving  a  son,  James  Burley,  Jr.,  who  has  been 
already  noticed  as  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch. 

Arthur  Gilman  Burley  received  for  his  educa- 
tion the  best  that  the  common  schools  of  his  na- 
tive Exeter  had  to  offer,  which  information  was 
somewhat  rounded  out  by  a  supplementary  year  at 
the  Exeter  Academy.  He  resolutely  turned  his 
young  face  toward  the  distant  West  at  the  age 
of  twenty-three,  reaching  his  future  home,  Chi- 
cago, on  the  seventeenth  day  of  May,  1835. 
(Sixty  long  years  ago.  Imagine  the  appearance 
at  that  time  of  the  country  which  is  at  present 
covered  by  our  fair  city  !  How  many  of  the 
comers  of  that  day  are  yet  in  the  flesh  ?) 

Mr.  Burley  first  worked  as  clerk  for  John  Hoi- 
brook  in  a  boot  and  shoe  shop  for  about  two 
years.  In  1837  he  went  to  New  York  City,  to 
buy  for  his  brother-in-law,  Stephen  F.  Gale,  a 


stock  of  books  and  stationery  (one  of  the  very 
first  to  be  imported  among  us),  and  remained  with 
Mr.  Gale  for  about  two  years  following. 

In  1838  the  crockery  business  of  the  North- 
west was  founded  by  Mr.  Burley,  who  bought 
from  the  State  Bank  of  Illinois  a  stock  of  such 
goods,  his  place  of  trade  being  then  located  at 
the  corner  of  La  Salle  and  Lake  Streets.  He 
has  been  in  that  business  ever  since,  a  period  of 
over  fifty-seven  years,  and  is  now  regularly  on 
duty  at  the  old  stand. 

He  was  burned  out  in  1842,  and  then  moved  to 
No.  105  Lake  Street,  later  to  No.  175  on  the  same 
thoroughfare,  where,  in  1852,  he  was  joined  by  a 
brother-in-law,  Mr.  John  Tyrrell,  who  came  on 
from  New  Hampshire  to  enter  into  a  partnership. 
This  still  continues  in  operation,  being  incor- 
porated under  the  firm  style  and  name,  "Burley 
&  Tyrrell,  Importers  and  Dealers  of  Crockery, 
Chicago." 

They  had  built  their  own  quarters  at  No.  48 
Lake  Street  about  1857,  but,  fortunately,  had 
disposed  of  the  same  before  the  time  of  the  Great 
Fire  in  1871.  They  still  had  their  store  located 
therein,  which,  of  course,  went  up  in  smoke  and 
down  to  the  ground  in  ashes.  After  this  fire 
they  had  a  temporary  office  at  the  corner  of  State 
and  Sixteenth  Streets;  then  occupied  a  store  for 
about  three  years  at  the  corner  of  Van  Buren  and 
Wabash;  then  removed  to  No.  83  State  Street;  and 
finally  to  Nos.  42,  44  and  46  Lake  Street,  which 
premises  they  continue  to  occupy  at  this  time. 
Having  found  it  cheaper  to  rent,  they  have  never 
cared  to  build. 

Mr.  Burley  also  had  the  misfortune  of  having 
his  home  burned  up  in  1874,  when  he  was  living 
below  Harrison  Street.  He  is  now,  as  for  a  long 
time,  cosily  situated  at  No.  1620  Indiana  Avenue. 

Although  an  unostentatious  man,  Mr.  Burley 
has  been  a  very  prominent  figure  in  social  and 
business  matters  for  very  many  years.  Few  in- 
deed, if  any,  can  antedate  him  in  this  relation. 
He  aided  in  the  formation  of  the  First  Unitarian 
Church  (since  called  the  Messiah)  in  1836,  one 
of  the  oldest  and  foremost  in  the  entire  North- 
west, and  of  which  he  has  always  been  a  most  in- 
terested and  conspicuous  member. 


R.  R.  CLARK 


229 


In  politics,  he  has  always  been,  since  the  days 
of  the  Whigs  were  no  more,  a  consistent  Re- 
publican, but  in  no  sense  or  wish  a  public  charac- 
ter. A  true  exemplifier  of  the  best  principles  of 
Free  Masonry,  with  which  he  affiliated  as  early 
as  1848,  he  has  never  cared  to  go  to  the  height 
of  degrees  his  proficiency  and  long  service  would 
have  richly  entitled  him  to,  and  undoubtedly  have 
brought  choice  flowers  of  honor  in  their  train, 
but  he  has  been  Treasurer  of  Oriental  Lodge  for 
forty-two  years.  He  was  also  for  a  time  much 
interested  in  the  mysteries  of  Odd-Fellowship. 

Not  at  heart  a  club  man,  he  has  nevertheless 
been  a  member  of  the  Calumet,  as  he  is  at  present 
upon  the  roll  of  the  Chicago  Club.  Very  do- 
mestic in  habits,  he  is  not  frequently  found  in  the 


circle  of  club  habitues.  In  public  affairs  and 
whatever  promotes  the  business  and  social  good 
and  welfare  of  the  community,  Mr.  Burley  always 
is  an  interested,  and  usually  a  participating,  citi- 
zen. Young  in  enthusiasm,  certainly  he  bears 
his  laurel  of  years  gracefully,  as  we  will  sincerely 
hope  he  may  long  live  to  do. 

Upon  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  September,  1849, 
Mr.  Burley  was  joined  in  marriage  with  Welthy- 
an  Loomis  Harmon,  who  comes  of  a  good  old- 
time  Down-East  family.  It  is  regretted  that  no 
children  have  been  born  to  them  to  perpetuate 
the  name  and  further  the  noble  traits  the  family 
has  conspicuously  borne  up  to  this  time  in  the 
history  of  our  country. 


ROBERT  R.  CLARK. 


ROBERT  RODMAND  CLARK,  an  early  resi- 
dent of  Lake  View,  now  a  part  of  Chicago, 
is  descended  from  English  ancestors  and  was 
born  in  Clarkson,  Monroe  County,  New  York, 
May  24,  1831.  His  great-grandfather,  William 
Clark,  came  from  England  and  located  first  on 
the  Hudson  River,  at  Albany,  New  York,  later  re- 
moving to  the  Mohawk  Valley.  He  was  pos- 
sessed of  some  means,  and  dealt  in  realty  during 
his  residence  in  America.  His  son  William  had 
large  holdings  of  lands  and  farms  in  central  New 
York,  and  was  one  of  the  first  American  import- 
ers of  Morocco  leather,  having  his  headquarters 
at  Utica,  New  York,  his  native  place.  He  was 
among  the  first  settlers  of  Monroe  County,  and 
the  town  of  Clarkson  was  named  for  him  and 
another  settler  of  the  same  name,  though  no  rela- 


tive, who  located  there  in  the  same  year.  He 
died  there  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years.  Five 
of  his  seven  children,  four  sons  and  a  daughter, 
grew  to  maturity. 

The  third  of  these,  William  L.  Clark,  born  in 
Utica,  was  about  twenty  years  old  when  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Clarkson.  He  married  Cornelia 
Stewart,  a  native  of  Wyoming  County,  New 
York.  Her  parents,  Daniel  and  Sallie  (Fish) 
Stewart,  were  children  of  native  Scotch  parents, 
and  were  born  in  Chemung  County,  New  York. 
She  lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-two  years,  passing 
away  at  the  home  of  her  son  in  Lake  View  in 
1886.  William  L.  Clark  was  an  extensive  farm- 
er, but  lost  heavily  in  speculation  in  later  life. 
He  was  an  upright  man,  and  reached  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years,  dying  in  Lake  View  in  1876. 


230 


R.  R.  CLARK. 


He  was  affiliated  with  the  Universalist  Church, 
while  his  wife  adhered  to  the  Presbyterian  teach- 
ings of  her  fathers.  They  were  the  parents  of 
three  children.  The  eldest.  Sallie,  is  the  widow 
of  George  B.  Marsh,  now  residing  in  Chicago; 
and  the  youngest,  Laura,  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
L.  Bassett,  of  LaPorte,  Indiana. 

Robert  R.  Clark  is  the  second  child  of  his  par- 
ents. He  combines  in  a  happy  degree  the  sturdy 
qualities  of  physical  and  mental  make-up  of  his 
ancestors.  When  a  mere  boy  he  determined  to 
recover  his  father's  lost  homestead  as  a  home  for 
his  parents,  and  before  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
twenty  years  had  accomplished  his  purpose. 
Previous  to  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  had  the 
educational  advantages  afforded  by  the  common 
schools,  and  he  then  went  to  Michigan,  where  he 
found  employment  as  a  school  teacher.  Return- 
ing for  a  short  time  to  the  home  farm,  he  became, 
in  his  eighteenth  year,  check  clerk  on  board  the 
steamer  "Empire  State,"  plying  between  Buffalo 
and  Chicago,  then  the  finest  vessel  on  the  Lakes. 
He  was  subsequently  on  board  the  "Wisconsin" 
one  year,  and  returned,  as  chief  clerk,  to  the 
"Empire  State,"  where  he  continued  five  years. 
He  also  served  on  the  "Southern  Michigan"  and 
'  'Western  Metropolis, ' '  all  these  boats  being  the 
property  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern 
Railroad.  The  last  two  only  ran  from  Buffalo  to 
Monroe  or  Toledo,  where  they  connected  with 
that  portion  of  the  railroad  completed  from  Chi- 
cago to  those  points.  Mr.  Clark  was  on  board 
the  steamer  "Northern  Indiana"  when  it  burned 
on  Lake  Erie,  one  beautiful  morning,  off  Point 
au  Place,  with  a  loss  of  between  four  and  five 
hundred  passengers.  Being  a  good  swimmer, 
he  remained  on  board  until  the  fire  had  swept  to 
the  stern  of  the  vessel  (because  of  its  propulsion 
toward  the  shore) ,  and  after  entering  the  water 
saved  several  passengers  by  giving  up  to  them 
doors  which  he  had  wrenched  from  the  staterooms 
for  his  own  use.  He  was  finally  picked  up  by  a 
boat  bound  for  Buffalo,  and  made  his  regular 
trip  out  of  that  port  on  another  vessel  the  night 
of  the  same  day.  When  the  "Golden  Gate"  was 


wrecked  on  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  Erie  Harbor, 
a  short  time  later,  Mr.  Clark  was  on  board,  and 
was  saved  with  all  the  rest  save  one,  who  tried 
to  swim  ashore  in  the  midst  of  the  wreckage.  The 
wreck  was  continually  swept  by  the  waves,  but 
it  was  safer  than  the  choppy  bay,  full  of  the 
floating  cargo  of  the  "Golden  Gate."  All  who 
remained  on  board  were  safely  conveyed  to  shore 
by  a  Government  vessel  in  the  morning.  With 
the  exception  of  one  year,  which  was  spent  as  re- 
ceiver in  charge  of  the  ticket  office  at  Buffalo, 
Mr.  Clark  continued  in  the  marine  service  until 
he  settled  in  Chicago  in  1857. 

Having  made  some  successful  investments  in 
Chicago  during  his  previous  visits  here,  he  de- 
cided to  settle  here,  a  resolution  which  was,  prob- 
ably, strengthened  by  his  marriage,  in  1857,  to 
one  of  Chicago's  fair  daughters.  This  was  Miss 
Blanche,  only  daughter  of  the  late  Daniel  Elston, 
one  of  Cook  County's  most  worthy  and  honored 
pioneers.  In  1859  Mr.  Clark  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  fuel  trade,  and  later  dealt  in  lumber, 
but  his  chief  occupation  has  been  the  handling  of 
realty.  For  the  last  twenty  years  he  has  made  a 
specialty  of  leasing  residence  property  to  others 
who  would  improve  it,  and  has  been  largely  in- 
strumental in  building  up  what  was  formerly  a 
suburb  known  as  Lake  View,  now  a  part  of  the 
great  metropolis  in  name  as  well  as  in  fact.  He 
has  naturally  taken  a  keen  interest  in  the  moral 
and  material  welfare  of  that  section,  and  has  act- 
ively participated  in  the  government  of  the  town 
and  village  of  Lake  View.  In  political  affilia- 
tion he  is  found  with  the  Democratic  party  on 
national  issues.  In  religious  belief  he  is  ex- 
ceedingly liberal,  and  very  independent  in  all 
thought  and  action.  His  early  experience  taught 
him  self-reliance,  and  his  history  should  serve  as 
a  worthy  example  to  the  ambitious  young  man. 
He  is  still  the  owner  of  the  old  homestead  in  New 
York.  Mr.  Clark  is  fond  of  hunting,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Poygan  Shooting  Club,  whose 
members  spend  much  of  the  duck-hunting  season 
on  Lake  Poygan,  in  Wisconsin. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

i:':vEBrTY  OF  imr 


G.  M.  PULLMAN. 


231 


GEORGE  MORTIMER  PULLMAN. 


G)  EORGE  M.  PULLMAN  was  born  in  Brocton, 
l_  Chautauqua  County,  New  York,  March  3, 
\^\  1831,  and  is  the  third  child  of  James  Lewis 
and  Emily  Caroline  Pullman.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Rhode  Island.  Emily  C.  Pullman  was 
the  daughter  of  James  Minton,  of  Auburn,  New 
York.  She  was  a  good  wife  and  mother,  and 
assisted  her  husband  in  implanting  in  the  minds 
of  their  children  the  best  moral  principles,  while 
inculcating  habits  of  industry  and  careful  study. 
The  father  was  a  builder  and  house-mover,  and 
George  early  began  to  observe  his  methods,  while 
assisting  in  his  operations.  Some  very  useful  ap- 
pliances of  the  business  are  the  invention  of  the 
elder  Pullman.  He  died  in  1853,  and  the  respon- 
sibility of  head  of  the  family  fell  upon  George, 
who  was  the  eldest  unmarried  son.  Through 
almost  forty  years  of  her  widowhood,  he  was  the 
stay  and  loving  aid  of  his  mother,  who  passed 
away  in  May,  1892,  after  seeing  all  her  seven  chil- 
dren occupying  responsible  and  useful  positions 
in  life. 

Royal  H.,  the  first-born,  is  pastor  of  the  First 
Uuiversalist  Church  of  Baltimore.  His  interest 
in  public  affairs  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that 
he  was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  Congress  in 
1890.  Albert  B.,  who  died  in  1893,  occupied  up 
to  1882  responsible  positions  in  the  Pullman 
Palace  Car  Company,  which  is  the  creation  of  his 
younger  brother,  George.  James  M.  Pullman, 
D.  D.,  is  pastor  of  the  Universalist  Church  at 
Lynn,  Massachusetts,  the  leading  parish  of  that 
sect  in  America.  Charles  L.  was,  until  Septem- 
ber, 1894,  contracting  agent  for  the  Pullman  Com- 
pany, but  is  now  engaged  in  other  business  in 
Chicago;  and  Frank  W.  was  Assistant  United 
States  District  Attorney  of  New  York,  where  he 
died  in  1879.  Helen  A.  is  the  wife  of  George 


West,  of  New  York;  and  Emma  C.  is  the  wife  of 
Doctor  William  F.  Fluhrer,  chief  surgeon  of  Belle- 
vue  Hospital,  New  York. 

George  M.  Pullman  was  always  of  a  practical 
turn  of  mind,  and  was  a  diligent  student  of 
branches  which  were  calculated  to  fit  him  for  a 
business  life.  He  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  a  com- 
mon-school education,  and  is  remembered  as  an 
industrious  and  hard-working  pupil.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen,  he  undertook  to  sustain  himself,  his 
first  employment  being  that  of  a  clerk  at  $40  per 
year.  Neither  his  remuneration  nor  his  tastes  or 
habits  were  likely  to  lead  him  into  dissipation, 
and  he  seems  to  have  done  his  work  with  credit 
to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  his  employer.  At 
the  end  of  the  year  he  joined  his  eldest  brother, 
who  had  a  cabinet-making  shop  at  Albion,  New 
York.  This  pursuit  was  well  calculated  to  pre- 
pare him  for  the  subsequent  conduct  of  the  larg- 
est building  and  furnishing  enterprise  in  the 
world,  though  he  was,  probably,  wholly  uncon- 
scious of  his  future  at  that  time.  He  persevered 
and  was  faithful,  because  it  was  part  of  his  nature, 
as  well  as  the  natural  result  of  his  teachings  and 
early  surroundings.  He  continued  in  the  cabinet 
work  until  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1853.  The 
long  illness  of  the  head  of  the  family,  who  wasted 
away  in  gradual  decline,  had  exhausted  the  means 
of  the  common  purse,  so  that  the  widow  was  con- 
fronted with  the  necessity  of  providing  for  her- 
self and  her  minor  children.  In  doing  this,  she 
was  not  left  to  battle  alone,  for  her  son  George  at 
once  took  up  the  responsibility  of  head  of  the 
household  and  relieved  her  of  financial  burdens. 
The  Erie  Canal  was  about  to  be  enlarged,  and 
the  commissioners  had  asked  for  bids  for  raising 
or  removing  many  buildings  along  its  banks. 
Young  Pullman  was  the  successful  bidder  on  some 


232 


G.  M.  PULLMAN. 


of  these  contracts,  and  so  well  did  he  manage  his 
enterprise  that  he  was  enabled  to  maintain  the 
family  in  comfort,  and  arrived  in  Chicago  in  1859 
with  a  capital  of  $6,000  as  the  result  of  his  sav- 
ings. About  this  time  the  courts  decided  that 
Chicago  had  the  power  to  grade  the  streets,  and 
he  quickly  found  ample  employment  in  raising 
the  buildings  to  correspond  with  the  grade. 
Probably  but  few  of  the  modern  residents  of  the 
city  know  that  the  streets  of  the  South  Side  are 
some  ten  feet  above  the  original  prairie  level,  and 
that  the  buildings  standing  in  1856  had  to  be 
raised  that  distance  to  meet  the  street  level.  In 
1860  Mr.  Pullman  was  occupying  a  lot  of  two 
hundred  feet  front,  at  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Franklin  Streets,  with  his  machinery  and  ap- 
pliances, and  a  small  one-story  building  for  an  of- 
fice. He  was  full  of  the  spirit  of  push  and  prog- 
ress which  animated  Chicago  in  those  days,  and 
did  not  hesitate  to  enter  upon  undertakings  of 
great  magnitude.  Among  these  was  the  lifting 
of  the  entire  block  of  brick  buildings  facing  the 
north  side  of  Lake  Street,  between  Clark  and  La 
Salle.  This  was  successfully  accomplished  by 
the  aid  of  six  thousand  jackscrews,  without  in- 
terruption to  the  business  conducted  in  the  struc- 
tures, or  the  breaking  of  a  single  pane  of  glass 
or  a  yard  of  plaster. 

A  recent  writer  says:  "  His  true  mission  was 
the  creation  of  the  sleeping-car  system.  * 
Nowhere  else  has  the  matter  of  splendid,  ingen- 
ious, artistic  appliances  for  indoor  comfort  been 
carried  to  such  a  pitch  as  in  the  devising  and 
constructing  of  the  palace  car,  of  which  thousands 
have  been  built;  and  each  year,  if  not  each  day 
and  each  car,  brings  a  studied  advance  on  its  pre- 
decessor. *  *  Giving  his  days  to  labor 
and  his  nights  to  restful  travel,  a  man  may  spread 
his  field  of  usefulness  over  a  continent,  without 
the  sapping  of  his  strength  or  the  shortening  of 
his  days." 

The  idea  of  the  sleeping-car  came  to  him  one 
night  while  observing  his  fellow  train-passengers 
buying  head-rests  from  a  vendor  to  mitigate  the 
discomfort  of  an  all-night  ride.  Soon  after,  he 
took  passage  on  one  of  the  "  night  cars"  of  the 
time,  and  while  seeking  repose  on  the  comfortless 


shelf  provided,  evolved  the  idea  of  the  modern 
sleeper.  His  knowledge  of  cabinet-making  here 
came  to  his  aid,  and  he  met  and  overcame  many 
difficulties  in  the  preparation  of  a  model.  The 
general  plan  varied  but  little  from  the  present 
form,  having  comfortable  berths  that  could  be  put 
away  during  the  day,  leaving  a  coach  suitable  for 
day  travel.  In  1859  he  secured  from  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railway  two  old  passenger  coaches  to 
experiment  with,  and  in  an  unused  railway  shed, 
on  the  present  site  of  the  Union  Passenger  Station 
at  Chicago,  he  worked  to  realize  his  idea,  wholly 
at  his  own  expense.  The  result  was  the  first 
pair  of  real  "sleepers"  in  the  country,  which 
were  put  in  successful  operation  on  the  night 
trains  between  Chicago  and  St.  Louis. 

This  result  did  not  deter  him  from  an  under- 
taking which  he  had  for  some  time  contemplated, 
namely,  a  trip  to  the  gold  fields  of  Colorado. 
After  three  years  of  mining,  he  returned  to  Chi- 
cago very  little  richer  in  purse,  but  with  addi- 
tions to  his  stock  of  experience.  He  now  set  to 
work  to  improve  his  original  design  of  sleeping- 
cars,  which  no  one  had  had  the  shrewdness  to 
take  advantage  of  during  his  absence.  The  cars 
which  he  had  remodeled  were  too  small  and  not 
of  sufficient  strength  to  carry  out  his  ideas,  and 
he  set  to  work  to  construct  one  especially  for  the 
purpose.  The  car  must  be  higher,  the  berths 
wider,  and  more  taste  and  elegance  employed  in 
its  furnishing.  At  an  expenditure  of  one  year's 
time  and  $18,000  in  money,  he  produced  the  first 
real  ' '  palace  car. ' '  It  was  named  the  ' '  Pioneer, ' ' 
and  is  now  stored  in  honorable  retirement  at 
Pullman;  but  it  was  found  to  be  too  high  to  go 
under  some  of  the  viaducts  spanning  the  rail- 
roads, and  the  wide  steps  would  not  pass  the 
platforms  of  many  stations.  It  began  to  look  as 
if  he  must  build  a  railroad  to  accommodate  his 
invention.  Just  at  this  time  the  body  of  the 
martyred  President,  Lincoln,  was  to  be  brought 
from  Washington  to  his  native  state,  and  the 
obstacles  to  the  passage  of  the  ' '  Pioneer ' '  were 
removed,  in  order  that  it  might  be  employed  in 
that  sad  funeral  journey.  It  formed  a  part  of 
the  train  which  took  the  body  to  its  last  resting- 
place  at  Springfield.  From  that  time  the  eastern 


G.  M.  PULLMAN. 


233 


roads  were  open  to  it  and  its  counterparts.  The 
present  wide  use  of  the  Pullman  sleepers,  in 
Europe  as  well  as  in  America,  is  too  well  known 
to  need  comment.  The  history  of  the  Pullman 
Palace  Car  Company  is  almost  as  well  understood, 
though  many  who  enjoy  the  facilities  for  comfort- 
able travel  afforded  by  it  know  little  of  the  labors 
of  its  founder  in  establishing  a  happy  and  desira- 
ble home  for  its  employes  at  Pullman. 

The  history  of  the  great  strike  at  Pullman  and 
among  railway  employes  in  1894  is  also  now  a 
matter  of  history.  During  its  progress  Mr.  Pull- 
man maintained  a  dignified  and  consistent  atti- 
tude, notwithstanding  much  harsh  and  unjust 
criticism;  and  the  course  of  the  Pullman  Com- 
pany in  that  struggle  has  been  generally  vindi- 
cated. 

The  Nation,  in  its  issue  of  November  22,  1894, 
refers  to  the  general  feeling  that  the  existence  of 
the  Government  and  of  society  itself  was  at  stake 
in  this  strike,  and  that  to  give  in  to  the  strikers 
at  that  point,  or  at  any  point,  would  have  been  a 
deadly  blow  to  liberty  and  the  rights  of  property; 
and  says:  "What  account  of  the  circumstances 
accompanying  this  strike,  which  was  not  so  much 
a  strike  as  a  social  convulsion,  can  be  complete 
if  it  leaves  out  the  intense  anxiety  of  the  best 
citizens  lest  a  fatal  surrender  of  principle  should 
be  made  ?"  *  *  *  "  There  were  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  the  best  American  citizens  who  re- 
joiced with  great  joy  at  that  critical  moment  that 
Mr.  Pullman  was  unyielding;"  and  "Americans 
abroad  anxiously  scanned  the  fragmentary  des- 
patches and  prayed  fervently  that  Mr.  Pullman 
would  at  any  rate  stand  firm." 

Mr.  Pullman  has  been  identified  as  an  initial 
force  with  other  large  enterprises  than  the  Palace 
Car  Company,  of  which  he  is  the  head.  Among 
these  may  be  mentioned  the  Metropolitan  Ele- 
vated Railway  of  New  York,  which  was  con- 
structed in  the  face  of  determined  and  powerful 
opposition.  He  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
the  project  for  the  construction  of  a  canal  across 
the  isthmus  of  Nicaragua.  Another  work  in 
which  he  rendered  great  public  sen-ice  was  in  the 
distribution  of  relief  funds  after  the  great  fire  of 
1871.  At  the  earnest  appeal  of  Mayor  Mason, 


he  accepted  the  charge  of  disbursements  as  trus- 
tee, which  was  accomplished  without  the  loss  of 
a  dollar,  though  to  the  detriment  of  his  private 
interests  through  consumption  of  his  time. 

In  private  life  Mr.  Pullman  is  a  patron  of  art 
and  literature,  and  a  supporter  of  elegance  and 
refinement  in  society.  In  1867  he  married  Miss 
Hattie  A.,  daughter  of  James  Y.  Sanger  (whose 
biography  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work).  Two 
daughters,  who  are  active  in  philanthropic  and 
religious  work,  and  twin  sons  complete  the  fam- 
ily. They  are:  Florence  Sanger;  Harriet  S., 
now  the  wife  of  Francis  J.  Carolan;  George  M., 
Jr. ,  and  Walter  Sanger. 

It  has  been  Mr.  Pullman's  happy  privilege  to 
erect  for  the  Universalist  Society  at  Albion,  New 
York,  a  memorial  of  his  parents,  in  the  form  of 
a  handsome  and  substantial  church  edifice.  It 
is  built  of  dark  brown  Medina  stone,  125x80  feet 
in  ground  dimensions,  with  perfect  furnishings 
and  decorations.  On  the  right  and  left,  as  one 
enters  the  auditorium,  are  placed  the  bronze 
medallion  portraits  of  Mr.  Pullman's  father  and 
mother.  They  were  designed  by  Sculptor  Carl 
Rohl  Smith,  of  Chicago.  They  are  oval,  two 
feet  five  inches  by  one  foot  nine  inches,  and 
framed  in  a  narrow  moulding,  ornamented  with 
pearls.  The  tablet  inscription  is  as  follows: 

Erected  by  a  Son 

as  a 
Memorial  to  His  Father, 

JAMES  LEWIS  PULLMAN, 

In  Recognition  of  His  Love  and  Work  for  the 
Universalist  Church  and  Its  Faith, 

and 
In  Memory  of  His  Mother, 

EMILY  CAROLINE  PULLMAN, 

One  with  Her  Husband  in  the  Joys  and  Hopes  of 

Religion . 
Dedicated  January,  1895. 

It  is  inclosed  in  a  border  composed  of  a  wreath 
of  ivy,  the  symbol  of  affection.  A  beautiful  me- 
morial window  is  in  the  west  transept. 

The  dedicatory  services  were  held  on  the  last 
day  of  January,  1895,  the  sermon  being  delivered 
by  Rev.  R.  H.  Pullman,  of  Baltimore.  At  the 
installation  of  the  pastor,  on  the  same  day,  the 


234 


C.  G.  HUTCHINSON. 


Rev.  James  M.  Pullman,  of  Lynn,  Massachusetts, 
preached  the  installation  sermon,  when  the  Rev. 
Charles  Fluhrer,  D.  D.,  late  of  Grand  Rapids, 
Michigan ,  was  made  pastor.  Others  who  officiated 


in  the  services  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  C.  H.  Eaton, 
D.  D.,  of  New  York;  the  Rev.  Dr.  J.  K.  Mason, 
D.  D.,  of  Buffalo;  and  the  Rev.  Asa  Saxe,  D.  D., 
of  Rochester. 


CHARLES  G.  HUTCHINSON. 


/HHARLES  GROVE  HUTCHINSON,  a  pro- 

I  (  gressive  and  energetic  business  man  of  Chi- 
\,J  cago,  was  born  in  Williamsville,  Erie  Coun- 
ty, New  York,  January  24,  1847,  and  is  a  son  of 
William  H.  Hutchinson  and  Jane  Grove.  The 
Hutchinson  family,  which  is,  doubtless,  of  Eng- 
lish origin,  located  in  the  Connecticut  Colony  as 
early  as  the  seventeenth  century.  Joseph,  the 
father  of  William  H.  Hutchinson,  served  through 
the  War  of  1812,  as  lieutenant  of  a  company  of 
Connecticut  troops.  He  took  part  in  the  campaign 
about  Fort  Erie  and  Buffalo,  and  the  close  of  the 
war  found  him  stationed  at  Detroit.  Soon  after  the 
cessation  of  hostilities  he  resigned  his  commission 
and  settled  in  western  New  York.  His  sojourn 
in  this  locality  during  the  war  had  revealed  to 
him  its  pre-eminent  advantages  as  an  agricult- 
ural country.  For  many  years  he  was  landlord 
of  the  Mansion  House  at  Williamsville.  His 
death  occurred  in  Chicago  in  1877,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-nine  years. 

William  H.  Hutchinson,  who  was  born  in  Leb- 
anon, Connecticut,  removed  with  his  family  to 
Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1849.  Soon  after  com- 
ing to  this  city  he  began  the  manufacture  of  soda 
water,  which  he  continued  up  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-five years.  His  place  of  business  was  at  the 
corner  of  Randolph  and  Peoria  Streets,  where  he 
erected  a  large  factory,  which  escaped  destruction 
in  the  Great  Fire.  The  family  residence,  at  the 


corner  of  North  State  and  Erie  Streets,  was  swept 
away  in  that  conflagration.  His  prompt  loan  of 
a  quantity  of  soda-water  boxes,  which  afforded 
admirable  pigeon-holes  at  the  time,  enabled  the 
postoffice  to  resume  the  distribution  of  the  mails 
with  little  delay  after  the  fire.  He  was  ever  a 
public- spirited  citizen  and  an  enthusiastic  ad- 
herent of  the  Democratic  party,  contributing 
much  of  his  time  as  an  organizer  and  worker  for 
its  success,  though  always  refusing  to  be  himself 
a  candidate  for  any  office. 

Mrs.  Jane  (Grove)  Hutchinson  was  bora  in  New 
York.  Her  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, was  of  Dutch  descent.  The  name  was 
originally  written  Groff.  While  returning  from 
a  visit  to  Mackinaw,  in  1856,  Mrs.  Hutchinson 
became  a  victim  of  one  of  the  saddest  disasters 
which  ever  occurred  upon  Lake  Michigan,  being 
one  of  the  passengers  of  the  ill-fated  steamer 
"  Niagara,"  which  burned  off  Port  Washington, 
Wisconsin.  She  was  the  mother  of  four  sons: 
Chester  M.,  of  Hawthorne,  Cook  County,  Illi- 
nois; William  A.,  who  is  in  the  United  States 
revenue  service  at  Port  Townsend,  Washington; 
and  George  C.  and  Charles  G.,  both  of  whom  are 
residents  of  Chicago.  William  H.  Hutchinson 
was  married  a  second  time,  to  Miss  Mary  M. 
Warner,  of  Williamsville,  New  York,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  two  sons,  Douglas  and 
Eugene,  the  latter  of  whom  is  now  deceased,  and 
the  former  resides  in  Chicago. 


G.  M.  ROGERS. 


235 


Charles  G.  Hutchinson  attended  the  Washing- 
ton School  of  Chicago  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
old,  after  which  he  was  a  student  for  four  years  at 
the  Military  Academy  at  Fulton,  Illinois.  After 
the  close  of  the  Civil  War — there  being  no  further 
promise  of  demand  for  military  service — he  re- 
turned to  Chicago,  and  became  identified  with 
his  father's  business,  which  he  continued  to  con- 
duct for  some  time  after  the  death  of  its  founder. 
In  1879,  in  company  with  his  brother,  George  C. 
Hutchinson,  he  established  a  factory  for  the  pro- 
duction of  bottlers'  supplies  and  extracts,  under 
the  firm  name  of  W.  H.  Hutchinson  &  Son,  which 
is  still  retained.  Two  years  later  the  present 
factory  on  Desplaines  Street  was  built,  and  about 
forty  men  are  employed  therein.  The  subject  of 
this  notice  is  also  identified  with  several  other  im- 
portant industries.  He  is  a  stockholder  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Independent  Brewing  Associa- 
tion, and  President  of  the  Chicago  Fountain  Soda 
Water  Company.  He  is  one  of  the  stockholders 


of  the  Coit  Paint  Company  (incorporated) ,  and  is 
the  inventor  and  patentee  of  the  Hutchinson 
Spring  Bottle  Stopper,  a  unique  and  useful  ap- 
pliance, which  has  come  into  almost  universal  use. 
Mr.  Hutchinson  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  being  identified  with  D.  C. 
Cregier  Lodge,  Washington  Chapter,  Chicago 
Commander}',  Knights  Templar,  Oriental  Con- 
sistory and  Medinah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
Like  his  father,  he  has  been  a  life-long  Democrat, 
but  never  seeks  public  position.  He  is  an  en- 
thusiastic and  successful  sportsman,  and  makes 
frequent  excursions  to  the  woods  of  Northern 
Wisconsin  for  the  purpose  of  indulging  his  taste 
for  fishing  and  hunting.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Eagle  River  Fishing  and  Shooting  Club,  and  of 
the  Cumberland  Gun  Club,  two  of  the  leading 
sportsmen's  organizations  of  Chicago.  In  all  his 
business  and  social  relations  he  is  deservedly  pop- 
ular, through  his  genial  and  social  disposition 
and  his  kind  and  courteous  manners. 


GEORGE  M.  ROGERS. 


(EORGE  MILLS  ROGERS  is  not  only  dis- 
tinguished as  one  of  the  foremost  attorneys 
and  jurists  of  Chicago,  but  has  given  much 
study  and  careful  attention  to  the  leading  public 
questions  of  the  day.  He  is  well  versed  in  prob- 
lems relating  to  political  economy  and  municipal 
reform,  and  his  views  are  never  narrowed  by  con- 
siderations of  party  policy,  nor  are  his  expressions 
colored  by  mere  personal  or  mercenary  motives. 
His  professional  integrity  and  his  reputation  as 
a  citizen  have  been  equally  well  maintained,  and 
no  modern  record  of  Chicago's  representative  men 
would  be  complete  without  some  notice  of  his 
achievements. 


Mr.  Rogers  was  born  at  Glasgow,  Kentucky, 
on  the  sixteenth  day  of  April,  1854,  and  is  a 
son  of  the  Hon.  John  Gorin  Rogers  and  Arabella 
E.  Crenshaw,  extended  notice  of  whom,  together 
with  the  genealogy  of  their  families,  is  given 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  but  four  years  old  when  the  family 
came  to  Chicago.  He  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  and  the  Chicago  University,  supplement- 
ing the  instruction  so  received  by  a  course  at  Yale 
College,  from  which  famous  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1876.  He  began  his  legal  studies 
in  the  office  of  Crawford  &  McConnell,  and  con- 
tinued the  same  in  the  Union  College  of  Law — 


236 


G.  M.  ROGERS. 


now  the  law  department  of  the  Northwestern 
University. 

In  1878  he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  began 
practice  in  partnership  with  Samuel  P.  McConnell, 
a  well-known  barrister,  since  one  of  the  Judges  of 
the  Circuit  Court  of  Cook  County.  During  the 
continuance  of  this  partnership  he  was  chosen  at- 
torney for  the  Citizens'  Association,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  committee  which  prepared  and 
secured  the  passage  of  the  original  reform  city 
election  law.  He  also  personally  prepared  the 
primary  election  law,  which  was  adopted  verbatim 
by  the  committee  of  the  association  having  that 
subject  in  charge,  and  was  presented  to  the  Legis- 
lature for  adoption.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  this 
bill  was  in  charge  of  Senator  Crawford  during  its 
passage,  it  became  known  as  the  ' '  Crawford 
Election  Law." 

His  services  in  behalf  of  this  association  could 
not  fail  to  attract  attention  to  his  signal  ability  as 
a  lawyer  and  a  statesman,  and  caused  his  ap- 
pointment as  Assistant  City  Attorney.  This  po- 
sition he  filled  with  such  credit  that,  in  1886,  he 
was  appointed  City  Prosecuting  Attorney,  but  ow- 
ing to  the  ill-health  of  his  wife,  which  demanded 
that  he  should  travel  with  her,  he  resigned  the 
office  in  April  of  the  following  year.  After  return- 
ing to  the  city  he  was  appointed,  in  November, 
1887,  to  the  office  of  Assistant  United  States  At- 
torney, but  resigned  that  position  in  the  following 
March,  to  re-engage  in  private  law  practice. 
With  this  business  he  has  combined  that  of  real- 
estate  and  loans,  and  his  transactions  have  grown 
to  such  volume  as  to  require  the  assistance  of 
several  clerks. 

On  the  ist  of  February,  1889,  he  was  ap- 
pointed n  Master  in  Chancery  of  the  Circuit  Court 
of  Cook  County,  and  has  discharged  the  duties  of 
that  judicial  office  with  such  candor  and  im- 
partiality as  to  earn  and  receive  the  approbation 
of  courts,  attorneys  and  litigants. 

In  1893  it  was  deemed  advisable  by  the  leading 
lawyers  of  Chicago  to  take  some  practical  steps 
toward  the  separation  of  judicial  affairs  from  the 
contamination  of  political  interests.  With  this 
end  in  view,  they  placed  in  nomination  eight 
candidates  for  judicial  positions,  who  were  equally 


divided  in  political  affiliations  between  the  two 
leading  parties.  Mr.  Rogers  received  the  highest 
vote  of  any  candidate  before  the  Bar  Association 
— the  total  number  being  1346,  out  of  which  he 
received  1222.  This  nomination  came  to  him 
without  any  solicitation  on  his  part,  and,  although 
the  ' '  party  machine' '  which  dominated  the  Dem- 
ocratic convention  prevented  the  endorsement 
of  his  nomination,  which  he  made  no  effort  to 
secure,  his  endorsement  by  the  members  of  the 
Bar,  who  were  influenced  by  no  political  consid- 
erations, but  by  a  desire  to  elevate  the  judiciary 
and  purify  the  administration  of  justice,  was  re- 
garded as  a  far  greater  compliment  than  an  elec- 
tion as  a  candidate  of  any  political  party  could 
have  been. 

On  the  3d  of  June,  1884,  Mr.  Rogers  was  mar- 
ried to  Philippa  Hone  Anthon,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Hone  Anthon,  of  New  York  City,  whose 
family  is  conspicuous  for  the  large  number  of 
eminent  professional  men  among  its  members. 

Mr.  Rogers  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Iro- 
quois  Club,  and  among  the  other  clubs  with 
which  he  is  prominently  identified  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Illinois,  University  and  Law  Clubs. 
In  the  fall  of  1888  he  united  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  his  father  had 
been  one  of  the  leading  spirits,  and  he  has  repre- 
sented his  lodge  in  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois. 
In  1882  he  made  a  foreign  tour  in  company  with 
his  brother,  who  was  suffering  from  ill-health, 
and  visited  the  principal  cities  and  other  points 
of  interest  in  Europe.  His  active  mind  and  keen 
observation  could  not  fail  to  make  this  trip  of 
value  to  him  in  broadening  his  experience  and 
extending  his  knowlege  of  men  and  the  affairs  of 
the  world. 

For  a  number  of  years  after  beginning  his  pro- 
fessional career,  he  was  prominent  in  the  political 
counsels  of  the  Democratic  party.  In  1880  he 
was  nominated  as  the  candidate  of  his  party  for 
State  Senator.  His  personal  popularity  may  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that  the  usual  Republican 
majority  of  two  thousand  in  his  district  was  re- 
duced to  eight  hundred.  For  some  time  he  was 
Vice- President  of  the  Cook  County  Democratic 
Committee,  and  labored  diligently,  though  in 


ROBERT  HERVEY. 


237 


vain,  to  bring  about  some  needed  reforms  in  the 
organization  and  methods  of  the  party.  Becom- 
ing displeased  with  the  methods  of  politicians,  he 
became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Iroquois 
Club,  which  was  established  for  the  purpose  of 


exerting  an  influence  in  National  politics,  leaving 
local  strife  to  those  whose  taste  led  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  he  was  elected  one  of  its  first  Vice- 
Presidents. 


ROBERT  HERVEY,  LL.  D. 


ROBERT  HERVEY,  LL.  D.,  who  was  for 
nearly  forty  years  a  familiar  figure  in  Chi- 
cago court  rooms,  was  born  in  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  August  10,  1820.  He  is  a  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Elizabeth  (Gibson)  Hervey.  The  fa- 
ther was  a  son  of  Robert  Hervey,  who  founded  a 
mercantile  establishment  at  Glasgow,  in  which 
Alexander  succeeded  him.  The  business  career 
of  the  latter  was  cut  short  by  his  death,  when  his 
son  Robert  was  but  eleven  years  of  age.  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Hervey  afterward  came  to  America,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  resided  with  her  son  in 
Chicago.  She  died  at  Brockville,  Canada,  in 
1862. 

Robert  Hervey  was  educated  in  his  native  city, 
first  at  a  grammar  school  and  later  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Glasgow.  While  at  this  institution  he 
began  the  study  of  medicine,  and  the'  knowledge 
thus  obtained  was  of  great  use  to  him  in  subse- 
quent legal  practice.  With  this  information  he 
often  surprised  courts,  as  well  as  expert  witnesses. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen  years  he  went  to  Canada, 
intending  to  enter  into  mercantile  business  in 
connection  with  uncles  who  were  residing  there. 
By  the  advice  of  one  of  the  latter,  however,  he  de- 
cided to  study  law,  and  became  a  student  of  Hen- 
ry Sherwood,  of  Brockville,  afterward  the  Attor- 
ney-General of  Ontario.  When  this  gentleman 
removed  to  Toronto,  Mr.  Hervey  accompanied 
him  to  that  city,  where  he  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  1841.  He  then  opened  an  office  at  Otta- 
wa, then  called  By  town,  the  eastern  terminus  of 
the  Rideau  Canal,  which  had  recently  been  com- 
pleted. He  continued  his  legal  business  at  Otta- 


wa until  1852,  when  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  has 
since  been  continuously  in  legal  practice  here. 

He  first  opened  an  office  in  partnership  with 
Buckner  S.  Morris  and  Joseph  P.  Clarkson,  at 
the  southeast  corner  of  Lake  and  Clark  Streets, 
in  the  same  building  where  Judge  Thomas  Drum- 
mond  then  held  United  States  Court.  Mr.  Her- 
vey subsequently  took  James  R.  Hosmer  into 
partnership  for  a  time,  and  in  May,  1858,  became 
a  partner  of  Elliott  Anthony — since  a  distin- 
guished Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  Mr.  A.  T. 
Gait  was  afterward  admitted  to  this  firm,  and 
for  many  years  the  firm  of  Hervey,  Anthony  & 
Gait  was  one  of  the  best  known  in  Chicago.  Mr. 
Hervey's  early  partner,  Joseph  Clarkson,  was  a 
brother  of  Bishop  Clarkson,  who  was  then  Rector 
of  St.  James'  Church  on  the  North  Side,  and 
afterward  became  Bishop  of  Nebraska. 

Mr.  Hervey  has  practiced  in  all  courts,  from 
Justices'  up  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  to  which  latter  he  was  admitted  in  1873, 
and  has  been  employed  on  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant criminal  cases  in  Cook  County.  The  first 
of  these  was  in  1855,  when  he  defended  Patrick 
Cunningham,  accused  of  killing  a  policeman. 
This  case  created  a  great  sensation  in  Chicago,  but 
Mr.  Hervey  secured  a  change  of  venue  to  Wau- 
kegan,  where  the  minds  of  the  jurors  were  less 
prejudiced  than  in  Chicago,  and  his  client  was 
sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  for  eight  years  for 
manslaughter.  The  adroit  and  skillful  manage- 
ment of  the  defendant's  attorney  saved  the  latter 
from  a  death  sentence  and  established  the  law- 
yer's reputation.  Though  he  has  defended  some 


238 


ROBERT  HERVEY. 


notorious  criminals,  none  of  his  clients  have  ever 
been  executed.  He  was  attorney  for  some  of  the 
aldermen  and  Cook  County  Commissioners  who 
were  accused  of  "boodling,"  and  all  his  clients 
were  acquitted. 

One  of  the  most  important  cases  taken  up  by 
the  firm  of  Hervey  &  Anthony  was  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  consolidation  of  the  Chicago  &  Galena 
Union  Railroad  Company  with  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railroad  Company,  a  deal  which 
was  manipulated  by  the  directors  of  the  respect- 
ive roads  to  the  dissatisfaction  and  alleged  dis- 
advantage of  the  stockholders  of  the  former  road, 
who  had  not  been  consulted  in  the  matter.  The 
contest  was  finally  settled  by  payment  of  dam- 
ages to  the  plaintiff  stockholders  of  the  Chicago 
&  Galena  Union. 

For  six  years  past  Mr.  Hervey  has  been  afflict- 
ed with  ill-health,  which  has  confined  him  to  his 
house  and  prevented  his  attendance  at  court  or 
social  gatherings.  While  his  health  permitted 
him  to  do  so,  he  attended  the  Episcopal  Church. 
Since  1865  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  having  joined  Blaney  Lodge  at  that 
date.  While  a  young  man  he  joined  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  at  Ottawa,  and  be- 
came the  Noble  Grand  of  Ottawa  Lodge  No.  n. 
His  connection  with  this  order  was  abandoned, 
however,  on  his  coming  to  the  United  States, 
though  he  has  often  regretted  this  action.  While 
a  citizen  of  Canada  he  was  quite  an  active  politi- 
cian, and  spent  considerable  of  his  time,  energy 
and  money  in  the  effort  to  help  shape  local  affairs. 
His  uncle,  who  realized  the  futility  of  this  course, 
exacted  a  promise  from  young  Hervey  on  coming 
to  Chicago,  that  he  would  not  mingle  in  the  pol- 
itics of  the  United  States.  This  pledge  has  been 
faithfully  observed,  and  he  did  not  become  a  voter 
until  1887. 

In  1852  he  became  a  member  of  St.  Andrew's 
Society,  an  organization  in  which  he  has  ever 
taken  an  active  interest,  and  has  probably  done 
as  much  for  its  promotion  as  any  single  member. 
He  has  served  as  President  of  the  society  for  six 
terms.  The  object  of  this  association  is  to  relieve 
the  distress  of  the  unfortunate  among  the  coun- 
trymen and  women  of  its  members,  and  it  has 


come  to  be  one  of  the  leading  charitable  institu- 
tions of  the  city.  In  the  winter  of  1865,  during 
which  there  was  much  suffering  to  be  relieved 
among  the  poor  and  unfortunate,  the  funds  of  the 
society  became  exhausted,  and,  at  the  request  of 
his  friends,  Mr.  Hervey  prepared  and  delivered  a 
lecture  on  Robert  Burns  at  the  old  Metropolitan 
Hall.  The  receipts  of  this  lecture  netted  the 
society  about  $450.  This  address  met  such  pop- 
ular approval  that  it  was  afterward  several  times 
repeated  in  other  places.  In  1883  the  faculty  of 
Wesleyan  University  at  Bloomington,  Illinois, 
invited  him  to  deliver  this  lecture,  together  with 
an  address  to  the  graduating  class  of  that  institu- 
tion. This  request  was  cheerfully  complied  with, 
and  as  a  token  of  their  appreciation  of  this  effort 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  the  university.  Another  lecture  on 
Walter  Scott,  which  he  delivered  several  years 
later  at  the  same  hall,  also  netted  the  society  a 
handsome  sum.  In  1865  he  helped  organize  the 
Caledonian  Club,  and  was  chosen  its  first  Chief, 
a  position  which  he  filled  several  years. 

Mr.  Hervey  was  first  married  to  Miss  Maria 
Jones,  daughter  of  Dunham  Jones,  a  farmer  near 
Brockville,  Canada,  who  removed  thither  from 
the  United  States  during  the  Revolutionary  War, 
on  account  of  his  loyalty  to  the  British  Crown. 
Mrs.  Maria  Hervey  fell  a  victim  to  the  cholera  in 
1854.  In  l861  Mr-  Hervey  was  again  married, 
to  Frances  W.  Smith,  a  native  of  Rochester,  New 
York,  and  his  present  helpmate.  Her  mother, 
who  is  now  Mrs.  T.  B.  Bishop,  is  a  native  of 
England,  and  resides  in  Chicago,  aged  over  eighty 
years.  Mr.  Hervey  has  three  children.  Alexan- 
der is  a  farmer  near  Charleston,  Missouri.  Rob- 
ert is  the  manager  of  an  extensive  lumber  com- 
pany at  Tonawanda,  New  York;  and  Sophia  is 
the  wife  of  Sidney  F.  Jones,  of  Toronto,  Ontario. 
For  twenty-four  years  past  Mr.  Hervey  has  lived 
near  the  lake  shore,  on  Twenty -fifth  Street,  hav- 
ing moved  to  that  location  a  short  time  previous 
to  the  great  Chicago  Fire,  and  thereby  avoided 
becoming  one  of  its  victims.  In  this  pleasant  lo- 
cation his  most  recent  years  have  been  altogether 
spent,  and  here  his  friends  always  receive  a  hearty 
welcome. 


S.  T.  HINCKLEY. 


SAMUEL  T.  HINCKLEY. 


(3AMUEL  TAYLOR  HINCKLEY  was  a  citi- 
?\  zen  of  Chicago  almost  from  its  beginning. 
Q)  His  ancestry  made  him  heir  to  all  the  noble 
qualities  of  the  best  Puritan  stock.  None  of  our 
citizens  have  come  down  through  stock  more  dis- 
tinguished than  the  Hinckley  and  Otis  families  of 
Plymouth  Colony,  from  whom  is  descended  the 
subject  of  this  sketch.  (We  regret  that  the  scope 
of  this  work  does  not  permit  a  more  detailed  gen- 
ealogy of  these  families  than  what  follows. ) 

Samuel  Hinckley,  the  common  ancestor  of  all 
bearing  the  name  in  this  country,  was  typical  of 
his  race;  honest,  industrious,  prudent;  qualities 
descended  without  interval  to  the  present  times. 
In  the  spring  of  1635,  as  a  "Dissenter,"  he  came 
from  Tenterden,  Kent  County,  England,  sailing 
from  Sandwich  on  the  ship  "Hercules"  (two 
hundred  tons,  Capt.  John  Witherly) ,  bringing  a 
wife,  Sarah,  and  four  children.  Landing  at  Bos- 
ton, he  went  direct  to  Scituate,  where  he  built  a 
house,  "No.  19,"  on  Kent  Street;  removing  to 
Barnstable  in  July,  1640,  where  he  died  October 
31,  1662,  leaving  eleven  children,  three  sons  of 
which  number,  Thomas,  Samuel  and  John,  left 
descendants. 

Thomas,  son  of  the  emigrant,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land about  1618;  came  to  New  England  with  his 
father;  was  Governor  of  Plymouth  Colony  dur- 
ing the  last  eleven  years  of  its  existence  as  a 
Colony,  and  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  (April 
25,  1705,  at  Barnstable,  ae.  87)  one  of  the  Coun- 
cil of  the  United  Colonies.  Moore's  "Lives  of 
the  Governors  of  Plymouth  and  Massachusetts' ' 
gives  extended  due  notice  of  his  deeds;  and  a 


record  of  his  public  life  is  found  in  '  'The  Records 
of  Plymouth  Colony."  Of  his  private  life  little 
is  known;  but  "during  half  a  century  he  held 
offices  of  trust  and  prominence  in  the  Old  Colony, 
and  had  a  controlling  influence  over  the  popular 
mind.  *  *  The  architect  of  his  own  fortunes. 

*  *  Of  good  common-sense  and  sound  judg- 
ment. *  *  Honest  and  honorable.  *  *  In- 
dustrious, persevering  and  self-reliant;  and  the 
best  lawyer  in  the  colony.  *  *  Independent  in 
religion,  tolerant  before  his  times;  he  possessed 
his  faculties  to  the  very  end. ' ' 

Gov.  Thomas  Hinckley  married,  first,  Decem- 
ber 4,  1641,  Mary  Richards,  of  Wey mouth  (whose 
sister  Alice  married  Dept.-Gov.  William  Brad- 
ford), and,  second,  March  16,  1660,  Mary  Glover 
(widow  of  Nathaniel) ,  who  is  said  to  have  been 
beautiful  in  person  and  the  most  accomplished 
and  intelligent  woman  in  the  colony;  of  which 
excellent  characteristics  abundance  has  come  down 
to  later  generations. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  had  seventeen 
children,  of  whom  fifteen  lived  to  maturity;  only 
three  of  them,  however,  being  sons  to  leave  issue, 
namely:  Samuel,  John  and  Ebenezer,  from  whom 
are  descended  a  very  numerous  and  widely  scat- 
tered posterity.  By  the  second  wife  he  had  nine 
children;  the  fifth  of  whom,  John,  born  June  9, 
1667,  married  Thankful  Trot  May  i,  1691,  had 
six  children:  one  John,  the  youngest,  born  Feb- 
ruary 17,  1701,  married,  September  17,  1726,  Be- 
thiah  Robinson  and  had  eight  children;  the  fifth 
child,  Adino,  born  December  12,  1735,  married 
Mercy  Otis,  had  three  children,  the  youngest  being 


240 


S.  T.  HINCKLEY. 


Solomon,  born  in  Barnstable,  Massachusetts, 
March  3,  1770,  married  Mercy  Otis,  finally  set- 
tled at  Pomfret,  New  York,  where  he  died  De- 
cember 19,  1831;  he  had  eight  children:  George 
Otis  (father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch),  born 
October  30,1795,  married  Sally  Taylor,  of  Buck- 
land,  Massachusetts,  died  in  Sacramento,  where 
he  was  buried;  left  in  Illinois  the  following  chil- 
dren: Samuel  (subject  of  this  sketch),  Mary  O., 
Sarah  E.,  Otis  D.,  Horace  A.,  Harriet  W.  and 
Abner  T. 

The  Barnstable  (Massachusetts)  family  of  Otis 
is  descended  from  Gen.  John  Otis,  born  in  Barn- 
stable,  Devonshire,  England,  in  1581,  came  to 
Hingham,  Massachusetts,  in  1635,  thence  to 
Scituate,  thence  to  Barnstable.  His  son  John 
came  to  Barnstable  with  his  father,  where  he 
left  descendants,  many  of  them  illustrious.  One 
of  his  sons,  Col.  John  Otis,  was  twenty  years 
Representative,  Commander  of  Militia  eighteen 
years,  First  Judge  of  Probate  thirteen  years,  and 
Chief  Justice  of  Court  of  Common  Pleas  and  His 
Majesty's  Counsel  twenty-one  years;  left  six  chil- 
dren: two  females  (of  whom  Mercy,  married 
Gen.  James  Warren,  brother  of  Gen.  Joseph,  who 
fell  at  Bunker  Hill)  and  four  males:  First,  Gen. 
John,  King's  Attorney  and  member  of  Coun- 
cil nine  years;  second,  Nathaniel,  Register  of 
Probate  many  years;  third,  Solomon,  Register  of 
Deeds,  County  Treasurer,  etc.,  etc.,  died  1778; 
fourth,  Col.  James,  two  years  Speaker  of  House 
of  Representatives,  Judge  of  Probate,  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  Member  of 
the  Council,  and,  from  the  time  of  departure  of 
General  Gage  to  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution 
of  Massachusetts,  exercised  the  functions  of  Chief 
Magistrate  of  the  Commonwealth  by  right  of  sen- 
iority. He  had  ten  children,  the  most  illustrious 
being  James  Otis,  Jr.,  "The  Patriot,"  immortal- 
ized by  opposing  the  "Writs  of  Assistance," 
"The  Stamp  Act,"  etc.,  etc.,  of  whom  United 
States  President,  John  Adams,  said:  "I  have 
been  young  and  now  am  old,  and  I  solemnly  say 
that  I  have  never  known  a  man  whose  love  of 
country  was  more  ardent  or  sincere;  never  one 
who  suffered  so  much;  never  one  whose  services 
for  any  ten  years  of  his  life  were  so  important  to 


the  cause  of  his  country  as  Mr.  Otis'  from   1 760 
to  1770." 

Samuel  was  born  June  12,  1818,  at  Buck- 
land,  Franklin  County,  Massachusetts,  two  hun- 
dred years  after  Thomas  Hinckley,  the  Governor 
of  Plymouth  Colony.  The  maiden  name  of  his 
mother  was  Sarah  Taylor,  from  whom  he  derived 
his  middle  name. 

While  Samuel  was  yet  a  child,  his  parents 
moved  to  Chautauqua  County,  New  York,  a  sec- 
tion of  country  at  that  time  regarded  as  the  far 
West.  In  1836  his  father  turned  his  footsteps 
still  farther  towards  the  outskirts  of  civilization, 
and  finally  selected  Illinois  as  his  future  home. 

The  journey  was  made  with  ox-teams,  by  slow 
stages,  through  an  almost  unbroken  wilderness, 
which  the  red  man  had  but  recently  ceded  by 
treaty.  Young  Hinckley  drove  one  of  the  teams. 
Passing  beyond  Chicago,  his  father  pre-empted  a 
tract  of  land  where  Lake  Forest  now  has  its  pala- 
tial homes  and  college  halls. 

Here  Samuel  began  his  life  work.  The  priva- 
tions and  trials  of  those  pioneer  days  and  years 
were  numerous  and  extremely  severe.  Every- 
thing had  to  be  made;  the  houses  of  logs  hewn 
from  the  forest;  roads  laid  out  and  cut  through 
heavy  timber;  mills  to  be  erected  and  the  wilder- 
ness cleared  away  and  the  ground  made  ready 
for  civilization. 

In  those  far-off  times,  flour  cost  twenty  dollars 
per  barrel,  and  other  things  in  proportion.  The 
Indians,  too,  were  frequent  visitors  at  the  cabins  of 
the  pioneers.  As  a  rule  they  were  harmless,  but 
wanted  all  the  food  there  was  in  sight. 

It  was  in  this  school  of  trial,  and  sometimes  of 
adversity,  that  Samuel  T.  Hinckley  was  educated 
for  his  business  career,  and  thereby  trained  to 
habits  of  industry,  strict  economy  and  perfect  in- 
tegrity— enduring  qualities  which  he  carried  with 
him  through  life. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  this  young  pioneer  came 
to  Chicago  on  a  quest  of  furthering  his  fortunes, 
and  was  most  fortunate  in  coming  to  the  fa- 
vorable notice  of  Captain  (afterwards  General) 
J.  D.  Webster,  at  that  time  Superintendent  of 
Improvements  in  the  local  lake  harbors,  including, 
besides  our  own,  Milwaukee,  St.  Joseph  and 


S.  T.  HINCKUSY. 


241 


Michigan  City.  Such  work  required  absolute 
freedom  from  ice;  so  in  the  spring,  summer  and 
autumn  months,  our  young  hero  toiled  manfully 
on  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  often  overtaxing  his 
strength,  but  never  his  resolution;  the  outcome 
of  it  all  being  that  he  made  a  very  excellent  im- 
pression upon  his  employer,  which  eventually 
ripened  into  a  most  sincere  friendship,  and  con- 
tinued until  the  General's  death. 

In  winter  the  woods  on  every  side  gave  em- 
ployment for  ready,  strong  hands;  for  instance,  he 
sometimes  hired  himself  out  to  cut  timber  and 
split  rails  down  on  the  Fox  River,  a  hard  task  set 
belore  him,  when  it  is  considered  that  he  usually 
had  to  walk  five  or  six  miles  to  and  from  his  work. 

While  engaged  in  this  severe  physical  labor  he 
did  not  neglect  his  mind.  His  early  tastes  in- 
clined him  to  study,  but  his  educational  advan- 
tages in  boyhood  were  of  the  limited  sort  incident 
to  the  development  of  a  new  country.  His  desire 
for  knowledge,  however,  led  him  to  supplement 
this  rudimentary  training  by  night  study,  a  sys- 
tem of  self-education  which  he  followed  for  many 
years,  poring  over  his  books  by  the  light  of  a 
candle  far  into  the  night.  His  course  of  study  was 
comprehensive,  including  those  branches  which 
pertained  to  mechanics,  as  well  as  those  which 
would  fit  him  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities 
of  social  and  business  life. 

Thus  year  by  year,  he  laid  the  foundation  for 
what  he  afterwards  became,  a  wisely-useful,  highly 
esteemed,  self-made  man.  Though -not  a  civil 
engineer,  at  different  times  he  was  called  upon  to 
perform  many  of  the  duties  which  now-a-days  fall 
to  such  an  office;  though  not  a  graduated  me- 
chanic, yet  he  used  with  deftness  saws  and  tools 
so  fine  that  it  required  the  aid  of  a  microscope  to 
see  clearly  the  component  parts;  nor  yet  an  artist, 
yet  full  of  artistic  sense  and  adaptability,  leaving 
as  an  example  of  much  not  to  be  mentioned  a 
creation  in  mezzotinting,  full  of  feeling,  of  the 
Mother  of  Christ  and  Infant,  esteemed  almost 
above  all  else  by  the  family 

When  the  Chicago  &  Galena  Union  Railroad 
was  under  construction,  Mr.  Hinckley  became  one 
of  the  first  engineers,  and  had  the  honor  of  run- 
ning the  first  engine  out  of  Chicago  across  the 


Fox  River.  It  was  the  old  "Pioneer,"  the  mem- 
ory of  which  is  treasured  by  many  early  Chica- 
goans,  and  which  now  has  a  place  in  the  Field 
Columbian  Museum. 

In  1852  he  went  into  business  for  himself,  as 
grocer  on  Randolph  Street,  subsequently  remov- 
ing to  State  Street,  near  Van  Buren,  where  for 
long  years  he  was  known  as  an  enterprising  mer- 
chant of  unimpeachable  integrity.  In  1865,  in  com- 
pany with  Gail  Borden,  of  New  York  (father  of 
the  enterprise  and  now  of  world-wide  reputation 
in  connection  with  such  product),  and  Messrs. 
Cole  and  Hubbard,  of  Elgin,  Illinois,  he  founded 
the  Elgin  Condensed  Milk  Company,  now  known 
as  the  Illinois  Condensing  Company,  and  con- 
tinued his  active  relations  with  this  concern  until 
his  death. 

Mr.  Hinckley  was  a  brave  man,  not  only  in  the 
sense  of  not  shrinking  from  responsibilities  which 
confronted  his  life  as  a  matter  of  course,  but  more 
worthily  in  the  taking  up  of  dangerous  situations, 
not  necessarily  a  part  of  his  legitimate  cares,  but 
ever  exemplifying  the  "Golden  Rule."  At  the 
first  season  of  the  cholera,  when  many  sufferers 
were  succumbing  to  the  fell  disease,  for  which 
there  seemed  no  remedy,  when  persons  who  were 
physically  able  were  fleeing  the  place  as  from  a 
plague,  he  stayed  calmly  at  the  post  of  danger, 
down  by  the  river,  nursing,  praying  and  officiat- 
ing at  the  last  sad  rites,  not  himself  falling  a  vic- 
tim, as  God  sometimes  requires  should  happen, 
but  coming  out  of  the  ordeal  chastened  and  up- 
lifted in  soul. 

The  son  of  parents  who  believed  the  holding  of 
human  beings  in  bondage  to  be  wrong,  if  not 
positively  sinful,  he  was  strongly  anti-slavery  in 
his  convictions.  In  early  life  his  sympathies  were 
with  the  Whigs,  but  after  the  formation  of  the 
Republican  party,  his  affiliations  were  with  that 
organization.  While  firm  in  his  political  faith,  he 
took  no  active  part  in  politics,  contenting  himself 
with  casting  his  ballot  for  the  ticket  of  his  choice. 

But  the  keynote  of  his  long,  noble  life  is  to  be 
found  in  his  religion.  A  practical,  vivifying, 
Godly  and  charitable  religion:  not  content  in  lip 
sen-ice  of  a  Sunday  morning,  but  celebrating  seven 
days  of  the  week  in  actions  showing  how  man's 


242 


S.  T.  HINCKLEY. 


spnere,  clearly  read,  stretches  nigh  to  the  very 
throne  of  God. 

For  a  half  century  he  was  identified  with  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  our  city,  ready  at 
all  times  to  assist  in  assuming  disbursements  and 
advancing  moral  well-being,  and  when  the  church 
undertook  the  establishment  of  mission  Sunday- 
schools  he  became  one  of  the  active  workers  in 
the  old  Foster  Mission,  never  losing  interest  in 
works  of  piety  and  true  benevolence.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Humane  Society  and  Secretary  ot 
the  one  at  Elgin  for  some  ten  years. 

Mr.  Hinckley  never  married.  His  interests 
were  centered  on  home,  his  mother  especially  re- 
ceiving more  than  the  usual  share  of  affection, 
and  he  cared  for  her  most  tenderly  while  she  lived. 
This  love  for  kindred  waxed  with  his  increasing 
years,  and  was  as  ardent  and  constant  to  the  last, 
as  when  they  were  togethe'-  under  the  old  roof- 
tree  in  childhood. 

None  the  less  he  loved  his  church  and  country; 
but  better  than  all  else,  he  loved  his  God.  His 
benevolence  was  beautiful  and  Christlike.  Emu- 
lating the  example  of  his  Saviour,  he  cherished 
the  young  with  a  special  affection,  and  into  what- 
ever home  he  entered  as  friend  or  guest,  the  little 
ones  became  at  once  his  fast  friends. 

This  lover  of  the  young  supported  two  mission- 
aries of  the  American  Sunday-school  Union,  who 
gave  their  whole  time  to  caring  for  destitute  chil- 
dren. The  reports  received  from  them  were  very 
gratifying  to  him,  from  the  fact  that  so  many  were 
being  saved  from  lives  of  sin  and  ignorance.  The 
non-sectarian  character  of  the  work  was  particu- 
larly pleasing. 

His  personal  expenditures  were  very  moderate. 
He  ate,  dressed  and  took  his  enjoyment  modestly 
and  inexpensively.  His  extravagances  were  his 
gifts  to  others.  His  benefactions  were  not  con- 
fined in  a  narrow  channel,  he  ever  remembered 
the  poor,  the  sick  and  the  unfortunate,  and  had  a 
heart  overflowing  with  kindliness  and  charity. 

He  gave  with  a  liberal  hand  to  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association,  the  American  Sunday- 
school  Union,  Mr.  Moody's  Bible  Institute,  the 
Pacific  Garden  Mission,  and  many  other  institu- 
tions. His  benefactions  were  unostentatious. 


He  was  exact  in  his  business,  kind  to  all  who 
served  him,  and  his  employes  loved  him  as  a  friend. 
It  was  said  by  one  who  knew  him  intimately 
for  many  years,  and  who  is  himself  noted  for  his 
correct  judgment  of  men,  that  "he  was  one  of 
Nature's  noblemen,"  careful  and  considerate  in 
his  language  and  action,  never  wilfully  saying  or 
doing  anything  to  wound  the  feelings  of  another. 
In  private  life  he  exemplified  the  most  generous 
and  unselfish  traits  of  character.  An  attractive 
and  interesting  conversationalist,  his  utterances 
were  chaste  and  dignified;  any  unbecoming  jest, 
or  any  departure  from  purity  in  thought  or  ex- 
pression he  treated  with  silent  contempt;  yet  he 
was  one  of  the  most  companionable  of  men.  He 
had  a  keen  sense  of  humor,  and  enjoyed  a  witty 
saying  or  repartee  with  great  pleasure,  which  was 
more  expressed  by  the  smile  in  his  eyes  than  by 
words,  and  at  the  same  time  showing  the  most 
gentle  consideration  for  anyone  who  might  be  the 
object  of  merriment  in  social  conversation. 

He  maintained  this  happy  trait  of  a  genial  heart 
to  the  last,  even  when  suffering  great  pain. 
Though  an  invalid  for  many  years,  he  kept  active 
in  business  till  his  final  sickness,  and  the  fatal 
termination  of  his  disease,  September  5,  1894, 
after  a  short  illness,  was  a  great  sorrow  and  shock 
to  his  family  and  many  friends. 

A  glowing,  but  richly-merited  tribute  was  paid 
to  Mr.  Hinckley's  character  by  his  pastor,  Rev. 
Dr.  John  H.  Barrows,  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church.  Among  other  things,  Doctor  Barrows 
said:  "He  made  himself  the  friend  and  helper  of 
those  in  his  employ  or  associated  with  him. 
Much  might  be  said  of  his  unselfish  and  constant 
benevolence.  He  regarded  himself  as  a  steward 
indeed,  and  he  was  a  faithful  steward.  How  con- 
stantly he  remembered  the  old  First  Church  and 
its  benevolent  causes,  is  well  and  gratefully  known 
to  some  of  us.  We  have  lost  one  of  our  choicest 
members  from  this  church,  and  made  one  of  our 
choicest  additions  to  the  ranks  of  the  redeemed 
on  high. ' ' 

"His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 

So  mixed  in  him,  that  Nature  might  stand  up, 

And  say  to  all  the  world 

'This  was  a  man.'  " 


S.  G.  SPAULDING. 


243 


SAMUEL  G.  SPAULDING. 


(3AMUEL  GRAY  SPAULDING  The  name 
?\  Spalding,  like  other  names  ending  in  "ing," 
Q}  is  one  of  the  earlier  surnames  borne  by  Eng- 
lish- speaking  people.  The  Spaldings  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  have  been  fortunate  in  having  the  gen- 
ealogical history  of  the  family  written  by  Samuel 
J.  Spalding,  of  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  from 
which  we  learn  many  facts  relative  to  its  growth 
and  progress. 

John  de  Spalding  (Burgess  of  Lenn)  was  a  pur- 
chaser of  lands  of  about  the  fifty-first  year  of  the 
reign  of  Henry  III.  (A.  D.  1267).  Other  records 
of  land  transfers  of  very  ancient  date  occur. 

Edward  Spalding  was  the  first  of  the  family  of 
whom  we  have  any  knowledge,  and  he  came  to 
America  in  the  earliest  years  of  the  Massachusetts 
Colony,  probably  between  1630  and  1633.  He 
first  appears  in  Braintree,  Massachusetts,  where 
his  wife,  Margaret,  and  his  daughter,  Grace, 
died,  the  former  in  1640,  and  the  latter  in  1643. 
He  was  made  a  Freeman  May  13,  1640,  and  was 
one  of  the  settlers  of  Chelmsford,  in  the  same 
colony,  which  town  was  incorporated  In  1655.  He 
was  a  Selectman  in  1654,  1656,  1660-61,  and  Sur- 
veyor of  Highways  in  1663.  In  1664  the  town 
records  made  note  of  his  fine  orchard.  His  fam- 
ily has  been  ably  represented  in  every  war  of  the 
Colonies  and  United  States  (see  sketch  of  Will- 
iam A.  Spalding).  He  died  February  26,  1670. 

Samuel  Brown  Spaulding,  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  was  descended  from  Edward 
Spalding,  through  Andrew  (2),  Andrew  (3), 
James  (4),  Silas  (5).  He  was  born  January  27, 
1789,  in  Granville,  New  York,  and  later  resided 
at  Brandon,  Vermont,  where  he  was  a  prominent 
merchant.  His  first  wife  was  Anna  Gray,  whom 
he  married  October  2,  1814.  She  was  born  Jan- 
uary 2,  1790,  in  Rutland,  Vermont,  and  died 


July  23,  1841,  in  Brandon.  The  second  wife  was 
Lucy  Lyon,  the  wedding  occurring  November 
18,  1841.  She  was  born  November  25,  1796, 
in  Brandon.  The  children  of  Samuel  B.  and 
Anna  Spaulding  were  four,  Samuel  G.  being 
the  third.  He  was  born  October  26,  1822,  at 
Brandon,  Vermont. 

After  taking  a  course  in  the  public  schools  of 
his  native  town,  he  learned  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness. When  only  about  twelve  years  of  age  he 
became  a  clerk  in  a  store  in  Brandon.  Some 
years  later,  while  still  a  youth,  he  went  to  Clare- 
mont,  New  Hampshire,  leaving  home  with  but 
twenty-five  cents  in  his  pocket.  He  engaged  in 
the  sale  of  books,  and  as  a  compensation  for  his 
services  received  $12  per  month,  out  of  which  he 
paid  all  his  expenses. 

His  next  employment  was  as  commercial  trav- 
eler for  a  book  house  in  Vermont,  and  in  that 
line  he  did  good  work,  obtained  good  wages  and 
saved  something  from  his  earnings.  With  his 
little  capital  he  engaged  in  supplying  notions  to 
wholesale  dealers  in  the  Sfate  of  Vermont.  In 
this  business  he  was  successful,  but,  on  account 
of  poor  health,  he  was  obliged  to  dispose  of  his 
business,  and  James  Fisk,  afterwards  celebrated 
as  a  Wall  Street  broker,  became  the  purchaser. 
Two  weeks  after  this  sale  Mr.  Spaulding  was  on 
his  way  to  the  West,  where  he  expected  to  find  a 
more  congenial  climate  and  better  commercial 
prospects. 

In  April,  1857,  he  arrived  at  Milwaukee,  by 
way  of  the  Lakes.  He  entered  into  partnership 
with  a  man  who  was  engaged  in  the  tobacco 
trade,  but  soon  found  that  he  had  obtained  some 
knowledge  at  the  cost  of  the  capital  invested,  the 
volume  of  profits  not  being  what  had  been  repre- 
sented. Making  the  best  of  the  situation,  Mr. 


244 


S.  G.  SPAULDING. 


Spaulding  became  sole  proprietor  of  the  little 
store,  and  then  put  his  energies  to  work  to  build 
up  a  trade.  In  the  course  of  time  he  added  a 
wholesale  feature  and,  becoming  his  own  solici- 
tor, he  built  up  a  fine  wholesale  business  in  the 
Northwest.  In  those  days  the  railroad  ran  no 
farther  than  La  Crosse,  and  thence  to  St.  Paul 
the  journey  was  made  by  boat. 

As  Milwaukee  did  not  afford  the  advantages 
which  his  growing  trade  required,  Mr.  Spaulding 
removed  to  Chicago  in  November,  1865,  and 
with  Mr.  Levi  Merrick,  of  Milwaukee,  formed  the 
firm  of  Spaulding  &  Merrick,  and  carried  on  the 
wholesale  tobacco  business.  Manufacturing  was 
a  prominent  feature  of  the  industry,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  business  was  so  arranged  that  Mr. 
Spaulding  traveled  for  the  house,  while  Mr.  Mer- 
rick had  charge  of  the  manufacture.  The  volume 
of  their  transactions  rapidly  increased,  and  in 
1871  the  number  of  persons  employed  by  the 
firm  was  between  two  and  three  hundred,  but  the 
great  fire  of  that  year  swept  everything  the  firm 
had  out  of  existence. 

Returning  home,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Mer- 
rick, father  of  his  partner,  after  spending  all  the 
fatal  night  of  the  beginning  of  the  conflagration 
in  observing  its  progress,  Mr.  Spaulding  announ- 
ced to  his  wife,  "All  I  had  is  gone  up  in  smoke." 
To  this  she  bravely  replied,  "We  have  our 
health  and  our  hands."  Mr.  Merrick' s  comment 
on  this  reply  was,  "There  is  good  cheer  for  you." 
The  situation  was  discussed,  and  the  partners  re- 
solved to  start  anew  in  business.  Friends  who 
admired  their  pluck  and  energy  offered  plenty  of 
financial  assistance.  Out  of  $36,000  insurance, 
they  afterwards  received  $13,000.  The  three- 
story  factory  at  Nos.  9  to  15  River  Street  was 
replaced  by  another,  and  a  greater  number  of  per- 
sons employed.  The  history  of  the  firm  from 
this  on  is  a  record  of  success.  Wise  manage- 
ment and  hard  work  built  up  a  great  business, 
the  second  largest  in  their  line  in  the  United 
States.  In  1889  Mr.  Spaulding  sold  his  interest, 
but  the  business  is  still  conducted  under  the  old 
name. 

Samuel  G.  Spaulding  was  married  at  St.  Al- 
bans,  Vermont,  on  the  twelfth  day  of  March,  1857, 


to  Miss  Marcia  Isabel  Hawkins.  She  was  born 
July  17,  1828,  at  Reading,  Vermont,  and  is  a 
descendant  of  William  Adrian  Hawkins,  who 
was  born  January  18,  1742,  and  died  at  Reading, 
Vermont,  in  1817.  His  grandfather  was  a  na- 
tive of  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  married  an  English 
woman.  He  emigrated  to  Bordeaux,  France, 
where  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  were 
born.  After  his  death  his  widow  brought  the 
children  to  America.  A  son  of  the  son,  William 
Adrian  Hawkins,  became  a  tailor.  He  went  to 
Wilton,  New  Hampshire,  a  short  time  before  the 
Revolution,  and  resided  there  until  1789,  when  he 
moved  to  Reading,  Vermont.  He  enlisted,  April 
23>  I775.  in  Captain  Walker's  company  of  Col. 
James  Reed's  regiment  New  Hampshire  troops. 
He  rose  through  the  grades  of  first  sergeant,  en- 
sign and  lieutenant  to  the  rank  of  captain.  He 
was  made  ensign  for  gallant  conduct  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill.  He  served  in  the  war  seven 
years,  and  was  paid  off  in  the  almost  worthless  cur- 
rency of  those  days.  Forty  bushels  of  rye  was 
the  most  valuable  part  of  the  pay  he  received  for 
his  services.  He  married  Abigail,  daughter  of 
John  and  Abigail  (Livermore)  Keyes,  who  was 
born  at  Northborough,  Massachusetts,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1743,  and  died  at  Reading,  Vermont,  in 
1813.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight  children. 
William  Lewis,  the  fourth  child,  was  born  at 
Northborough,  Massachusetts,  June  14,  1773, 
and  died  at  Reading,  Vermont,  November  26, 
1859.  He  married  Anna  Townsend,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children.  He  was  a 
successful  teacher,  and  taught  out  schools  that 
others  failed  to  govern.  He  held  town  offices, 
and  was  Postmaster  at  the  time  of  his  death,  being 
then  eighty-seven  years  old  and  in  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  his  mental  faculties. 

Lewis,  eldest  child  of  William  L.  and  Anna 
Hawkins,  was  born  at  Reading,  January  23, 
1798,  and  died  at  Sherburne,  Vermont,  April  29, 
1875.  He  was  a  manufacturer  and  dealer  in 
boots,  shoes,  saddles  and  harness,  and  also  dealt 
in  horses,  which  he  sold  at  Boston.  He  married 
Aliva  Amsden,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
three  children,  of  whom  Marcia  is  the  youngest. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spaulding  were  the  parents  of 


E.  A.  FILKINS. 


245 


two  children:  Mabel,  the  wife  of  Charles  Fox- 
well,  junior;  and  Howard  Henry  Spaulding,  who 
now  occupies  a  position  with  the  house  of  Spauld- 
ing &  Company ,  jewelers  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Fox- 
well  has  one  child,  Frances.  H.  H.  Spaulding 
married  Florence  Baker,  and  has  two  children, 
Lester  and  Howard,  Jr. 

Samuel  G.  Spaulding  died  on  the  fifth  day  of 
September,  1893,  at  the  age  of  seventy-one  years. 
Starting  with  but  twenty-five  cents  in  his  pocket, 
he  worked  his  way  from  poverty  to  a  command- 
ing position  in  the  line  in  which  he  spent  most 


of  his  life,  and  in  which  he  took  a  great  interest. 
He  attended  all  the  conventions  of  the  tobacco 
manufacturers,  and  his  views  had  great  influence 
among  his  associates  in  the  trade.  His  geniality 
and  scrupulous  honesty  and  business  tact  were 
the  foundation  stones  upon  which  his  success  was 
built.  Mr.  W.  D.  Spalding,  in  speaking  of  him 
said:  "I  knew  him  over  thirty  years.  I  never  met 
a  pleasanter  man  than  Mr.  Spaulding.  He  was 
genial,  large-hearted  and  a  true  gentleman,  and 
made  friends  with  every  one  he  met. ' ' 


EDWARD  A.  FILKINS. 


r~  DWARD  AUGUSTUS  FIRKINS,  a  veteran 
fp  of  the  great  American  Civil  War,  has  the 
I  honor  of  being  a  native  of  Cook  County, 
his  birth  having  occurred  in  the  village  of  Wheel- 
ing, on  the  2gth  day  of  May,  1842.  He  is  a  son 
of  Joseph  Filkins  and  Clarissa  Johnson,  who  were 
among  the  earliest  and  most  esteemed  pioneers 
of  northern  Illinois.  Their  ancestors  included 
some  of  the  most  loyal  citizens,  and  members  of 
the  Johnson  and  Filkins  families  have  partici- 
pated in  every  war  of  the  Nation. 

Joseph  Filkins  was  born  at  Berne,  Albany 
County,  New  York.  His  father's  name  was 
Richard,  and  his  grandfather,  Isaac  Filkins,  was 
one  of  the  earliest  English  colonists  of  Long 
Island.  He  came  from  Cornwall,  England,  and 
settled  within  the  present  limits  of  the  city  of 
Brooklyn  in  1665.  He  was  a  farmer  and  stock- 
man by  occupation,  and  was  accompanied  to  this 
country  by  two  of  his  brothers,  one  of  whom  was 
named  Richard.  Col.  Henry  Filkins,  a  descend- 
ant of  the  last-mentioned,  commanded  a  regiment 
of  Continental  troops  during  the  Revolution  and, 
upon  the  organization  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment, in  recognition  of  his  services,  he  was 


appointed  the  first  Collector  of  the  Port  of  New 
York  by  President  Washington. 

Richard  Filkins,  son  of  Isaac,  removed  while  a 
young  man  to  Albany  County,  where  he  became  a 
prominent  farmer,  and  married  a  Miss  Crabbe,  of 
Troy.  Their  son,  Joseph  Filkins,  came  West, 
by  way  of  the  Great  Lakes,  in  1835,  and,  on  land- 
ing from  a  sailing-vessel  at  Fort  Dearborn,  pro- 
ceeded to  Wheeling  and  pre-empted  a  large  tract 
of  land  at  that  point.  He  was  engaged  in  agri- 
culture for  the  next  fifteen  years,  and  in  1837 
built  the  first  frame  house  on  the  stage  line  be- 
tween Chicago  and  Milwaukee.  This  house  is 
still  standing,  and  forms  a  prominent  landmark 
in  the  village  of  Wheeling.  In  1850  he  moved  to 
Chicago,  and,  in  company  with  his  son-in-law, 
embarked  in  the  wholesale  hardware  trade.  The 
name  of  the  firm  was  Filkins  &  Runyon,  and 
their  place  of  business  was  at  the  corner  of  Lake 
and  Wells  Streets  (the  latter  now  known  as  Fifth 
Avenue) .  His  death  occurred  in  Chicago,  No- 
vember 12,  1857,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years. 
He  was  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  was  well  known 
as  a  public-spirited  and  progressive  citizen.  In 
1842  he  was  elected  Collector  of  Cook  County, 


246 


E.  A.   FILKINS. 


which  at  that  time  included  several  adjacent 
counties.  He  was  a  member  of  the  County  Board 
of  Supervisors,  and  a  member  of  the  building 
committee  in  charge  of  the  construction  of  the 
blue  stone  court  house,  being  chairman  of  the 
board  at  the  time  the  building  was  completed. 

Mrs.  Clarissa  Filkins  was  born  at  Hoosac  Falls, 
New  York,  in  October,  1806.  She  made  the 
journey  from  New  York  to  Cook  County  in  a 
wagon,  accompanying  friends  who  came  in  1836. 
She  brought  her  eldest  child,  who  was  then  an 
infant,  on  this  journey,  and  joined  her  husband 
at  Wheeling,  where  he  had  erected  a  log  dwell- 
ing before  her  arrival.  This  child  was  Elizabeth, 
who  became  the  wife  of  I.  I,.  Runyon,  and  is 
now  deceased.  Mrs.  Filkins  was  a  daughter  of 
Capt.  Rufus  Johnson,  who  commanded  a  com- 
pany of  mounted  New  York  troops  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  His  ancestors  accompanied  Roger 
Williams  in  founding  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island. 
He  was  born  in  that  State,  and  removed  while  a 
young  man  to  New  York,  and  married  Sarah 
Gardner,  a  native  of  Bennington,  in  Vermont, 
whose  father,  Samuel  Gardner,  lost  his  life  in  the 
famous  battle  at  that  place. 

Edward  A.  Filkins  was  the  only  child  of  his 
parents  besides  the  sister  previously  mentioned. 
After  completing  the  course  in  the  Chicago  pub- 
lic schools,  he  attended  a  preparatory  school  at 
New  Haven,  Connecticut.  Owing  to  his  father's 
failing  health,  he  abandoned  the  intention  of  en- 
tering Yale  College,  and  returned  to  Chicago. 
He  began  his  business  career  as  salesman  in  a 
wholesale  dry -goods  store,  in  which  employment 
he  continued  until  the  secession  of  the  Southern 
States.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  offer  his  serv- 
ices in  defense  of  the  Union,  and  enlisted  on  the 
igth  of  April,  1861,  as  a  member  of  Company  A, 
Chicago  Zouaves,  an  organization  which  is  en- 
titled to  much  credit  for  having  captured  and 
held  the  important  strategic  point  of  Cairo  at 
the  very  outset  of  the  conflict.  On  the  iyth  of 
June,  1 86 1,  he  was  mustered  into  the  Nineteenth 
Regiment,  Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  soon  after- 
wards promoted  to  the  rank  of  First  Lieutenant 
of  Company  C.  He  took  part  in  engagements  at 


Green  River  and  Bowling  Green,  Kentucky,  and 
was  among  the  Union  troops  that  entered  the  city 
of  Nashville.  He  afterwards  participated  in  the 
engagements  of  McMiunville  and  Chattanooga, 
in  1862,  the  two-weeks  campaign  at  Stoue  River, 
and  the  bloody  battle  at  Chickamauga  and  Look- 
out Mountain.  In  the  spring  of  1864  he  was  de- 
tailed to  fill  a  position  in  the  Quartermaster's  De- 
partment at  Knoxville  and  Loudon,  Tennessee. 
In  June  of  the  same  year  he  was  sent  to  Chicago 
in  the  same  capacity,  and  continued  to  serve  un- 
til October,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged. Although  he  spent  four  and  one-half 
years  in  the  service  of  the  Government,  he  never 
received,  a  dollar  of  bounty,  and  has  never  applied 
for  a  pension. 

In  1866  he  was  appointed  a  clerk  of  the  Board 
of  Public  Works  of  Chicago,  and  continued  to 
hold  clerical  positions  in  the  city  or  county  for 
the  next  twenty-six  years.  He  served  success- 
ively in  the  office  of  the  County  Clerk,  Circuit 
Court,  as  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  County  Com- 
missioners, and  from  1882  to  1892  was  chancery 
record  writer  of  the  Superior  Court.  From  1872 
to  1877  he  filled  a  position  in  the  United  States 
Revenue  service  in  Chicago,  and  was  afterward 
for  a  time  confidential  secretary  of  Mayor  Heath. 
Since  1893  he  has  been  manager  of  the  Chicago 
interests  of  a  firm  of  commission  merchants  in 
San  Francisco,  California. 

On  the  tenth  of  October,  1865,  Mr.  Filkins  was 
married  to  Sadie  H.  Copelin,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Julia  Copelin,  who  now  reside  at  Winnetka. 
Mrs.  Filkins  was  born  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
her  father  being  at  that  time  attached  to  the  med- 
ical corps  of  the  British  army  in  that  colony. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Filkins  are  the  parents  of  three 
children:  Edward  B.,  Claire  and  Arthur  J.  The 
family  attends  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  Mr. 
Filkins  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  the  Illinois  Society,  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution.  Since  attaining  his  major- 
ity he  has  been  a  steadfast  Republican.  His  life 
has  been  a  busy  one,  most  of  which  was  devoted 
to  the  public  service,  in  either  a  civil  or  military 
capacity. 


W.  J.  GOUDY. 


247 


WILLIAM  J.  GOUDY. 


fi>C|lLLIAM  JUDD  GOUDY.  "Like  father, 
\  A  I  like  son"  is  a  sentiment  often  syllabled, 
Y  V  with  little  or  no  apparent  sense;  but  in  su- 
perlative meaning  may  it  be  borne  in  mind  while 
considering  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  William 
Judd  Goudy. 

Mr.  Goudy,  son  of  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished jurists  who  has  ever  lived  in  our  midst 
(the  Hon.  William  Charles  Goudy — see  sketch  in 
this  volume) ,  was  born  in  Chicago,  June  7,  1864. 
Intended  by  his  parent  for  a  successor  in  his  own 
professional  labors,  his  studies  were  very  care- 
fully and  classically  planned  in  Mr.  Barnes'  local 
School  for  Boys;  after  which  he  was  finally  fitted 
to  enter  Princeton  College  by  a  proficient  private 
tutor.  He  entered  Princeton  in  the  fall  of  1882, 
in  the  Class  of '86,  at  which  latter  time  he  would 
have  been  entitled  to  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts. 

Filled  to  overflowing  with  that  pent-up  energy 
which  craves  useful  and  fame-bringing  exercise 
(so  characteristic  of  the  young  men  of  our  time), 
he  could  not  remain  at  literary  studies  beyond 
the  end  of  his  third,  the  junior,  year.  At  this 
time,  on  his  return  home  from  college,  he  began 
reading  law  in  the  office  of  his  father,  attending 
lectures  the  while  at  the  Chicago  Law  School, 
from  which  institution,  in  1887,  he  took  a  de- 
gree, which  entitled  him  to  practice  in  the  Illinois 
State  Courts. 

His  first  business  affiliations  was  as  junior 
partner  of  the  firm  of  Goudy,  Green  &  Goudy,  of 
which  his  honored  father  was  the  senior  member. 
Their  office  was  located  at  No.  161  LaSalle 


Street,  where  they  made  a  specialty  of  corpora- 
tion law,  as  well  as  of  that  branch  relating  to 
real  property,  Mr.  Goudy,  Sr.,  being  for  a  long 
period  General  Counsel  for  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway. 

In  1892  William  J.  Goudy  withdrew  from  said 
firm  in  order  to  form  with  a  friend  in  business  life, 
Mr.  Robert  F.  Shanklin,  a  new  firm,  under  the 
style  of  Goudy  &  Shanklin,  whose  office,  situated 
at  No.  84  La  Salle  Street,  was  the  scene  of  many 
a  transaction  in  the  mortgage  brokers'  arena. 

If  it  be  a  lamentable  truth  that  "Death  loves  a 
shining  mark,"  one  cannot  say  further  than  this, 
that  the  untimely  fall  of  precociously  ambitious 
young  manhood  certainly  strikes  home  with  un- 
wonted awfulness.  The  gloomy  sequel  of  this 
remorseless  stroke  (saddest  view  of  all)  is  the  not 
infrequent  doubt  thereby  brought  into  being 
whether  all  things,  even  the  termination  of  ex- 
istence under  circumstances  most  harrowing,  real- 
ly do  inflexibly  happen  for  the  best.  Alas,  in  the 
sacred  presence  of  death  we  can  only  bow,  if 
possible,  with  resignation  to  the  Supreme,  "As 
Godwills!" 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  spring  of  1894  Mr. 
Goudy,  who  had  been  remarkably  free  in  youth 
from  juvenile  diseases,  was  stricken,  together 
with  his  little  girl,  by  one  of  the  illnesses  which 
usually  befall  earlier  years  of  life.  His  daughter 
recovered,  but  the  parent,  as  frequently  occurs  in 
similar  kinds  of  affliction,  was,  after  some  weeks 
of  painful  malady,  hurried  into  an  acute  pneu- 
monial  complication,  whose  end  became  speedily 
fatal  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  May  26,  1894. 


248 


W.  J.  GOUDY. 


The  Rev.  Mr.  Tompkins,  pastor  of  St.  James' 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  the  deceased  had 
been  a  faithful  attendant,  officiated  at  the  obse- 
quies, after  which  the  mortal  body  was  borne  to 
Graceland  Cemetery,  there  to  rest  beside  the  de- 
parted form  of  his  beloved  father,  who  only  the 
preceding  spring  had  been  called  away  in  even 
more  tragic  suddenness. 

True  to  intelligent  family  tradition,  Mr.  Goudy 
was  an  unswerving  Democrat  in  politics,  in  which 
field  he  took  a  very  active  and  influential  interest, 
not,  however,  in  the  way  of  personal  glory  and 
preferment,  but  as  advocate  and  furtherer  of  wise 
party  actions  and  the  bringing  into  power  of  the 
best  citizenship.  I/ong  time  a  member  of  the 
Waubansee  Club,  a  very  conspicuous  political  or- 
ganization, he  became  one  of  its  Directors;  and 
finally,  at  about  the  time  of  his  death,  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  responsible  position  of  its  President. 
There  has  never  been  any  division  of  opinion  on 
the  part  of  those  informed  as  to  how  well  he  per- 
formed the  exacting  functions  of  this  office.  He 
was  likewise  a  member  of  the  Union,  Washing- 
ton Park  and  University  Clubs,  and  the  Chicago 
Athletic  and  Chicago  Bar  Associations. 

In  personal  and  mental  characteristics  there 
was  a  marked  resemblance  to  his  illustrious  fa- 
ther, although,  probably  owing  to  absence  of 
hardships  in  earlier  years,  without  some  of  the 
rugged  lines  of  the  elder.  Nothing  could  be 
more  touching  than  the  fondness  of  these  two 
men,  father  and  son,  for  each  other.  Despite 
the  disparity  of  ages,  it  was  a  modern  exemplifi- 
cation of  the  almost  fabulous  attachment  of  Da- 
mon and  Pythias  of  ancient  times.  All  their 
plans,  thoughts  and  nobler  emotions  were  enjoyed 
along  the  unvarying  higher  level  together.  In 
truth,  so  profound  was  this  silent  bond  of  union, 
that  one  almost  finds  himself  pondering,  Was  not 
this  unseen  paternal  soul  force,  which  the  year 
previous  had  gone  to  his  Maker,  exercising,  un- 
known to  us  mortals,  its  inalienable  birthright 
with  a  potency  which  drew  his  son  so  untimely 
to  himself  again? 

As  illustrating  the  fondness  of  the  parent,  it  is 
related  that  the  father,  soon  after  the  time  of  his 
son's  marriage,  built  and  gave  him  a  magnificent 


stone  mansion,  No.  46  Astor  Place,  at  the  corner 
of  Goethe  Street,  and  diagonally  across  the  street 
from  a  small  private  park  running  by  the  side  of 
the  father's  mansion  home,  that  they  might  al- 
ways be  close  beside  each  other,  actually  within 
full  view  and  hailing  distance  while  seated  on 
their  individual  premises.  There  is  no  more 
complete  residence  to  be  found  in  our  city  of 
choice  homes  than  this,  which  was  so  generously 
donated. 

Mr.  Goudy,  younger,  was  by  nature  a  reserved, 
reticent,  conservative  kind  of  man.  He  gave  lib- 
erally, but  not  ostentatiously.  He  did  not  like 
either  to  talk  about  himself  or  have  others  make 
him  the  subject  for  conversation.  He  would 
spare  no  trouble  or  expense  to  serve  a  friend. 
He  was  a  domestic  man;  a  dutiful  son,  a  faithful 
devoted  husband,  a  loving,  generous  father. 

He  was  married  on  the  I4th  day  of  December, 
1887,  in  this  city,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Vibbert,  of  St. 
James'  Episcopal  Church,  to  Miss  Carolyn  Har- 
vey Walker,  with  whom  he  enjoyed  the  most 
perfect  wedded  life.  She  survives  her  deeply  la- 
mented husband,  together  with  their  one  child, 
Helen,  who  was  born  October  5,  1889. 

From  what  data  is  available  at  this  writing 
concerning  the  family  lineage  of  Mr.  Goudy,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  sketch  of  Hon.  Will- 
iam C.  Goudy,  to  be  found  elsewhere  herein. 
Mrs.  Goudy  is  the  daughter  of  Samuel  J.  Walk- 
er and  Amanda  (Morehead)  Walker,  of  Chi- 
cago. Mr.  Walker,  one  of  the  old  settlers  of 
the  city,  was  during  his  lifetime  a  very  active 
man  on  the  real-estate  market,  having  at  one 
time  accumulated  quite  a  fortune,  which  suffered 
heavily  by  the  panic  of  1873.  The  beauty  of 
Ashland  Boulevard  upon  the  West  Side,  of  which 
he  may  almost  be  called  the  father,  is  largely 
owing  to  his  interested  foresight. 

Samuel  J.  Walker  was  a  son  of  James  Walker, 
of  Dayton,  Kentucky,  who  married  a  Miss  Caro- 
lyn Cooper. 

Mrs.  Goudy 's  maternal  grandfather  was  the 
very  distinguished  Hon.  Charles  S.  Morehead, 
of  Frankfort,  Kentucky,  a  lawyer  of  rare  talents, 
and  at  one  time  Chief  Executive  of  his  native 
state. 


R.  R.  ROLLO. 


249 


RALPH  R.  ROLLO. 


RALPH  RODOLPHUS  ROLLO,  whose  death 
occurred  in  Chicago,  March  22,  1872,  was  a 
man  of  Christian  principles  and  sterling  in- 
tegrity of  character.  He  was  born  at  Gilead, 
Connecticut,  on  the  25th  of  September,  1811,  and 
was  a  son  of  Ralph  R.  Rollo  and  Sibyl  Post, 
whose  genealogy  may  be  seen  in  connection  with 
the  biography  of  William  E.  Rollo,  which  ap- 
pears upon  another  page  of  this  volume. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  educated  at  the 
public  schools  of  South  Windsor,  Connecticut, 
and  for  a  time  was  engaged  in  teaching  in  his  na- 
tive state.  About  1838  he  moved  to  Conneaut, 
Ohio,  where  he  kept  a  book  store  for  some  years. 
While  there  he  also  became  the  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  the  Conneaut  Reporter.  He  thus  ac- 
quired considerable  local  fame  as  a  journalist.  In 
1844  he  removed  to  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey, 
and  became  the  proprietor  of  a  large  rubber-man- 
ufacturing establishment.  This  enterprise  was 
continued  until  1861,  when,  at  the  solicitation  of 
his  aged  father,  he  returned  to  South  Windsor 
and  resided  upon  the  homestead  farm  until  the 
death  of  the  latter. 

The  following  year,  1870,  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  engaged  in  the  fire-insurance  business  in  con- 
nection with  his  brother,  William  E.  Rollo,  who 
had  preceded  him  hither.  His  business  career  in 
this  city  was  but  fairly  begun  when  it  was  cut 
short  by  an  attack  of  pleurisy,  which  terminated 
in  his  death,  as  above  noted. 

He  had  been  an  active  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  from  boyhood,  and  while  living 
in  New  Jersey  was  an  Elder  in  the  New  Bruns- 
wick Church  of  that  sect.  Upon  coming  to  Chi- 
cago, he  united  with  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  this  city.  He  had  been  a  firm  Repub- 
lican in  political  sentiment  from  the  organization 


of  the  Republican  party,  but  was  seldom  an  active 
participant  in  political  strife.  He  held  liberal 
and  progressive  views  upon  all  public  questions, 
and  wherever  his  lines  were  cast  was  certain  to 
win  numerous  friends  and  make  no  enemies. 

On  the  loth  of  August,  1842,  Mr.  Rollo  was 
married  to  Miss  Gennett  Chester,  who  still  sur- 
vives and  is  a  resident  of  Chicago.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Lemuel  L.  Chester  and  Jerusha 
Clark,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of  Connecti- 
cut, and  were  descendants  of  early  New  England 
colonists.  Mrs.  Rollo  was  born  at  Westmore- 
land, New  York,  and  while  a  child  removed  with 
her  parents  to  Rome,  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rollo 
were  the  parents  of  four  children,  namely:  Charles 
Egbert;  Alice  Amelia,  who  died  in  childhood; 
Lewis  Chester;  and  Lily  Agnes.  All  the  living 
reside  in  Chicago. 

Charles  Egbert  Rollo  was  born  in  Conneaut, 
Ohio,  and  was  educated  at  the  high  school  in  East 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  completing  the  course  at 
the  age  of  eighteen  years.  He  then  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  became  connected  with  the  Merchants' 
Insurance  Company,  in  the  capacity  of  special 
agent.  He  continued  with  that  corporation  until 
it  succumbed  to  the  consequences  of  the  great  fire 
of  1871,  when  he  became  identified  with  the  Trad- 
ers' Insurance  Company.  He  was  afterward  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  William  E.  Rollo  &  Com- 
pany, insurance  agents.  In  1882  he  organized 
the  firm  of  C.  E.  Rollo  &  Company,  fire-insur- 
ance agents  and  brokers,  which  is  still  engaged 
in  conducting  a  flourishing  business,  and  occu- 
pies handsome  offices  in  the  Temple  Building. 
Mr.  Rollo  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  and  Harvard 
Clubs,  and  is  a  popular  citizen  socially,  as  well 
as  in  business  circles. 

Lewis  Chester  Rollo  was  born  at  New  Bruns- 


250 


STEPHEN  REXFORD. 


wick,  New  Jersey,  December  23,  1858.  He  came 
with  his  parents  to  Chicago,  where  he  attended 
the  Skinner  and  Brown  Schools,  leaving  the  lat- 
ter at  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  to  enter  the 
office  of  W.  E.  Rollo  &  Company,  insurance 
agents,  and  he  remained  with  them  until  May, 
1882,  when  he  became  the  junior  member  of  the 
firm  of  C.  E.  Rollo  &  Company,  which  connection 
he  still  maintains.  He  was  married  on  the 


of  February,  1888,  to  Edith  May  Van  Schoick,  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Cynthia  Van  Schoick, 
of  Bloomington,  Illinois.  Their  only  child,  Van 
Schoick  Rollo,  is  a  boy  of  seven  years.  Mr. 
Rollo  is  a  member  of  the  Athletic  and  Menoken 
Clubs,  and  has  a  host  of  friends  and  acquaintances, 
by  whom  his  company  is  sought  at  all  opportune 
moments. 


STEPHEN    REXFORD. 


0TEPHEN  REXFORD,  one  of  the  earliest 
/\  and  most  esteemed  pioneers  of  Cook  County, 
Q)  was  born  in  Charlotte,  Vermont,  May  4, 
1804,  and  died  at  Blue  Island,  Illinois,  October 
7,  1880.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Benajah 
Rexford,  whose  genealogy  will  be  found  in  the 
sketch  of  Norman  Rexford,  elsewhere  in  this 
book. 

While  a  boy,  Stephen  witnessed  the  battle  of 
Plattsburgh  from  the  top  of  a  mountain  near  his 
home.whither  he  went  with  his  father  and  others 
for  that  purpose.  When  he  was  twelve  years  old 
the  family  removed  to  Westfield,  Chautauqua 
County,  New  York,  where  he  attended  the  public 
schools.  On  reaching  manhood  he  went  to  Buf- 
falo, New  York,  and  became  a  clerk  for  a  commis- 
sion firm  of  that  city.  He  continued  with  this 
firm  several  years,  winning  the  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  his  employers  to  a  remarkable  degree,  and 
by  their  advice,  in  June,  1832,  hewentto  Chicago 
with  a  view  to  engaging  in  a  commission  business 
in  that  place.  After  a  year  or  two,  however,  he 
decided  to  engage  in  farming,  and  so  took  up  a 
"claim"  at  Bachelor's  Grove,  being  one  of  the 
four  single  men  for  whom  that  place  was  named. 
He  built  a  large  double  log  house,  then  the  most 
pretentious  residence  in  that  part  of  the  country, 
and  otherwise  improved  this  farm,  which  he  con- 


tinued to  own  for  many  years.  A  few  years  after 
coming  to  this  county  he  and  his  brother  Norman 
purchased  most  of  the  land  on  the  east  side  of 
Western  Avenue,  in  the  present  village  of  Blue 
Island,  and  in  1843  he  removed  thither  and  began 
dealing  in  general  merchandise,  erecting  for  that 
purpose  a  large  building,  which  he  purchased  at 
Hobart,  Indiana,  and  which  was  brought  to  Blue 
Island  in  pieces  by  team.  He  also  built  a  large 
warehouse  on  the  "feeder"  to  the  Illinois 
and  Michigan  Canal,  and  engaged  in  shipping 
grain,  lumber  and  provisions  on  quite  an  exten- 
sive scale.  When  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  & 
Pacific  Railroad  was  built,  however,  and  the 
canal  ceased  to  be  a  route  of  commerce,  he  dis- 
posed of  his  warehouse  and  dealt  in  live  stock. 
He  carried  on  an  extensive  business,  his  method 
being  to  purchase  large  droves  of  cattle  in  central 
and  southern  Illinois,  have  them  driven  to  Blue 
Island,  where  he  fattened  them  on  the  prairies 
adjacent  for  the  Chicago  market.  Subsequently 
he  disposed  of  his  business  in  Blue  Island  and 
again  engaged  in  farming  for  a  few  years,  later 
returning  to  Blue  Island  where  he  lived  several 
years  before  his  death. 

In  the  year  1835  Mr.  Rexford  married  Miss 
Susan  Wattles,  daughter  of  Chandler  Wattles,  of 
Ripley,  New  York,  where  Mrs.  Rexford  was 


J.  A.  SEXTON. 


251 


born.  She  died  in  Blue  Island  in  1849,  having 
borne  her  husband  the  following  children:  Julia 
Ellen,  wife  of  Dr.  Charles  Morgan,  of  Chicago; 
Susan  Eliza,  wife  of  Dr.  John  Waughop,  of  Fort 
Steilacoom,  Washington;  Alma,  superintendent 
of  the  Home  for  the  Friendless,  in  Chicago; 
Sarah  Elsie  (Mrs.  E.  E.  Bellamy),  of  O' Neil, 
Holt  County,  Nebraska;  and  Anna  Louise  (Mrs. 
Charles  A.  Bellamy),  of  Chicago.  After  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  Mr.  Rexford  married  Miss 
Elvira  Barber,  of  Wardsboro,  Vermont,  who  still 
resides  at  Blue  Island.  To  the  last  union  were 
born  the  following  children:  Stephen  Barber, 
who  is  deceased;  Henry  Lee,  of  Chicago;  Fannie 
Isabel  (Mrs.  John  H.  Clark),  of  Longwood,  Illi- 
nois; Lewis  Averill,  of  Seattle,  Washington;  and 
Mary  Gushing  (Mrs.  Joseph  P.  Eames),  of  Blue 
Island. 

In  religious  faith  Mr.  Rexford  was  a  Universal- 
ist,  being  a  member  of  the  church  of  that  denom- 
ination at  Blue  Island.  In  early  life  he  was  a  rigid 
Democrat,  but  with  Buchanan's  administration  he 
changed  his  political  adherence,  becoming  a  very 
stanch  Republican.  He  was  one  of  the  three 


commissioners  appointed  to  divide  Cook  County 
into  townships,  and  served  as  postmaster  at  Blue 
Island  for  many  years,  and  as  supervisor  of 
Worth  Township  for  several  years.  Beyond  this 
he  did  not  aspire,  and  he  refused  to  consider  fur- 
ther promotions  which  were  offered  him.  During 
his  residence  in  Chicago  he  was  at  one  time  at 
Fort  Dearborn  with  Colonel  Whistler,  and  assisted 
in  throwing  out  the  provisions  to  the  assembled 
Indians,  which  were  given  them  by  the  United 
States  Govenment  in  accordance  with  a  treaty 
made  previous  to  their  removal  from  Illinois. 
Mr.  Rexford  always  averred  that  the  distribution 
was  made  in  a  most  unjust  fashion,  the  goods 
being  thrown  from  an  upper  window  and  the  In- 
dians dividing  them  according  to  their  respective 
strength  and  agility  in  seizing  them. 

Mr.  Rexford  was  a  man  of  exemplary  charac- 
ter and  distinctive  business  qualifications,  and 
bore  an  important  part  in  the  transformation  of 
Cook  County  from  the  hunting-grounds  of  a  sav- 
age race  to  the  abode  of  a  populous,  civilized 
community. 


COL.  JAMES  A.  SEXTON. 


EOL.  JAMES  ANDREW  SEXTON,  a  rep- 
resentative Chicago  business  man,  and  one 
of  the  most  efficient  Postmasters  of  the  city,  is 
descended  from  Scotch  and  Irish  ancestors.     Ex- 
tended mention  of  his  father,  Stephen  Sexton,  will 
be  found  on  another  page  of  this  volume.     His 
maternal  grandmother  was  a  relative  of  President 
Andrew  Jackson,    for  whom  Colonel  Sexton  re- 
ceived his  second  baptismal  name. 

James  A.  Sexton  is  among  Chicago's  most 
worthy  sons,  having  been  born  ten  years  after  his 
parents'  arrival  here — on  the  5th  of  January, 


1844.  His  youth  was  spent  in  his  native  city, 
the  public  schools  furnishing  all  the  training 
given  to  his  mind,  except  that  afforded  by  his 
varied  experiences — the  latter  forming,  perhaps, 
the  most  practical  and  valuable  portion  of  his  ed- 
ucation. Within  a  few  days  after  he  saw  his  be- 
loved parents  placed  in  their  last  resting-place, 
the  land  was  convulsed  by  the  sound  of  civil  war. 
He  was  then  but  little  past  his  seventeenth  birth- 
day anniversary,  but  he  at  once  enrolled  his  name 
among  the  defenders  of  the  Union.  He  first  en- 
listed April  19,  and  went  out  on  the  2ist  as  a  pri- 


252 


J.  A.  SEXTON. 


vate  in  the  three-months  service.  At  the  expi- 
ration of  that  period  he  was  appointed  a  sergeant 
and  authorized  to  recruit  Company  I,  Fifty -first 
Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  he  was  to  be  Cap- 
tain. In  June,  1862,  he  was  transferred  to  Com- 
pany E,  Sixty-seventh  Illinois  Infantry,  and  pro- 
moted to  a  lieutenancy,  and  within  three  months 
thereafter  was  elected  Captain  of  a  company  re- 
cruited under  the  auspices  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  of  Chicago,  which  became 
Company  D,  Seventy-second  Illinois. 

He  commanded  the  regiment  at  the  battles  of 
Columbia,  Duck  River,  Spring  Hill,  Franklin 
and  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  in  the  Nashville 
campaign.  In  1865  he  was  assigned  to  duty  on 
the  staff  of  Gen.  A.  J.  Smith,  Sixteenth  Army 
Corps,  acting  as  Provost-Marshal,  and  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  leaving  a  record  on  its  an- 
nals which  added  lustre  to  the  pages,  and  which 
will  compare  favorably  with  that  of  any  officer 
from  Illinois.  At  Spanish  Fort,  on  the  8th  of 
April,  1865,  Colonel  Sexton's  left  leg  was  broken 
by  a  piece  of  a  shell  which  exploded  over  his 
head.  He  also  received  gunshot  wounds  at 
Franklin  and  Nashville,  Tennessee.  The  Seven- 
ty-second bore  a  part  in  seven  battles  and  eleven 
skirmishes,  being  under  the  enemy's  fire  one 
hundred  and  forty-five  days.  It  went  out  with  a 
force  of  nine  hundred  and  sixty-seven  officers 
and  men,  and  came  back  with  three  hundred  and 
thirty-two.  During  its  three  years'  service  it  had 
received  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  recruits — 
more  than  two-thirds  the  total  number  mustered 
out  at  the  close  of  the  war. 

After  the  close  of  hostilities  Colonel  Sexton 
purchased  a  plantation  in  Alabama,  which  he 
tilled  two  years,  and  then  returned  to  Chicago, 
which  has  ever  since  been  his  home.  Soon  after 
his  return  he  engaged  in  the  foundry  business, 
founding  the  immense  stove  factory  now  opera- 
ted by  Cribben,  Sexton  &  Company,  occupying 
large  grounds  on  Erie  Street. 

Colonel  Sexton  takes  a  sincere  interest  in  Grand 
Army  affairs,  and  is  a  Past  Commander  of  the 
Department  of  Illinois.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Loyal  Legion,  the  Chicago  Union  Veteran  Club, 
the  Veteran  Union  League,  and  a  Mason  of  high 


degree;  has  held  the  highest  positions  in  them, 
and  is  an  honored  and  esteemed  comrade  and 
friend  in  all.  He  has  never  applied  for  nor  re- 
ceived a  pension. 

On  the  22d  of  February,  1868,  Colonel  Sexton 
married  Miss  Laura  L.  Wood,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam Wood  and  Dorcas  Sophronia  Case.  Her  fa- 
ther was  of  English  birth,  and  the  mother  a  lineal 
descendant  of  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  earliest  American  families. 
Mrs.  Sexton  died  in  October,  1876,  leaving  four 
sons.  In  1878  another  wife  was  taken,  in  the 
person  of  Augusta  Loewe,  who  is  of  German  ex- 
traction. Five  daughters  have  blessed  this  union, 
and  the  children  of  the  family  are  named  in  order 
of  birth  as  follows:  Stephen  W.,  George  W.,  Ira 
J.,  Franklin  Tecumseh,  Laura  A.,  Mabel  Ne- 
vada, Leola  Logan,  Edith  M.  and  Alice  E. 

A  recent  publication  compiled  by  the  Chicago 
Postoffice  Clerks'  Association  says  of  Colonel 
Sexton  in  most  fitting  terms: 

"A  veritable  and  notable  son  of  Illinois  is  Col. 
James  A.  Sexton.  He  is  a  man  of  noble  and 
dignified  appearance,  and  is  essentially  a  self- 
made  man  in  the  true  sense  of  the  term.  He  was 
appointed  Postmaster  of  Chicago  by  President 
Harrison,  May  i,  1889,  and  his  administration 
has  been  so  superior  as  to  receive  merited  recog- 
nition from  the  department  at  Washington  and 
the  public  which  is  served  at  this  office,  and  that 
means  the  entire  civilized  world,  in  one  way  and 
another.  While  Colonel  Sexton  was  not  trained 
in  postoffice  duties,  he  has  evinced  remarkable 
administrative  ability  in  his  management  of  the 
second  office  in  the  United  States,  as  to  the  ex- 
tent of  business  and  amount  of  mail  matter  han- 
dled. He  has  administered  the  duties  of  the  im- 
portant trust  confided  to  him  with  fidelity  and 
competency,  and  has  evinced  singular  ability 
and  aptitude;  is  zealous,  vigilant  and  competent, 
hence  the  man  especially  needed  at  the  helm,  so 
to  speak,  of  this  great  office,  which  is  now  man- 
aged with  the  accuracy  of  a  mathematical  form- 
ula; brought  about  by  his  skill,  tact  and  constant 
attention.  He  is  patient,  persevering,  industri- 
ous, of  urbane  and  unassuming  manner,  always 
at  his  post  of  duty,  and  does  his  work  conscien- 


E.  J.  ADAMS. 


253 


tiously  and  well;  has  deliberation  and  discretion, 
which  are  essential  requisites  to  success  in  the 
head  of  the  postoffice.  He  is  always  calm  and 
self-reliant,  under  the  evident  consciousness  that 
he  is  able  to  perform  the  work  before  him;  has 
none  of  the  pretenses  of  a  vain  man ,  and  none  of 
the  hesitancy  of  a  weak  one.  He  has  been  influ- 
ential with  the  department  at  Washington  in  se- 


curing needed  reforms  and  appropriations  in  the 
interest  of  the  office,  and  hence  the  public.  There 
seems  to  have  been  a  certain  leaven  of  intellectual 
and  moral  power  formed  in  him,  or  infused  there, 
which  has  been  the  prime  impetus  in  spurring 
the  powers  of  his  youth  and  impelling  the  ener- 
gies of  his  manhood." 


EUGENE  J.  ADAMS. 


[TUGENE  JOSEPH  ADAMS,  a  native  of 
ry  Chicago,  who  has  spent  half  his  life  in  rail- 
I  road  service  in  this  city,  was  born  Decem- 
ber 6,  1862.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  and  Joan 
(Burke)  Adams.  Thomas  Adams  was  born  in 
the  parish  of  Emily,  County  Tipperary,  Ireland, 
and  died  in  Chicago,  August  27,  1893,  at  the  age 
of  sixty  years.  About  1850  he  emigrated  to 
America  and  located  in  Chicago,  where  he  soon 
obtained  employment  as  a  clerk  in  the  postoffice, 
under  Postmaster  Isaac  Cook.  He  served  in  this 
capacity  eight  or  nine  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  became  baggage  agent  of  the  Pittsburg 
&  Fort  Wayne  Railroad.  He  served  this  corpo- 
ration at  its  Chicago  terminal  until  the  Union 
Passenger  Station  was  built,  in  1881.  At  that 
date  he  became  the  General  Baggage  Agent  of 
the  Union  Depot  Company,  supervising  the 
handling  of  all  the  baggage  transported  by  the 
five  lines  entering  that  station.  He  continued  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  this  position  up  to  the  time 
of  his  death,  a  fact  which  attests  his  faithfulness 
and  capability.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  and  an  adherent  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

Mrs.  Joan  Adams,  who  still  resides  in  Chicago, 
was  born  at  Elgin,  Illinois.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Eugene  Burke,  an  early  settler  at  that  place, 
who  died  there  in  1891.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams 


were  the  parents  of  eight  children,  all  now  resi- 
dents of  Chicago,  to  whose  training  and  education 
the  parents  gave  especial  attention.  Their  names 
are:  Eugene  J.,  Margaret  V.,  Samuel  M.,  James 
J.,  John  F.,  Mazie  E. ,  Harry  S.  and  Elizabeth. 
Eugene  J.  Adams  attended  St.  Patrick's  Com- 
mercial Academy  and  afterward  took  an  eighteen- 
months  course  at  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business 
College.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  became 
a  clerk  in  his  father's  office,  and  was  continuously 
connected  therewith  up  to  the  time  of  the  latter's 
death.  He  succeeded  his  father  as  General  Bag- 
gage Master  at  the  Union  Station,  a  position  for 
which  he  was  amply  fitted  by  experience  and 
training,  and  which  he  acceptably  fills  at  the 
present  time.  Fifty  men  are  required  to  handle 
the  baggage  which  passes  through  this  station, 
and  twenty-five  others  are  employed  in  taking 
care  of  the  United  States  mails  which  arrive  and 
depart  therefrom.  Mr.  Adams  supervises  the 
work  of  these-departments  with  an  ease  and  alac- 
rity born  of  years  of  practice  and  experience,  and 
enjoys  to  an  unusual  degree  the  confidence  of 
the  corporations  served  by  the  terminal  company. 
His  position  is  one  requiring  constant  and  unre- 
mitting attention,  and  permits  of  no  vacations  or 
holidays  throughout  the  entire  year.  Compara- 
tively few  of  the  people  who  constitute  the  trav- 
eling public  realize  or  appreciate  to  what  extent 


STEPHEN  SEXTON. 


their  comfort  or  convenience  depends  upon  the 
prompt  and  systematic  labors  performed  by  Mr. 
Adams  and  his  assistants. 

In  1889  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Adams 
and  Miss  Helen  E.  Rowan,  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  Rowan,  of  Chicago.  A  son  is  the 
fruit  of  this  union,  now  four  years  of  age,  and 
bearing  the  name  of  Thomas.  Mr.  Adams  and 


his  family  are  members  of  the  Lawndale  Catholic 
Church,  and  Mr.  Adams  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  I,eague.  He  has  been  a  Democrat  from 
boyhood,  though  he  never  participates  in  active 
politics.  His  life  has  been  devoted  strictly  to  the 
performance  of  duty,  and  his  rapid  promotion  is 
due  to  his  energy,  punctuality  and  capacity. 


STEPHEN  SEXTON. 


(STEPHEN  SEXTON,  among  the  pioneer 
7\  residents  of  Chicago,  is  deserving  of  especial 
Q)  mention  in  this  volume.  His  father,  Syl- 
vester Sexton,  in  whose  veins  the  Scottish  blood 
flowed,  was  born  in  County  Clare,  Ireland,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1808.  He  settled 
at  Rochester,  New  York,  where  he  died  in  1810, 
shortly  before  the  birth  of  his  son  Stephen.  The 
latter  was  the  youngest  of  eight  children.  He 
grew  up  in  Rochester,  where  he  married  Ann 
Gaughan,  who  was  born  in  County  Mayo,  Ireland, 
as  were  her  parents,  Thomas  and  Margaret  (Jack- 
son) Gaughan.  The  last-named  was  a  relative 
of  President  Andrew  Jackson,  for  whom  her 
grandson  (see  sketch  on  another  page)  received 
his  second  Christian  name.  Thomas  Gaughan 
was  numbered  among  the  van  of  Chicago  settlers, 
having  located  on  the  site  of  what  is  now  South 
Chicago  in  1819.  He  died  there  in  1827,  and  his 
widow  survived  until  1864,  reaching  the  age  of 
ninety-three  years. 

Stephen  Sexton  was  a  pioneer  settler  in  Chi- 
cago, coming  here  early  in  the  year  1834,  and 
locating  on  the  North  Side.  He  was  a  carpenter 
by  occupation,  and  became  very  well  known  as 
an  expert  draughtsman,  builder  and  contractor. 
One  of  the  first  public  schoolhouses  in  Chicago 
was  erected  by  him.  He  was  an  ardent  Demo- 
crat, and  took  an  active  part  in  political  move- 


ments during  the  early  days.  He  died  April  7, 
1 86 1,  having  been  preceded  to  the  other  shore 
eleven  days  by  his  wife,  who  died  on  the  2jth 
of  March,  that  year.  They  had  eight  sons  and 
four  daughters  who  grew  to  maturity.  Margaret 
Elizabeth  married  James  E.  Cassidy,  and  also 
reared  twelve  children;  Thomas  S.,  for  many 
years  an  employe  of  the  Chicago  postoffice,  died 
in  December,  1889;  Mary  Ann  married  James 
E.  Ennis,  and  reared  nine  children,  all  of  whom 
graduated  at  the  Chicago  High  School;  three  died 
in  early  childhood,  and  James  A.  is  the  seventh; 
William  H.  is  a  citizen  of  New  Orleans,  Louisi- 
ana; Sarah  E.  married  John  Highland,  of  Chica- 
go, who  was  a  Sergeant  in  Colonel  Sexton's  com- 
pany of  the  Seventy-second  Illinois  Infantry; 
Henry  M.  is  superintendent  of  the  refrigerator- 
car  service  of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific 
Railway,  being  the  inventor  of  the  cars  used; 
George  M.  is  a  resident  of  Chicago;  Eliza  married 
George  B.  Hopkins,  who  is  superintendent  of  a 
western  division  of  the  Wells-Fargo  Express; 
Austin  O.  and  Joseph  W.  are  residents  of  Chica- 
go, the  former  being  a  prominent  Democratic  pol- 
itician, who  served  several  years  in  the  City  Coun- 
cil and  eight  years  as  a  Member  of  the  Illinois 
Legislature;  and  Louis  N.  resides  in  Liverpool, 
England.  All  the  daughters  are  deceased,  and 
seven  of  the  sons  are  still  living. 


&.  B.  MCLEAN. 


255 


ARCHIBALD  B.  McLEAN. 


61  RCHIBALD  BRUCE  McLEAN.     It  is  a  re- 

LJ  markable  circumstance  that  this  gentleman, 
/  |  although  he  has  attained  the  age  of  over 
seventy-five  years  and  has  spent  the  greater  part 
of  this  time  either  in  active  business  or  military 
service,  has  never  been  a  witness  of  an  accident. 
He  was  born  at  Stirling,  Scotland,  a  locality  teem- 
ing with  romantic  interest  and  historic  reminiscen- 
ces, on  the  7th  of  April,  1820.  Both  his  parents 
were  worthy  representatives  of  the  Scotch  nation . 

His  father,  Alexander  McLean,  who  was  born 
at  Callendar,  became  a  cabinet-maker  at  Stirling, 
where  his  death  occurred  when  Archibald  was 
but  three  years  old.  The  mother,  Elizabeth 
(Robinson)  McLean,  was  a  native  of  Bannock- 
burn.  After  reaching  the  age  of  eighty  years 
she  came  to  America,  and  died  at  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  in  1871,  at  the  venerable  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  one  years  and  two  months.  She  was 
the  youngest  of  a  family  of  ten  children  which 
was  conspicuous  for  the  longevity  of  its  members. 
Her  eldest  brother,  James  Robinson,  reached  the 
age  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  years,  dying  at 
Glengary,  Canada.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alexander 
McLean  were  the  parents  of  seven  sons,  four  of 
whom  still  survive.  James  is  a  business  man  of 
Glasgow,  Scotland.  Alexander  and  George  are 
citizens,  respectively,  of  Brooklyn  and  Albany, 
New  York.  John  died  in  Cork,  Ireland,  after 
serving  fifteen  years  in  the  British  army.  Neal 
died  in  a  hospital  from  the  effects  of  wounds  re- 
ceived during  the  great  American  Civil  War;  and 
Archibald  B.  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth.  Don- 
ald, the  eldest  of  the  family,  died  in  boyhood. 

Archibald  B.  McLean  grew  to  manhood  in  his 
native  town,  and  at  the  age  often  years  began  to 


learn  the  tailor's  trade,  an  occupation  which  he 
has  continued  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of 
the  time  spent  in  military  service.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  entered  the  British  army  as  a 
member  of  the  Seventy-first  Highland  Light  In- 
fantry, which  was  soon  afterward  ordered  to  Can- 
ada to  assist  in  quelling  the  rebellion  then  in 
progress  in  that  colony.  He  saw  considerable 
skirmish  duty  during  this  expedition,  and  was 
stationed  most  of  the  time  at  Montreal  or  St. 
John's,  Canada. 

In  1843  he  was  discharged  from  the  service  of 
the  Crown,  and,  coming  to  the  United  States,  lo- 
cated at  Albany,  New  York,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  for  the  next  two  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  time  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States  navy 
and  embarked  on  the  seventy-four-gun  ship  "Col- 
umbus," which  sailed  from  Brooklyn,  New  York, 
upon  a  voyage  around  the  world.  While  at  a 
Chinese  port  the  crew  first  heard  of  the  war  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Mexico  and  received 
orders  to  sail  for  the  coast  of  California.  Upon 
their  arrival  they  patroled  that  coast  until  the 
close  of  hostilities,  when  they  returned  to  the 
Atlantic  Coast  by  way  of  Cape  Horn.  The  voy- 
age, which  terminated  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  had 
lasted  for  thirty-five  months,  during  which  time 
they  had  sailed  sixty-eight  thousand  miles. 

Mr.  McLean  again  went  to  Albany  and  opened 
a  tailoring  establishment,  carrying  on  business  at 
that  place  until  1854,  when  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  engaged  in  business  on  Randolph  Street. 
Three  years  later  he  removed  to  Janesville,  Wis- 
consin. Here  he  carried  on  a  merchant-tailoring 
establishment  until  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion, 
when  he  was  again,  seized  with  the  spirit  of  mil- 


256 


R.  N.  TRIMINGHAM. 


itary  enthusiasm.  Soon  after  the  fall  of  Fort 
Sumter  he  recruited  Company  D  of  the  Second 
Wisconsin  Infantry,  and,  declining  a  Captain's 
commission,  became  the  First  Lieutenant  thereof. 
He  reached  the  field  with  his  regiment  in  time 
to  take  part  in  the  disastrous  battle  of  Bull 
Run,  and  after  serving  six  months  resigned  his 
commission  and  applied  for  a  position  in  the  Ma- 
rine Corps.  Having  passed  the  prescribed  age, 
and  the  officers  not  being  aware  of  his  past  naval 
experience,  his  services  were  declined,  and  he  re- 
enlisted  in  Company  C,  of  the  Twenty-seventh 
Wisconsin.  He  chose  the  position  of  color-bearer, 
and  served  in  that  capacity  until  the  close  of  hos- 
tilities. Though  he  was  constantly  exposed  to 
the  fire  of  the  enemy,  taking  part  in  many  of  the 
bloodiest  engagements  of  the  war,  Mr.  McLean 
received  no  wounds  and  was  never  in  a  hospital. 
After  participating  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donel- 
son,  Pittsburg  Landing  and  Corinth,  he  took 
part  in  General  Shield's  expedition  in  Arkansas. 
This  campaign  encountered  fourteen  general  en- 
gagements in  twenty-one  days,  besides  meeting  a 
great  deal  of  guerrilla  warfare.  After  the  close  of 
the  campaign  he  was  sent  to  Mobile  and  took 
part  in  the  siege  of  that  place,  which  terminated 
the  war. 

After  peace  came  he  remained  one  year  in 
Janesville,  but  in  1866  again  located  in  Chicago, 


where  he  was  continuously  engaged  in  merchant 
tailoring  until  June,  1894,  when  he  resigned  the 
business  to  his  son,  W.  S.  McLean,  who  had 
previously  been  for  some  years  a  partner  in  the 
business.  During  the  twenty-nine  years'  exist- 
ence of  this  establishment  it  has  won  and  retained 
a  valuable  patronage  and  is  still  in  a  flourishing 
condition. 

On  the  nth  of  April,  1849,  Mr.  McLean  was 
married  to  Margaret  Shields,  a  native  of  Elgin, 
Moray  shire,  Scotland.  Four  children  have  been 
born  to  them,  all  of  whom  are  residents  of  this 
city.  They  are:  William  S.,  the  present  successor 
of  his  father  in  business;  Archibald,  who  is  also 
connected  with  the  establishment;  George,  who 
has  charge  of  a  department  in  the  great  wholesale 
establishment  of  Marshall  Field  &  Co. ;  and  Isa- 
bella, now  the  wife  of  William  L.  Melville.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McLean  are  the  proud  grandparents  of 
eight  children. 

For  over  forty  years  Mr.  McLean  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  Masonic  order,  and  although  he 
has  been  at  times  a  member  of  other  societies,  is 
not  identified  with  any  other  organization  at  the 
present  time.  He  has  been  a  steadfast  Repub- 
lican from  the  organization  of  that  party,  and  has 
ever  been  a  patriotic  and  public-spirited  citizen  of 
the  land  of  his  adoption. 


RALPH  N.  TRIMINGHAM. 


RALPH  N.  TRIMINGHAM,  Secretary  of  the 
Chicago  Underwriters'  Association,  is  one  of 
the  best  known  insurance  men  in  the  city. 
He  was  born  in  St.  John's,   Newfoundland,  Sep- 
tember 2,  1838,   and  is  the  eldest  son  of  Ralph 
and  Ann  (Brine)  Trimingham,  and  a  member  of 
one  of  the  oldest  Colonial  families. 

The  Trimingham  family  was  founded  in  Ber- 
muda by  James    Trimingham,   who  emigrated 


thither  from  England  during  the  reign  of  Charles 
II.  and  died  there  April  i,  1735,  The  mercan- 
tile house  which  he  established  and  conducted 
there  during  his  lifetime  was  inherited  and  en- 
larged by  successive  generations  of  his  descen- 
dants. He  was  the  father  of  four  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Of  these,  John,  the  third  son,  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  Jones.  Francis,  the  third  son  of 
this  couple,  died  in  1813.  He  inherited  the  rare 


R.  N.  TRIMINGHAM. 


257 


commercial  instincts  of  his  ancestors,  and  under 
his  able  guidance  the  business  assumed  extensive 
proportions,  and  branch  houses  were  established 
in  the  Barbadoes,  St.  Vincent,  and  St.  John's, 
Newfoundland.  Several  of  his  sons  became 
partners  in  the  concern,  and  continued  the  busi- 
ness for  some  time  after  his  death.  The  firm 
owned  a  number  of  vessels  and  maintained  exten- 
sive trade  between  the  places  above  mentioned 
and  various  ports  in  Great  Britain  and  South 
America. 

Francis  Trimingham  married  Frances  Light- 
bourn,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  eight  chil- 
dren, the  youngest  of  whom  was  Ralph,  father  of 
the  subject  of  this  notice.  The  last-named  gen- 
tleman, who  was  born  at  Bermuda  in  1801,  re- 
moved while  a  young  man  to  St.  John's,  taking 
charge  of  the  company's  interests  at  that  place. 
He  was  married  there,  and  about  1847  removed 
to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  the  firm  of  which 
he  was  a  member  also  established  a  mercantile 
house.  Four  years  later  he  disposed  of  his  inter- 
est in  the  business,  and  in  1851  removed  to  St. 
Vincent,  where  he  turned  his  attention  to  agri- 
culture and  operated  a  large  sugar  plantation  for 
the  next  four  years.  He  then  came  to  Chi- 
cago, and  for  a  brief  period  re-engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, but  soon  retired  from  active  business. 
His  death  occurred  in  1869,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
eight  years.  His  wife  survived  until  August, 
1874,  departing  this  life  at  the  age  of  sixty-three 
years.  She  was  born  in  Newfoundland  and  was 
a  daughter  of  Robert  and  Ann  Brine.  They 
came  from  the  South  of  England  and  settled  at 
St.  John's,  where  Mr.  Brine  was  for  many  years 
a  prosperous  merchant. 

Ralph  N.  Trimingham  was  educated  at  private 
schools,  it  being  the  intention  of  his  parents  to 
give  him  a  college  education  and  fit  him  for 
the  Episcopal  ministry.  This  purpose  had  to  be 
abandoned,  however,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
years  he  entered  upon  his  business  career  as  clerk 
in  a  lawyer's  office  at  St.  Vincent.  His  subse- 
quent occupations  have  usually  been  of  a  clerical 
order,  and  he  seems  to  be  peculiarly  adapted  for 
the  accurate,  methodical  labors  which  are  so  es- 
sential to  success  in  such  avocations.  For  some 


time  previous  to  the  departure  of  the  family  from 
St.  Vincent  he  was  employed  as  cashier  in  a  dry- 
goods  store,  and  his  first  occupation  in  Chicago 
was  of  a  similar  nature.  A  few  years  after  locat- 
ing here  he  entered  the  office  of  Magill  &  La- 
tham, vessel-owners  and  commission  merchants, 
with  whom  he  remained  for  some  time.  He  sub- 
sequently became  a  bookkeeper  for  his  uncle, 
William  Brine,  who  was  a  commission  merchant 
operating  upon  the  Board  of  Trade. 

Since  1866  he  has  been  identified  with  the  fire- 
underwriting  interests  of  the  city.  His  first  con- 
nection in  that  line  was  with  the  Home  Insurance 
Company  of  New  York,  under  the  management 
of  Gen.  A.  C.  Ducat,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  a  little  over  ten  years.  After  leaving  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Home  he  for  a  short  time  became  en- 
gaged in  mercantile  pursuits,  but  soon  re-entered 
the  business  of  fire  insurance.  In  1882  he  was 
elected  Secretary  of  the  Underwriters'  Exchange, 
a  combination  of  insurance  companies,  and  when 
the  members  of  that  organization  united  with 
those  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Underwriters  in 
forming  the  Chicago  Fire  Underwriters'  Associa- 
tion, an  institution  organized  for  a  similar  pur- 
pose, he  continued  to  serve  the  new  concern  in 
the  same  capacity.  In  1894  the  last-named  cor- 
poration was  succeeded  by  the  Chicago  Under- 
writers' Association.  In  recognition  of  his  expe- 
rience and  previous  services,  Mr.  Trimingham 
was  elected  Secretary  of  the  new  association,  and 
the  performance  of  his  duties  to  these  successive 
organizations  has  absorbed  his  time  and  attention 
since  1885. 

On  the  i6th  of  April,  1885,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Carrie  J.,  daughter  of  Robert  G.  Goodwillie, 
an  early  resident  of  Chicago.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  two  daughters,  named,  respectively,  Eliz- 
abeth and  Anna.  For  thirty-eight  years  Mr. 
Trimingham  held  membership  with  the  Third 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  in  which,  for 
seventeen  years,  he  was  Elder  and  Clerk  of  the 
Session.  He  is  now  Elder  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church  at  Oak  Park,  where  he  lives.  He 
has  been  identified  with  the  Masonic  order  for 
the  last  twenty  years,  being  a  member  of  Cleve- 
land Lodge,  Washington  Chapter  and  Siloam 


2,58 


G.  W.  BARNARD. 


Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  of  which  he  is 
Past  Eminent  Commander.  His  life  has  been 
marked  by  diligent,  punctual  habits  and  the  con- 
scientious observance  of  upright  principles.  He 
has  witnessed  the  growth  and  development  of 


Chicago  for  nearly  forty  years,  and  during  all  that 
time  he  has  spent  but  little  time  out  of  the  city, 
his  chief  recreation  being  found  in  his  domestic 
and  social  relations. 


GILBERT  W.  BARNARD. 


/2JILBERT  WORDSWORTH  BARNARD  is 
j_  well  known  amid  Masonic  circles  through- 
\^\  out  America  and  Europe,  and  has  a  world- 
wide reputation  for  sterling  character,  accommo- 
dating manners,  and  devotion  to  the  interests  of 
the  order.  He  was  born  at  Palmyra,  Wayne 
County,  New  York,  June  i,  1834,  and  is  the  son 
of  George  Washington  Barnard,  whose  death  oc- 
curred previous  to  the  birth  of  this  son.  The 
father  of  George  W.  Barnard,  whose  name  was 
spelled  Bernarde,  was  a  Frenchman.  Following 
the  noble  example  of  the  immortal  La  Fayette, 
he  came  to  America  to  enlist  in  the  cause  of  free- 
dom, and  upon  the  termination  of  the  conflict 
settled  in  western  New  York,  where  he  married 
and  became  the  father  of  two  sons.  The  elder 
of  these  died  without  issue,  and  the  second  lived 
and  died  in  Wayne  County,  that  state.  The  lat- 
ter became  the  captain  of  a  passenger  packet  on 
the  Erie  Canal,  a  position  of  considerable  import- 
ance in  his  time.  His  wife,  Sabrina  Deming, 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  and  now  resides  in 
Howard  City,  Michigan,  at  the  extreme  old  age 
of  eighty  years,  her  present  name  being  Preston. 
Gilbert  W.  Barnard  was  reared  in  the  family  of 
his  maternal  grandfather.  David  Demming,  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  who  removed  to  Jackson 
County,  Michigan,  soon  after  his  grandson  be- 
came a  member  of  his  family.  The  Demming 
family  was  founded  in  America  by  four  brothers, 
who  settled  in  Connecticut  early  in  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  name  was  originally  spelled 


Dummund,  but  by  a  process  of  evolution  peculiar 
to  foreign  names  in  America,  it  became  Demming, 
and  was  contracted  by  the  present  generation  by 
the  omission  of  one  "  m." 

The  subject  of  this  biography  spent  the  first 
fifteen  years  of  his  life  in  Jackson  County,  Mich- 
igan, whence  he  came  to  Chicago  and  began  his 
business  career  as  clerk  in  a  general  store.  He 
afterward  engaged  in  the  book  and  stationery 
business,  which  line  of  trade  he  carried  on  for 
several  years,  achieving  a  reputation  for  upright 
and  honorable  dealing,  and  winning  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens.  During  the 
first  year  of  his  residence  in  Chicago  he  joined 
the  volunteer  fire  department,  and  during  the  next 
nine  or  ten  years  rendered  much  valuable  service 
to  the  city. 

In  October,  1864,  he  joined  the  Masonic  order 
and  has  ever  since  been  actively  identified  with 
its  interests.  He  has  taken  over  three  hundred 
degrees  known  to  Masonry,  and  has  filled  most 
of  the  principal  offices  in  the  subordinate  and 
grand  lodges.  He  is  at  present  Past  Master  of 
Garden  City  Lodge;  Past  High  Priest  of  Cor- 
rinthian  Chapter  No.  69,  R.  A.  M.;  Past  Emi- 
nent Commander  of  St.  Bernard  Commandery 
No.  35,  Knights  Templar;  Past  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  Oriental  Consistory ;  Grand  Secretary  of 
the  Grand  Chapter;  Grand  Recorder  of  the  Grand 
Council  and  of  the  Grand  Commandery;  and 
Grand  Secretary  of  the  Council  of  Deliberation, 
S.  P.  R.  S.,  and  other  bodies. 


OF  THE 

I.;:VZP,SITY  OF  itur 


JACOB  MANZ. 


JACOB  MANZ. 


259 


In  1877  he  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  Capit- 
ular, Cryptic  and  Chivalric  Grand  Bodies  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  a  position  he  has  ever  since  filled, 
and  has  devoted  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the 
interests  of  the  fraternity,  administering  to  the 
wants  of  his  brethren,  and  relieving  the  needs  of 
their  widows  and  orphans  in  distress.  His  sig- 
nal ability  and  unrelenting  efforts  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  duties  have  won  for  him  a  host  of 
friends  and  admirers.  He  has  labored  untiringly 
in  behalf  of  the  Illinois  Masonic  Orphans'  Home, 
of  which  he  was  the  first  Secretary,  and  through 
his  active  efforts  has  contributed  much  to  the  up- 
building of  that  worthy  institution. 


His  long  connection  with  the  Ancient  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite  has  placed  him  in  correspondence 
with  all  branches  of  the  order  in  all  parts  of  the 
world.  His  commodious  quarters  in  the  Masonic 
Temple  are  general  headquarters  for  Masonic 
affairs,  and  the  resort  of  brethren  from  every  civ- 
ilized country  on  the  globe.  They  contain  an 
ample  library,  and  are  filled  with  numerous  other 
articles  of  use  or  interest  to  members  of  the  fra- 
ternity . 

Mr.  Barnard  was  married  in  1863,  and  one  child, 
a  daughter,  is  still  living,  he  having  lost  three 
children. 


JACOB  MANZ. 


QACOB  MANZ,  one  of  the  self-made  men  of 
I  Chicago,  and  prominent  among  its  Swiss- 
(*/  American  citizens,  is  an  excellent  representa- 
tive of  the  benefits  of  a  Republican  Government. 
He  was  born  October  i,  1837,  'm  Marthalen,  in 
the  canton  of  Zurich,  Switzerland,  in  which  his 
grandparents  and  parents,  Jacob  and  Elizabeth 
(Keller)  Manz,  were  also  born. 

Jacob  Manz,  Sr.,  was  a  stone-cutter  in  early 
life,  and  became  an  architect  and  superintendent, 
which  indicates  that  he  made  the  best  use  of  his 
faculties  and  opportunities.  Having  heard  much 
of  the  wonderful  republic  beyond  the  seas,  he 
came  to  America  in  1853,  to  ascertain  for  himself 
if  it  afforded  better  opportunities  for  an  ambitious 
man  than  his  native  land.  He  spent  six  months 
at  L,ima,  Ohio,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  the  spring 
of  1854.  He  soon  decided  to  remain  here,  and 
wrote  to  his  wife  to  dispose  of  their  property  in 
Switzerland  and  follow  him,  with  the  children. 
On  account  of  the  youth  of  some  of  the  latter, 
whose  studies  were  not  yet  completed,  as  well  as 
the  difficulty  of  disposing  of  the  property  to  ad- 


vantage, the  move  was  postponed  until  death  pre- 
vented the  meeting  again  on  earth  of  husband 
and  wife.  The  latter  died  in  1860,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-eight  years.  Mr.  Manz  did  some  building 
in  Chicago,  but  was  forced  in  a  short  time  to  give 
up  business  by  the  failure  of  his  sense  of  hearing. 
His  latter  years  were  occupied  in  carving  marble 
monuments,  and  he  died  in  1886,  aged  eighty- 
four  years,  leaving  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Marguerite,  the  eldest,  is  the  wife  of  Ulrich 
Liechty,  residing  at  Polk  City,  Iowa.  Elizabeth, 
Mrs.  Toggenburger,  is  living  at  Bluffton,  Ohio, 
near  which  place  the  younger  son,  William,  also 
resides. 

Jacob  Manz,  the  elder  son  and  third  mature 
child  of  his  parents,  grew  up  in  his  native  village, 
attending  the  public  schools  until  his  thirteenth 
year.  He  was  then  apprenticed  to  a  firm  of  wood- 
engravers  in  Schaflhausen,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained until  sixteen  years  old.  Through  the 
dissolution  of  partnership  of  his  employers,  he 
was  unable  to  finish  the  prescribed  term  of  his  ap- 
prenticeship, but  his  natural  ability  and  industry 


260 


HUGO  NEUBERGER. 


had  already  made  him  a  skillful  engraver.  He 
immediately  set  out  for  America,  crossing  the 
ocean  on  a  sailing-vessel,  and  arriving  in  Chicago 
in  the  middle  of  July,  1855.  He  soon  found  em- 
ployment with  S.  D.  Childs  &  Company,  with 
whom  he  continued  six  years,  and  was  next  for 
five  years  in  the  employ  of  W.  D.  Baker,  a  well- 
known  Chicago  engraver.  His  long  terms  in 
these  connections  are  sufficient  indication  of  his 
faithfulness  and  skill.  After  a  short  period  with 
Bond  &  Chandler,  Mr.  Manz  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  another  engraver  and  went  into  busi- 
ness for  himself,  late  in  1866. 

The  firm  was  known  as  Maas  &  Manz,  and  was 
first  located  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Washing- 
ton Streets,  and  was  two  years  later  moved  to 
Dearborn  and  Madison.  While  here,  Mr.  Manz 
became  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  business,  by 
purchasing  the  interest  of  his  partner,  and  was  a 
very  heavy  loser  in  the  great  fire  of  1871,  realiz- 
ing almost  nothing  of  insurance.  He  had  faith, 
however,  in  himself  and  the  city,  and  very  soon 
opened  a  shop  on  West  Madison  Street,  near 
Union,  whence  he  shortly  removed  to  Clinton 
and  Lake  Streets.  He  subsequently  occupied 
locations  on  LaSalle,  Madison  and  Dearborn 
Streets,  and  is  now  established  at  Nos.  183  to  187 
Monroe  Street.  The  business,  in  the  mean  time, 
has  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  the  city  and 
the  improvements  in  the  art  of  engraving.  It  is 
now  conducted  by  an  incorporated  company, 


known  as  J.  Manz  &  Company,  of  which  Mr. 
Manz  is  President,  F.  D.  Montgomery  Vice- 
President,  and  Alfred  Bersbach  Secretary  and 
Treasurer.  Every  process  of  engraving  adaptable 
to  the  printing-press  is  carried  on,  and  about  one 
hundred  people  are  employed  in  the  establish- 
ment. 

The  genial  and  benevolent  character  of  Mr. 
Manz  has  naturally  led  to  participation  in  the 
work  of  many  social  and  charitable  organiza- 
tions. He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Hermann, 
Schweizer  Maennerchor,  Swiss  Benevolent  Socie- 
ty, Germania  Lodge,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  Gauntlet  Lodge,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
also  of  the  Royal  League  and  National  Union.  In 
religious  faith,  he  adheres  to  the  Swiss  Reformed 
Church,  and  has  been  a  Democrat  in  political 
preference  since  1876.  His  only  visit  to  the  home 
of  his  childhood  was  made  in  the  summer  of  1894, 
when  he  made  a  tour  of  interesting  localities  in 
Europe. 

Mr.  Manz  has  been  twice  married.  January  6, 
1859,  he  wedded  Miss  Carolina  Knoepfli,  who 
died  September  7,  1866.  She  was  a  native  of 
Ossingen,  Switzerland.  Two  of  her  children  are 
living,  namely:  Caroline  and  William  Manz. 
November  24,  1867,  Mr.  Manz  married  Johanna 
Hesse,  who  was  born  in  Crivitz,  Mecklenburg. 
Germany.  Her  children  are  Ida,  Paul,  Adolph 
and  Helena  Manz. 


HUGO  NEUBERGER. 


HUGO   NEUBERGER.     Germans  as  a  class 
are  a  thrifty  people,   and   when,  after  some 
years,  those  who  have  come  from  the  Fa- 
therland return  to  pay  their  visits  to  old,  loved 
scenes,  their  friends  wonder  at  the  wealth  Fort- 
une  has   allowed   them  to    so   quickly     acquire 
in  our  beloved  country  of  such   advantages;    for 
here  each  man  is  equal  in  the  eyes,  not  only  of 


God,  but  the  law;  here  he  may  do  as  he  pleases, 
so  long  as  he  does  not  commit  a  crime  or  trespass 
upon  the  rights  of  his  neighbors.  Politically, 
they  are  formidable  too,  for  we  can  see  in  the 
election  of  Governor  Altgeld  what  power  is  theirs 
when  they  unite  upon  a  candidate. 

A  man  of  influence  among  his  fellow-citizens 
was  Hugo  Neuberger,  who  was  born  at  Camberg, 


HUGO  NEUBERGER. 


261 


near  Frankfort,  Germany,  on  the  8th  day  of  April, 
1819.  He  came  of  a  good  family,  one  of  his 
brothers  afterward  becoming  Mayor  of  his  native 
place,  in  which  office  he  was  continued  for  a 
period  of  twenty  years.  Hugo,  being  a  younger 
son,  and  denied,  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Old 
World,  some  of  the  rights  and  advantages  of  an 
elder  child,  like  so  many  other  enterprising  young 
men,  came  to  this  country  to  seek  his  fortune  (or, 
let  us  say,  to  make  his  fortune) ,  in 'boy hood.  He 
settled  very  soon  after  his  arrival  in  his  life-long 
home,  Chicago,  which  he  grew  to  love  with  that 
strong  attachment  entertained  by  all  the  old  set- 
tlers, who  have  seen  its  wonderful  rise  from  a 
sandy  lowland  (not  unlike  a  part  of  Holland)  to 
its  present  growth  as  the  metropolis  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley,  and  destined  before  long  to  be- 
come one  of  the  most  powerful  cities  of  the  globe. 

He  bought,  after  many  exchanges  (for  he  was 
a  man  of  speculation,  a  typical  American,  always 
ready  for  a  trade),  the  valuable  piece  of  property 
now  known  as  Nos.  284  and  286  North  Clark 
Street,  about  the  year  1860.  Here  he  built  a 
substantial  frame  house,  used  as  a  grocery  and 
(according  to  the  Old  Country  custom)  a  beer 
hall  combined,  with  his  residence  adjoining. 
This  was  destroyed  some  years  after  his  death, 
in  the  great  fire  of  1871.  His  widow  rebuilt  more 
substantially  in  brick  a  structure  of  three  stories, 
now  used  as  dwelling  flats,  having  by  self-denial 
and  unusual  good  sense  been  able  to  keep  the 
property  and  family  together,  and  to  see  the  latter 
properly  brought  up  to  become  useful  members 
of  the  community. 

Mr.  Neuberger  had  been  a  landscape-gardener 
in  Germany;  but  it  is  needless  to  remark  in  those 
early  days  there  was  no  demand  for  such  services 
in  this  vicinity,  although  no  doubt  at  this  date, 
were  he  again  to  come  among  us  as  he  did  so 
many  years  ago,  his  able  intelligence  would  be 
eagerly  sought  by  the  owners  of  some  of  our  pal- 
atial residences,  for  we  have  already  grown  to 
number  in  our  midst  some  of  the  finest  homes 
to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  country.  Accord- 
ingly, he  turned  his  active  mind  to  something  that 
was  practicable  in  those  days,  from  which  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he  died  in  fair 


circumstances,  and  future  advances  certainly  con- 
spired to  give  to  his  family  who  survived  him  a 
success  in  life  which  at  that  time  could  not  have 
been  altogether  foreseen. 

He  was  a  consistent  Democrat,  voting  regularly 
but  never  seeking  office.  He  was  a  Catholic  in 
faith,  although  his  family,  like  their  mother,  have 
altogether  embraced  the  Lutheran  tenets.  As  a 
citizen  he  was  law-abiding  and  reliable  and  had 
many  friends.  He  died  in  July,  1863,  and  was 
buried  in  the  family  lot  in  Graceland  Cemetery. 
Had  he  lived  to  more  mature  years  he  would  have 
been  justly  proud  of  his  family,  whom  it  was  fated 
he  should  be  taken  from  in  middle  life. 

Mr.  Neuberger  married,  May  25,  1854,  Miss 
Magdalena  Ludwig,  of  Detroit,  Michigan,  a 
daughter  of  Simon  and  Margaret  (Knaben)  Lud- 
wig,  who  emigrated  from  Baden,  Germany.  She 
was  born  in  the  City  of  Straits,  July  18,  1835, 
removing  to  this  city  in  early  life,  where  she 
grew  to  know  and  love  the  subject  of  this  sketch; 
and  although  widowed  in  early  life,  she  has  been 
faithful  to  his  memory  ever  since,  as  she  will  die, 
filled  with  the  trust  of  guiding  aright  the  family 
of  young  people  entrusted  by  God  to  her  moth- 
erly charge.  All  of  them  have  grown  to  be  a 
comfort  to  her,  respectable  members  of  the  com- 
munity, and  some  of  them  with  descendants  who 
call  her  "Grandma."  It  is  owing  to  her  watch- 
ful care  during  the  past  more  than  thirty  years 
that  her  children  grew  up  in  honor,  and  that  they 
could  be  kept  together  in  a  home,  and  with  a 
property  left  them  (of  comparatively  little  value 
at  the  time)  now  grown  to  be  of  considerable 
worth. 

Four  children  were  the  fruits  of  their  happy, 
though  short,  wedded  life.  Louise,  born  April  3, 
1855,  married,  April  5,  1883,  Julian  Vaudeberge, 
of  Chicago,  an  editor  in  good  standing;  they  have 
two  children,  Madeline  Marie  and  Julian.  Ba- 
betta  married,  in  1892,  David  J.  Lyons,  of  the 
merchant  police  force,  who  unfortunately  died  the 
following  year,  leaving  no  children.  Magdalene 
is  unmarried.  Hugo  George  married,  in  1887, 
Miss  Emma  L.  Hunting,  of  Chicago,  who  died 
in  1892,  leaving  two  children,  Anna  Louise  and 
Florence  Augusta.  He  has  been  for  some  years  a 


262 


E.  F.  PEUGEOT. 


commercial  traveler,  but  at  present  is  employed 
on  the  merchant  police. 

We  thus  see  that  Mr.  Neuberger  established 
one  of  the  representative  German  families  of  the 
city,  whose  members,  as  they  grow  more  and 
more  into  harmony  with  American  ideas,  will 


bring  honor  and  fame  to  his  name.  Therefore  it 
is  eminently  fitting  that  his  history  should  be 
preserved  herein,  that  those  who  shall  follow  in 
after  years  may  gain  a  faint  idea  of  the  early  life 
of  this  Chicago  pioneer. 


EDWARD  F.  PEUGEOT. 


ITDWARD  FREDERICK  PEUGEOT,  an 
1^  early  citizen  of  Chicago,  and  at  one  time  a 
I  leading  merchant  and  importer,  was  born  in 
Buffalo,  New  York,  September  8,  1836,  and  was 
the  son  of  Peter  Peugeot,  a  native  of  France.  He 
was  also  a  relative  of  Peugeot  Brothers,  the  fa- 
mous bicycle  manufacturers  of  Paris.  Peter  Peu- 
geot was  a  highly  esteemed  citizen  of  Buffalo, 
New  York,  to  which  city  he  removed  from  France 
in  1833.  He  was  engaged  several  years  in  the 
hardware  business,  and  as  a  manufacturer  of  ma- 
chinery, but,  having  amassed  a  competency,  he 
retired  from  active  business  twenty  years  before 
his  death,  which  occurred  November  22,  1875,  in 
the  seventy -fourth  year  of  his  age,  having  been  a 
resident  of  Buffalo  forty-two  years.  His  wife,  De- 
siree,  nee  Sachet,  also  a  native  of  France,  survived 
him,  and  her  death  occurred  in  November,  1886. 
They  were  the  parents  of  thirteen  children,  all 
but  two  of  whom  died  before  their  father.  Ellen 
J.  became  the  wife  of  Judge  W.  M.  Oliver,  ol 
Buffalo,  and  died  at  San  Marcial,  New  Mexico, 
while  there  trying  to  restore  her  health.  An- 
other daughter,  Amelia,  now  deceased,  became 
the  wife  of  George  P.  Bird,  now  a  wealthy  mill- 
owner  in  Helena,  Montana. 

The  other  survivor  was  Edward,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  who  came  to  Chicago  in  1857, 
when  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  displayed 
great  ability  in  building  up  the  largest  toy  im- 
porting house  in  the  West,  which  was  known  as 
Peugeot's  Variety  Store.  During  the  time  when 
his  business  was  largest,  he  made  annual  visits 


to  France  to  select  goods.  He  was  the  local  rep- 
resentative of  some  of  the  largest  and  best  known 
manufacturing  companies  in  France.  When  Chi- 
cago was  destroyed  in  1871,  he  lost  everything, 
and,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  the  local  insur- 
ance companies,  caused  by  the  unparalleled  mag- 
nitude of  their  losses,  he  realized  nothing  from 
that  source.  However,  he  went  into  business 
again  after  the  fire,  and  to  some  extent  retrieved 
his  fortune. 

On  the  1 4th  of  March,  1861,  Mr.  Peugeot  was 
married  to  Maria  L.  Flershem,  daughter  of  Lem- 
uel H.  Flershem,  who  is  mentioned  at  length  in 
this  volume.  Four  children  blessed  the  home  of 
Mr.  Peugeot,  namely:  Nina,  now  the  wife  of 
Conrad  Mueller,  real-estate  dealer  and  Assistant 
Clerk  of  the  Sheriff  of  New  York  County;  she 
has  one  child,  Edward  Herman  Mueller.  lone, 
the  second  daughter,  resides  with  her  mother. 
Pierre  and  Leon  are  now  in  the  employ  of  W.' 
McGregor  &  Company,  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Peugeot 
died  August  8,  1886,  and  subsequently  his  widow 
became  the  wife  of  William  McGregor  (see  sketch 
elsewhere  in  this  work). 

Edward  F.  Peugeot  was  a  man  in  whom  those 
elements  so  essential  to  social  popularity  and 
business  success  were  prominent,  and  he  was  al- 
ways the  center  of  a  large  circle  of  admiring 
friends.  He  was  a  very  enterprising  merchant, 
possessing  a  high  character  and  integrity,  and 
left  to  his  children,  as  a  legacy,  a  good  name  and 
an  excellent  example  of  true  manhood. 


i  ':VE: 


CF  THE 
OF  ILL" 


f"y.  Cc.  Cf.Ka.fi. 


FERDINAND  LINK. 


263 


FERDINAND  LINK. 


f"  ERDINAND  LINK.  '  'Der  Gipfel  des  Ber- 
|W  Ses  funkelt  im  abend  Sonnenschein,"  sings 
|  *  the  beautiful,  irresistible  Lorellei,  seated 
upon  the  picturesque  summits  of  those  storied, 
castle-crowned  highlands  of  the  Rhine,  whence 
she  drew  to  herself  all  who  came  within  the  scope 
of  her  vision.  It  is  proper  now  to  write  modestly 
of  one  born  in  the  Fatherland,  to  whom  the  sound 
of '  'America' '  was,  like  the  harmony  of  theold  folk- 
song, an  entrancing  melody,  full  of  bright  proph- 
ecy, the  hope  of  whose  fulfillment  he  could  not 
withstand. 

Ferdinand  Link  was  born  on  the  ist  of  No- 
vember, 1829,  in  Birkigt  Herzogthum,  Meinin- 
gen,  Germany,  his  parents  being  Trougott  and 
Rosina  (Schmidt)  Link,  persons  of  respectable 
attainments,  who  lived  and  died  in  the  Old  Coun- 
try. At  about  his  fourteenth  year  he  had  com- 
pleted the  learning  of  the  same  trade  as  his 
father,  a  carriage-maker,  after  which,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  custom  of  his  countrymen,  he 
traveled  to  improve  his  knowledge  of  the  craft,  a 
phase  of  intelligent  life  very  interestingly  set  forth 
by  the  great  Goethe  in  his  immortal  ' '  Wilhelm 
Meister." 

Having  acquired  whatever  seemed  necessary  to 
thoroughly  fit  his  genius  to  his  life-work,  he  re- 
solved to  come  to  the  United  States  of  America; 
so,  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  set  sail 
from  Bremen  upon  a  passage  which  took  forty- 
nine  days  in  crossing  to  Baltimore,  where  he 
disembarked  on  the  6th  of  July,  1848.  Presently 
he  found  employment  at  his  old  trade  with  a 
Mr.  Bishop,  with  whom  he  remained  for  a  time 
in  mutual  good-will.  Anon,  desirous  to  see  more 
of  the  New  World,  and  getting  on  famously  with 


the  new  language,  he  set  out  for  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia, via  the  Natural  Bridge,  up  to  Abington, 
where  he  continued  his  trade  for  a  season,  or  un- 
til the  ist  of  November,  1850.  Thence,  at  that 
time,  he  proceeded  to  Kingston  Springs,  and  by 
way  of  the  Mississippi  River  as  far  south  as  New 
Orleans,  directly  returning  as  far  north  as  this 
city,  which  he  reached  the  last  week  in  Decem- 
ber, 1850,  and  where  for  more  than  forty  years 
he  has  continued  uninterruptedly  to  reside,  pros- 
pered, honored,  and  full  of  dignified  interests  in 
our  midst. 

Mr.  Link  is  a  very  modest  man,  but  in  his 
craft  it  remains  true  that  in  the  younger  days  he 
was  the  peer  of  any  in  our  city,  which  is  amply 
evidenced  by  some  handiwork,  so  superior  and 
excellent,  that  it  raises  a  well-defined  doubt  as 
to  whether  there  was  any  other  here  who  at  that 
time  could  have  done  so  skillfully.  In  the  lan- 
guage of  the  country  whence  he  came  to  our 
shore,  he  was  a  master  mechanic,  a  '  'turner' '  of 
rare  ability.  Among  the  things  which  came 
like  magic  from  his  deft  touch  were  the  following, 
which  recur  readily  to  the  mind:  A  finely  carved 
turnout  for  Governor  Wise,  of  Virginia;  the  first 
hearse  ever  used  in  our  city  which  had  glass  sides, 
made  for  Undertaker  Gavin,  before  which  they 
used  a  rough  conveyance  with  a  pall  thrown  over 
the  coffin;  and  the  first  public  hack  ever  con- 
structed here  or  seen  upon  our  pioneer  streets. 
Surely  this  is  quite  sufficient  to  establish  Mr. 
Link's  right  to  be  remembered  as  one  of  the  best 
'  'turners' '  who  ever  lived  with  us,  and  certain- 
ly the  man  who  did  the  first  really  fine  kind  of 
work  in  several  valuable  lines. 

For  eleven  years  he  was  foreman  for  Richard 


264 


FERDINAND  LINK. 


Biel,  a  carriage  manufacturer  on  the  West  Side, 
who  has  now  gone  to  the  "bourne  whence  no 
traveler  returns. ' '  While  working  at  his  trade, 
Mr.  Link  also  began  to  turn  his  attention  to  that 
source  of  financial  wealth  which  has  made  most 
of  our  rich  men,  and  that  was  to  real-estate  in- 
vestments; for  never  in  the  history  of  the  world 
has  there  been  so  much  money  made  in  so  short 
a  time  out  of  building  sites  as  right  here  in  our 
little  Cook  County,  Illinois.  Foreseeing  himself 
what  would  certainly  come  of  it,  he  began  to  make 
good  moves  in  this  direction  as  fast  as  he  could 
get  money  to  buy  with.  On  State  Street,  near 
Chestnut,  which  for  the  greater  part  has  been  the 
locality  of  his  winning  moves,  he  purchased  a 
piece  of  land  and  proceeded,  in  1858,  to  put  up 
some  houses  for  rent.  The  results  were  gratify- 
ing from  the  start. 

In  the  winter  of  1864,  in  reduced  health  (ad- 
vised by  his  physicians  to  do  so  if  he  wished  to 
prolong  his  life),  he  took  his  family  and  went  to 
California.  The  route,  before  the  days  of  the 
steam  horse,  was  from  New  York  City,  via  the 
West  Indies  and  the  Carribean  Sea,  to  Aspinwall 
and  Panama,  and  then  by  another  line  of  steam- 
ers to  San  Francisco,  in  which  last  city  he  stopped 
for  some  time,  his  condition  being  much  amelior- 
ated by  the  salubrious  climate,  and  his  interest 
deeply  aroused  by  the  quaint  customs  of  that 
strange  new  country,  whose  hills  were  made  of 
gold.  For  a  season  he  sojourned  at  Los  Angeles  (at 
a  period  prior  to  this  of  the  Jin  de  siede),  Alame- 
da,  Warm  Springs,  and  returned  home  in  March, 
1867,  via  Nicaragua  and  Greytown.  Mr.  Link's 
love  of  travel  is  remarkable,  and  his  keenly- 
observing  eyes,  with  the  note-book  which  he 
invariably  keeps,  make  it  intensely  interesting 
after  long  years  to  revisit  with  him  in  memorized 
record  those  scenes  of  former  delights. 

On  his  return  he  invested  in  more  real  estate 
near  the  site  of  his  former  possessions,  and  put  up 
houses  upon  the  same;  then  came  the  fire  of  1871 , 
that  mighty  holocaust  which  cost  so  many  their 
entire  fortunes,  and  did  inestimable  damage  for  a 
time  to  all  our  citizens,  until  returning  courage 
resulted  in  rebuilding  better  than  was  ever 
dreamed  of  before.  Mr.  Link  lost  by  this  fire 


seven  houses,  which  shows  that  he  had  already 
grown  to  be  quite  a  landlord.  Nothing  daunted, 
with  that  admirable  energy  which  was  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  age,  he  mortgaged  his  land  to  set 
to  work  and  build  again,  this  time  including  the 
construction  of  a  grocery  store  near  the  corner  of 
State  and  Chestnut  Streets,  which  he  personally 
conducted  up  to  the  year  1882,  when  he  finally 
retired  from  business,  well  intrenched  in  his  fort- 
unes, with  hosts  of  friends  his  genial,  honest  and 
frank  nature  had  won  him,  for  he  never  made  an 
enemy  in  his  life. 

That  he  might  spend  his  closing  years  "under 
his  own  vine  and  fig  tree, ' '  he  bought  a  fine  lot 
at  Number  76  Walton  Place,  overlooking  the  lake 
at  its  foot  (and  which  now  has  within  plain  view 
the  celebrated  Newberry  Library,  since  construct- 
ed, one  of  the  famous  libraries  of  the  world) ,  where 
he  erected  a  commodious  home,  wherein  the  years 
pass  by  (when  he  is  not  in  other  scenes)  like  a 
dream  of  the  fabled  days  of  old. 

In  1852,  tired  of  single  blessedness,  Mr.  Link 
took  to  his  heart  a  wife  (one  of  the  most  congen- 
ial, entertaining,  whole-souled  women  in  our  whole 
city),  Miss  Mary  Laux  being  her  maiden  name. 
She  was  born,  like  himself,  in  Germany,  in  the 
town  of  Losheim,  County  of  Merzig,  Province  of 
Trier,  West  Prussia,  it  being  territory  formerly 
belonging  to  the  French,  and  quite  adjacent  to 
the  famous  Alsace-Lorraine  country  of  later  years' 
contest.  Her  father,  Peter  Laux  (coming  of  an 
old  French  family) ,  had  been  a  second  orderly  for 
the  great  Napoleon.  At  the  battle  of  Leipsig, 
his  horse  being  shot  under  him,  he  caught  the 
horse  of  the  first  orderly,  who  had  himself  been 
killed,  which  was  so  bewildered  by  the  fray  and 
smoke  of  battle,  that  when  soldat  Laux,  being  ig- 
norant of  the  way  to  his  troop,  gave  the  horse  his 
head,  he  dashed  away  into  the  very  enemy's  lines, 
where,  by  a  singular  mistake,  a  French  flag, 
which  had  been  captured,  was  handed  him,  he 
being  taken  for  one  of  their  own  German  forces. 
Thereupon,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  started 
like  lightning  away  for  the  opposite  side  among 
his  friends.  His  horse  was  shot  by  the  volley 
sent  after  him,  and  he  himself  badly  wounded  in 
the  leg,  sustaining,  besides  several  flesh  wounds, 


FERDINAND  LINK. 


265 


a  fracture  of  the  leg  bone.  Crawling  under  a 
corn  stack,  he  managed  to  escape  apprehension, 
and  in  this  way  was  left  for  three  days  before  be- 
ing rescued  by  his  own  men  and  taken  to  hospital 
to  have  his  painful  wounds  dressed.  In  the  mean 
time,  however,  he  had  crawled  to  the  River  Katz- 
back  to  bathe  himself,  and  had  kept  the  old  flag, 
which  later  came  safely  into  Napoleon's  hands. 
This  episode  stamps  him  as  a  man  not  only  of 
strong  vitality,  to  withstand  such  suffering  and 
hardships,  but  also  as  a  heroic  soul,  of  no  common 
mould. 

Mr.  Laux,  in  1840,  took  his  wife  and  family, 
including  those  who  were  married,  to  America; 
and  at  this  juncture  befel  a  very  pathetic  scene. 
As  they  were  about  to  leave  France  forever,  the 
vessel  bringing  from  St.  Helena  the  remains  of  his 
old  general,  Napoleon,  was  coming  into  port.  He 
wept  like  a  child,  and  exclaimed,  "Why  art  thou 
not  alive,  that  I  might  again  forsake  my  friends 
and  family  to  follow  thee?"  With  Barbara,  his 
wife,  he  landed  upon  Chicago  soil  on  the  twenty- 
fifth  day  of  August,  1840.  They  have  both 
passed  to  their  eternal  rewards,  for  few  of  the 
older  settlers  are  longer  left  to  greet  us. 

Mrs.  Link  was  born  the  twenty-fifth  day  of 
March,  1833,  so  that  she  began  her  blissful  wed- 
ded life  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen.  One  child 
has  blessed  their  union,  Ferdinand  Eugene  Link, 
who  was  born  September  10,  1852.  He  learned 
his  trade  of  druggist  with  Mr.  Van  Derburg,  and 
went  into  the  employ  of  Tollman  &  King,  whole- 
sale druggists,  with  whom  he  still  remains,  his 
services  being  rewarded  with  the  responsible  po- 
sition of  manager.  He  was  married,  in  1875,  to 
Miss  Marion  Langdon  of  this  city,  by  whom  he 
has  three  children,  Ferdinand  (third),  Marion  and 
John. 

Politically  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, not  an  office-seeker,  nor  fanatic  in  his  views; 
locally,  he  invariably  selects  the  best  man,  in  his 
candid  judgment,  for  support. 

Physically  Mr.  Link  is  not  a  large  man,  but 
so  engaging  in  manner  that  he  seems  to  rise  at 
times  to  the  stature  of  a  giant,  as  he  graphically 
depicts  interesting  experiences  he  has  passed 
through  in  his  varied  life  of  many  vicissitudes. 


He  is  one  of  the  most  unassuming,  genial  men 
it  is  one's  good  fortune  to  run  across,  hospitable 
and  full  of  good  parts.  As  an  instance  of  the  po- 
etic feeling  of  his  soul  (a  thing  somewhat  rare  in 
our  crowding,  rushing  city) ,  at  an  advanced  age, 
he  bought  a  fine  piano,  and  started  in  to  learn 
music.  He  progressed  with  such  amazing  rapidity 
that,  although  he  had  but  six  months'  lessons,  he 
really  plays  very  well,  and  some  difficult  pieces 
of  classical  music,  too.  It  is  one  of  the  proudest 
recollections  of  his  experience  that  he  was  per- 
mitted, on  a  foreign  tour,  to  play  for  a  few  mo- 
ments upon  the  piano  of  Frederick  the  Great,  in 
the  castle  at  Potsdam,  during  which  exceptionally 
honored  occasion  he  very  touchingly  ran  through 
the  pathetic  bars  of  "Sad  Thoughts  of  Thee." 
One  can  readily  picture  this  inspiring  incident,  of 
one  returning  from  a  new  country,  full  of  honor 
and  wealth,  to  the  home  of  his  nativity,  to  view 
for  a  season  the  place  that  gave  him  birth.  Ah, 
it  is  a  strange  world  we  live  in,  and  strange  in- 
deed are  the  changes  which  come  to  us  all! 

The  incident  above  related  occurred  upon  his 
memorable  tour  of  the  continent  in  1892,  when 
he  felt  he  must  visit  again  the  old  endeared  scenes 
of  his  boyhood.  Not  alone  those,  but  France,  Bel- 
gium and  England  were  traversed;  and  if  anyone 
doubts  the  good  use  our  friend  made  of  his  sight, 
let  him  sit  for  a  while  listening  to  the  "logbook," 
as  it  has  been  the  writer's  privilege,  and  doubt 
would  vanish  before  the  perfect  light  of  enrapt- 
ured conviction.  It  is  understood  that  he  is  plan- 
ning another  trip  abroad  for  the  near  future,  for 
he  is  an  indefatigable  traveler. 

In  closing,  we  must  not  forget  to  say,  that  as 
his  earthly  life  has  been  correct,  and  his  surround- 
ings beautiful  and  uplifting,  so  he  has  had  the 
wise  foresight  to  see  to  it  that  his  remains  after 
death  may  be  in  a  temporary  earthly  mansion 
suitable  to  his  wishes.  In  the  family  lot  at  St. 
Boniface  Cemetery,  he  has  finished  the  construc- 
tion of  a  family  tomb,  which  for  exquisiteness  of 
design  and  perfection  of  execution  is  unsurpassed. 
There  is  no  finer  owned  or  erected  in  this  city's 
places  of  burial.  The  exterior  facades  are  of 
that  handsome,  durable  stone,  rock-faced,  known 
as  Blue  Bedford;  while  the  interior  rises  grace- 


266 


W.  W.  PHELPS. 


fully  and  without  that  sense  of  oppression  so  fre- 
quent in  low-constructed  burial  places,  being  com- 
posed of  English  Channel  fire  brick  and  elegant 
imported  Italian  marbles.  In  the  center  rises  the 
catafalque,  which  will  one  day  contain  the  last 
mortal  remains  of  our  dear  friend  and  his  beloved 


spouse.  Each  one  has  his  themes  of  delight.  Can 
there  be  a  more  beautiful  wish  than  to  lie  securely 
safe  after  one's  earthly  existence  is  over,  surround- 
ed by  the  beauties  which,  like  the  hills,  pass  not 
away  until  the  judgment  day? 


WILLIAM  W.  PHELPS. 


WALLACE  PHELPS,  one  of 
earliest  and  most  conscientious  of  our 
business  men,  was  born  at  Conesville, 
Schoharie  County,  New  York,  June  17,  1825.  His 
parents  were  George  and  Mary  (Chapman) 
Phelps. 

Being  of  the  generation  of  self-made  men,  he 
started  out  with  a  clear,  straightforward  mind, 
aided  by  a  common-school  instruction,  to  do  his 
life  work  as  the  Creator  foresaw  it  would  come  to 
pass. 

First  in  Oneida,  at  nineteen  years  of  age,  and 
elsewhere  in  his  native  State,  he  waited  upon 
customers  as  a  clerk  behind  merchants'  counters, 
and  in  1847  went  to  Catskill,  Greene  County,  New 
York,  to  clerk  for  Potter  Palmer.  It  is  needless 
to  add,  he  did  his  humble  early  duties  as  faith- 
fully and  ably  as  he  bore  the  later  more  hon- 
orable and  distinguished  burdens  which  time 
demonstrated  he  was  more  than  equal  to  carrying. 

Henceforth  he  was  fated  to  join  forces  with  that 
truly  royal  man,  Potter  Palmer,  the  bare  mention 
of  whose  name  thrills  the  listener  with  intense 
admiration,  and  conjures  up  in  his  mind  the 
rapid  achievement  of  our  unrivalled  city;  in  all 
and  through  all  of  which  none  has  been  more 
modestly  conspicuous  and  helpful  than  Mr.  Pal- 
mer. Along  with  Mr.  Palmer,  Mr.  Phelps  was 
mainly  to  work  out  his  destiny.  It  was  fitting, 
for  they  were  brothers-in-law;  and  so  long,  un- 
ruffled and  intimate  were  their  mutual  relations 


and  regard  for  each  other,  that  the  two  men 
actually  grew  more  and  more  in  personal  appear- 
ance alike.  One  glance  at  Mr.  Phelps'  face, 
as  the  artist  left  it  for  our  delight,  and  the 
lineaments  of  his  '  'dear  friend  Potter' '  suggest 
themselves.  Together  they  removed,  in  1851,  to 
Lockport,  New  York,  there  engaging  in  business 
for  about  one  year  only,  for  in  1852  they  started 
resolutely  for  the  then  Far  West,  resting  their 
weary  limbs  by  the  head  of  the  beautiful  Lake 
Michigan,  in  which  place  fortune  had  decreed 
they  should  win  honorable  names  and  a  goodly 
portion  of  the  desires  of  this  life.  One  has  quite 
finished  his  labors  and  is  at  rest  above  all  earthly 
value.  Soon  the  other  will  go  to  his  comrade's 
side,  while  this  scene  shall  know  their  presence  no 
more;  but  history  is  the  better,  and  future  genera- 
tions, though  they  may  lealize  it  not,  will  be  the 
happier  and  better  that  two  such  American  noble- 
men were  among  us  in  our  infancy. 

Soon  after  their  advent,  Mr.  Palmer,  having 
some  capital  at  command,  entered  into  the  dry- 
goods  business,  wherein  Mr.  Phelps  was  his  con- 
fidential friend  and  financial  secretary  for  long 
years,  always  in  every  way  satisfactory  in  his 
discharge  of  onerous  trusts. 

In  1865  Mr.  Phelps  went  for  himself  into  the 
wholesale  and  retail  carpet  business  with  a  part- 
ner, under  the  style  of  Hollister  &  Phelps,  hav- 
ing purchased  the  interest  of  the  former  partner, 
Mr.  Wilkins.  He  sold  out  his  interest  in  this 


W.  W.  PHELPS. 


267 


paying  establishment  the  June  preceding  the  his- 
torical fire  of  1871.  Thereafter  for  some  six 
months  he  enjoyed  the  delights  of  old  Europe, 
with  the  keen  intellectual  appreciation  so  charac- 
teristic of  him,  combining  business  with  health- 
ful recreation,  as  he  did  considerable  buying  for 
Mr.  Palmer,  who  was  furnishing  the  Palmer 
House,  recently  built  at  that  time. 

Returning  to  the  United  States  in  good  condi- 
tion, he  lived  the  easy  life  of  an  "old-school" 
gentleman  for  a  period  of  eight  years.  But  act-, 
ive  life  extended  too  great  temptations  to  one 
of  his  temperament;  so  it  is  not  surprising,  when 
Mr.  Palmer  made  him  a  flattering  offer,  that  he 
found  it  impossible  to  resist,  and  so  it  is  chronicled 
that  the  last  twelve  years  of  his  life  were  spent 
as  confidential  financial  manager  of  that  great 
hostelry,  one  of  the  grandest  and  best  known  in 
the  wide  world,  the  Palmer  House.  In  him  Mr. 
Palmer  had  full  and  explicit  trust  and  confidence. 
He  said:  "I  can  goto  California;  I  maybe  gone 
six  months;  and  when  I  return,  I  feel  I  shall 
hear  everything  has  gone  on  just  the  same." 

Alas,  all  must  pay  the  sad  debt  of  nature.  Mr. 
Phelps  died  May  18,  1891,  of  Bright's  Disease, 
and  was  interred  in  the  family  lot  at  Graceland, 
where  a  fine  monument  marks  his  beautiful  final 
resting-place.  For  many  years  he  was  an  at- 
tendant at  the  Plymouth  Congregational  Church, 
where  he  held  a  pew.  Bishop  Cheney,  a  warm 
friend,  officiated  at  the  funeral  obsequies  at  his 
magnificent  mansion  house,  No.  2518  Prairie 
Avenue. 

Mr.  Phelps  married,  first,  Lydia  Palmer,  sister 
of  Potter  Palmer,  in  the  fall  of  1867.  She  died 
on  the  very  day  of  the  Fire  of  1871 ,  without  issue. 
September  9,  1873,  hfi  wedded  Miss  Cornelia 
Austina  Hubbard,  of  Spring  Prairie,  Wisconsin. 
In  good  health,  she  continues  to  survive  her 
lamented  husband,  whose  memory  is  sacred  in 
her  heart  and  whose  worth  she  delights  to  exalt 
and  honor.  How  strong  under  such  circumstances 
does  the  merit  of  this  undertaking  appear  !  They 
who  make  for  themselves  honorable  names,  but 
are  barred  by  fate  against  leaving  children,  must 
herein  find  their  most  lasting  and  fitting  monu- 
ment in  this  record  of  their  good  deeds. 


Cornelia  A.  (Hubbard)  Phelps  is  a  daughter  of 
Alfred  Hubbard  and  Hannah  Steele,  of  Wind- 
ham,  Greene  County,  New  York,  being  the 
youngest  of  eight  children.  Alfred  Hubbard  was 
a  son  of  Timothy  Hubbard  and  Dorothy  Raleigh, 
of  Connecticut.  Hannah  Steele  was  a  daughter 
of  Stephen  Steele  and  Hannah  Simonds,  also  of 
Connecticut. 

Mr.  Phelps  was  a  stanch  Republican,  a  con- 
scientious Christian,  a  gentleman  and  a  lover  of 
home.  Tall  and  straight  of  stature,  his  pale 
blonde  face,  handsome,  yet  full  of  kindly  charac- 
ter, firm  mouth,  prominent  eyes,  heavy  eyebrows 
and  massive  forehead  well  denoted  the  strength  he 
possessed.  He  and  Mr.  Palmer  might  have  been 
taken  for  brothers.  Their  names  are  indelibly 
associated,  and  those  who,  in  coming  years,  when 
the  flowers  are  blossoming  over  ancient  graves, 
shall  read  the  records  of  the  two  lives,  will  un- 
derstand more  deeply  and  solemnly  than  words 
can  depict  what  this  age  and  this  city  owe  to  men 
like  Potter  Palmer  and  William  Wallace  Phelps. 

It  is  fitting  that  this  work  shall  record  the  fol- 
lowing quite  full  and  satisfactory  genealogical 
descent: 

Ichabod  Phelps,  who  was  a  merchant  in  Eng- 
land, married  Betsy  Bristol,  and,  coming  to  this 
country,  in  company  with  three  brothers,  settled 
at  Salisbury,  in  L,itchfield  County,  Connecticut. 
Later  he  removed  to  Wyoming,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  the  historical 
massacre  there  by  the  Indians  under  the  notorious 
Brant,  upon  which  event  he  took  a  fresh  depart- 
ure for  Broome,  Schoharie  County,  New  York, 
where  he  built  and  conducted  a  general  store. 
His  son,  Othniel  Phelps,  born  in  1777,  died  in 
1856.  He  was  twice  married;  first,  to  Polly  Fiero, 
and  secondly  to  Hannah  Frost,  who  lived  to  the 
remarkable  age  of  ninety-two  years,  dying  in 
1876. 

The  eldest  son  by  the  first  marriage  was 
George  W.  Phelps,  who  was  born  in  1798,  at 
Conesville,  Schoharie  County,  New  York,  and 
died  July  3,  1866.  He  was  twice  married;  first, 
about  the  year  1820,  to  Zerviah  Potter,  who  died 
three  years  later,  leaving  two  sons,  Othniel  B. 
and  Samuel  P.  (for  a  sketch  of  Othuiel  B.  vide 


268 


C.  E.  PIPER 


other  pages  herein) ;  second,  he  married,  about 
1824,  Mary  Chapman,  who  was  born  February 
25,  1801,  and  died  January  28,  1879.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Samuel  Chapman  (born  January 
13,  1773,  died  November  30,  1858)  and  Rhoda 
Cowles,  his  wife  (born  September  3,  1775,  and 


died  in  1801).  By  this  second  marriage  there 
were  eight  children:  Helen  M.,  John  M.,  Mary 
Z.,  Catherine,  Lucinda  M. ,  George  C.,  Abbie 
A.  and  William  Wallace  Phelps,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch. 


CHARLES  E.  PIPER. 


EHARLES  EDWARD  PIPER  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Chicago  June  12,  1858.  His  fa- 
ther, Otis  Piper,  well  and  favorably  known 
to  the  pioneer  business  men  of  Chicago,  was  of 
English  extraction,  and  traced  his  descent  di- 
rectly to  ancestors  who  arrived  in  America  and 
.settled  at  the  town  of  New  Salem  in  1782.  His 
mother,  Margaret  (McGrory)  Piper,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  lineage,  was  a  native  of  Prescott,  province 
of  Ontario,  Canada,  whither  her  father  removed 
in  1824. 

Otis  Piper,  with  his  family,  came  to  Chicago  in 
1851,  at  a  time  when  the  struggling  town  was 
barely  beginning  to  give  promise  of  future  impor- 
tance, and  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  few  fervent- 
spirited  citizens  whose  eyes  of  faith  saw,  above  the 
alternating  sand  dunes  and  swamps  of  that  early 
period,  something  of  the  glory  of  the  present  me- 
tropolis. Amid  the  surroundings  common  to  the 
pioneer  outposts  of  civilization  in  our  country, 
Charles  Edward  Piper,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
first  saw  the  light  of  day.  The  foundation  of  his 
education  was  laid  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
city,  and  in  the  face  of  many  trials  and  vicissi- 
tudes was,  nevertheless,  so  firmly  planted  in  the 
mind  of  the  young  boy  that  an  unquenchable 
thirst  for  knowledge,  and  an  indomitable  deter- 
mination to  obtain  it,  impelled  him  to  successively 
graduate  from  the  high  school  in  1876,  the  North- 


western University  in  1882,  and  the  Union  College 
of  Law  in  1889,  earning,  in  the  mean  time,  his 
own  livelihood  and  the  means  to  meet  his  stu- 
dent's expenses. 

After  completing  his  law  course,  he  entered 
upon  practice  with  Mr.  Wilbert  J.  Andrews,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Andrews  &  Piper,  a  firm 
which  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  real-es- 
tate law  firms  in  Chicago.  The  business  of  buy- 
ing and  selling  real  estate  has  naturally  grown  up 
with  the  practice  of  real-estate  law,  and  the  sub- 
urban town  of  Berwyn  was  founded  by  and  is  to- 
day, to  a  considerable  extent,  the  property  of  Mr. 
Piper  and  his  associates.  Socially  Mr.  Piper  is  a 
genial,  warm-hearted  gentleman,  easy  in  his  man- 
ners and  a  favorite  in  several  social  organizations 
with  which  he  is  connected,  notably  the  Prairie 
Club,  of  Oak  Park,  and  the  Lincoln  Club,  of 
West  Chicago.  In  religious  matters  he  is  a  fol- 
lower of  Wesley,  and  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church.  He  is  President  of  the  State 
Epworth  League  and  Treasurer  of  the  National 
Epworth  League.  Politically  he  is  a  Republican, 
"dyed  in  the  wool,"  is  President  of  the  town  of 
Cicero,  and  has  held  the  office  of  Supervisor  of 
the  town  of  South  Chicago,  as  well  as  that  of 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  town 
of  Cicero. 

August  15,  1882,  he  married  Carrie  L.  Gregory, 


FRANCIS  WARNER. 


269 


daughter  of  Edwin  and  Anna  S.  Gregory,  of 
Nauvoo,  Illinois,  and  granddaughter  of  Robert 
Lane,  partner  of  John  Morris,  of  Philadelphia,  of 
Revolutionary  fame.  The  three  living  children 
of  Mr.  and. Mrs.  Piper  are:  Carrie  E.,  born  May 
29,  1884;  Lulu  L.;  and  Robert  G. ,  December  6, 
1889. 

Mr.  Piper  vividly  recalls  the  burning  of  Chi- 
cago on  the  fatal  October  8,  1871,  but  at  that 
time,  fortunately,  was  residing  outside  of  the  burnt 
district,  and  escaped  any  serious  personal  dam- 
ages or  loss.  He  is  the  President  of  the  Method- 


ist Forward  Movement  of  Chicago,  and  takes 
deep  interest  in  the  building  of  the  Epworth 
House,  at  Number  229  Halsted  Street,  now  in 
process  of  erection.  This  house,  like  its  prototype, 
Hull  House,  is  designed  to  serve  as  an  oasis  in 
the  desert  of  poverty  and  iniquity,  and  will  aid 
greatly  in  the  regeneration  of  that  benighted  re- 
gion. He  was  one  of  the  founders,  and  is  now  an 
officer,  of  the  Epworth  Children's  Home,  and  is 
at  the  present  time  President  of  the  Chicago  Meth- 
odist Social  Union. 


FRANCIS  WARNER. 


|~~RANCIS  WARNER,  a  quiet,  worthy  citizen 
Yri  of  Chicago,  is  a  descendant  of  very  early 
|  English  and  German  yeomanry.  He  was 
born  at  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  January  26, 
1819.  His  parents,  George  Warner  and  Mary 
Salisbury,  were  natives,  respectively,  of  Pack- 
ington  and  Ashby  de  la  Zouche,  in  Leicestershire, 
near  the  border  of  Nottinghamshire,  England. 
The  family  name  was  originally  Werner,  and  was 
brought  to  England  from  Germany,  after  the  Re- 
formation of  Martin  Luther.  England  had  just 
become  a  Protestant  country,  and  the  founder  of 
this  family  on  English  soil  received  a  grant  of 
land  near  the  Welsh  border.  He  had  a  coat-of- 
arms,  the  principal  objects  on  which  were  a  castle 
surmounted  by  a  squirrel,  with  a  motto  signify- 
ing, ' '  Not  for  ourselves  alone,  but  for  others. ' ' 
Mary  Salisbury  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  a  man- 
at-arms  who  flourished  long  before  the  first 
Werner  came  to  England,  and  was  granted  a 
"  hide  "  of  land  (being  all  that  he  could  surround 
with  an  ox's  hide  cut  into  strips)  by  the  lord  of 
the  manor,  whose  life  he  had  saved  in  battle. 


Members  of  the  Warner  family  came  to  America 
in  the  early  Colonial  days,  and  it  is  a  tradition 
that  one  settled  in  each  of  the  colonies  of  Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut  and  Pennsylvania. 

George  Warner  and  Mary  Salisbury  were  mar- 
ried in  England  in  1806,  and  removed  four  years 
later  to  Massachusetts,  where  eight  of  their  eleven 
children  were  born.  Mr.  Warner  was  £  lace 
weaver,  and  was  employed  at  his  trade  in  and 
about  Watertown,  Massachusetts,  until  1837, 
when  he  came  to  Illinois.  He  engaged  in  farm- 
ing in  Northfield  Township,  La  Salle  County,  for 
over  twenty  years,  and  then  went  to  Iowa,  and 
settled  on  the  Soldier  River,  near  the  present  site 
of  Ida  Grove.  After  he  retired  from  farming  he 
returned  to  Massachusetts  and  died  at  Ipswich, 
in  that  State,  in  1874,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine 
years.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were  born  in  1785. 
The  latter  died  in  Illinois  in  1851,  age  sixty-six. 

All  of  their  seven  sons  and  two  of  their  daugh- 
ters grew  to  adult  life.  Samuel,  born  in  England, 
and  an  upholsterer  by  occupation,  passed  most  of 
his  life  in  Massachusetts,  and  died,  as  the  result 


270 


FRANCIS  WARNER. 


of  an  accident,  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  George, 
born  in  Massachusetts,  was  a  farmer;  he  died  in 
La  Salle  County,  Illinois,  in  1882,  from  the  ef- 
fects of  a  fall.  Mary,  Mrs.  Sanford  Peatfield, 
resides  in  Ipswich,  Massachusetts.  Alfred  is  a 
resident  of  Michigan,  and  John  died  in  Newton, 
Massachusetts,  in  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  sixth. 
Elizabeth,  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  William 
Powell,  a  farmer  in  La  Salle  County,  Illinois. 
Thomas  died  in  California  from  the  effects  of 
drinking  alkali  water;  and  William  is  engaged  in 
mining  in  Utah. 

Francis  Warner  was  reared  in  Newton,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  taught  to  read  by  his  mother. 
His  only  attendance  at  a  public  school  was  one 
half-day,  at  which  time  the  teacher  was  absent. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  was  apprenticed  to 
a  cabinet-maker,  and  his  articles  of  indenture 
stipulated  that  he  was  to  receive  $50  per  year 
and  his  board.  During  this  apprenticeship  he 
made  the  most  of  his  opportunities  for  material 
and  mental  advancement.  He  joined  several 
others  in  a  plan  to  secure  instruction,  and  they 
were  taught  four  nights  each  week,  for  which  the 
teacher  received  fifty  cents  per  night.  So  faith- 
ful and  diligent  was  young  Warner,  that  he  be- 
came a  journeyman  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  He 
immediately  went  to  Boston,  where  he  continued 
to  ply  his  trade  until  1843,  when  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois and  took  up  farming  on  Somomauk  Creek, 
in  La  Salle  County. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  Mr.  Warner  responded 
to  the  call  for  troops  to  defend  the  Union.  He 
first  went  out  in  the  three-months  service,  under 
General  McClellan,  who  was  a  personal  acquaint- 
ance, in  West  Virginia.  He  was  a  participator 
in  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain,  and  was  one  of 
the  detail  which  accompanied  the  body  of  the 
Confederate  General,  Garnett,  to  Washington,  en 
route  to  his  home  in  Virginia. 

In  1862  Mr.  Warner  again  joined  the  Federal 
forces,  being  attached  to  the  Provost-Marshal's 
department,  with  the  pay  and  rank  of  Captain, 
and  was  chiefly  employed  in  the  charge  and  hand- 
ling of  prisoners  of  war,  with  headquarters  in 
Washington.  After  the  surrender  of  New  Or- 


leans, he  joined  Colonel  Wood's  command,  the 
First  United  States  Regiment,  with  which  he  con- 
tinued until  May,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably 
discharged. 

While  a  resident  of  La  Salle  County,  Mr.  War- 
ner was  twice  elected  to  the  office  of  Sheriff,  and 
demonstrated  such  superior  ability  in  the  capture 
of  offenders,  that  his  services  were  sought  by  de- 
tective agencies  throughout  the  country.  Soon 
after  leaving  the  army  he  took  charge  of  Allen 
Pinkerton's  New  York  detective  agency,  where 
he  continued  a  year,  removing  thence  to  Chicago, 
where  he  occupied  a  similar  position  until  his 
health  failed,  in  1879,  and  he  was  compelled  to 
resign.  After  spending  three  months  at  the  sea 
shore,  on  the  advice  of  his  physician,  he  returned 
to  Chicago,  very  much  improved  in  health  and 
strength,  and  at  once,  in  1880,  took  charge  of  the 
detective  service  of  the  American  Express  Com- 
pany at  Chicago.  This  was  his  last  active  em- 
ployment, in  which  he  still  holds  an  honorary  po- 
sition. Though  now  in  his  seventy-seventh  year, 
Mr.  Warner  exhibits  plenty  of  mental  and  physi- 
cal vigor,  and  is  still  a  useful  member  of  society. 

Mr.  Warner  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  and  was 
for  many  years  active  in  the  order.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  Church,  and  a  con- 
sistent and  stanch  Republican  in  principle,  being 
one  of  the  founders  of  that  political  organization. 
In  1840  he  married  Miss  Juliette  Back,  who  was 
born  in  Burlington,  Vermont,  August  17,  1819, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  Jasper  and  Sally  (Harring- 
ton) Back.  Mr.  Back  was  one  of  the  minute- 
men  who  served  at  the  battle  of  Plattsburgh, 
during  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain.  Four  of 
Mr.  Warner's  eight  children  are  now  living. 
Francis  Armstrong  Warner,  the  eldest,  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Chicago.  Alice,  the  second,  died  while 
the  wife  of  Albert  Forbes,  leaving  an  infant 
daughter,  who  was  reared  by  Mr.  Warner.  Juli- 
ette died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months,  and  Isabel 
is  the  wife  of  Dr.  Edward  J.  Lewis,  of  Sauk  Cen- 
ter, Wisconsin.  Ernest  died  at  three  years  of 
age,  Charles  at  fourteen,  and  Gray  resides  at 
Denver,  Colorado.  Nellie  is  the  wife  of  Henry 
B.  Gates  and  resides  in  Wilmette. 


ir  -y 

CF  THE 
I   '.'VEZSITY  OF  ILL" 


LYMAN  J.  GAGE. 


271 


LYMAN  JUDSON  GAGE. 


I  YMAN  JUDSON  GAGE,  President  of  the 
1C  First  National  Bank  of  Chicago,  is  widely 
U2r  known  as  the  leading  financier  of  the 
West,  as  well  as  an  active  power  in  political  and 
other  movements.  As  a  promoter  and  active  Di- 
rector of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  he 
earned  and  received  the  good- will  of  every  citi- 
zen of  Chicago,  as  well  as  of  most  of  the  world  be- 
side. 

Eli  A.  Gage  and  Mary  Judson,  parents  of  the 
subject  of  this  biography,  were  natives  of  New 
York,  of  English  descent,  their  ancestors  being 
numbered  among  the  early  settlers  of  New  Eng- 
land. The  student  of  American  history  cannot 
fail  to  note  that  much  of  the  energy  and  good 
sense  which  gave  direction  to  the  development  of 
the  entire  northern  half  of  the  United  States  was 
contributed  by  the  New  England  blood. 

Lyman  J.  Gage  was  born  at  De  Ruyter,  Madi- 
soii  County,  N.  Y.,  June  28,  1836,  and  passed 
the  first  ten  years  of  his  life  in  that  village.  On 
the  removal  of  the  family  to  Rome,  N.  Y.,  in 
1846,  he  entered  the  local  academy ,  but  left  school 
to  engage  in  business  life  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 
For  a  year,  he  was  employed  as  clerk  in  the  Rome 
postomce,  and  was  detailed  by  the  Postmaster  as 
mail-route  agent  on  the  Rome  &  Watertown  Rail- 
road at  the  age  of  fifteen.  In  1854  he  became 
junior  clerk  in  the  Oneida  Central  Bank  at  Rome, 
at  a  salary  of  $100  per  annum.  His  duties  in 
that  position  were  somewhat  varied,  and  involved 
the  sweeping  of  the  bank,  as  well  as  many  other 
duties  which  are  fulfilled  by  a  janitor  in  larger 
institutions.  The  ambitious  soul  of  the  youth 
who  was  destined  by  fate  to  control  in  time  great 
financial  enterprises,  could  not  always  be  content 
in  this  position,  and  after  a  year  and  a-half  of 


service,  with  no  immediate  prospect  of  advance- 
ment in  position  or  salary,  he  resolved  to  try  his 
fortune  in  the  growing  West. 

On  the  3d  of  October,  1855,  young  Gage, 
being  then  a  little  past  the  completion  of  his  nine- 
teenth year,  arrived  in  Chicago  with  a  capital 
consisting  of  brains  and  energy.  He  shortly 
found  employment  in  the  lumber-yard  of  Nathan 
Cobb,  a  part  of  the  time  in  keeping  books,  and 
often  in  loading  lumber.  He  continued  in  this 
employment  until  the  business  changed  hands  in 
1858.  The  financial  depression  of  that  period 
made  many  changes,  and,  rather  than  remain  idle, 
Mr.  Gage  accepted  the  position  of  night-watch- 
man at  the  same  place.  At  the  end  of  six  weeks 
in  this  service,  in  August,  1858,  he  was  offered 
and  accepted  the  position  of  book-keeper  in  the 
Merchants'  Savings,  Loan  &  Trust  Company,  at 
an  annual  salary  of  $500.  Here  he  found  field 
for  the  exercise  of  his  abilities,  and  his  advance- 
ment was  rapid.  On  the  ist  of  January  follow- 
ing, he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  paying 
teller,  with  the  accompanying  salary  of  $1,200 
per  year.  In  September,  1860,  he  became  As- 
sistant Cashier  at  $2,000  per  annum,  and  a  year 
later  was  made  Cashier.  In  August,  1868,  he 
resigned  this  position  to  accept  a  similar  one  in 
the  First  National  Bank.  On  the  re-organiza- 
tion of  this  institution,  at  the  expiration  of  its 
charter  in  1882,  Mr.  Gage  was  elected  Vice- Pres- 
ident and  General  Manager,  and  became  Presi- 
dent January  24,  1891.  Thus  are  briefly  related 
the  steps  of  his  progress,  but  they  were  not  the 
result  of  accident.  Back  of  them  were  the  quali- 
ities  which  inspired  the  confidence  of  his  fellows, 
and  the  ability  to  make  intelligent  use  of  his  op- 
portunities. 


272 


O.  P.  BASSETT. 


Mr.  Gage  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Amer- 
ican Bankers'  Association  at  Philadelphia,  in  Oc- 
tober, 1876,  and  was  made  President  of  that  body 
in  1882,  and  twice  successfully  re-elected,  a  com- 
pliment both  to  Chicago  and  the  man.  He  is  a 
member  of  two  social  clubs  of  the  city,  the  Chi- 
cago and  the  Union,  an  ex-President  of  the  Com- 
mercial Club  (an  organization  limited  to  sixty 
members) ,  and  a  Director  and  Treasurer  of  the  Art 
Institute.  Mr.  Gage  takes  a  warm  interest  in 
all  matters  affecting  the  public  welfare,  and  has 
been  quite  active  as  a  member  of  the  Republican 
organization,  because  he  considers  the  Republi- 
can party  the  best  exponent  of  his  ideas  on  the 
conservation  of  human  liberty  and  general  pros- 
perity. While  somewhat  active  in  promulgating 
his  principles,  he  is  by  no  means  a  narrow  parti- 
san, and  will  not  tolerate  anything  which  his 
judgment  or  conscience  does  not  approve,  because 
it  bears  the  endorsement  of  his  party.  He  has 
been  frequently  urged  to  accept  a  nomination  for 
some  public  position,  as  the  spontaneous  choice 
of  the  public  urged,  but  his  business  interests 
could  not  be  set  aside  sufficiently  to  permit.  At  the 
last  regular  municipal  election  he  could  have  been 
almost  unanimously  elected  mayor,  had  he  per- 
mitted the  use  of  his  name.  In  spite  of  the  cares 
of  his  responsible  position,  he  gave  much  of  his 
energy  to  the  promotion  of  the  World's  Fair  en- 
terprise, and  was  made  President  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  at  its  organization  in  April,  1890.  This 
he  resigned  on  his  accession  to  the  bank  presi- 
dency, nearly  a  year  later,  but  continued  as  an 
active  member  of  the  Board.  It  is  no  injustice  to 


his  contemporaries  to  say  that  the  final  success  of 
the  scheme  was  in  a  large  measure  due  to  the 
influence  and  efforts  of  Mr.  Gage.  When  the 
hostility  of  New  York  seemed  likely  to  take  the 
location  away  from  Chicago,  Mr.  Gage  was  one 
of  four  local  capitalists  to  guarantee  the  comple- 
tion of  the  ten-million-dollar  guaranty  fund  re- 
quired by  Congress  from  Chicago.  It  was  while 
on  his  way  to  attend  a  banquet  in  New  York  in 
honor  of  this  event,  that  Mr.  Gage  was  stricken 
with  a  serious  illness,  which  it  required  a  dan- 
gerous operation  to  overcome,  and  the  whole  na- 
tion rejoiced  when  it  was  announced  that  he  would 
recover. 

Mr.  Gage  is  a  student  of  rare  discrimination, 
and  his  public  speeches  show  a  cultivated  taste  in 
literature,  as  well  as  a  mind  well  stored  with  use- 
ful knowledge.  He  has  a  happy  faculty  of  im- 
parting information  to  others,  and  his  occasional 
addresses  on  financial,  political  and  other  topics 
are  greeted  with  wide  and  careful  attention.  In 
private  life,  he  is  a  most  companionable  gentle- 
man, and  gives  ear  as  readily  to  the  request  of 
the  humble  individual  as  the  large  investor.  He 
has  been  twice  married.  In  1864  he  espoused 
Miss  Sarah  Etheridge,  daughter  of  Dr.  Francis 
Etheridge,  of  Little  Falls,  N.  Y.  She  died  in 
1874,  and  he  was  married  to  his  present  wife,  Mrs. 
Cornelia  Gage,  of  Denver,  Colo.,  in  1887.  Their 
home  is  on  North  State  Street,  near  beautiful  Lin- 
coln Park,  and  here  Mr.  Gage  spends  most  of  his 
evenings,  ever  gathering  something  from  his  well- 
selected  library. 


ORLAND   P.  BASSETT. 


|  RLAND  P.  BASSETT,  of  the  Pictorial  Print- 
ing House,  of  Chicago,  and  the  owner  of  large 
greenhouses  in  Hinsdale,  where  he  makes 
his  home,  was  born  March  31,  1835,  in  Towanda, 
Pa.  His  father,  John  W.  Bassett,  was  a  wheel- 


wright of  the  Keystone  State,  and  in  1872  he  came 
to  Illinois,  spending  his  last  days  in  Chicago  at 
the  home  of  his  son,  where  he  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  His  wife  bore  the  maiden  name 


J.  O.  CLIFFORD. 


273 


of  Angeline  Crooker,  and  passed  away  several 
years  previous  to  the  death  of  her  husband.  Their 
family  numbered  nine  children,  of  whom  four  are 
yet  living:  Henry,  John,  Orland  and  Chauncy. 

Mr.  Bassett  whose  name  heads  this  record  was 
reared  in  his  native  State,  and  remained  with  his 
parents  until  he  had  attained  his  majority.  The 
greater  part  of  his  education  was  acquired  in  a 
printing-office.  In  1854  he  began  the  printing 
business,  which  he  has  followed  up  to  the  present 
time,  and  step  by  step  he  has  worked  his  way  up- 
ward until  now  he  is  President  of  the  Pictorial 
Printing  Company,  of  Chicago.  He  owned  the 
entire  business  until  about  four  years  ago,  when 
he  sold  the  controlling  interest.  It  was  in  March, 
1857,  that  he  came  to  the  West  and  located  in 
Sycamore,  111. ,  where  he  published  a  paper,  the 
Sycamore  True  Republican,  for  nine  years.  He 
then  sold  out  and  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
carried  on  a  job  printing-office  until  1874,  when 
he  bought  out  the  establishment  of  the  Pictorial 
Printing  Company,  as  before  stated. 

On  the  sth  of  April,  1858,  Mr.  Bassett  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Betsey  M.  Shelton. 


One  child  has  been  born  to  them,  Kate  B.,  wife 
of  Charles  I,.  Washburn,  of  Hinsdale.  They 
have  one  son,  Edgar  B. 

For  many  years  Mr.  Bassett  was  a  supporter  of 
the  Republican  party,  but  is  now  independent  in 
his  political  views.  In  1887  he  removed  to  Hins- 
dale, where  he  makes  his  home,  but  still  does 
business  in  Chicago.  He  also  has  in  Hinsdale 
the  largest  greenhouses  to  be  found  in  the  West, 
does  an  extensive  business  in  this  line,  and  em- 
ploys a  large  number  of  men.  When  he  began 
business  in  Sycamore  he  had  no  capital  and  bought 
his  outfit  on  credit,  but  he  has  steadily  worked 
his  way  upward,  and  the  business  of  the  Chicago 
Pictorial  Printing  Company  has  at  times  amounted 
to  $1,000  per  day.  The  company  is  well  known 
throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and 
also  in  parts  of  Australia  and  South  America,  and 
its  success  is  due  in  a  large  measure  to  the  untir- 
ing efforts  and  good  management  of  Mr.  Bassett. 
He  is  a  genial  and  pleasant  gentleman,  is  very 
popular,  makes  friends  wherever  he  goes,  and  is 
justly  deserving  of  the  high  regard  in  which  he 
is  held. 


JAMES  ORRA  CLIFFORD. 


(TAMES  ORRA  CLIFFORD  was  born  Decem- 
I  ber  8,  1856,  at  Salem,  Kenosha  County, 
(*/  Wis.,  being  the  son  of  Emery  and  Mary  Jane 
(Osgood)  Clifford.  He  comes  of  English  ances- 
try, and  his  forefathers  were  among  the  early  set- ' 
tiers  of  the  New  England  States.  His  paternal 
grandparents,  John  and  Nancy  (Ray)  Clifford, 
were  born  in  New  Hampshire.  They  afterward 
settled  at  Collins,  Erie  County,  N.  Y.  They  were 
the  parents  of  eleven  children.  Emery,  the  sev- 
enth of  these,  was  born  at  Collins,  Erie  County, 
N.  Y.,  October  21,  1832.  In  the  year  1846  his 
parents  removed  from  New  York  and  settled  near 


Salem,  Kenosha  County,  Wis.  His  maternal 
grandparents,  John  Sherman  and  Jane  (Orvis) 
Osgood,  were  natives  of  Brookline,  Windham 
County,  Vt.  They  were  the  parents  of  five  chil- 
dren. Mary  Jane,  the  eldest,  was  born  at  Brook- 
line,  Windham  County,  Vt.,  November  30,  1838. 
In  the  fall  of  1851  they  removed  from  Vermont, 
settling  on  a  farm  near  Salem,  Kenosha  County, 
Wis. 

Emery  Clifford  and  Mary  Jane  Osgood  were 
married  at  Salem,  Kenosha  County,  Wis.,  on 
February  8,  1856.  They  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Salem,  Wis.,  where  their  four  children  were  born, 


274 


J.  O.  CLIFFORD. 


Emery  Clifford  enlisted  in  the  First  Wisconsin 
Heavy  Artillery,  Company  L,  and  was  stationed 
at  Arlington  Heights,  near  Washington,  D.  C., 
guarding  the  United  States  capital  until  the  close 
of  the  civil  war,  after  which  he  returned  and  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  the  autumn 
of  1874,  when  he  sold  his  farm  and  removed  to 
Delmar,  Clinton  County,  Iowa,  where  he  still  re- 
sides. Of  his  four  children,  James  O.  is  the  eld- 
est. Jennie  O.  resides  with  her  parents.  Lurie 
E.  died  unmarried  in  1882;  and  Gay  Emery,  the 
youngest,  is  married  and  resides  at  Arthur,  Ida 
County,  Iowa,  where  he  is  the  manager  of  a  lum- 
ber-yard. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  entered  the  public 
(country)  schools  at  the  age  of  eight  years.  From 
the  age  of  eleven  he  was  employed  in  assisting  his 
father  with  the  farm  work  during  the  summer,  and 
attending  school  in  the  winter,  until  the  summer 
of  1873,  at  which  time  he  left  home,  going  to 
Delmar,  Clinton  County,  Iowa,  where  he  entered 
the  railway  service  as  a  messenger  boy  and  ap- 
prentice under  his  uncle  by  marriage,  William  E. 
Roberts,  who  was  agent  for  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway  Company  at  that  station.  Here, 
during  the  following  year  until  October,  he  learned 
telegraphy  and  the  duties  of  a  station  agent 
generally,  and  has  since  been  in  the  employ  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  Company 
consecutively,  as  follows:  October,  1874,  to  Au 
gust,  1880,  at  various  stations  on  the  Iowa  Divis- 
ion as  telegraph  operator  and  agent.  In  August, 
1880,  while  he  was  stationed  at  Montour,  Iowa, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  Traveling 
Auditor.  In  this  capacity  he  traveled  over  the 
entire  Northwestern  System.  On  November  7, 
1887,  he  was  appointed  Freight  Auditor  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway;  Fremont,  Elk- 
horn  &  Missouri  Valley,  and  Sioux  &  Pacific 
Railroads,  with  office  at  Chicago,  which  position 
he  holds  at  the  present  time.  His  long  continu- 
ance in  this  position,  where  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  intricacies  of  railway  accounting,  sys- 
tematic supervision,  and  accuracy  in  every  detail, 
are  essential,  attests  his  executive  ability  and 
faithfulness.  His  management  in  business  affairs 
is  characterized  by  a  progressive  spirit,  seeking 


improved  methods  and  higher  efficiency  in  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  his  chosen  profession.  In  har- 
mony with  this  idea  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Association  of  American  Railway  Accounting  Of- 
ficers since  its  organization,  having  always  taken 
an  active  and  influential  part  in  its  deliberations, 
and  having  been  honored  by  his  fellow-members 
with  the  office  of  Vice-President  of  the  Associa- 
tion. 

On  November  7,  1883,  Mr.  Clifford  married 
Miss  May  Elizabeth  Dannatt,  who  was  born  at 
Low  Moor,  Iowa,  June  25,  1859,  and  who  is  a 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Jane  (Cortis)  Dannatt, 
natives  of  Lincolnshire  and  Yorkshire,  England, 
respectively.  In  1851  her  grandfather,  Samuel 
Dannatt,  came  from  England  and  purchased  five 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  Clinton  County,  Iowa, 
giving  to  the  location  the  name  of  his  old  home  in 
England,  and  to  his  residence  the  name  of  Kill- 
inghome  Hall,  after  his  English  estate.  They 
resided  at  Clinton,  Iowa,  until  October,  1885,  at 
which  time  they  removed  to  Wheaton,  111. ,  where 
they  now  occupy  a  pleasant  home  on  Main  Street, 
corner  of  Franklin.  To  them  have  been  given 
five  children.  Grace  Edith  was  born  at  Clinton, 
Iowa,  February  i,  1885.  The  other  four  were 
born  at  Wheaton,  DuPage  County,  111. — Lewis 
Dannatt  on  April  17,  1886;  Oliveon  JuneS,  1887; 
Marshall  Emery  on  February  26,  1892;  and  Alice 
on  April  8,  1893.  Mr.  Clifford  has  served  two 
terms  in  the  City  Council  of  Wheaton  as  represen- 
tative of  the  ward  in  which  he  lives,  having  de- 
clined further  honors  in  that  direction. 

Mr.  Clifford  possesses  a  fine  physique,  and  has 
the  easy,  cordial  bearing  which  makes  and  retains 
friendships.  He  is  of  a  social  disposition  and  is 
prominently  identified  with  numerous  fraternal 
orders,  among  which  may  be  named  the  Masonic, 
'  Knights  of  Pythias,  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  National  Union.  He  attends  the  Epis- 
copal Church,  in  which  Mrs.  Clifford  is  a  com- 
municant, and  gives  his  political  fealty  to  the 
Republican  party.  Mrs.  Clifford  is  a  refined  and 
amiable  lady,  who  presides  over  their  pleasant 
home  with  easy  grace,  and  aids  her  husband  in 
making  it  a  hospitable  and  attractive  abode. 


THEODORE  HUBBARD. 


275 


DR.  THEODORE  HUBBARD. 


0R.  THEODORE  HUBBARD,  the  first 
Postmaster  of  Babcock's  Grove,  and  a  prom- 
inent citizen  of  Cook  County,  was  born 
in  Putney,  Vt.,  October  19,  1803,  and  died  in 
Chicago,  February  i,  1873.  His  parents  were 
Theodore  and  Dorothy  (Wilson)  Hubbard.  The 
family  is  descended  from  Edmund  Hubbard,  who 
was  born  in  Hingham,  England,  about  1570,  and 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  Charlestown,  Mass.,  in 
1633.  He  died  in  Hingham,  Mass.,  March  8, 
1646.  One  of  his  sons,  Rev.  Peter  Hubbard,  a 
dissenting  clergyman,  founded  the  oldest  church 
now  in  existence  in  the  United  States,  located  at 
Hingham.  He  died  there  January  20,  1679,  in 
the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  fifty- 
second  year  of  his  ministry.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  Magdalen  College,  of  Cambridge,  England. 
Among  Edmund  Hubbard's  descendants  are  num- 
bered many  eminent  judges,  ministers  and  educa- 
tors, and  the  present  Earl  of  Buckinghamshire, 
England,  is  a  descendant  of  the  same  family.  The 
Hobarts,  or  Huberts,  of  England  came  from  Nor- 
mandy during  the  reign  of  William  the  Conqueror. 
The  earliest  known  record  of  the  family  locates 
them  near  Dieppe,  Normandy,  in  1198.  They 
were  a  baronial  family  in  Norfolk,  England,  where 
John  Hobart  resided  in  1260.  One  of  his  de- 
scendants, James  Hobart,  was  made  a  Knight  of 
the  Sword  by  Henry  VII.  in  1504.  They  were 
created  baronets  in  1611.  Our  subject  repre- 
sented the  eighth  generation  in  America.  The 
names  of  his  progenitors  in  direct  line  were  Ed- 
mund, Thomas,  Caleb,  Benjamin,  Peter,  Sr., 
Peter,  Jr.,  and  Theodore. 

Peter  Hubbard,  Sr. ,  died  near  Ft.  William  Hen- 
ry during  the  French  and  Indian  War,  of  wounds 
received  in  that  service.  His  son  was  an  Ensign 
in  a  New  Hampshire  company  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  The  father  of  our  subject  was 
born  in  Keene,  N.  H.,  October  25,  1774,  and 


died  in  Hartford,  Vt. ,  February  15,  1814.  His 
wife  died  at  Babcock's  Grove,  July  16,  1840,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 

Doctor  Hubbard  was  the  fourth  in  their  family 
of  seven  children.  He  was  married  November 
25,  1828,  to  Anne  Ward  Ballou,  who  was  born 
December  29,  1809,  in  Deerfield,  near  Utica,  N. 
Y.,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Marana 
(Ward)  Ballou.  The  Ward  family  has  an  ex- 
tensive genealogical  history,  which  can  be  traced 
back  to  1 1 30.  The  name  is  derived  from  '  'Gar' ' 
or  "Garde."  Ralph  de Gar,  ordelaWarde,  flour- 
ished in  Norfolk,  England,  at  the  time  of  Henry 
II. 

Returning  to  the  personal  history  of  Dr.  Hub- 
bard, we  note  that  he  settled  in  Chicago  May  21, 
1836,  and  about  a  year  later  went  to  DuPage 
County,  pre-empting  a  farm  near  the  present  vil- 
lage of  Glen  Ellyn.  A  few  years  later  he  was 
made  the  first  Postmaster  of  Babcock's  Grove, 
keeping  the  office  in  his  house  and  bringing  the 
mail  from  Bloomingdale  on  horseback.  In  1851, 
he  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  medicine  until  his  death.  He  had  pre- 
viously studied  for  the  ministry,  but  later  entered 
the  medical  profession,  and  as  a  physician  se- 
cured a  liberal  patronage.  He  also  had  an  ex- 
tensive knowledge  of  law,  and  was  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  intellectual  ability,  although  he 
had  little  opportunity  for  education  while  a  boy. 
For  several  years  he  served  as  County  Commis- 
sioner of  DuPage  County. 

Of  the  children  of  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Hubbard, 
Augustus,  a  civil  engineer,  died  in  Amboy, 
111. ,  in  April,  1865.  Carlos,  manager  of  a  wagon 
factory,  died  in  Chicago  at  the  age  of  forty  years. 
Oscar  died  in  Groesbeck,  Tex.,  in  April,  1877; 
Adolphus,  who  was  the  founder  of  the  Sons  ot  the 
American  Revolution  in  1879,  is  now  connected 
with  the  California  University  of  San  Francisco, 


276 


NATHAN  DYE. 


and  is  a  member  of  many  historical  societies.  Ed- 
ward Clarence,  who  was  a  prominent  attorney  of 
Hartford,  Ky.,  died  in  Chicago,  June  27,  1887, 
at  the  age  of  forty -four  years.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Thirteenth  Illinois  Infantry  during  the 
late  war.  Enlisting  April  21,  1 86 1,  he  was  dis- 
charged June  18,  1864,  after  having  participated 
in  the  battles  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post, 
Lookout  Mountain,  Missionary  Ridge,  siege  of 
Vicksburg,  and  other  engagements.  Ellen,  who 
died  soon  after  her  graduation  from  the  Chicago 
High  School,  and  Laura  complete  the  family. 

Mr.  Hubbard  was  a  life-long  Democrat,  but  all 
of  his  sons  support  the  Republican  party.  In  his  re- 
ligious views  he  was  a  Universalist.  Of  the  first 
Masonic  lodge  of  Chicago  he  was  a  charter  mem- 
ber and  was  made  an  honorary  member  previous 


to  his  death.  Prominent  in  public  and  business  af- 
fairs, he  was  an  honored  and  highly  respected 
citizen,  who  for  many  years  was  connected  with 
the  leading  interests  of  Chicago.  His  skill  and 
ability  as  a  physician  won  him  an  enviable  repu- 
tation, and  he  was  widely  known  as  a  man  of  ster- 
ling worth.  Mrs.  Hubbard  is  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  Chicago  Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  is  honorary  Vice-Pres- 
ident of  the  Daughters  of  1812.  She  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Historic  Council,  which  was  estab- 
lished to  keep  alive  the  memories  of  the~men  who 
gave  liberty  and  fraternity  to  the  western  world. 
She  now  resides  in  Glen  Ellyn  with  her  daughter 
I/aura,  who  is  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  refine- 
ment, and  a  corresponding  member  of  the  Chi- 
cago Historical  Society. 


PROF.  NATHAN  DYE. 


.  NATHAN  DYE.  No  mention  of  the 
yr  musical  fabric  of  Chicago  and  the  West  can 
1$  be  considered  complete  without  a  notice  of 
Professor  Dye,  who  was  endeared  to  many  of  the 
early  families  of  Chicago.  A  man  who  attained 
the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-three  years,  he  was 
beloved  by  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
He  was  a  pioneer  in  his  chosen  profession,  and 
taught  both  vocal  and  instrumental  music  in 
three  generations  of  some  families.  One  of  the 
secrets  of  his  great  success  lay  in  his  love  of  the 
divine  art,  and  his  ability  to  so  simplify  his  meth- 
ods as  to  bring  them  within  the  grasp  of  almost 
infantile  minds. 

Nathan  Dye  was  born  in  the  town  of  De  Ruy- 
ter,  Madison  County,  New  York,  June  30,  1808, 
and  lived  on  the  homestead  farm  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  of  age.  The  country  schoolhouse 
was  a  mile  and  a-half  away,  and  the  boy  attend- 
ed school  half  of  each  year  from  the  age  of  seven 
to  ten  years,  helping  on  the  farm  during  the  in- 
tervals, as  was  customary  with  lads  of  his  time. 


After  this,  he  had  but  three  months'  schooling, 
although  always  a  student.  When  he  was  twelve 
years  of  age,  he  met  with  an  accident  which 
caused  a  lameness  from  which  he  never  entirely 
recovered.  He  was  married,  in  1833,  to  Miss 
Lucy  Maria  Kinyon,  of  Milan,  New  York,  and 
four  years  later  they  removed  to  Kenosha,  Wis- 
consin, then  called  Pike  Creek,  and  later  South- 
port. 

A  few  years  after  coming  West,  Mr.  Dye  deter- 
mined to  devote  his  life  wholly  to  music,  which 
had  hitherto  employed  but  a  portion  of  his  time 
and  energy.  In  1844  he  introduced  his  induct- 
ive method  of  teaching  in  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin, by  giving  a  series  of  concerts  there  with  a 
class  of  his  Kenosha  pupils.  He  continued  to 
teach  in  Milwaukee,  with  pronounced  success,  un- 
til 1848,  when  he  settled  permanently  in  Chicago. 
His  phenomenal  power  of  teaching  children  to 
read  music  at  sight  attracted  wide  attention.  For 
years  his  classes,  both  adult  and  juvenile,  were 
a  prominent  feature  of  the  musical  world  of  Chi- 


NATHAN  DYE. 


277 


cago  and  adjacent  cities.  A  part  of  his  life  work 
which  is  full  of  beautiful  memories  was  that  con- 
nected with  those  of  his  pupils  whom  he  assisted 
in  the  development  of  musical  powers  that  must 
have  remained  dormant  but  for  this  generous  and 
kindly  teacher.  How  many  were  placed  in  con- 
dition of  self-support  along  the  line  indicated  by 
nature's  gift,  only  their  helper  knew.  Several 
of  Professor  Dye's  pupils  made  brilliant  reputa- 
tions on  the  lyric  stage  and  in  great  oratorios. 
He  numbered  in  his  early  classes  some  of  Chica- 
go's most  prominent  citizens.  The  well-known 
comic  opera  singer,  Lillian  Russell,  first  started 
on  her  musical  career  under  his  tutelage.  In  the 
spring  of  1880  the  Professor  was  tendered  a  tes- 
timonial and  complimentary  benefit  concert  at 
Central  Music  Hall,  which  his  old  friends  and 
pupils  made  a  great  success. 

In  November,  1843,  he  was  bereaved  by  the 
death  of  his  wife,  which  occurred  in  Kenosha, 
and  a  year's  illness  followed  this  sad  blow.  The 
loss  was  somewhat  compensated  by  the  survival 
of  his  three  children  for  many  years  thereafter. 

His  only  son,  Byron  E.  Dye,  died  at  Paola, 
Kansas  in  September,  1883,  and  his  remains  were 
taken  to  Kansas  City  for  burial.  His  daughters 
are  Harriet  A.  and  Frances  E.,  of  Chicago,  the 
former  being  the  wife  of  N.  Buschwah,  and  the 
latter  the  wife  of  Gen.  C.  T.  Hotchkiss,  who  won 
his  title  in  the  Civil  War.  This  sketch  is  penned 
in  loving  memory  of  Professor  Dye  by  Mrs.  Hotch- 
kiss. In  1855  Professor  Dye  married  Miss  Cor- 
delia A.  Hamlin,  daughter  of  the  late  Rev.  E.  H. 
Hamlin,  once  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Chicago.  Twin  sons  were  born  of  this  union. 

After  thirty-five  years  of  happy  wedded  life, 
they  were  separated  by  death  only  two  months, 
her  demise  occurring  first.  He  passed  away  July 
30,  1891,  at  his  home,  383  Park  Avenue.  He 
had  been  an  invalid  about  seventeen  months, 
though  his  final  illness  was  a  severe  attack  of 
pneumonia,  which  his  great  age  made  resistless. 
His  funeral  took  place  Sunday,  August  2,  at  Cen- 
tral Music  Hall,  and  his  remains  were  interred 
in  the  family  lot  at  Kenosha,  beside  those  of  his 
first  wife.  The  funeral  services  were  conducted 
by  Rev.  Thomas  G.  Milsted,  of  the  First  Unita- 


rian Church  of  Chicago,  assisted  by  Mrs.  Emma 
J.  Bullene,  a  trance  speaker  and  an  old  pupil  of 
Professor  Dye. 

Professor  Dye  was  an  advanced  thinker  in  the 
line  of  religious  conviction,  investigating  fear- 
lessly and  impartially  new  theories,  and  listening 
gladly  to  the  presentation  of  truth,  as  seen  by 
Christian  or  unbeliever.  He  accepted  the  tenets 
of  spiritualism,  after  the  most  careful  and  can- 
did research,  finding  satisfaction  in  its  teachings 
as  given  by  the  scientific  writers  in  that  line  of 
thought.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Thomas,  in  whose  discourses  he  found  much  food 
for  reflection. 

Professor  Dye  was  a  descendant  of  old  Revolu- 
tionary stock,  and  imbibed  the  love  of  liberty 
with  his  earliest  breath.  It  is  not  strange,  there- 
fore, that  he  was  identified  with  the  earliest  Aboli- 
tion movement,  and  labored  unflinchingly  for  the 
emancipation  of  the  colored  man.  Fifteen  mem- 
bers of  the  Dye  family  served  in  the  Continental 
army,  several  of  them  being  officers.  Among 
the  number  was  Gen.  Thomas  Dye,  a  personal 
friend  of  Washington  and  La  Fayette,  who  were 
often  entertained  at  his  house  in  Bergen,  New 
Jersey,  during  the  memorable  winter  of  1777-78. 
Daniel  Dye,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
biography,  endured  the  horrors  of  that  winter  at 
the  Valley  Forge  encampment,  his  feet  being 
swathed  in  rags  for  protection.  He  often  related 
reminiscences  of  the  privations  endured  by  him- 
self and  comrades  at  that  time.  At  one  time  a 
number  of  British  officers  visited  General  Wash- 
ington under  a  flag  of  truce,  and  such  was  the 
destitution  prevailing  in  the  camp  that  the  only 
refreshment  he  was  able  to  offer  them  consisted 
of  baked  potatoes  and  salt,  which  were  served  on 
pieces  of  bark,  in  lieu  of  plates.  Daniel  Dye 
was  born  in  Kent  County,  Connecticut,  February 
10,  1744.  He  enlisted  in  Captain  Beardsley's 
company,  Seventh  Regiment  of  the  Connecticut 
Line,  May  28,  1777,  and  was  under  command  of 
Col.  Heman  Sift.  He  was  discharged  from  that 
company  February  17,  1778.  Prior  to  entering 
the  regular  service,  he  was  a  member  of  Captain 
Fuller's  company  of  militia,  and  did  duty  in  the 
New  York  campaign  of  1776.  He  was  the  father 


THOMAS  TAGNEY. 


of  eight  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  John 
P.  Dye,  born  May  9,  1768.  About  1791  he 
moved  from  Connecticut  to  western  New  York. 
His  wife's  name  was  Sally  Rhodes,  and  Nathan 
was  the  tenth  of  their  eleven  children. 

Professor  Dye  was  a  member  of  the  old  Tippe- 
canoe  Club,  and  ever  maintained  the  principles 


upon  which  that  organization  was  founded.  He 
was  always  thoroughly  posted  on  current  political 
events  and  matters  of  historical  interest.  Every 
movement  looking  toward  the  moral  and  physical 
uplifting  of  humanity  in  general  received  his 
cordial  support  and  commendation. 


THOMAS  TAGNEY. 


"HOMAS  TAGNEY,  whose  death  occurred 
on  the  seventh  day  of  September,  1894,  at 
897  Seminary  Avenue,  was  one  of  the  early 
settlers  of  Chicago,  having  first  visited  this  city 
in  1836,  nearly  sixty  years  ago.  He  was  a  native 
of  Sheffield,  England,  born  May  15,  1818.  His 
father,  Thomas  Tagney,  was  a  musician  in  the 
British  army,  as  was  also  one  of  his  brothers.  In 
1833  the  elder  Tagney  migrated  with  his  family 
to  Canada,  where  he  taught  music,  in  which  he 
was  very  proficient,  for  several  years.  The  family 
afterward  returned  to  England,  but  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  preferred  to  remain  in  this  country, 
and  continued  for  a  short  time  with  his  uncle  in 
Canada.  Young  Tagney  was  of  a  restless  and 
roaming  disposition,  and  desired  to  see  other  parts 
of  the  world.  He  accordingly  went  into  the 
Southern  States,  and  was  engaged  on  different 
plantations  in  Alabama  and  Louisiana,  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  New  Orleans,  for  several  years.  Al- 
though only  a  boy  in  his  teens  at  the  time  he 
went  there,  he  rapidly  acquired  knowledge  that 
enabled  him  to  direct  plantation  work,  and  he  be- 
came an  overseer.  In  this  employment  he  earned 
good  wages,  a  large  portion  of  which  he  managed 
to  save. 

Abandoning  that  life  in  1836,  he  came  direct  to 
Chicago,  with  a  small  fortune,  which  he  invested 
in  North  Side  property.  -Two  lots,  143  and  145 
Illinois  Street,  for  which  he  paid  $600,  he  still 


had  in  his  possession  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
and  their  value  had  increased  to  twenty-five  thou- 
sand. For  several  years  Mr.  Tagney  was  a  steam- 
boat engineer,  and  sailed  all  over  the  Lakes,  from 
Buffalo  to  Duluth  On  retiring  from  the  lake 
service  he  settled  at  Muskegon,  Michigan,  where 
he  resided  five  years,  and  was  engaged  as  engi- 
neer in  the  sawmill  there.  Returning  again  to 
Chicago,  he  engaged  as  mechanical  engineer  in 
the  employ  of  the  Fulton  &  St.  Paul  Grain  Ele- 
vators. He  superintended  the  construction  of  the 
former  (first  known  as  Munn  &  Gill's  Elevator) , 
both  in  its  original  construction  and  when  rebuilt 
in  1873.  He  was  continuously  in  the  employ  of 
this  elevator  company  for  thirty-three  years,  a 
testimony  to  his  regular  habits,  ability  and  devo- 
tion to  the  interests  of  his  employers. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  in  Chicago,  in  1871, 
Mr.  Tagney  owned  houses  and  lots  on  Illinois, 
Indiana  and  Wells  Streets,  which,  of  course,  were 
consumed  by  the  element  which  devastated  the 
entire  North  Side.  But  he  had  great  confidence 
in  Chicago,  and  within  three  months  rebuilt  the 
Illinois  Street  property,  selling  the  other;  this 
property  being  the  first  house  rebuilt.  In  the 
year  1885,  having  spent  the  greater  part  of  a  long 
life  in  active,  arduous  and  useful  labors,  Mr.  Tag- 
ney retired  from  business  and  moved  to  Lake 
View,  where  he  remained  until  his  death.  In 
his  later  years  he  bought  residence  property  on 


LIBRARY 
UIYERSITV  OF  ILLIir:  : 


ALONZO  J.  CUTLER. 


(From  Photo  by  W.  j.  ROOT). 


A.  J.  CUTLER. 


279 


Fletcher,  Baxter,  North  Halsted  Streets  and  Lin- 
coln Avenue.  In  1847  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Steele,  daughter  of  Hugh  and  Mary  Steele. 
She  was  born  in  May,  1828,  in  Canada,  to  which 
country  her  parents  had  immigrated  from  the 
North  of  Ireland,  and  died  in  Chicago  on  the  7th  of 
August,  1892,  aged  sixty-four  years.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tagney  were  the  parents  of  seven  children, 
of  whom  five  grew  to  maturity.  Henry  Thomas, 
the  eldest,  was  an  engineer  by  profession,  and 
succeeded  to  the  place  made  vacant  by  his  father 
in  the  Fulton  Elevator.  He  married  Miss  Ella 
Moore,  and  died  in  1893,  leaving  a  widow  and 
three  children,  Henry  T.,  George  and  Erne. 

The  second  son,  James  William,  is  a  sign-paint- 
er, and  resides  on  Lincoln  Avenue  in  Chicago. 
February  27,  1872,  he  married  Miss  Kate  Casey, 
a  native  of  County  Cork,  Ireland,  daughter  of 
Dennis  and  Mary  Casey.  They  have  four  liv- 
ing children,  Thomas,  Charles,  Harry  and  Alice 
Marion.  Alice  Jane,  the  third  child,  was  married, 
in  1873,  to  William  Young,  and  now  has  two 
children.  Hugh,  the  elder,  is  a  salesman,  and 
William,  the  younger  son,  is  an  artist.  Mrs. 
Young  conducts  a  prosperous  business  on  Diver- 
sey  Street.  John  E.  is  an  engineer.  He  married 


Ada  Weinberg,  and  has  three  children,  Willie, 
Charles  and  Nellie.  Charles  S.,  the  youngest  son 
of  Thomas  Tagney,  is  now  engaged  in  the  livery 
business.  He  was  married,  February  18,  1893,  to 
Miss  Hilda  Anderson,  a  native  of  Sweden;  they 
have  one  child,  an  infant. 

Mr.  Tagney  was  one  of  those  men  whose  busy, 
but  quiet,  lives  have  been  spent  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  great  city  of  Chicago,  and  in  the  ac- 
cumulation of  wealth  for  his  posterity.  He  was 
a  man  whose  temperate  life  and  intensely  domestic 
characteristics  were  fit  patterns  for  imitation  of 
those  who  succeed  him.  His  disposition  was 
quiet  and  undemonstrative,  but  his  impulses  were 
generous,  and  he  never  refused  aid  to  the  needy. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat,  supporting  the 
men  whom  he  deemed  best  qualified  for  the  offices 
which  they  sought,  but  never  asking  for  place  for 
himself.  In  his  early  life  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  but  in  his  later  years  he  cher- 
ished liberal  ideas.  In  his  investments  he  was 
fortunate,  in  his  domestic  life  happy,  always  pro- 
viding for  his  wife  and  children  a  comfortable  and 
pleasant  home.  His  sterling  qualities  of  head 
and  heart  attracted  to  him  many  friends,  who  are 
left  to  mourn  his  departure  from  their  midst. 


ALONZO  J.  CUTLER. 


GlLONZO  J.  CUTLER  is  widely  known  as 
Lj  one  of  the  most  daring  and  successful  brok- 
/  |  ers  operating  upon  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade.  His  transactions  are  distinguished  by  a 
display  of  exceptional  judgment,  discretion  and 
foresight,  which  causes  his  movements  to  be 
watched  and  commented  upon  by  the  whole  field 
of  speculators  and  investors.  It  is  a  notable  fact 
that  the  men  who  have  made  and  retained  fort- 
unes on  the  Board  of  Trade  were  all  of  a  kind 
especially  endowed  with  the  trading  instinct,  or 


made  wise  in  the  school  of  experience;  and  Mr. 
Cutler  can  justly  be  classed  under  both  these 
heads.  Every  move  made  by  him  is  carefully 
calculated  and  planned,  and  all  his  financial  ar- 
rangements are  faithful  to  well-grounded  princi- 
ples of  business. 

Mr.  Cutler  first  came  to  Chicago  in  the  spring 
of  1869,  being  then  but  seventeen  years  of  age. 
His  cash  capital  at  that  time  consisted  of  about 
$20,  but  this  lack  of  means  was  abundantly  com- 
pensated for  by  brains,  pluck  and  energy,  and  he 


280 


A.  J.  CUTLER. 


immediately  set  about  the  task  of  bettering  his 
financial  condition.  With  that  end  in  view,  he 
vigorously  applied  himself  to  the  first  employment 
which  presented  itself.  This  was  the  position  of 
driver  of  a  wagon  for  the  Singer  Sewing-Machine 
Company.  A  few  weeks'  experience  in  this  ca- 
pacity demonstrated  his  capability  for  employ- 
ment demanding  more  skill  and  acumen,  and 
within  a  few  months  he  was  promoted  to  the  po- 
sition of  head  salesman  of  the  Chicago  agency. 
It  was  not  long  before  he  was  dealing  in  sewing- 
machines  at  wholesale,  and  in  a  single  year 
cleared  over  $5,000  in  this  way.  Such  a  prac- 
tical demonstration  of  business  ability  and  apti- 
tude for  trade  could  not  fail  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  live  business  men,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1883  O.  H.  Roche,  the  well-known  Board  of 
Trade  operator,  suggested  to  him  that  his  trading 
talents  would  find  a  more  extended  field  in  spec- 
ulation. Other  friends  pointed  out  the  dangers 
and  hazards,  and  advised  him  to  persevere  in  his 
previous  line  of  business. 

But  Mr.  Cutler  had  abundant  confidence  in  his 
own  powers,  and,  after  a  brief  consideration,  re- 
solved to  enter  the  speculative  field,  as  a  more 
congenial  and  speedy  method  of  gaining  a  compe- 
tence. He  soon  became  an  active  trader  in  the 
capacity  of  broker  for  Mr.  Roche,  for  whom  he 
has  ever  entertained  the  highest  respect,  and 
whom  he  regards  as  his  preceptor  in  the  specula- 
tive field. 

When  Mr.  Roche  retired  from  business  the  fol- 
lowing year,  Mr.  Cutler  opened  a  brokerage  office 
for  himself,  and  his  rise  has  been  steady  and  not 
less  remarkable  than  that  of  the  renowned  Ed 
Pardridge,  whom  he  has  actively  represented  in 
many  great  deals.  But  he  has  an  outside  busi- 
ness of  his  own,  and  numbers  customers  by  the 
score,  who  have  the  utmost  confidence  in  his 
judgment,  integrity  and  ability.  One  of  the  most 
active  traders  on  the  Board,  Mr.  Cutler  is  always 
in  the  thick  of  the  crowd  when  there  is  any  ex- 
citement in  the  wheat  pit.  He  is  generally  known 
"on  'change"  as  "the  man  behind  Pardridge," 
and  his  natural  instinct  and  adaptability  as  a 
trader  have  made  his  success  no  less  remarkable 
than  that  of  the  great  speculator,  in  whose  service 


and  under  whose  tuition  his  peculiar  talents  have 
been  developed.  That  these  two  men,  being 
similarly  endowed  by  nature,  and  having  knowl- 
edge of  each  other's  abilities,  should  have  made  a 
record  unparalleled  in  successful  speculative  an- 
nals is  not  surprising.  Their  immense  daring 
and  successful  operations  have  become  a  part  of 
the  absorbing  and  wonderful  history  of  the  Chi- 
cago Board  of  Trade.  Some  of  their  boldly  and 
cleverly  executed  plans  have  evoked  the  admira- 
tion of  the  commercial  world.  The  appellation 
of  "plunger"  is  a  misnomer  when  applied  to 
either  of  this  pair,  for  the  reason  that  their  move- 
ments, upon  analysis  and  investigation,  appear 
plainly  to  be  the  results  of  the  most  carefully  laid 
plans  and  calculations.  None  of  their  deals  have 
been  reckless,  although  they  have  been  pro- 
nounced so  by  persons  not  familiar  with  the  inner 
details. 

Alonzo  J.  Cutler  was  born  at  Montpelier,  Ver- 
mont, March  24,  1852.  He  is  the  youngest  in 
the  family  of  four  children  born  to  David  W. 
Cutler  and  Maria  Marshall.  The  father,  who 
was  a  farmer  and  ice  dealer  at  Montpelier,  died 
of  typhoid  fever  during  the  infancy  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  who  was  afterward  placed  under 
the  guardianship  of  Elon  Hammond,  of  East 
Montpelier.  Owing  to  the  incompetence  and  mis- 
management of  this  guardian,  young  Cutler  was 
removed  to  the  charge  of  Hon.  Clark  King,  a 
prominent  farmer,  in  whose  home  he  remained 
until  about  sixteen  years  of  age.  Most  of  his 
education  was  obtained  by  attending  a  country 
school  in  winter,  and  his  first  money  was  earned 
by  working  as  a  farm  hand  at  $7  per  month.  Be- 
fore coming  West  he  spent  one  year  as  clerk  in 
the  Pavilion  Hotel  in  Montpelier,  but  becoming 
dissatisfied  with  the  irksomeness  of  this  position, 
which  consumed  nineteen  hours  per  day  of  his 
time,  he  resolved  to  seek  a  change  by  moving  to 
the  West. 

The  Cutler  family  in  America  is  of  English  de- 
scent. The  first  progenitor  of  A.  J.  Cutler  in 
America  was  John  Cutler,  Senior,  who  is  sup- 
posed to  have  come  from  Sprauston,  a  sub- 
urb of  Norwich,  England.  About  1637  he  set- 
tled at  Hiugham,  Massachv  setts,  where  he  soon 


W.  O.  TYLER. 


281 


afterward  died,  leaving  a  widow  and  seven  chil- 
dren. He  and  his  immediate  posterity  furnish 
examples  of  the  typical  Puritan  character.  His 
fifth  son,  Thomas  Cutler,  who  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  died  at  Charlestown,  Massachusetts, 
in  1683.  The  next  in  the  line  of  descent  herein 
traced  was  Jonathan,  a  tailor  by  trade,  and  the 
generations  following  him  are  successively  repre- 
sented by  the  following  names:  David,  Jonathan, 
David,  and  David  W.,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  notice,  who  died  in  1854,  aged  thirty-nine 
years.  His  mother  was  Abigail,  daughter  of 
Daniel  Carroll,  of  Montpelier,  Vermont,  and  a 
niece  of  Charles  Carroll,  the  noted  statesman  of 
Carrollton,  Maryland. 

A.  J.  Cutler  was  married,  December  26,  1891, 
to  Jessie  Estelle,  daughter  of  O.  B.  Warner,  of 
Peoria,  Illinois.  This  lady  is  endowed  with  mu- 
sical and  elocutionary  powers  of  a  superior  order, 


and  is  the  mother  of  two  charming  children. 
They  are  named,  respectively,  E.  Warner  and 
Fanchon  T.  Mr.  Cutler  is  essentially  a  family 
man,  and,  when  able  to  leave  the  haunts  of  trade, 
finds  his  greatest  pleasure  in  the  attractions  fur- 
nished by  the  home  fireside.  He  is  not  connect- 
ed with  any  religious,  social  or  political  organi- 
zations of  importance,  but  always  votes  the  Re- 
publican ticket.  He  is  well  known  and  respected 
in  Vermont,  where  he  has  scores  of  warm  friends, 
who  admire  his  liberal  and  genial  disposition  as 
well  as  his  gift  for  making  a  trade.  Mr.  Cutler 
honors  his  Yankee  ancestors  by  exhibiting  the 
proverbial  New  England  thrift  and  shrewdness, 
and  is  abundantly  able  to  take  care  of  himself. 
In  the  course  of  his  transactions  it  is  no  rare  mat- 
ter for  him  to  handle  checks  representing  a  half- 
million  dollars. 


WARREN  O.  TYLER. 


P  6URREN  OLIVER  TYLER.  Among  the 
I  A  I  qualifactions  which  are  essential  to  an  hon- 
Y  V  orable  and  successful  business  career  may 
be  mentioned  physical  endurance,  sound  judg- 
ment, ready  decision,  unswerving  integrity,  patient 
application,  keen  foresight  and  prudent  and  reg- 
ular habits.  It  may  be  safely  asserted  that  the 
man  of  noteworthy  accomplishments  will  possess 
most,  if  not  all,  of  these  qualities,  and  while  some 
of  them  may  be  acquired  or  developed  by  the  im- 
mediate surroundings  and  conditions  to  which 
the  individual  has  been  subjected,  many  of  the 
most  essential  elements  of  his  character  may  be 
attributed  to  inheritance. 

Hence,  in  contemplating  the  personal  history 
of  the  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  notice, 


it  is  well  to  observe  that  his  ancestors  were 
among  the  early  and  substantial  colonists  of  New 
England,  to  whose  physical  vigor,  longevity 
and  integrity  of  character  the  present  generation 
is  indebted  for  the  founding  of  some  of  its  most 
cherished  institutions.  The  Tyler  family  was 
planted  in  America  by  several  brothers  of  that 
name  who  came  from  England  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  One  branch  of  this  family  settled  in 
Virginia,  and  among  its  descendants  was  John 
Tyler,  ninth  President  of  the  United  States. 
Another  branch  of  the  family  was  located  in 
Connecticut,  and  a  third  in  Vermont,  near  the 
Canadian  border,  where  for  several  successive 
generations  it  has  furnished  some  of  the  most 
useful  and  patriotic  citizens.  One  of  these  was 


282 


W.  O.  TYLER. 


David  Tyler,  a  man  of  sterling  virtues  and  noble 
impulses.  He  was  born  at  Cambridge,  Vermont, 
and  for  many  years  kept  hotel  at  Essex  Junction 
and  neighboring  places.  In  1864,  he  moved  to 
Chicago,  where  the  balance  of  his  days  was  spent, 
his  death  occurring  in  1886,  in  the  ninetieth  year 
of  his  age.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Clarissa  Butler,  died  in  1890,  in  the  seventy- 
fourth  year  of  her  age.  She  was  born  on  a  farm 
between  Essex  Center  and  Jericho,  Vermont. 
The  Butler  family  was  one  of  the  oldest  of  that 
commonwealth,  and,  like  the  Tyler  family,  of 
English  lineage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tyler  had  six 
children  who  attained  mature  years.  Edwin  T. , 
of  Stevens  Point,  Wisconsin,  is  the  eldest,  and 
the  rest,  in  order,  are:  Warren  O. ;  Fred  C.  and 
Henry  W.,  dealers  in  paper  mill  supplies  in 
Chicago;  Frank  P.,  connected  with  the  Ameri- 
can Paper  Company;  Mattie  A.,  unmarried,  re- 
siding in  Chicago.  Besides  these,  Mr.  David  Ty- 
ler had  a  daughter  by  a  previous  marriage, 
Amelia,  now  the  wife  of  G.  T.  Woodworth,  of 
Chicago.  The  members  of  this  family  are  con- 
spicuous for  their  domestic  harmony  and  marked 
fraternal  regard — several  of  their  number  having 
avoided  all  matrimonial  or  other  relations  likely 
to  interfere  therewith. 

Warren  O.  Tyler  was  born  at  Essex  Junction, 
Vermont,  March  3,  1844.  When  he  was  but 
seven  years  of  age,  the  family  received  a  visit 
from  an  aunt  of  the  lad,  by  whom  he  was  easily  in- 
duced to  return  with  her  to  Chicago.  He  was 
charmed  with  her  glowing  descriptions  of  the 
growing  metropolis  of  the  West  and  already 
longed  to  be  a  participant  in  the  activity  and 
development  which  were  there  going  on.  Upon 
his  arrival,  he  became  an  inmate  of  the  home  of 
his  uncle,  Mr.  O.  N.  Butler,  by  whom  he  was 
placed  at  school  in  the  village  of  St.  Charles,  Illi- 
nois. He  subsequently  returned  to  Vermont  and 
spent  three  years  in  his  father's  hotel.  He  had 
in  the  meantime  imbibed  too  much  of  the  spirit  of 
western  freedom  to  be  long  contented  in  the  nar- 
row limits  of  Vermont  semi-rural  life,  and  at  the 
age  of  fifteen  we  again  find  him  in  Chicago.  At 
that  time  he  entered  the  employ  of  Butler  & 
Hunt,  manufacturers  of  and  dealers  in  paper, 


then  located  at  No.  48  State  Street.  At  the  end 
of  five  years,  he  was  admitted  to  a  partnership 
in  the  concern  and  continued  to  be  identified 
therewith  for  a  period  of  twenty-five  years,  al- 
though the  name  of  the  firm  underwent  several 
changes  during  that  time  and  the  business  was 
subjected  to  disasters  and  vicissitudes  which 
would  have  discouraged  less  determined  men 
than  Mr.  Tyler  and  his  associates. 

In  1870,  the  greatest  conflagration  which  had 
visited  Chicago  up  to  that  time  occurred  on 
Wabash  Avenue.  The  loss  of  Laflin,  Butler  & 
Company  by  this  disaster  was  $88,000.  In  the 
great  fire  of  the  following  year,  the  firm,  then 
known  as  J.  W.  Butler  &  Company,  suffered  a 
loss  of  $455,000.  Only  a  small  percentage  of 
this  loss  was  recovered  from  the  insurance  com- 
panies. After  the  Wabash  Avenue  fire,  the  firm 
came  near  suffering  a  loss  of  its  books  by  the 
premature  opening  of  its  safe,  and,  warned  by  this 
experience,  in  the  second  instance  the  safe  was 
placed  upon  a  stoneboat  and  drawn  out  upon  the 
paririe  and  carefully  cooled  with  ice  before  being 
opened,  and  its  contents  were  thus  well  preserved. 
Nothing  daunted  by  the  catastrophies  which  had 
overtaken  it,  the  firm  immediately  re-engaged  in 
business,  which  continued  prosperously  for  many 
years.  Under  the  management  of  Mr.  Tyler,  a 
branch  establishment  was  opened  in  Milwaukee, 
known  as  the  Butler  Paper  Company,  afterwards 
succeeded  by  the  Standard  Paper  Company. 

In  1885,  Mr.  Tyler  retired  from  connection 
with  this  establishment  and  organized  the  Tyler 
Paper  Company,  of  which  he  became  the  Presi- 
dent. This  was  in  turn  succeeded  by  the  Calu- 
met Paper  Company,  and  he  disposed  of  his  inter- 
est therein  a  few  years  before  its  annihilation  by 
fire,  in  1893.  He  subsequently,  in  1889,  organ- 
ized the  American  Paper  Company,  of  which  he 
is  now  the  presiding  executive  officer,  and  which 
is  conducting  a  successful  and  growing  business. 
At  different  times,  he  has  been  a  stockholder  in 
several  paper  mills. 

Mr.  Tyler  attends  the  Episcopal  Church,  with 
which  his  parents  were  identified.  He  has  been 
a  lifelong  adherent  of  Republican  principles,  ful- 
filling his  duty  as  a  voter,  but  never  seeking  any 


w.  H.  ALSIP. 


283 


public  position.  He  has  always  been  a  model  of 
industry,  often  devoting  eighteen  hours  per  day 
to  his  business,  and  has  been  successful  in  the 
face  of  obstacles  which  would  appal  men  of  less 
resolution  and  perseverance.  The  history  of  his 


life  furnishes  an  additional  example  of  the  fact 
that  consistent  and  well-directed  effort  is  certain 
of  an  ultimate  reward,  a  principle  too  often  lost 
sight  of  in  the  modern  scramble  for  pelf. 


WILLIAM  H.  ALSIP. 


HENRY  ALSIP,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Alsip  Brick  Company, 
was  born  in  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin, 
January  23,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Frank  and 
Mary  Jane  Alsip.  The  former,  who  is  well 
known  as  one  of  the  leading  contractors  and  man- 
ufacturers of  the  West,  was  born  in  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  and  began  to  learn  the  trade  of 
brick-making  at  that  place  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years.  He  subsequently  spent  two  or  three 
years  in  California,  and  in  1857  located  in  Prairie 
du  Chien.  He  established  extensive  brick  yards 
at  that  place  and  in  McGregor,  Iowa,  and  en- 
gaged in  contracting  and  building.  His  opera- 
tions extended  throughout  northern  Wisconsin, 
eastern  Iowa  and  southern  Minnesota.  The 
period  immediately  subsequent  to  the  great  Chi- 
cago fire  offered  an  immense  demand  for  building 
material  in  this  city,  and  Mr.  Alsip  was  one  of 
the  first  to  respond  to  the  demand.  He  removed 
his  entire  plant  to  the  vicinity  of  Chicago,  where 
he  has  ever  since  had  his  headquarters.  He  has 
become  identified  with  several  large  brick  manu- 
facturing concerns,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  brick  makers  of  the  world.  The 
product  of  the  Alsip  brick  yards  has  been  used  in 
the  construction  of  many  of  the  principal  build- 
ings of  Chicago,  including  the  Masonic  Temple, 
Great  Northern  Hotel  and  the  Grand  Central 
Station. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  most  of  his 


boyhood  in  McGregor,  Iowa,  where  the  founda- 
tion of  his  education  was  laid  in  the  public  schools. 
He  afterward  attended  the  Chicago  High  School, 
and  in  1880  he  graduated  from  the  University  of 
Chicago,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts. 
Two  years  later  he  graduated  from  the  Union 
College  of  Law,  and  was  admitted  to  the  Bar. 

He  began  his  business  career  as  foreman  of  the 
Hayt  &  Alsip  brick  yards,  at  Thirty-ninth  and 
Robey  Streets,  filling  that  position  for  three  years. 
In  1885,  in  company  with  his  father,  he  built  the 
Lincoln  Street  brick  yards,  and  when  the  Alsip 
Brick  Company  was  incorporated — two  years 
later — he  became  its  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
which  position  he  still  occupies,  having  almost 
exclusive  charge  of  the  office  work.  The  com- 
pany, which  is  composed  of  Frank  Alsip,  William 
H.  Alsip  and  Frank  B.  Alsip,  now  operates  four 
extensive  brick  yards  and  furnishes  employment 
to  about  five  hundred  men.  The  business  has 
been  constantly  increasing,  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  largest  in  that  line.  The  output 
ranges  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  millions  per  day. 

Mr.  Alsip  was  married  on  the  3oth  of  Septem- 
ber, 1887,  to  Marcella  Cusak,  daughter  of  Mrs. 
Joan  Cusak,  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Alsip  was  born  in 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  has  presented  her  hus- 
band with  two  children — William  Henry  and 
Virginia.  Mr.  Alsip  is  a  member  of  the  Lincoln 
Street  Methodist  Church,  and  is  identified  with 


284 


JOHN  MORRIS. 


the  Illinois  and  Union  League  Clubs.  He  also 
holds  membership  with  the  Royal  League  and 
Royal  Arcanum.  For  six  years  past  he  has  been 
a  member  of  the  National  Brick  Makers'  Associa- 
tion, and  is  now  its  President.  He  takes  an 
active  interest  in  political  affairs,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Republican  Committee  of  the  Eleventh 


Ward.  He  positively  and  consistently  declines 
the  use  of  his  name  as  a  candidate  for  office, 
though  he  has  been  repeatedly  requested  to  be- 
come a  candidate  for  Alderman  from  his  ward. 
He  is  a  man  of  recognized  business  ability  and 
unquestioned  integrity,  and  is  filling  a  responsible 
and  useful  position  in  the  community. 


JOHN  MORRIS. 


(lOHN  MORRIS,  assistant  superintendent  of 
I  the  Piano  Manufacturing  Company  at  West 
Q)  Pullman,  was  born  near  Blue  Mounds,  Iowa 
County, Wisconsin,  on  the  I2th  of  April,  1858,  and 
is  of  Welsh  descent.  His  parents,  Rev.  Owen  R. 
and  Catherine  (Jones)  Morris,  were  both  natives 
of  Wales.  The  father  was  born  in  Blaenan, 
Festiniog,  Merionethshire,  July  18,  1828,  and 
came  to  America  in  1849  from  Merionethshire, 
North  Wales,  with  his  parents,  Robert  and  Ellen 
Morris,  the  family  locating  on  a  farm  in  Iowa 
County,  Wisconsin.  On  October  17,  1851,  he 
married  Mrs.  Catherine  Williams,  widow  of  I.  N. 
Williams,  and  lived  in  Iowa  County  until  March, 
1868,  when, with  his  wife  and  children,  he  removed 
to  Fillmore  County,  Minnesota,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. For  a  number  of  years  he  was  pastor  of 
the  Welsh  Presbyterian  Church  at  Blue  Mounds, 
Wisconsin,  and  for  twenty-four  years  had  charge 
of  the  Welsh  Presbyterian  Church  at  Bristol 
Grove,  Minnesota.  He  is  an  earnest  and  untir- 
ing worker  in  behalf  of  the  church,  and  his  work 
has  been  productive  of  much  good.  All  who 
know  him  hold  him  in  high  regard.  Mrs.  Morris 
was  born  in  Llanrug,  Carnarvonshire,  North 
Wales,  February  25,  1816,  and  came  to  America 
in  1845.  She  first  married  I.  N.  Williams,  by 
whom  she  had  one  son,  I.  N.,  now  a  resident  of 
Fillmore  County,  Minnesota.  After  the  death  of 
her  first  husband  she  returned  to  Wales,  in  1848, 


but  in  1849  again  came  to  America,  with  her 
father,  Thomas  Jones,  who  died  in  Iowa  County, 
Wisconsin,  a  few  years  later. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  had  a  family  of  four  sons, 
three  of  whom  are  yet  living.  William  and 
Thomas  both  reside  in  Fillmore  County;  Evan  is 
now  deceased;  and  John  completes  the  family. 

Mr.  Morris  of  this  sketch  spent  his  boyhood 
days  upon  his  father's  farm  and  was  early  inured 
to  arduous  labor.  He  followed  farming  through 
the  summer  months  and  in  the  winter  season  at- 
tended the  public  schools,  until  eighteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  began  teaching.  He  had  early 
evinced  a  taste  and  aptitude  for  carpentry  and 
machine  work,  and  that  instinct  has  been  con- 
stantly developing  since;  but  it  was  some  time 
before  he  entered  upon  that  line  of  work  as  a 
business.  After  teaching  for  five  seasons,  he  be- 
came a  student  of  the  University  of  Minnesota, 
and  was  graduated  therefrom  in  1888,  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Mechanical  Engineering. 
During  his  four  years'  attendance  he  had  received 
some  of  the  highest  markings  ever  given  in  that 
department.  In  1888  he  became  connected  with 
the  city  schools  of  Minneapolis,  and  continued  to 
there  serve  until  1893,  being  for  three  years  an 
instructor  in  the  Manual  Training  Department, 
while  for  two  years  he  was  assistant  superintend- 
ent and  had  entire  charge  of  the  Manual  Training 
Department.  His  services  were  eminently  satis- 


HENRY  ABRAHAMS. 


285 


factory,  and  the  work  of  the  department  prepared 
under  his  direction  for  the  World's  Fair  exhibit 
was  deservedly  worthy  of  the  high  commendation 
it  received.  During  this  period  he  also  engaged 
in  consulting  work  and  mechanical  engineering, 
and  developed  new  devices  and  secured  a  number 
of  patents  for  patrons. 

Prof.  Morris  was  married  on  October  8,  1889, 
in  Cambria,  Wisconsin,  to  Miss  Lizzie  Williams, 
daughter  of  Robert  G.  Williams.  The  lady  was 
born  in  Cambria,  and  died  in  Minneapolis  on  the 
27th  of  February,  1892,  at  the  age  of  thirty -three 
years,  leaving  one  child,  a  daughter,  Lizzie. 

In  June,  1893,  Prof.  Morris  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Minneapolis  public  schools  and  ac- 
cepted the  position  of  assistant  superintendent  and 
mechanical  engineer  of  the  Piano  Manufacturing 
Company  at  West  Pullman.  He  had  previously 
spent  a  number  of  vacations  as  an  expert  and 
traveling  representative  of  the  firm.  His  man- 


agement of  the  affairs  of  the  factory  has  given 
entire  satisfaction  to  his  employers  and  won  him 
high  commendation.  His  natural  inventive  genius 
is  constantly  active,  and  new  mechanical  devices 
are  being  continually  developed  under  his  direc- 
tion. Mr.  Morris  has  invested  in  West  Pullman 
real  estate,  with  the  view  of  making  this  place 
his  home. 

Mr.  Morris  is  a  member  of  the  Welsh  Presby- 
terian Church  of  Minneapolis,  and  for  six  years 
served  on  its  board  of  deacons,  taking  an  active 
part  in  the  work  of  the  church  and  everything 
pertaining  to  its  advancement.  In  politics  he  has 
been  a  life-long  Republican,  and  its  men  and 
measures  receive  his  earnest  support.  He  is  a 
warm  advocate  of  temperance  principles,  is  of 
cordial  and  pleasant  manner,  and  takes  a  deep 
and  abiding  interest  in  public  advancement  and 
progress. 


HENRY  ABRAHAMS. 


HENRY  ABRAHAMS,  one  of  the  self-made 
men  of  Chicago,  was  born  September  28, 
1837,  at  Kornmarck,  near  Posen,  Prussia, 
and  was  one  of  the  seventeen  children  of  Louis 
Lipman  and  Rosa  (Moses)  Abrahams.  His  ca- 
reer furnishes  a  forcible  illustration  of  what  may  be 
achieved  through  force  of  natural  ability,  energy, 
perseverance,  industry  and  integrity.  Born  in 
penury  and  reared  in  poverty,  with  no  advanta- 
ges and  every  obstacle,  outside  of  his  own  person- 
ality, to  overcome,  he  won  his  way  to  affluence 
and  an  influential  position  among  the  representa- 
tive citizens  of  Chicago.  Louis  L.  Abrahams 
was  a  tailor,  who  supported  his  large  family  by 
the  earnings  of  his  needle.  Hoping  to  better  his 
condition,  he  went  to  Newcastle,  England,  in 


1840,  and  remained  there  until  1849,  when  he 
came  to  Chicago,  where  his  widow  still  resides, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-five  years. 

Henry  Abrahams  showed  his  force  of  character 
and  instinct  for  trade  by  starting  out  in  life  as  a 
peddler  in  Chicago,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years, 
and  was  eminently  successful.  He  continued  in 
this  occupation  for  twelve  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  period  he  felt  able  to  take  a  wife  and  set- 
tle down  in  business.  He  accordingly  married 
Elizabeth  Gerber,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Julia 
(Levy)  Gerber.  Joseph  Gerber  was  a  dry-goods 
merchant  in  Hoston,  near  Prague,  Austria.  Mr. 
Abrahams  established  himself  as  a  retail  grocer 
at  the  corner  of  Fifth  Avenue  and  Adams  Street, 
on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Phelps,  Dodge  & 


286 


HENRY  ABRAHAMS. 


Palmer  Company,  where  he  remained  until  his 
buildings  and  entire  stock,  valued  at  $55,00x3, 
were  swept  away  by  the  great  fire  of  1871.  At 
this  time  he  was  the  owner  of  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  the  block  upon  which  he  did  business,  be- 
sides nine  houses  on  Adams  and  Quincy  Streets 
and  Fifth  Avenue.  It  is  said  that  he  was  before 
the  fire  the  leading  retail  grocer  of  the  city.  As 
was  the  case  with  many  others,  his  loss  by  the 
fire  was  nearly  total,  on  account  of  the  failure  of 
the  insurance  companies. 

Subsequent  to  the  fire,  Mr.  Abrahams  disposed 
of  all  his  South  Side  property  and  bought  lots  on 
the  corner  of  Van  Buren  and  Halsted  Streets, 
covering  all  of  the  block  fronting  on  Van  Buren 
Street,  except  two  lots,  which  he  owned  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  At  the  same  time  he  purchased 
eight  acres  at  Fifty-fifth  Street  and  Garfield  Boul- 
evard. For  the  latter  property  he  paid  $8,000  in 
1872,  and  sold  the  same  in  1891  for  $60,000.  He 
continued  business  on  the  West  Side  until  his  re- 
tirement from  commercial  relations  in  1880.  He 
subsequently  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  loan 
business,  giving  his  attention  largely  to  his  own 
investments.  It  was  always  a  gratification  to 
him  to  reflect  that  he  had  never  filled  a  subordin- 
ate position,  being  always  the  proprietor  of  the 
business  in  which  he  was  engaged. 

The  success  of  this  remarkable  man  is  especial- 
ly noteworthy  from  the  fact  that  until  his  second 
marriage,  in  1867,  he  had  not  learned  to  read  or 
write.  He  never  kept  any  books,  and  was  able 
to  refer  with  as  much  reliance  to  his  memory  for 
the  details  of  every  transaction  as  the  ordinary 
merchant  does  to  his  books.  The  date  of  a 
note,  its  maturity  and  the  interest  accrued  could 
always  be  told  by  him  at  a  moment's  notice.  His 
memory  with  regard  to  other  matters  was  equal- 
ly retentive.  He  attributed  this  remarkable  fac- 
ulty to  constant  reliance  upon  his  memory,  unas- 
sisted by  the  usual  accessories. 

In  1866  Mr.  Abrahams  was  bereaved  of  his 
wife  by  cholera,  and  her  body  was  the  first  one 
buried  in  Graceland  Cemetery.  She  left  three 
children:  Abraham  Abrahams,  late  Health  In- 
spector of  the  Fourth  Ward;  Moses,  a  furniture 
dealer  in  Clinton,  Iowa;  and  Albert,  who  died  at 


seven  years  of  age.  In  1867  Mr.  Abrahams 
married  Eleanora,  sister  of  his  first  wife,  who  sur- 
vives him  and  is  the  mother  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Max,  a  plumber,  and  Fanny,  the  wife  of 
Isadore  Weiskopf,  of  Chicago;  Bessie,  the  wife  of 
Albert  Richmond,  of  Philadelphia,  formerly  pro- 
prietor of  the  Standard  Theatre  of  Chicago, 
and  now  sole  wholesale  agent  for  the  Schlitz 
Brewing  Company  at  Philadelphia,  where  his 
wife  operates  one  of  the  largest  photograph  gal- 
leries; Joseph,  a  graduate  of  the  public  schools  of 
the  West  Side  Business  College,  now  manager  of 
his  father's  estate;  and  George  and  I/ouis,  at  pres- 
ent students  at  Notre  Dame  University,  Indiana. 
Elizabeth,  the  second,  died  at  eighteen  years  of 
age;  Albert,  the  sixth,  at  thirteen;  and  Sarah, 
the  seventh,  in  childhood.  Mrs.  Abrahams' 
grandchildren  are:  Leo  Weiskopf  and  L,eroy  and 
Wilfred  Richmond. 

Mr.  Abrahams'  death  occurred  on  the  eleventh 
day  of  April,  1894,  at  his  home  at  No.  3355  For- 
est Avenue,  which  he  purchased  and  occupied  in 
1891.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  appearance  and 
pleasant  address,  and  his  friendship  was  of  that 
warm  and  earnest  character  which  attracted  and 
held  men  to  him.  He  was  generous,  and  many 
remember  with  pleasure  the  time  when  he  was  to 
them  a  friend  in  need.  His  eminent  geniality 
and  social  qualities  brought  him  so  closely  in  con- 
tact with  his  fellow-men  that  he  naturally  became 
a  member  of  many  societies,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows'  or- 
ders, B'nai  B'rith,  Hebrew  Beneficiary  Associa- 
tion, Sons  of  Benjamin,  Old  Settlers'  Society  of 
Chicago,  and  others.  He  was  prominent  and  in- 
fluential in  politics,  a  member  of  the  Democratic 
party,  and  a  man  whose  counsel  had  great  weight 
with  his  associates  in  party  affairs.  He  always 
refused  nominations  for  office,  which  were  fre- 
quently urged  upon  him,  preferring  to  be  a  work- 
er for  the  interests  of  the  party  to  which  he  gave 
his  allegiance  rather  than  receive  the  emoluments 
of  office.  He  was  not  only  a  genial  and  popular 
citizen,  but  was  the  kindest  and  most  indulgent 
of  fathers  and  husbands,  and  was  the  idol  of  his 
family. 


G.  S.  INGRAHAM. 


287 


GRANVILLE  S.  INGRAHAM. 


0RANVILLE  SHERWOOD  INGRAHAM, 

b  youngest  of  a  family  of  nine,  was  born  May 
27,  1824,  in  Montgomery  County,  New 
York.  His  father,  born  April  23,  1782,  was  a 
tanner  and  currier,  who  came  from  England  to 
the  State  of  Rhode  Island  in  his  boyhood,  remov- 
ing subsequently  to  the  State  of  New  York,  where 
he  became  a  very  prominent  Free  Mason  and  was 
universally  esteemed,  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three.  He  was  one  of  the  claimants  of  the  cele- 
brated "Leeds  Estate"  in  England.  His  mother, 
Philinda  Taylor  by  maiden  name,  was  born  May 
i,  1784,  at  Hartford,  Connecticut,  living  to  the 
remarkable  age  of  ninety-two. 

Owing  to  the  disability  of  total  blindness  which 
afflicted  his  father  for  the  last  twenty-five  years 
of  his  life,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  after  an  or- 
dinary education  obtained  at  the  Union  Mills 
Academy,  was  obliged  to  leave  home  at  the  boy- 
ish age  of  twelve  to  seek  his  own  fortunes,  and 
well  indeed  did  he  find  them.  His  first  employ- 
ment was  in  a  merchant's  store  in  New  York 
City;  afterward,  returning  to  Saratoga  County, 
was  engaged  in  similar  pursuits  for  a  period. 

At  this  juncture  the  turning  point  of  his  busi- 
ness life  was  presented.  James  McKindley,  the 
veteran  pioneer  wholesaler  of  our  metropolis,  had 
spent  many  happy  boyhood  days  in  companion- 
ship with  Mr.  Ingraham;  and  now,  being  at  the 
head  of  the  mercantile  house,  McKindley,  Church 
&  Co. ,  thoughtful  for  and  kindly  disposed  toward 
this  early  associate,  offered  Mr.  Ingraham,  in 
1856,  a  position  with  his  house  as  traveling  sales- 
man. Losing  no  time  in  reaching  his  new  field 
of  employment,  destined  always  to  be  his  home, 
so  well  did  he  foresee  the  requirements  of  his  own 
and  higher  positions,  at  the  same  time  bending 
every  energy  toward  fulfilling  more  duties  than 
those  imposed  upon  him,  that  in  an  incredibly 
short  time,  namely  in  1860,  he  was  elevated  to 
the  standing  of  a  full  partner  in  the  firm,  there- 
after to  be  styled  McKindley,  Ingraham  &  Co. 


The  next  seven  years  witnessed  severest  appli- 
cation and  unremitting  efforts  upon  his  part, 
gaining  him  unstinted  meed  of  praise  from  all 
with  whom  he  had  to  do,  wonderfully  fruthering 
the  interests  of  his  concern,  but  carried  to  the 
excess  of  personal  disability,  so  that  at  the  end 
of  the  period  of  which  we  are  speaking,  quite  de- 
bilitated and  "run  down"  in  health,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  leave  his  office  and  seek  the  means  of 
regaining  strength  for  the  following  two  years. 
The  firm,  in  which  he  still  retained  his  interests, 
was  burned  out  by  the  great  fire  of  1871,  but 
being  well  insured,  it  declined  offers  of  finan- 
cial aid  as  well  as  volunteered  extension  of  time 
on  bills  payable  falling  due.  With  marvelous 
recuperation,  being  actually  engaged  in  trade 
within  a  week  after  the  burning,  and  by  good 
fortune,  it  was  enabled  to  meet  all  obligations  as 
rapidly  as  they  matured. 

About  this  time  was  organized  the  wholesale 
grocery  and  tea  house  of  Ingraham,  Corbin  & 
May  (now  Corbin  and  May) ,  with  which  he  was 
thenceforth  prominently  identified  in  its  very  suc- 
cessful upbuilding,  until,  in  1884,  overtaxation 
of  mental  and  physical  powers  rendered  retire- 
ment again  necessary,  this  time  forced  to  become 
practically  final.  But  his  fortune  continued  to  be 
thus  mainly  embarked  with  his  firm,  and  during 
the  semi-invalid  existence  of  his  slow  decline,  he 
always  enjoyed  thinking  and  speaking  of  trade, 
and  dreaming  the  optimist's  dream  of  the  golden 
days  bound  to  come  to  the  trade  when  the  entire 
Northwest  was  better  developed  in  its  vast  re- 
sources. 

The  last  years  were  made  comfortable  by  a 
portion  of  the  means  his  industrious  ability  had 
accumulated,  the  summers  being  mainly  spent  in 
Chicago,  while  in  winter  he  sought  a  less  rigorous 
climate;  now  in  California,  now  in  Florida,  until 
finding  in  Pass  Christian,  Mississippi,  surround- 
ings thoroughly  congenial  and  beneficial,  he  there 
bought  a  home  in  1888,  that  he  might  regularly 


288 


G.  S.  INGRAHAM. 


surrender  himself  to  the  delights  of  the  semi- 
tropic  Gulf  Coast.  Alas  for  the  brevity  of  life! 
L,ove  may  not  entice  away,  nor  fortune  bribe 
against  the  visitation  of  grim,  universally  fated 
death.  The  end  came  on  December  20,  1892,  to 
a  patient,  long  sufferer,  resigned  to  the  will  of 
God. 

In  boyhood  he  had  followed  family  affiliations 
with  the  Christian  Church,  that  being  a  liberal 
and  righteous  faith;  but  in  maturer  years  he  was 
attracted  by  the  stanch  tenets  and  rugged  char- 
acter of  Presbyterianism,  and  so  had  been  for 
many  years  united  with  the  Hyde  Park  Presby- 
terian Church,  in  which,  wholly  obedient,  he 
passed  to  a  reward  of  good  merits. 

In  Whig  days  he  was  a  willing  follower  of 
Henry  Clay,  but  on  the  breaking  up  of  old  lines 
and  the  drawing  of  new  ones,  he  took  and  held  a 
liberal  Democratic  attitude,  in  local  affairs  sup- 
porting the  best  man,  irrespective  of  party.  He 
was  always  deeply  interested  in  parks  and  other 
public  improvements,  and  all  educational  works 
had  his  generous  approbation  and  furtherance. 
Being  most  happily  environed,  and  strongly  do- 
mestic in  temperament,  he  cared  not  for  "club 
life"  or  society,  so  called;  yet  he  was  not  a  re- 
cluse, neither,  as  his  friends  well  knew,  was  he 
at  all  unsociable. 

His  first  home  in  Chicago  was  purchased  at 
the  corner  of  Prairie  Avenue  and  Eighteenth 
Street;  removing,  in  1872,  to  Washington  Ave- 
nue, just  south  of  Fifty-fifth  Street,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  construction  of  an  elegant  mansion 
in  the  immediate  neighborhood  (No.  5520  Wash- 
ington Avenue) ,  when  he  was  taken  away.  She 
who  is  left  to  execute  his  wishes  may  long  find  a 
noble  employment  in  the  finishing  of  his  ap- 
pointed work. 

The  humanitarian  shows  out  nowhere  more 
plainly  than  in  his  will.  Years  of  affliction  had 
taught  him  the  needs  of  the  sick,  while  abundant 
means  enabled  him  to  intelligently  contrast  the 
wretched  condition  of  the  indigent  ill.  Therefore, 
in  his  last  testament,  after  liberal  provisions  for 
his  family  and  near  relatives  (not  overlooking 
generous  legacies  to  several  charitable  institu- 
tions) ,  he  directed  that  the  residue  of  his  estate 


should  be  invested  and  spent  in  the  founding, 
building,  usefully  equipping  and  maintaining  of 
a  hospital  for  the  poor  sick,  to  be  conducted  on  as 
free  a  plan  as  possible.  Would  that  all  our  wealth 
accumulators,  circumstanced  like  unto  himself, 
could  be  prompted  by  as  philanthropic  motives! 
Then  would  riches  become  a  general  blessing  in 
disguise,  and  the  abyss  between  the  financially 
high  and  low  forever  kindly  bridged.  Realizing 
that  he  had  few  dependents,  and  that  he  was 
largely  indebted  to  the  city  of  his  adoption  for  his 
opulence,  he,  in  this  dignified,  munificent,  last- 
ing manner  of  endowing  a  glorious  charity,  con- 
ceived that  that  debt  should  and  would  be  paid; 
and  though  for  a  time  there  be  a  contest  over  the 
will,  while  something  of  doubt  exists  as  to  the 
ultimate  fate  of  the  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars 
thus  bequeathed  by  Mr.  Ingraham  to  the  found- 
ing of  a  hospital,  which  was  to  bear  his  name,  let 
us  trust  the  law  will  vindicate  itself  and  our  testa- 
tor friend's  wishes,  and  that  his  widow,  unswerv- 
ingly devoted  to  the  administration  of  his  estate, 
may  be  speedily  confirmed  in  her  legal  rights  as 
his  representative,  and  so  enabled  to  proceed  un- 
der the  will-terms  toward  the  completion  of  the 
conceived  edifice;  and  generations  to  come  will 
thank  the  justice  of  the  decree  while  blessing  the 
memory  of  him,  their  patron  and  benefactor. 

Mr.  Ingraham  was  twice  married;  (i.)  July 
14,  1847,  to  Miss  Frances  Sarah  Foster,  of  Sara- 
toga County,  New  York,  who  died  January  i , 
1878,  having  had  as  issue  a  son,  Hiram  Foster 
Ingraham,  who  died  February  10,  1874,  leaving 
a  widow,  Fannie  Ingraham  (nee  Wood),  and  a  son, 
Granville  Foster  Ingraham,  which  latter  were 
cared  for  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch  while  liv- 
ing, and  abundantly  provided  for  in  his  last  will. 

(2.)  December  6,  1 88 1,  to  Miss  Harriette  Au- 
gusta Foster  (sister  of  his  former  wife,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Hiram  Clark  Foster) ,  who  had  no  children, 
but  who  was  and  is  the  soul  of  faithfulness  toward 
him  and  his  house,  and  appointed  as  one  of  the 
executors  of  his  will. 

(For  some  details  of  the  Foster  pedigree,  vide 
under  sketch  of  James  Mairs  Gilchrist,  on  another 
page  herein.) 

Mrs.   Ingraham's  mother  was  Elizabeth  Platt, 


NICHOLAS  BUSCHWAH. 


289 


of  a  family  of  honorable  standing  and  mention  in 
Eastern  centers.  Elizabeth  was  the  fifth  child 
and  daughter  of  Alexander  Smith  and  Annie 
Platt  (nee  Wakeman,  of  Greenfield,  Connecticut) 
and  Galway,  New  York;  Alexander  being  the 
fourth  son  of  Obadiah  and  Thankful  Platt  (nee 
Scudder,  of  Huntingdon,  Connecticut),  and 
North  Fairfield,  Connecticut;  Obadiah  being  the 
fourth  son  of  Obadiah  and  Mary  Platt,  nee  Smith, 
who  removed  from  Huntington  across  Long  Is- 
land Sound  (with  his  brother  Timothy) ,  found- 
ing the  Fairfield  branch  of  the  family ;  Obadiah 
was  the  eldest  son  of  Jonas  and  Sarah  Platt  (nee 
Scudder),  of  the  "Older  Huntington"  (Connecti- 
cut) branch.  Jonas  was  the  second  child  and 
eldest  son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  Platt  (nee 
Wood)  who  (with  his  brother  Epenetus)  founded 
the  "Older  Huntington"  branch.  Isaac  was 


probably  born  in  England,  being  the  third  son  of 
Richard  and  Mary  Platt,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try from  England  in  1638,  landing  at  New  Haven, 
Connecticut,  where  he  afterward  acquired  valuable 
landed  possessions.  The  old  family  seat,  how- 
ever, is  at  Milford,  a  few  miles  thence  west, 
where  the  first  American  progenitor  is  buried, 
and  where  have  ever  since  dwelt  the  honored  de- 
scendants. 

The  English  seat  of  the  emigrating  branch  is 
believed  to  be  Bovingdon,  a  village  near  Hert- 
ford, England.  The  Herald's  College  shows 
some  seven  coats-of-arms  assigned  and  granted 
to  different  English  families  by  the  name  of  Platt. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  Mrs. 
Ingraham,  through  her  mother,  represents  the 
eighth  generation  of  Platts  in  the  United  States. 


NICHOLAS  BUSCHWAH. 


RICHOLAS  BUSCHWAH  is,  doubtless,  the 
best  informed  man  living  in  regard  to  titles  to 
|  /J  Cook  County  realty.  His  long  experience  of 
over  thirty  years  in  the  preparation  and  examin- 
ation of  abstracts,  together  with  his  reliability  and 
unquestioned  integrity  of  character,  has  earned 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  political  parties, 
and  of  investors  and  business  men  generally.  He 
was  born  amid  the  romantic  scenery  bordering 
the  River  Rhine,  the  place  of  his  birth  being  the 
village  of  Wahlen,  Rhenish  Prussia,  and  the  date 
of  his  advent  being  the  igth  of  October,  1842. 
His  parents,  Nicholas  and  Marie  (Dewald) 
Buschwah,  were  natives  of  Germany,  of  French 
extraction.  The  father  was  a  carpenter  and 
builder  by  occupation.  In  1844  he  sold  his  beau- 
tiful home  and  grounds  in  the  land  of  his  birth 
and  emigrated  with  his  family,  which  then  in- 
cluded four  children,  to  the  United  States,  in  or- 


der to  secure  to  them  the  blessings  of  political 
and  religious  liberty.  He  located  in  Chicago, 
where  he  followed  his  trade  until  death,  January 
24,  1864.  His  wife  survived  him  several  years, 
dying  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  They  em- 
bodied the  regular  habits  and  sturdy  character 
for  which  our  German  citizens  are  conspicuous, 
and  left  to  their  posterity  sacred  memories  and  a 
good  name.  Seven  of  their  children  survive  and 
are  residents  of  Chicago.  Margaret,  the  eldest, 
is  now  Mrs.  John  Woltz;  Catherine  is  the  widow 
of  Caspar  Koerper;  and  the  others  are  Matthew, 
Nicholas,  John,  Peter  and  Jacob.  One  died  in 
childhood,  and  Mary,  who  was  the  wife  of  Mi- 
chael Schwiser,  passed  away  May  4,  1877. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  received  his  primary 
education  at  the  Kinzie  School,  then  the  only 
public  school  in  North  Chicago,  and  known  as 
Alden  G.  Wilder 's  School.  He  afterward  became 


2go 


NICHOLAS  BUSCHWAH. 


a  student  at  the  Franklin  School,  Daniel  C.  Fer- 
guson Principal,  and  completed  the  course  of 
study  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  the  Chicago 
High  School  not  being  built  at  that  time.  He 
then  entered  the  real-estate  office  of  James  H. 
Rees,  to  learn  the  real-estate  business,  and  subse- 
quently he  entered  the  office  of  Rees,  Chase  & 
Company,  abstract  makers,  with  whom  he  began 
his  clerical  career,  serving  their  interests  for  eight 
years,  during  which  time  the  style  changed  to 
Chase  Brothers.  He  became  very  proficient  in 
the  preparation  of  abstracts,  and  after  the  ter- 
mination of  his  engagement  with  this  house  he 
served  one  year  as  money-delivery  clerk  in  the 
office  of  the  American  Express  Company.  This 
was  a  responsible  and  arduous  position,  and  he 
often  handled  a  million  dollars  in  a  single  day. 
He  was  next  employed  by  Fernando  Jones  & 
Company,  the  well-known  abstract  makers,  whose 
office  was  then  located  at  No.  42  Clark  Street. 
He  remained  with  this  firm  four  years,  filling  the 
place  of  chief  abstract  maker,  after  which  he  was 
employed  in  the  office  of  the  City  Comptroller  up 
to  the  time  of  the  great  fire  of  October  8  and  9, 
1871.  During  the  period  immediately  subsequent 
to  that  catastrophe  he  assisted  the  Chicago  Relief 
and  Aid  Society  as  chief  clerk  and  paymaster  of 
the  Third  Division  of  the  city.  For  two  and  one- 
half  years  thereafter  he  was  an  assistant  in  the 
office  of  the  City  Clerk.  At  this  time  the  firm  of 
Williams  &  Thielcke  sought  his  services  in  the 
conduct  of  their  abstract  office,  and  when,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1885,  their  books  became  the  property  of 
Cook  County,  he  continued  with  the  work,  re- 
maining in  the  employ  of  the  county  over  seven- 
teen years — making  the  first  abstract  turned  out 
by  the  county — and  was  chief  abstract  maker  in 
the  department  of  abstracts  in  the  Recorder's  of- 
fice throughout  this  period.  During  his  long  ex- 
perience in  the  examination  and  production  of 
abstracts,  he  has  becomes  familiar  with  all  the 
details  and  technicalities  of  the  business,  and  has 
prepared  more  instruments  of  the  kind  than  any 
other  individual. 

In  April,  1893,  he  resigned  his  position  in  the 
Recorder's  office,  since  which  time  he  has  con- 
ducted an  independent  business  as  examiner  of 


titles,  in  connection  with  which  he  does  a  general 
loan,  real-estate  and  investment  business.  The 
extensive  acquaintance  which  he  has  formed  dur- 
ing his  connection  with  this  line  of  work  brings  to 
him  an  ample  and  lucrative  patronage,  and  many 
large  investors  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  en- 
trust to  him  the  conduct  of  their  financial  trans- 
actions. For  many  years  past  he  has  conducted 
a  loan  and  real-estate  agency  in  connection  with 
his  other  undertakings,  and  has  displayed  such 
judgment  and  discretion  in  placing  funds  entrust- 
ed to  his  care  that  he  has  never  found  it  necessary 
to  foreclose  a  mortgage  or  trust  deed.  His  integ- 
rity, justice  and  fairness  are  recognized  alike  by 
creditors  and  debtors,  and  every  man  who  forms 
his  acquaintance  through  a  business  transaction 
becomes  a  permanent  friend.  By  his  shrewd 
management  many  a  poor  and  delinquent  debtor 
has  been  saved  from  total  loss,  while  the  interests 
of  the  creditor  have  been  at  the  same  time  fully 
protected. 

On  New  Year's  Day  of  1868  occurred  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  Nicholas  Buschwah  to  Miss  Har- 
riet A.  Dye,  daughter  of  Prof.  Nathan  Dye, 
whose  life  history  appears  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  She  was  born  at  Truxton,  Cortland  Coun- 
ty, New  York,  and  at  an  early  age  began  to  de- 
velop a  talent  and  taste  for  music,  taking  her  first 
lesson  from  her  father  at  the  age  of  three  years. 
At  fourteen  she  became  a  teacher  of  music,  and 
for  many  years  previous  to  her  marriage  gave 
instruction  in  both  vocal  and  instrumental  work, 
often  assisting  her  father  in  the  conduct  of  his 
classes  and  concerts.  Ida  A.,  the  only  child  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buschwah,  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Chicago  Conservatory  of  Music,  and  a  teacher  of 
recognized  ability  in  musical  circles.  She  is  the 
wife  of  Leroy  Grant,  with  whom  she  resides  at 
Laramie  City,  Wyoming. 

For  many  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buschwah  were 
members  of  Unity  Church  of  Chicago,  the  soci- 
ety established  by  Rev.  Robert  Collyer,  who  con- 
ducted the  ceremony  at  their  wedding  and  the  wed- 
ding of  their  daughter,  Ida  A.  They  are  among 
the  original  members  of  the  Independent  Liberal 
Church,  organized  by  Rev.  T.  G.  Milsted  in  Oc- 
tober, 1894.  It  is  a  society  founded  upon  prin- 


GEORGE  DEARLOVE. 


291 


ciples  of  benevolence  and  Christian  brotherhood. 
Mrs.  Buschwah  is  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  soci- 
ety, and  both  she  and  her  husband  are  enthusiastic 
and  active  in  good  works.  She  is  a  member  of 
Chicago  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Rev- 


utive  Board  of  the  Twenty-first  Ward  Republican 
Club,  and  has  been  a  life-long  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  that  party,  and  numbers  among  his 
friends  many  of  the  leading  citizens  of  Cook 
County,  irrespective  of  political  or  other  connec- 


olutiou.    Mr.  Buschwah  is  a  member  of  the  Exec-     tions. 


GEORGE  DEARLOVE. 


EEORGE  DEARLOVE,  a  prominent  pioneer 
of  Northfield  Township,  now  living  in  Chi- 
cago, was  born  in  Harrowgate,  Yorkshire, 
England,  in  May,  1824.  He  is  the  only  surviving 
child  of  Richard  and  Hannah  (Matterson)  Dear- 
love,  who  in  1836,  with  their  family,  came  to 
America,  settling  in  Northfield  Township,  Cook 
County,  where  they  became  the  owners  of  an  ex- 
tensive tract  of  land  on  Milwaukee  Avenue. 
This  tract,  which  is  still  retained  in  the  family, 
includes  several  of  the  finest  and  most  productive 
farms  in  Cook  County,  well  supplied  with  first- 
class  improvements. 

The  children  of  Richard  and  Hannah  Dear- 
love  were  Mary,  William,  Peter,  Richard, 
Thomas,  George  and  Hannah,  all  of  whom  be- 
came leading  citizens  of  Northfield  Township, 
but,  as  stated  above,  are  now  deceased,  with  the 
exception  of  George.  The  latter  became  the 
owner  of  several  fine  farms  in  Northfield  Town- 
ship, but  in  1885  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
has  since  dealt  in  real  estate,  his  long  acquaint- 
ance with  the  county  giving  him  an  intimate 
knowledge  of  land  values  which  has  helped  him 
materially  in  his  business. 

Mr.  Dearlove  was  married  in  1872 — Miss  Mary 
A.  Dwyer,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Maria  Dwyer, 
of  Newport,  Herkimer  County,  New  York,  be- 
coming his  wife.  Mrs.  Dearlove,  who  is  a  lady 
of  refinement  and  ability,  acquired  her  primary 


education  in  the  public  schools  of  Herkimer 
County,  and  later  attended  a  select  school  at  New- 
port for  one  year.  She  then  took  a  three-years 
course  at  Fairfield  Seminary,  and  still  later  at- 
tended the  State  Normal  School  at  Albany,  New 
York,  but  did  not  finish  the  course  on  account  of 
sickness.  From  the  age  of  seventeen  years  she 
was  engaged  at  intervals  in  teaching.  She  came 
to  Cook  County  in  the  year  1867,  and  taught  for 
several  years  after  her  arrival,  she  and  her  sister 
being  the  first  teachers  of  the  Normal  System  in 
Cook  County. 

March  5,  1888,  Mrs.  Dearlove  graduated  from 
Bennett  Eclectic  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery, 
with  the  degree  of  M.  D.,  and  afterwards  grad- 
uated from  the  Chicago  College  of  Ophthalmia 
and  Aural  Surgery.  Since  her  graduation  she 
has  practiced  her  profession  with  marked  success, 
and  has  won  the  confidence  of  the  public  and  of 
her  associates  to  a  most  flattering  degree.  Dr. 
Dearlove  holds  membership  in  the  Chicago  Eclec- 
tic Society,  and  in  the  State  Eclectic  Medical  So- 
ciety, and  during  the  progress  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  was  in  charge  of  the  Illi- 
nois Woman's  Hospital  at  the  Exposition 
grounds. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dearlove  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  George  M.,  whose  biography 
appears  elsewhere  in  these  pages;  Thomas,  a 
student  at  the  North-Western  Military  Academy; 


292 


JOHN  CRAWFORD. 


and  Mabel  H.  In  his  religious  adherence  Mr. 
Dearlove  is  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  in  his  political  leanings  he  is  a  Republican, 
though  not  a  strict  partisan,  and  never  an  as- 


pirant for  public  honors.  He  is  a  successful 
farmer  and  business  man,  and  he  and  his  family 
enjoy  the  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 


JOHN  CRAWFORD. 


(TOHN  CRAWFORD,  deceased,  was  for  years 
I  connected  with  the  business  and  official  in- 
G)  terests  of  Cook  County,  and  was  a  prominent 
and  representative  citizen.  He  was  born  in  Buf- 
falo, New  York,  October  14,  1832,  and  died  in 
Chicago  on  the  ist  of  February,  1894.  His  father, 
Peter  Crawford,  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  John  spent  the  first  twelve  years  of  his 
life  in  the  Empire  State  and  then  accompanied 
his  parents  on  their  removal  to  Chicago.  Here 
he  became  his  father's  assistant  in  the  lumber 
trade,  and  was  thus  employed  until  nineteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  entered  Knox  College,  at 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  where  he  pursued  a  prepara- 
tory course  of  study.  Later  he  entered  Hamilton 
University  (now  Colgate  University)  of  Hamil- 
ton, New  York,  and  when  his  literary  education 
was  completed  he  taught  in  Cicero  Township, 
Cook  County,  for  several  years. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four  Mr.  Crawford  began 
reading  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  Buckner  S. 
Morris,  of  Chicago.  He  did  not  complete  his 
legal  studies,  but  yet  obtained  a  knowledge  of  law 
which  proved  of  great  benefit  to  him  in  his  sub- 
sequent business  and  official  transactions.  For 
many  years  he  dealt  largely  in  real  estate,  hand- 
ling not  only  his  own  subdivisions  at  Crawford 
Station,  but  also  much  other  property.  He  served 
for  several  terms  as  Supervisor  of  Cicero  Town- 


ship, also  as  Trustee  and  Assessor,  and  in  numer- 
ous other  local  offices.  He  was  County  Commis- 
sioner for  two  terms,  being  a  member  of  the  Board 
at  the  same  time  with  Carter  H.  Harrison,  about 
the  beginning  of  the  latter' s  political  career.  They 
were  elected  on  the  "Fire  Ticket, "  as  it  was 
called,  the  election  being  held  soon  after  the  great 
fire  of  1871. 

On  the  22d  of  August,  1861,  Mr.  Crawford  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Adelaide  F.  NefF, 
daughter  of  William  and  Olive  NefT,  of  Chicago, 
and  a  native  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  When  a  little 
maiden  of  six  summers  she  came  with  her  par- 
ents to  this  State.  Her  father  died  in  March, 
1887,  but  her  mother  is  still  living  in  Chicago. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crawford  were  born  three  chil- 
dren: John  H.,  a  real-estate  dealer  of  Chicago; 
Florence,  who  is  now  deceased;  and  Genevieve. 

Mr.  Crawford  was  a  member  of  the  Millard 
Avenue  Baptist  Church,  and  the  family  still  at- 
tends that  church.  He  belonged  to  the  Masonic 
fraternity,  and  in  his  political  affiliations  was  a 
Republican.  He  was  a  man  of  earnest  convic- 
tions and  conscientious  motives,  and  by  straight- 
forward dealing  and  uniform  courtesy  he  won  the 
good-will  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 
Probably  no  man  in  Cook  County  had  fewer 
enemies. 


C.  P.  BRYAN. 


CHARLES  P.  BRYAN. 


/3  HARLES  P.  BRYAN  was  born  in  Chicago, 
1 1  October  2,  1855.  His  childhood  was  spent 
\J  at  Elmhurst,  where  his  parents  took  up  their 
residence  in  1856.  Young  Bryan  completed  his 
education  at  the  University  of  Virginia  and  the 
Columbia  Law  School.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  1878.  Thefollow- 
ing  year  he  removed  to  Colorado,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  mining  and  in  editorial  and  literary 
work.  He  edited  the  Denver  Inter  Ocean  and  the 
Colorado  Mining  Gazette,  which  he  owned,  and 
was  elected  President  of  the  Colorado  Editorial 
Association  in  1884.  A  year  after  his  arrival  in 
the  Rocky  Mountains  he  was  chosen  to  represent 
Clear  Creek  County  in  the  Legislature,  of  which 
he  was  the  youngest  member.  He  was  Chairman 
of  the  Railroad  Committee.  As  champion  of  the 
people  against  monopolies,  he  was  called  the 
"Plumed  Knight  of  the  Rockies."  He  had  a 
voice  in  every  Republican  State  convention  during 
his  sojourn  in  Colorado,  and  stumped  the  State 
for  Elaine.  Twice  he  was  urged  by  the  slate- 
makers,  but  declined  to  allow  his  name  to  be  pre- 
sented to  the  Republican  State  Convention  as  a  can- 
didate for  Secretary  of  State.  The  probable  nom- 
ination for  Lieutenant-Governor  was  also  offered 
him  as  an  inducement  to  remain  in  Colorado. 
Filial  duty,  however,  called  him  back  to  Illinois 
in  1885. 

In  1890,  Col.  Bryan  was,  unsolicited,  nominated 
for  the  Legislature  and  elected.  In  1892  he  was 
re-elected  to  represent  DuPage  County.  His  chief 
efforts  in  the  Legislature  have  been  directed  to- 
ward ballot  reform,  World's  Fair  and  National 
Guard  measures,  and  those  locally  of  interest  to 


his  constituents.  As  a  boy,  he  entered  the  First 
Regiment  of  Illinois  National  Guards,  and  has 
nearly  ever  since  served  in  the  State  troops  of  Illi- 
nois or  Colorado,  having  been  commissioned  Aide- 
de-Camp  by  four  Governors.  Col.  Bryan  is  now 
on  the  general  staff  of  the  Illinois  National 
Guard.  His  occupation  is  that  of  contributor  to 
newspapers  and  magazines,  his  line  of  work  be- 
ing editorial,  historical  and  descriptive. 

The  paternal  and  maternal  families  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  the  Bryans  and  the  Pages,  set- 
tled in  Virginia  about  1660.  They  intermarried 
with  the  Lees,  the  Carters,  Barbours,  Crawfords 
and  Penns.  Daniel  Bryan,  the  grandfather  of 
Charles,  made  speeches  in  the  Senate  of  Virginia 
as  far  back  as  the  '  303  advocating  the  abolition 
of  slavery.  On  account  of  his  pronounced  Union 
views  he  endangered  his  life  at  Alexandria  at  the 
beginning  of  the  late  war.  His  son,  Thomas  B. 
Bryan,  came  to  Illinois  in  1852.  As  a  member  of 
the  Union  Defense  Committee,  as  president  of  the 
Soldiers'  Home  and  Sanitary  Fair,  and  in  aiding 
to  equip  regiments  for  the  war,  he  constantly 
showed  his  loyalty  to  the  Union.  Company  H 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Infantry, 
composed  of  the  flower  of  the  youth  of  DuPage 
County,  was  called  the  "Bryan  Blues"  in  honor 
of  the  liberality  of  Thomas  B.  Bryan.  As  cham- 
pion of  Chicago  for  the  site  of  the  World's  Fair  in 
speeches  made  in  Washington  and  other  cities,  as 
Vice- President  of  the  Columbian  Exposition,  and 
as  Commissioner-at- Large  to  Europe,  Mr.  Bryan 
has  won  international  fame.  His  son  has  seconded 
him  in  all  these  efforts.  Famous  men  from  all 
over  the  world  have  been  entertained  at  the 


294 


A.  F.  HATCH. 


"Bird's  Nest,"  the  Bryans1  home.  Edward  Ev- 
erett, President  and  Mrs.  Harrison,  the  Logans, 
Blaines,  Cardinal  Gibbons,  princes,  nobility  and 
ministers  and  commissioners  from  nearly  every 


land  have  been  guests  at  this  beautiful  home, 
whose  hospitalities  have  helped  to  give  renown  to 
Elmhurst  and  to  DuPage  County. 


AZEL  FARNSWORTH   HATCH. 


G\  ZEL  FARNSWORTH  HATCH,  a  promin- 
LJ  ent  and  well-known  attorney-at-law  of  Chi- 
I  I  cago,  living  in  Lisle,  was  born  on  the  6th 
of  September,  1848,  in  Lisle  Township,  DuPage 
County,  and  was  the  fifth  in  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren born  to  James  C.  and  Charlotte  (Kidder) 
Hatch.  He  remained  upon  the  home  farm  until 
sixteen  years  of  age,  and  attended  the  public 
schools  of  the  neighborhood,  there  acquiring  his 
primary  education.  In  1867  he  entered  Oberlin 
College,  of  Oberlin,  Ohio,  where  he  continued 
his  studies  until  1 870,  when  he  became  a  student 
of  the  senior  class  in  Yale  Univeisity.  In  1871 
he  was  graduated  from  that  institution,  after 
which  he  accepted  the  principalship  of  the  High 
School  of  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  where  he  continued 
for  a  year. 

Mr.  Hatch  arrived  in  Chicago  in  1872,  and  be- 
gan the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Shorey  & 
Norton,  attorneys,  with  whom  he  continued  for 
about  two  years,  when,  in  September,  1874,  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  In  December  following 
he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and 
during  the  first  year  was  associated  with  Messrs. 
Norton  and  Hulburd,  under  the  style  of  Norton, 
Hulburd  &  Hatch.  In  1880  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  O.  F.  Aldis,  and  under  the  firm 
name  of  Hatch  &  Aldis  these  gentlemen  con- 
tinued business  for  several  years,  when  the  part- 
nership was  dissolved.  Mr.  Hatch  is  now  alone 
in  business.  He  has  been  very  successful  in  his 
legal  practice  and  has  won  an  enviable  reputation 
therein. 


On  the  sth  of  February,  1880,  our  subject  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Grace  H.  Greene,  of 
Lisle,  daughter  of  Daniel  Greene,  of  DuPage 
County.  By  their  union  were  born  four  daugh- 
ters: Alice  V.,  Helen,  Laura  and  Grace  P.  All 
are  still  with  their  father.  The  mother's  death 
occurred  in  Chicago,  on  the  i8th  of  April,  1886. 

Mr.  Hatch  is  a  Republican  in  political  sentiment, 
but  is  not  strongly  partisan,  and  has  never  been 
an  office-seeker,  preferring  to  devote  his  entire 
time  and  attention  to  his  legal  practice  and  other 
business  interests.  He  is  connected  with  various 
important  concerns  of  the  city.  He  is  one  of  the 
Directors  and  owners  of  the  Chicago  Herald  and 
the  Chicago  Evening  Post,  and  is  also  one  of  the 
exchequer  committee  of  the  Equitable  Trust  Com- 
pany of  Chicago.  He  is  a  Director  of  the  United 
Press,  and  is  also  connected  with  several  other 
enterprises.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  the  Chicago  Library  for  three 
years.  He  had  charge  of  the  organization  of  the 
committees  of  the  World's  Fair  and  of  the  first 
meeting  of  the  stockholders.  This  was  one  of 
the  most  wonderful  corporations  ever  formed,  as 
there  were  at  that  time  over  twenty-eight  thou- 
sand stockholders.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
promoting  the  interests  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  and  did  all  in  his  power  toward  mak- 
ing the  Fair  a  success.  He  is  a  well-known  and 
leading  citizen  and  a  worthy  representative  of  the 
enterprise  and  progressive  spirit  which  have  made 
Chicago  the  second  city  of  the  Union. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
l.:;VE,TSITY  OF  ILL!?1 


ffQ 


P.  D.  ARMOUR. 


295 


PHILIP  DANFORTH  ARMOUR. 


DANFORTH  ARMOUR,  who  is 
LX  known  throughout  the  world  through  his 
t$  extensive  business  interests,  is  also  widely 
known  for  his  efforts  in  behalf  of  his  fellow-men. 
While  his  financial  gains  have  been  great,  he  has 
not  neglected  opportunities  for  devoting  a  fair 
proportion  to  benevolent  and  educational  work. 
Through  his  generosity  and  fostering  care,  the 
Armour  Mission,  originally  established  in  1881 
by  a  bequest  of  $100,000  from  his  brother,  Jo- 
seph F.  Armour,  has  grown  to  cover  a  very  wide 
extent  of  educational  and  philanthropic  work,  be- 
ing permanently  endowed  and  supplied  with  ade- 
quate buildings  and  apparatus  and  a  large  corps 
of  instructors.  This  institution  is  recognized  as 
a  powerful  factor  in  the  city's  literary  develop- 
ment, and  one  of  Mr.  Armour's  benevolent  works 
is  thus  made  too  prominent  to  be  hidden.  Of  his 
many  private  and  quiet  acts  of  charity  the  world 
will  know  but  little. 

Philip  D.  Armour  was  born  in  Stockbridge, 
Madison  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  i6th  of  May, 
1832,  being  one  of  a  family  of  six  sons  and  two 
daughters  given  to  Danforth  Armour  and  Juliana 
(Brooks)  Armour,  his  wife.  The  parents  left 
Union,  Conn.,  in  September,  1825,  and  settled  at 
the  above-named  place,  where  they  engaged  in 
farming.  The  paternal  ancestors  were  of  Scotch- 
Irish  lineage,  and  were  early  established  in  this 
country.  The  maternal  progenitors  were,  no 
doubt,  of  English  blood,  though  they  must  have 
early  renounced  allegiance  to  the  mother  coun- 
try, as  we  find  them  honorably  mentioned  for 
acts  of  daring  in  the  struggle  for  American  inde- 
pendence. 


Amid  the  simple  surroundings  of  a  New  York 
country  home,  P.  D.  Armour  and  his  brothers 
and  sisters  grew  to  maturity,  imbibing  the  frugal 
and  industrious  habits  which  have  been  handed 
down  from  New  England,  and  have  done  so  much 
to  develop  and  husband  the  resources  of  the 
United  States.  Wherever  the  New  England 
spirit  has  been  prevalent,  schools,  churches  and 
manufactories  have  risen  simultaneously,  and  so- 
ciety has  rapidly  advanced  in  the  arts  and  sci- 
ences. The  mother  of  this  family  was  noted  for 
a  joyous  disposition,  and  under  her  loving  care  its 
members  grew  up  in  a  strong  affection  one  for 
another,  and  readily  adopted  habits  of  cheerful 
industry,  which  led  them  all  to  material  success. 

Circumstances  so  favored  Philip  that,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  district  school,  he  was  privileged  to 
attend  the  village  academy.  Here  he  became  a 
leader  in  both  sports  and  studies,  and  it  was  con- 
sidered a  privilege  to  belong  to  his  "set,"  for  he 
early  developed  a  perseverance  and  determination 
that  carried  through  whatever  he  undertook. 
His  ambition  had  already  looked  beyond  the  nar- 
row limits  of  a  country  hamlet,  and  when  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California  became  a  topic  of  gen- 
eral interest  throughout  the  country,  he  eagerly 
joined  a  company  which  proposed  to  make  the 
overland  trip  to  the  land  of  gold.  They  left 
Oneida,  N.  Y.,  in  the  spring  of  1852,  and  reached 
their  destination  after  six  months  of  toilsome  and 
dangerous  journeying.  Not  all  the  dreams  of  all 
the  Argonauts  were  realized.  They  found  the 
country  full  of  desperate  adventurers,  who  had 
everything  to  gain  and  nothing  to  lose,  with  lit- 
tle or  no  law  to  restrain  them.  Here  the  habits 


P.  D.  ARMOUR. 


and  ideas  absorbed  in  early  life  by  young  Armour 
served  him  well.  He  went  to  work,  and  after 
four  years  of  moderate  success,  in  which  the  sal- 
ient points  of  his  character  were  more  fully 
brought  out,  he  returned  for  a  short  visit  with  his 
parents  and  the  companions  of  his  youth. 

After  a  visit  of  a  few  weeks  at  his  native  place, 
he  again  started  West,  and  located  at  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  where  he  entered  into  partnership  with 
Frederick  B.  Miles  in  the  grain  and  commission 
business.  To  this  business  he  gave  his  time  and 
energies,  with  the  result  that  it  flourished  and 
gave  him  a  high  standing  among  business  men. 
In  1863,  the  firm  was  dissolved,  and  in  the 
spring  of  that  year  he  formed  a  connection  which 
gave  ample  scope  to  his  energies  and  abilities, 
and  hastened  his  pecuniary  advancement.  This 
was  a  partnership  with  John  Plankinton,  a  wide- 
ly-known merchant  and  provision  dealer,  who 
had  been  long  established  at  that  point,  and  the 
new  firm  engaged  extensively  in  pork-packing 
for  the  market.  At  this  period,  the  tendency  of 
prices  was  ever  upward,  because  of  the  large  de- 
mands and  limited  supply  made  by  the  Civil  War, 
and  business  prospered  with  Plankinton  &  Ar- 
mour. Herman  O.  Armour,  a  brother  of  the 
junior  partner,  had  established  himself  in  the 
grain  and  commission  business  at  Chicago  in 
1862,  and  three  years  later  he  was  induced  to 
take  an  interest  in  and  charge  of  a  New  York 
branch,  under  the  style  of  Armour,  Plankinton  & 
Co.  At  the  same  time,  the  Chicago  business  of 
H.  O.  Armour  &  Co.  was  placed  in  charge  of  Jo- 
seph F.  Armour,  and  so  continued  until  1870. 
In  1868,  Armour  &  Co.  began  packing  meats  in 
Chicago,  and  two  years  later  absorbed  the  busi- 
ness of  all  the  Armour  brothers  in  this  city.  In 
1871,  Armour  &  Plankinton  established  a  pack- 
ing-house at  Kansas  City,  under  the  supervision 
of  Simon  B.  Armour,  who  gave  the  same  judi- 
cious and  active  care  to  its  interests  which  have 
characterized  all  the  business  undertakings  of  the 
Armours.  In  1883,  the  Kansas  City  business 
was  assumed  by  the  Armour  Packing  Company, 
in  which  Kirkland  B.  Armour  was  the  leading 
spirit.  For  four  years  previously  it  had  been  op- 


erated by  the  Armour  Brothers  Packing  Compa- 
ny, with  Andrew  Watson  Armour  as  President. 

In  1875,  P.  D.  Armour  came  to  Chicago,  and 
from  this  center  of  the  provision  business  has  ever 
since  manipulated  the  business  of  the  several 
plants.  The  extent  of  this  can  be  judged  from 
the  fact  that  the  distributive  sales  of  the  Chicago 
branch  exceed  the  receipts  of  any  single  railroad 
corporation  in  the  world.  Mr.  Armour  has  as 
yet  relaxed  but  little  of  his  labor,  and  is  found  at 
his  desk  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  directing 
business.  To  all  he  is  most  affable  and  courte- 
ous, and  he  is  regarded  by  his  friends  as  the  most 
genial  of  men.  His  only  departure  from  atten- 
tion to  his  private  business  consisted  in  the  ac- 
ceptance of  a  directorship  in  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  Railroad,  at  the  earnest  re- 
quest of  his  friend,  Alexander  Mitchell,  of  Mil- 
waukee, now  deceased.  He  has  been  a  stock- 
holder in  the  Milwaukee  Mutual  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  and  many  other  enterprises  which  de- 
served and  needed  his  sanction  and  support.  The 
simple  habits  and  healthful  surroundings  of  his 
boyhood  gave  him  a  vigorous  physique,  which, 
seconded  by  a  sound  constitution,  has  enabled 
him  to  perform  wonders  in  the  line  of  business, 
and  he  still  possesses  a  wonderful  vitality,  which 
promises  many  more  years  of  labor  to  him.  He 
is  ably  assisted  by  his  sons,  Jonathan  Ogden  Ar- 
mour and  Philip  D.  Armour,  Jr. ,  who  have  proven 
themselves  apt  pupils  in  the  school  of  business  in 
which  their  sire  is  past  master. 

Mr.  Armour  was  married  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
in  October,  1862,  to  Miss  Belle,  only  daughter  of 
Jonathan  Ogden.  Starting  in  life  with  the  same 
sound  New  England  training,  Mrs.  Armour  has 
been  a  true  sharer  in  the  labors  and  successes  of 
her  husband.  The  family  is  affiliated  with  the 
Plymouth  Congregational  Church,  in  the  work  of 
which  strong  organization  Mr.  Armour  takes  a 
deep  interest  and  bears  his  due  share.  If  the  am- 
bitious American  youth  seeks  an  example  worthy 
of  his  emulation  in  the  struggles  of  life,  let  him 
study  the  qualities  which  have  made  Mr.  Armour 
financially  successful,  and  which  have  led  him  to 
share  his  prosperity  with  those  around  him. 


T.  E.  LEWIS. 


297 


THOMAS  EDWARD  LEWIS. 


'HOMAS  EDWARD  LEWIS,  a  self-made, 
enterprising  and  progressive  citizen  of  Whea- 
ton,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Illinois,  hav- 
ing come  to  the  State  with  his  parents  in  1839. 
He  is  a  native  of  Swansea,  Wales,  born  on  the  2d 
of  July,  1826.  His  ancestors  were  prominent  in  the 
military  service  of  Great  Britain,  and  were  among 
the  most  ancient  in  that  country.  His  grandfather, 
Joshua  Lewis,  was  a  farmer,  and  lived  to  be  over 
ninety  years  old,  being  succeeded  on  retiring  by 
his  son  Joseph,  father  of  Thomas  E.  Lewis,  all 
being  born  on  the  same  farm.  Joseph  Lewis 
married  Margaret,  only  daughter  of  Thomas  Rob- 
erts, a  neighboring  farmer.  Beside  this  daugh- 
ter, Mr.  Roberts  had  two  sons,  John  and  Thomas. 
The  former  was  a  very  stalwart  specimen  of 
manhood,  being  six  feet  and  six  inches  in  height. 
He  led  the  choir  in  the  Independent  Church  near 
his  home. 

As  above  stated,  in  1839  Joseph  Lewis  came 
with  his  family  to  America.  Proceeding  at  once 
to  West  Northfield,  Cook  County,  111.,  he  pre- 
empted a  quarter-section  of  land,  on  which  he 
passed  the  balance  of  his  life.  His  wife  died  in 
her  seventy-first  year,  and  he  lived  to  see  his 
eighty-eighth.  Of  their  thirteen  children,  twelve 
grew  to  maturity,  the  third  dying  in  Wales,  and 
nine  are  now  living.  Following  are  their  names: 
Joseph,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  Thomas,  Evan,  John, 
William,  Sarah,  David,  Charles,  EH,  Maria  and 
Margaret.  The- eldest  mastered  Hebrew,  Greek, 
Latin,  navigation  and  surveying  before  he  was 
twenty  years  old,  and  became  a  Methodist  Epis- 
copal clergyman.  He  died  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-seven  years,  at  Norwood  Park,  111.,  where 
he  was  buried,  though  his  home  was  at  Beloit, 
Wis. ,  where  he  built  the  first  Methodist  Church 


of  that  city.  David  and  Mary  are  deceased,  and 
William  is  a  resident  of  Portland,  Ore.  Charles 
is  practicing  medicine  in  Chicago. 

Thomas  E.  Lewis  attended  school  in  his  native 
place  till  he  was  nine  years  old,  when  he  went  to 
work.  His  first  week's  wages  were  eighteen 
cents,  which  he  kept  as  a  souvenir  for  many 
years.  With  the  exception  of  about  a  quarter's 
attendance  at  night  school  in  Chicago,  the  balance 
of  his  education  has  been  supplied  by  contact 
with  the  world,  and  he  has  proved  a  most  apt 
pupil.  Nature  blessed  him  with  a  sound  mind 
and  constitution,  and  he  is  considered  one  of  the 
solid  men  whose  presence  in  the  community  is  a 
blessing,  for  his  judgment  is  correct  and  he  has 
the  courage  to  carry  out  his  convictions.  With 
no  early  advantages,  with  no  aid  save  his  own  in- 
dustry and  adherence  to  an  ideal,  he  has  amassed 
a  modest  competence,  and  has  earned  the  respect 
arid  good-will  of  his  fellows. 

The  old  proverb  says,  "Where  there  is  a  will, 
there  is  a  way,"  and  one  morning  in  the  spring 
of  1843  young  Lewis  set  out  on  foot  for  Chicago 
to  find  the  way,  his  capital  on  starting  consisting 
of  fifty  cents.  His  feet  becoming  sore  from  the 
action  of  a  pair  of  new  and  stiff  boots,  he  made  a 
bargain  with  a  teamster  bound  for  the  city  to 
carry  him  thither  for  eighteen  cents.  Arriving 
on  South  Water  Street,  he  came  opposite  the 
lumber-yard  of  Sylvester  Lynd,  the  first  person 
to  whom  he  had  spoken  after  alighting,  and  he  at 
once  engaged  to  work  in  the  lumber-yard  at  such 
remuneration  as  Mr.  Lynd  found  him  worth  after 
trial.  This  was  soon  fixed  at  $i  2  per  month,  and 
in  addition  his  kind  employer  provided  him  with 
a  new  suit  of  clothing,  complete,  in  order  that  he 
might  attend  Sabbath-school.  He  soon  made 


298 


T.  E  LEWIS. 


himself  familiar  with  the  lumber  business,  and 
was  promoted  to  the  position  of  inspector,  with  a 
corresponding  salary.  He  remained  in  the  city 
for  seven  years,  being  for  a  short  time  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  late  Deacon  Philo  Carpenter,  a  well- 
known  pioneer  of  Chicago. 

In  the  spring  of  1850  Mr.  Lewis  took  a  help- 
mate, in  the  person  of  Miss  Margaret,  daughter 
of  Edward  and  Elizabeth  Jones,  all  of  Bala, 
Wales,  where  the  family  has  dwelt  for  many  gen- 
erations on  the  same  farm,  called  "Nanthir,"  and 
which  is  still  occupied  by  some  of  its  members. 
Mrs.  Thomas  J.  Evans,  a  pioneer  of  Racine,  Wis. , 
is  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Lewis.  Mr.  Lewis  immediately 
took  his  bride  to  a  farm  of  his  own  at  Arlington 
Heights  (then  called  Dunton),  Cook  County, 
where  he  broke  up  and  improved  wild  land  and 
got  a  good  start  in  the  world.  He  remained 
there  eighteen  years,  serving  continuously  as 
School  Director,  and  then  removed  to  Blue  Is- 
land, in  the  same  county,  and  continued  his  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  being  there  also  a  school  officer 
for  six  years.  Beside  farming,  Mr.  Lewis  has 
dealt  extensively  in  lands,  and  is  a  large  owner 
of  Chicago  and  Hyde  Park  real  estate,  as  well  as 
numerous  farms.  He  dwelt  two  years  in  Engle- 
wood,  and  removed  thence  on  the  ist  of  May, 
1891,  to  Wheaton,  where  he  built  a  handsome 
home  on  an  eminence  near  College  Avenue  Station. 
He  still  occupies  himself  with  the  care  of  his  large 
farms  near  Wheaton,  though  he  finds  time  to  give 
attention  to  all  matters  of  public  concern,  especi- 
ally education,  on  which  his  judgment  is  emi- 
nently sound  and  practical.  He  has  striven  to 
equip  his  children  for  the  battle  of  life,  and  six  of 
his  daughters  are  graduates  of  the  Cook  County 
Normal  School,  and  successful  teachers. 

Like  all  true  Welshmen,  Mr.  Lewis  is  proud 
of  his  native  land,  its  people  and  their  achieve- 
ments, though  this  does  not  detract  in  the  least 
from  his  loyal  American  spirit.  He  is  a  Director 
and  Treasurer  of  the  Cambro  Printing  Company, 
of  Chicago,  which  publishes  a  Welsh  and  English 
newspaper  called  Columbia,  the  largest  of  its  kind 
in  the  world.  For  a  short  time  Mr.  Lewis  was 
President  and  General  Manager  of  this  company, 
but  as  soon  as  it  was  firmly  established  he  re- 


signed those  positions,  because  he  could  not  de- 
vote his  time  to  them.  When  it  was  found  neces- 
sary to  provide  a  bond  for  the  payment  of  prizes 
offered  for  competition  in  the  International  Ei- 
steddfod, in  Festival  Hall,  at  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition,  Mr.  Lewis,  with  true  patriotic 
spirit,  came  forward  and  gave  his  personal  secur- 
ity for  $12,500,  which  was  ultimately  paid  out  of 
the  receipts  of  the  festival,  thus  justifying  his 
faith  in  his  compatriots  and  the  Fair. 

In  religious  matters,  Mr.  Lewis  is  liberal  and  pro- 
gressive. He  attends  the  Congregational  Church 
with  his  entire  family.  In  political  concerns,  he 
adheres  to  the  Republican  party,  because  he  be- 
lieves it  rests  on  true  underlying  principles,  but 
has  never  found  the  time  nor  had  the  inclination 
to  seek  preferment.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  public  school  management,  because  he  had  a 
large  family  to  educate,  and  gave  much  time  to 
this  interest,  always  insisting  on  the  conduct  of 
the  schools  with  a  sole  view  to  the  public  welfare, 
sometimes  making  enemies  by  his  course,  but  al- 
ways triumphing  in  the  end.  He  is  now  serving 
as  Alderman  from  the  Second  Ward  of  Wheaton. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Welsh  Society,  Cymrodo- 
rion,  and  the  League  of  American  Wheelmen,  he 
being  an  expert  bicycle-rider. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  1889,  death  entered  the 
home  of  Mr.  Lewis  and  took  the  kind,  faithful 
wife  and  mother,  leaving,  beside  the  bereaved 
husband,  seven  of  her  nine  children  to  mourn  her 
absence.  The  eldest  of  these,  Margaret  J.,  wife 
of  George  H.  Brewster,  of  Wheaton,  died  July  9, 
1891.  Joseph  W.  resides  at  Blue  Island,  where 
he  is  engaged  in  manufacturing;  and  Sarah  M., 
who  for  some  time  held  the  position  of  Critic 
Teacher  at  the  Cook  County  Normal  School,  is 
now  her  father's  housekeeper.  Alice  U.,  wife  of 
James  H.  Kerr,  resides  at  Amsley,  Neb.,  and  is 
prominent  in  temperance  and  Sunday-school 
work,  making  frequent  public  addresses  in  their 
behalf.  Mary  A.,  Mrs.  William  H.  Hoar,  died 
a  few  weeks  before  her  mother.  Cora  E.  gradu- 
ated at  the  Blue  Island  High  School,  at  the 
Cook  County  Normal  (being  valedictorian  of  the 
two-years  graduating  class),  and  at  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, Ohio.  She  is  now  Principal  of  the  Belle 


R.  vS.  GOUGH. 


299 


Plaine  School  in  Chicago,  and  Chairman  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Illinois  State  Teach- 
ers' Association.  She  makes  frequent  addresses 
on  educational  topics,  and  was  chosen  to  conduct 
the  model  school  which  served  as  a  World's  Fair 
exhibit  near  Jackson  Park,  and  carried  it  through 
successfully.  Ada!,.,  widow  of  J.W.  Bannerman, 
with  her  son  Tommy,  resides  with  Mr.  Lewis. 
Edward  J.  is  engaged  in  the  real-estate  and  fire- 
insurance  at  Wheaton,  111.  Grace  May  (often 
called  Minnie)  is  pursuing  a  medical  course  at 
the  Woman's  College  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  a  frank,  whole-souled  gentleman, 
with  refined  instincts  and    manly    self-respect, 


which  forbid  his  doing  a  mean  or  low  act,  and  his 
conversation  is  always  cheerful  and  entertaining. 
Out  of  a  ripe  experience,  he  has  gathered  a  large 
stock  of  general  and  useful  knowledge.  Now,  in 
his  sixty-eighth  year,  he  is  in  the  full  vigor  of  a 
temperate  and  well-spent  life.  He  has  a  closely 
knit  frame,  weighing  one  hundred  and  ninety 
pounds,  and  has  promise  of  an  extended  continu- 
ance of  an  existence  which  has  blessed  himself, 
his  family,  and  the  community  at  large.  When 
his  time  comes  to  lay  down  the  active  duties  of 
life,  which  have  been  a  perennial  source  of  pleas- 
ure, he  can  safely  consign  the  good  name  that  he 
has  won  to  the  care  of  a  worthy  ^posterity. 


RICHARD  S.  GOUGH. 


RICHARD  S.  GOUGH,  Manager  of  the  Postal 
Telegraph  Cable  Company  at  the  stock  yards 
in  Chicago,  although  doing  business  in  the 
metropolis  of  the  West,  makes  his  home  in  Turner, 
preferring  the  quiet  of  a  small  town  in  which  to 
spend  his  leisure  hours.  England  has  furnished 
a  number  of  valued  citizens  to  DuPage  County, 
among  whom  is  our  subject.  He  was  born  in 
Buckingham,  England,  February  6,  1844,  and 
his  parents,  James  and  Ann  (Scott)  Gough,  were 
also  natives  of  the  same  country.  The  paternal 
grandfather  was  an  English  farmer,  and  spent  his 
entire  life  in  his  native  land.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, William  Scott,  who  was  also  an  agricul- 
turist, was  a  member  of  the  regular  militia,  and 
was  an  Episcopalian  in  religious  belief.  He 
reached  a  very  advanced  age. 

James  Gough  was  an  extensive  farmer  of  Buck- 
inghamshire, and  died  in  the  land  of  his  birth  in 
1851,  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  His  wife 
long  survived  him,  passing  away  in  1892,  at  the 
age  of  eighty.  They  were  both  members  of  the 
Episcopalian  Church.  He  was  one  of  the  parish 


officials,  and  belonged  to  the  Royal  Bucks  Yeo- 
manry, a  cavalry  association.  In  the  Gough 
family  were  three  sons  and  three  daughters,  but 
only  two  are  now  living:  Richard  S.,  and  Re- 
becca, who  is  now  a  resident  of  Great  Marlow, 
England. 

Richard  S.  Gough  left  his  native  land  in  1859, 
at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  and,  coming  to  Amer- 
ica, located  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  where  he  spent 
one  winter.  The  next  summer  was  also  spent  in 
the  Empire  State,  and  in  1861  he  made  his  way 
westward  to  Chicago.  He  there  enlisted  in  the 
war,  in  the  telegraph  service,  and  served  for  two 
and  a-half  years,  when  he  was  discharged  on  ac- 
count of  sickness.  After  the  war  he  went  to  Dixon, 
111.,  as  telegraph  operator,  spending  one  year 
at  that  place,  and  going  thence  to  Bureau  Junc- 
tion, where  he  served  in  the  capacity  of  operator 
for  two  years.  His  next  location  was  in  Musca- 
tine,  Iowa,  and  subsequently  we  find  him  in 
Wilton  Junction,  Iowa,  where  he  was  employed 
as  agent  for  the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  Railroad 
Company,  remaining  in  that  place  until  1867. 


300 


EDWARD  HAMMETT. 


That  year  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  and 
saw  him  employed  in  the  Chicago  Union  Stock 
Yards,  as  chief  operator  in  the  office  of  the  West- 
ern Union  Company.  In  May,  1872,  he  was  ap- 
pointed manager  of  the  office,  which  position  he 
filled  until  1881,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the 
position  of  manager  for  the  Mutual  Union  Com- 
pany at  the  stock  yards.  With  that  company  he 
remained  until  1883,  when  the  two  companies 
consolidated,  and  he  then  accepted  the  position  of 
manager  of  the  Postal  Telegraph  Cable  Company, 
which  he  has  filled  to  the  present  time,  employing 
two  assistants.  He  now  has  charge  of  thirty- 
seven  men,  and  the  business  has  increased  from 
$3,600  to  $200,000  per  year. 

On  the  8th  of  June,  1864,  Mr.  Cough  wedded 
Miss  Sarah  E.,  daughter  of  E.  H.  and  Jane  (Sher- 
man) Ketcham.  Seven  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  two  sons  and  five  daughters.  Ger- 
trude, the  eldest,  married  Connell  Sheffler,  who  is 
engaged  in  business  in  the  stock  yards  in  Chicago, 
and  they  have  two  sons,  Richard  and  Rankin. 


Julia  is  the  next  younger.  Jennie  is  the  wife  of 
Charles  E.  Trescott,  a  printer  of  Choteau,  Mont. , 
by  whom  she  has  two  children,  Gertrude  and 
Richard.  The  other  members  of  the  family  are 
Alice,  Rea  and  Raymond.  One  died  in  infancy. 
The  family  occupies  a  pleasant  home  in  Turner, 
which  is  the  property  of  Mr.  Gough,  who  also 
owns  several  town  lots.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen,  and  of  the  Telegraphic  Mutual  Benefit 
Association.  For  about  two  years  he  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  School  Board  in  Turner,  and  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  that  position  with  the  same 
fidelity  which  has  characterized  all  his  affairs, 
both  public  and  private.  He  now  occupies  a  very 
responsible  position,  and  that  he  discharges  his 
duties  faithfully  and  well  is  manifest  by  his  long 
continuance  in  the  service.  He  is  a  man  of  good 
business  ability,  honorable  and  upright  in  all  his 
dealings,  and  has  the  confidence  and  good-will  of 
those  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 


EDWARD  HAMMETT. 


ITDWARD  HAMMETT,  Cashier  of  the 
rp  coin  National  Bank,  Chicago,  and  a  resident 
l_  ofWheaton,  is  descended  from  an  old  New 
England  family  of  English  origin.  His  great- 
grandfather, Nathan  Hammett,  spent  his  life  in 
Newport,  R.  I. ,  where  he  had  an  estate  on  the 
harbor  front,  which  he  divided  at  death  between 
his  surviving  sons,  Edward  and  Nathan.  He 
passed  away  July  18,  1816,  and  his  wife,  Cathar- 
ine Yates,  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  survived  him 
many  years,  dying  February  17,  1837. 

Edward,  eldest  son  of  Nathan  Hammett,  was  a 
builder  and  vessel-owner,  interested  in  the  whal- 
ing industry,  and  passed  his  life  at  Newport. 
He  died  about  1858,  being  upwards  of  eighty 


years  old.  His  wife,  Amy  Lyon,  was  of  English 
descent,  and  was,  like  himself,  a  native  of  New- 
port. They  had  five  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Albert,  the  youngest  of  these,  is  still  a  resident  of 
Newport,  being  seventy-two  years  of  age,  and 
being  still,  as  always,  engaged  in  the  lumber 
trade,  occupying  the  site  of  his  grandfather's  es- 
tate on  the  harbor  front.  For  a  few  years  he 
dwelt  at  New  Bedford,  but  returned  to  Newport 
in  1853.  His  wife,  Sarah  Swasey,  was  born  in 
Salem,  Mass.,  and  was  a  daughter  of  Alexander 
Swasey,  a  captain  in  the  merchant  marine  service, 
making  voyages  to  China.  Through  her  mother, 
Mrs.  Hammett  was  descended  from  Jerathmel 
Bowers,  who  came  from  England  about  the  mid- 


EDWARD  HAMMETT. 


301 


die  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  settled  on  the 
Taunton  River,  near  Somerset,  Mass.  He  was 
an  extensive  shipbuilder  and  slave-owner,  and 
built  a  magnificent  mansion  near  his  shipyards. 
On  account  of  its  commercial  surroundings,  this 
is  now  an  undesirable  residence  property,  and  is 
used  as  a  tenement  for  laborers. 

Edward  Hammett  was  born  at  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  June  26,  1848,  and  was  reared  at  Newport. 
He  attended  the  public  school  and  a  private  school 
there,  and  a  business  college  at  Providence,  but 
left  school  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and  has 
since  been  actively  engaged  in  business.  He 
was  employed  for  a  time  in  the  Newport  postoffice, 
and  later  in  his  father's  lumber  office.  With  an 
ambition  to  be  numbered  among  the  citizens  of 
the  growing  West,  he  set  out  for  Chicago  at  the 
age  of  nineteen.  He  secured  employment  as  a 
clerk  with  S.  H.  McCrea  &  Co.,  grain  and 
produce  commission  dealers,  and  remained  in 
their  employ  fourteen  years,  which  is  a  strong 
testimonial  to  his  ability  and  faithfulness.  For 
several  years  subsequently  he  was  a  partner  in  the 
firm  of  W.  F.  Johnson  &  Co. ,  in  the  same  line  of 
business.  He  was  one  of  the  original  stock- 
holders and  corporators  of  the  Lincoln  National 
Bank,  and  was  one  of  its  first  officers,  and  after 
two  years  in  other  business,  resumed  his  connec- 
tion with  that  bank,  of  which  he  is  now  Cashier. 
In  the  spring  of  1883  he  became  a  resident  of 
Wheaton,  and  purchased  sixteen  acres  of  land, 
with  a  handsome  mansion  facing  College  Avenue, 
at  the  corner  of  President  Street.  This  house 
occupies  an  elevation  commanding  a  view  of  the 
city  of  Wheaton  and  surrounding  country,  and  is 
an  ideal  home  in  which  to  rear  a  family. 

On  November  28,  1870,  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Ham- 
mett married  Miss  Mary  E.  Culver,  who  is  a 
native  of  that  city.  Her  parents,  John  Breese 
Culver  and  Margaret  A.  Boyd,  were  born  in  New 
Jersey,  and  the  city  of  Leith,  Scotland,  respec- 
tively, the  latter  being  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Jeannette  Boyd.  Mrs.  Hammett' s  paternal  grand- 
father, Phineas  Culver,  was  born  March  17,  1764, 
in  Bernard,  Somerset  County,  N.  J.  His  father 
came  from  Shrewsbury,  England,  to  Bernard  when 
an  old  man,  and  Phineas  was  early  left  an  orphan. 


With  three  elder  brothers  he  joined  the  fortunes 
of  the  Continental  Army,  being  employed  for  sev- 
eral years  as  errand  boy,  and  carrying  a  musket 
at  last.  He  settled  at  Horseheads,  N.  Y.,  and 
became  wealthy,  owning  five  hundred  acres  of 
land,  but  he  refused  to  employ  slave  labor,  as  did 
many  of  his  neighbors.  His  wife,  Phoebe  Breese, 
was  a  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  (Gilder- 
sleeve)  Breese,  the  former  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers at  Horseheads,  N.  Y.,  and  his  wife  a  scion 
of  an  old  Protestant-Irish  family.  John,  father  of 
John  Breese,  was  born  in  Shrewsbury,  England, 
in  1713,  and  settled  at  Bernard,  Somerset  County, 
N.  J.,  in  1735.  His  wife,  Dorothy  Riggs,  was 
also  a  native  of  Shrewsbury.  John  Breese,  their 
son,  was  born  at  Bernard  in  November,  1738. 
Hannah  Gildersleeve  was  born  in  June,  1750,  and 
they  were  married  June  30,  1769,  a  date  which  is 
supposed  to  have  followed  his  settlement  at  Horse- 
heads.  Phoebe  and  Deborah  Breese,  their  twin 
daughters,  were  born  in  February,  1773.  From 
the  Breese  family  are  descended  many  noted 
American  citizens,  among  whom  may  be  men- 
tioned the  late  Judge  Samuel  Sidney  Breese,  Chief 
Justice  of  the  State  of  Illinois;  Samuel  Findlay 
Breese  Morse,  inventor  of  the  electric  telegraph; 
and  Samuel  Sidney  Breese,  Rear- Admiral  of  the 
United  States  Navy,  who  was  buried  at  Newport. 

John  B.  Culver,  one  of  the  prominent  early 
citizens  of  Chicago,  now  resides  with  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Hammett,  at  Wheaton.  The  children 
of  the  latter,  nine  in  number,  are  as  follows: 
Albert,  a  student  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  Michigan  University  at  Ann  Arbor;  Llewel- 
lyn; Edith  May;  Edward;  Helen;  Amy;  Law- 
rence; Dorothy  and  Margaret.  The  eldest  mar- 
ried Mary  lone  Cook,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hammett  are  communicants  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  and  in  many  ways  are  active 
in  furthering  the  best  interests  of  the  community. 
Their  home  bears  many  evidences  of  refined  and 
cultivated  taste,  and  is  the  domicile  of  a  happy 
and  well-trained  group  of  children,  the  central 
figure  being  the  cheerful  wife  and  mother.  Mr. 
Hammett  has  never  taken  a  prominent  part  in 
political  affairs,  but  has  always  adhered  to  the 
Republican  party,  as  the  advocate  and  adminis- 


302 


P.  P.  MATTHEWS. 


trator  of  sound  principles  of  government.  He 
has  served  as  a  member  of  the  Town  Council  of 
Wheaton,  and  is  now  a  Trustee  of  the  Adams 
Memorial  Library.  Without  any  sound  of  trump- 


ets, he  proceeds  daily  to  perform  to  the  best  of 
his  ability  his  duty  to  himself,  his  family  and  his 
fellow-men. 


PASCHAL  P.  MATTHEWS. 


.  MATTHEWS,  one  of  the  highly 
LX  respected  citizens  of  Hinsdale,  who  well  de- 
J5  serves  representation  in  the  history  of  his 
adopted  county,  is  a  native  of  the  Empire  State. 
He  was  born  in  Herkimer  County,  August  3, 
1811,  and  is  a  son  of  Edmund  and  Lucy  (Mc- 
Clelland) Matthews,  the  former  of  French  descent, 
and  the  latter  of  Scotch  lineage.  Edmund  Matth- 
ews was  twice  married,  and  by  his  first  union 
had  a  son,  Charles.  By  the  second,  there  were 
five  children:  Henry;  Lucy,  deceased,  wife  of 
Reuben  Wellington;  Paschal  P.;  Emery,  and 
Lucretia,  deceased,  wife  of  Myron  Everetts.  In 
early  life  the  father  of  this  family  was  a  carpenter, 
and  helped  to  build  the  first  market-place  in  Bos- 
ton. Later,  however,  he  followed  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  served  during  the  War  of  1812,  as 
Quartermaster,  and  died  on  his  farm  in  New 
York  September  2,  1848,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years.  His  wife  survived  him  some  time, 
and  passed  away  February  17,  1862.  They  held 
membership  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  in 
Mexico,  Oswego  County,  N.  Y. 

Mr.  Matthews  whose  name  heads  this  record 
spent  his  boyhood  and  youth  upon  his  father's 
farm,  remaining  at  home  until  he  had  reached  his 
twentieth  year,  when  he  began  to  earn  his  own 
livelihood.  Later,  he  attended  school  for  a  few 
months,  and  then  engaged  with  a  stage  company 
for  ten  years.  He  was  afterward  for  nearly  ten 
years  captain  of  a  packet-boat  on  the  Erie  Canal, 
running  between  Syracuse,  Schenectady  and  Utica. 
With  the  hope  of  bettering  his  financial  condi- 


tion, he  determined  to  come  to  the  West  in  1859, 
and,  carrying  out  this  resolution,  took  up  his 
residence  in  Chicago.  He  embarked  in  the  grain 
business,  and  was  connected  with  the  Board  of 
Trade  for  many  years,  continuing  operations  along 
this  line  until  1883,  when  he  retired  from  active 
business. 

On  the  2 1  st  of  May,  1840,  Mr.  Matthews  wedded 
Miss  Louisa  Vinton,  and  they  became  the  parents 
of  one  child,  a  daughter,  Alice,  now  the  wife  of 
Nelson  R.  Davis.  The  mother  died  in  1891,  since 
which  time  a  niece  of  Mr.  Matthews  has  been 
keeping  house  for  him. 

For  many  years  our  subject  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Odd  Fellows'  fraternity.  In  early  life 
he  exercised  his  right  of  franchise  in  support  of 
the  Whig  party,  but  on  its  dissolution  joined  the 
ranks  of  the  new  Republican  party  and  has  since 
fought  under  its  banner.  It  was  in  1889  that  he 
came  to  Hinsdale,  where  he  has  a  beautiful  home 
and  ten  acres  of  valuable  land  within  the  corpora- 
tion limits  of  the  town.  He  has  now  reached  the 
age  of  eighty-two,  but  his  years  rest  lightly  upon 
him,  and  he  is  still  strong  and  active.  His  eyes 
are  bright,  his  mind  clear  and  keen,  and  he  is  a 
good  and  rapid  penman.  While  not  a  church 
member,  he  has  always  attended  religious  services 
and  contributed  liberally  to  church  and  benevo- 
lent work.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  physique  and 
excellent  carriage,  and  bids  fair  to  live  for  many 
years  to  come.  His  life  has  been  honorable  and 
upright,  and  his  many  friends  hold  him  in  high 
regard. 


i  fn^  *  »>w 

OF  THE 

I:::VESSITY  OF 


MARSHALL  FIELD. 


MARSHALL  FIELD. 


303 


MARSHALL  FIELD. 


I ARSHALL  FIELD,  the  merchant  prince  of 
Chicago,  who  believes  in  sharing  his  pros- 
perity with  his  fellow-citizens,  comes  of  the 
hardy  New  England  blood  which  has  done  so 
much  toward  developing  the  whole  northern  half 
of  the  United  States.  He  was  born  in  Conway, 
Franklin  County,  Mass.,  in  1835,  and  is  a  son  of 
a  farmer  of  that  town.  His  early  life  differed 
none  from  that  of  lads  of  that  time  and  region. 
His  education  was  supplied  by  the  local  public 
school  and  academy,  and  his  attention  was  early 
turned  toward  a  mercantile  career,  which  accord- 
ed best  with  his  tastes  and  ambition. 

The  student  of  human  progress,  and  the  youth 
who  seeks  an  example  worthy  of  his  emulation, 
in  the  struggle  for  success  will  find  in  the  career 
of  Marshall  Field  one  more  proof  that  the  road 
to  prosperity  is  a  plain  and  narrow  path,  which 
lies  open  to  almost  every  American  youth.  With 
no  capital  other  than  an  active  brain  and  the  en- 
ergy of  youth,  he  laid  the  foundation  of  a  mag- 
nificent estate,  and  a  firm  adherence  to  a  simple 
rule  of  business  has  enabled  him  to  complete  the 
superstructure.  He  has  never  borrowed  money, 
and  has  always  insisted  on  the  same  rigid  com- 
pletion of  contracts  on  the  part  of  others  which 
has  characterized  his  own  actions. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen,  young  Field  went  to 
Pittsfield,  in  his  native  State,  where  he  spent  four 
years  as  clerk  in  a  general  store.  Having  thor- 
oughly mastered  the  details  of  the  business,  he 
began  to  look  about  for  a  field  that  promised  a 
wider  opportunity  for  a  young  man.  At  that 
time  (1856),  Chicago  was  a  city  of  about  sixty 
thousand  people,  and  he  resolved  to  cast  his  lot 
in  the  growing  town,  which  showed  an  energy 
that  promised  a  rapid  development.  On  his  ar- 


rival in  Chicage,  he  at  once  secured  employment 
in  the  wholesale  dry-goods  house  of  Cooley, 
Wadsworth  &  Co.,  which  soon  after  became 
known  as  Cooley,  Farwell  &  Co.  Though 
he  occupied  a  subordinate  position,  his  ability 
and  familiarity  with  business  soon  became  appar- 
ent to  his  employers,  and  at  the  end  of  four  years 
he  was  taken  into  partnership,  and  the  largest 
house  of  its  kind  in  the  West  became  Farwell, 
Field  &  Co.  In  1865  this  firm  was  dis- 
solved, and  Mr.  Field  entered  into  a  partnership 
with  Potter  Palmer  and  L.  Z.  Leiter,  under  the 
title  of  Field,  Palmer  &  Leiter,  which  connection 
continued  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
Mr.  Palmer  withdrew,  and  the  house  was  hence- 
forth known  as  Field,  Leiter  &  Co.  until 
1881,  when,  upon  the  withdrawal  of  Mr.  Leiter, 
the  style  became  Marshall  Field  &  Co.,  and 
has  so  continued.  For  almost  thirty  years  Mr. 
Field  has  been  the  head  of  the  firm,  and  under 
the  operation  of  his  simple  business  rules  it  has 
steadily  prospered.  In  1868  the  business  was 
located  at  State  and  Washington  Streets,  where 
the  buildings  and  stock  were  totally  consumed  in 
the  great  fire  of  1871,  entailing  a  loss  of  three 
and  one-half  millions  of  dollars.  After  serious 
delays,  and  with  much  difficulty,  two  and  one- 
half  millions  of  this  were  collected  from  the  insur- 
ance companies,  and  with  a  dead  loss  of  one  mill- 
ion dollars,  the  business  was  continued,  being 
temporarily  located  at  State  and  Twentieth 
Streets,  while  the  rebuilding  of  the  house  at  State 
and  Washington  went  on.  This  has  been  grad- 
ually increased  in  size  by  purchase  and  construc- 
tion until  it  covers  more  than  one-half  of  the 
block  bounded  by  State,  Washington  and  Ran- 
dolph Streets  and  Wabash  Avenue.  In  the  year 


304 


J.  A.  DOLLINGER. 


1893,  the  portion  covering  the  southeast  corner 
was  constructed,  embodying  every  essential  of 
comfort  and  convenience  known  to  the  modern 
builder's  art.  The  wholesale  department  was 
separated  from  the  retail  in  1872,  and  removed  to 
the  corner  of  Madison  and  Market  Streets.  This 
location  was  soon  found  inadequate  for- the  needs 
of  the  business,  which  was  continually  increasing, 
and  in  1885  the  construction  of  a  building  for  the 
wholesale  business  was  begun  on  the  block  sur- 
rounded by  Fifth  Avenue  and  Franklin,  Adams 
and  Quincy  Streets.  This  was  completed  in  1887, 
and  at  once  occupied,  and  continues  to  be  the 
model  of  its  kind  for  the  whole  world. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  record  of  achievements. 
Let  none  ask  for  further  details.  To  the  subject 
of  this  biography  all  publicity  is  extremely  dis- 
tasteful. The  public  demands  all  the  knowledge 
obtainable,  some  from  motives  of  mere  curiosity, 
others  from  honest  desire  to  benefit  from  the  ex- 
perience of  a  successful  man.  If  one  would  em- 
ulate his  example,  let  him  adopt  the  same  rules 
of  life:  Always  pay  cash,  never  give  a  note  or 
mortgage,  labor  steadily,  and  never  speculate 
or  spend  anything  idly.  In  the  conduct  of 
the  great  wholesale  house  of  Marshall  Field  & 
Co.,  goods  are  purchased  for  cash  and  sold 
on  short  time.  Customers  are  strictly  required 
to  meet  their  payments,  and  are  thus  led  to  be 
cautious  in  contracting  obligations,  and  prompt 
in  their  cancellation.  By  this  method,  the  house 
retains  the  trade  of  the  best  and  most  success- 
ful merchants,  and  the  interests  of  all  are  con- 
served. Under  this  safe  and  wholesome  system, 


the  trade  has  grown  to  the  annual  dimensions  of 
$35,000,000.  The  pay-roll  of  the  two  stores  in- 
cludes from  3,500  to  4,000  persons,  and  to  all  of 
these,  as  well  as  any  who  may  have  business  with 
him,  Mr.  Field  is  always  accessible.  With  a  won- 
derful power  of  organization,  and  the  ability  to 
gauge  the  qualifications  of  his  subordinates,  he 
encourages  each  by  uniform  kindness  and  consid- 
eration, and  all  are  most  loyal  and  faithful  aids 
in  the  prosecution  of  business. 

Mr.  Field's  home  is  the  seat  of  quiet  luxury, 
with  no  ostentation.  He  goes  little  into  society, 
but  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  city 
of  his  home,  and  responds  liberally  to  all  just 
calls  upon  his  purse,  though  much  of  his  benevo- 
lence is  secretly  bestowed.  When  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  new  University  of  Chicago  was 
made  possible  by  the  liberality  of  Mr.  Rockefeller 
and  others,  Mr.  Field  donated  a  valuable  tract  of 
city  ground  as  a  part  of  the  site.  This  gift  seems 
all  the  more  liberal  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
institution  is  controlled  by  the  Baptist  Church, 
while  Mr.  Field  is  a  Presbyterian.  After  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition  was  closed,  the 
people  of  Chicago  began  to  agitate  the  idea  of 
preserving  as  much  as  possible  of  the  exhibits  in 
a  permanent  home,  which  was  made  possible  by 
Mr.  Field's  gift  of  one  million  dollars.  On  the 
second  day  of  June,  1894,  this  institution  was 
formally  opened,  under  the  title  of  ' '  The  Field 
Columbian  Museum,  ' '  with  a  few  simple  ceremo- 
nies, and  its  benefits  are  likely  to  extend  to  many 
generations  and  many  millions  of  the  American 
people. 


JOHN  ANTON  DOLLINGER. 


(lOHN  ANTON  DOLLINGER,   a  traveling 

I    salesman  residing  at  Wheaton,  is  numbered 

C)  among  the  early  residents  of  DuPage  County, 

and  has  made  his  own  way  in  the  world  since  he 

was  ten  years  of  age.     He  was  born  in  Baden, 


Germany,  on  the  24th  of  December,  1845,  and  is 
the  eldest  child  of  Christopher  Dollinger,  a  native 
of  the  same  place.  His  mother  died  when  he  was 
an  infant,  and  when  he  had  arrived  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years  his  father  brought  the  four  children 


D.   N.   CHAPIN. 


to  America.  The  second  child,  Adelaide,  Mrs. 
George  Rieser,  resides  in  Naperville  Township, 
DuPage  County.  Christopher,  Jr.,  is  a  resident 
of  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.;  and  Margaret,  Mrs. 
Luther,  dwells  in  Fredericksburg,  Neb.  Chris- 
topher Dollinger  engaged  in  farming  in  Naper- 
ville Township,  where  he  died  in  1873,  aged 
about  sixty  years. 

From  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  America,  our 
subject  has  been  independent  of  parental  aid  in 
supporting  or  educating  himself.  He  took  em- 
ployment in  a  hotel  and  meat-market  kept  by  his 
maternal  uncle,  Nicholas  Graff,  at  Danby,  now 
Glen  Ellyn,  attending  school  a  portion  of  the 
time,  and  continued  in  this  way  until  the  death 
of  his  uncle.  He  was  afterward  employed  in  a 
general  store  until  1862,  when  he  entered  the 
military  service,  as  a  member  of  Company  I,  One 
Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois  Infantry,  in  defense 
of  the  American  Union.  This  service  continued 
about  three  years,  and  involved  a  participation  in 
many  of  the  most  decisive  battles  of  the  war.  Mr. 
Dollinger  was  mustered  out  at  Washington  in 
June,  1865.  While  in  front  of  Chattanooga,  he 
was  excused  from  duty  on  account  of  illness,  but 
refused  to  leave  his  comrades,  and  remained  at 
the  front  to  the  finish. 


Since  1867  Mr.  Dollinger  has  been  in  mercan- 
tile business,  and  for  some  years  kept  a  grocery 
in  Chicago.  For  the  last  seventeen  years  he  has 
traveled  in  the  capacity  of  salesman,  and  twelve 
of  those  years  have  been  passed  in  the  service  of 
his  present  employers,  Franklin  MacVeagh  &  Co. 
In  1872  he  became  a  resident  of  Wheaton,  and 
he  is  the  owner  of  a  handsome  brick  residence  on 
Wesley  Street,  near  Scott.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  the  social  affairs  of  the  town,  being  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public and  Knights  of  Pythias,  as  well  as  a  genial, 
magnetic  gentleman,  whose  friends  are  numbered 
by  his  list  of  acquaintances.  He  entertains  lib- 
eral religious  views,  and  is  an  ardent  supporter 
of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 

In  1868  Mr.  Dollinger  married  Miss  Emagene 
C.  Wicks,  who  was  born  in  Carthage,  N.  Y. ,  and 
bears  in  her  veins  the  blood  of  the  principal  Eu- 
ropean settlers  of  New  England  and  New  York 
— French,  English  and  Dutch.  Her  parents 
were  Stutley  and  Ann  E.  (Strong)  Wicks,  the 
former  being  a  son  of  Stutley  Wicks,  whose  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Treadway.  Three  children 
complete  the  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dollinger, 
namely:  Anna  W.,  Charles  A.  and  William. 


DEACON  NEWTON  CHAPIN. 


0EACON    NEWTON    CHAPIN,   deceased, 
a  prominent  resident  of  northeastern  Illinois, 
was   a  man   widely   and  favorably  known. 
He  was  born  in  Chicopee,  Mass.,  April  17,  1821, 
and  was  a  son  of  William  and  I,ucy  (Day)  Chapin. 
The  family  is   descended   from  Deacon   Samuel 
Chapin,  who  emigrated  from  England  about  1640. 
He  was  one  of  the  seven  men  who  founded  Spring- 
field, Mass.,  and  was  prominent  in  the  govern- 
ment of  that  town  for  many  years.     Twenty 


thousand  of  his  descendants  contributed  to  the 
erection  of  a  monument  to  his  memory  in  Spring- 
field a  few  years  since.  His  direct  descendants 
now  number  fifty  thousand  people,  about  three- 
fourths  of  whom  are  professed  Christians,  many 
of  them  being  widely  known  in  church  work  and 
other  fields  of  labor.  The  family  is  indeed  an 
honored  one. 

Newton  Chapin  spent  his  boyhood  upon  a  farm, 
aiding  in  the  labors  of  the  fields  from  an  early 


306 


D.  N.  CHAPIN. 


age.  His  school  privileges  in  youth  were  limited, 
but,  wishing  to  acquire  a  good  education,  he  at- 
tended Andover  Academy  after  reaching  the  age 
of  twenty-one,  meeting  his  tuition  with  money 
saved  from  his  wages  as  a  mechanic.  Leaving 
school,  he  engaged  in  carpenter  work  in  Spring- 
field, and  followed  that  occupation  and  bridge- 
building  until  1856,  when  he  decided  to  seek  a 
home  in  the  West,  hoping  thereby  to  benefit  his 
financial  condition.  Coming  to  Illinois,  he  located 
in  Chicago.  The  previous  season  he  spent  a  few 
months  in  St.  Louis,  Mo.  In  1867,  he  removed 
to  Lombard,  where  he  made  his  home  until  1874, 
when  he  returned  to  Chicago.  In  this  city  Mr. 
Chapin  was  engaged  in  bridge  and  depot  building, 
his  first  contract  being  the  building  of  the  first 
Van  Buren  Street  bridge.  He  was  associated 
first  with  William  B.  Howard,  and  later  with  D. 
L-  Wells,  and  built  many  bridges  for  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad,  and  other  corpor- 
ations. He  was  the  inventor  of  the  "Newton 
Chapin  Clamp  and  Key' '  for  truss  bridges. 

In  the  great  fire  of  1 87 1 ,  he  lost  all  his  property, 
but  managed  to  pay  off  his  creditors  in  full,  al- 
though he  never  afterward  became  a  wealthy  man. 
He  was  a  man  whose  word  was  as  good  as  his 
bond,  and  no  one  ever  suffered  loss  at  his  hands. 
After  the  fire  he  became  interested  in  the  manu- 
facture and  sale  of  the  Babcock  Fire  Extinguisher, 
and  was  also  associated  with  his  son  in  the  station- 
ery business.  He  was  the  publisher  of  "Chapin's 
Lumber  Reckoner, ' '  which  is  now  in  general  use 
throughout  the  United  States  and  Europe.  A 
short  time  before  the  great  fire  Mr.  Chapin  had 
returned  home  after  a  fifteen-months  trip  abroad. 
He  was  accompanied  by  his  family,  and  visited 
many  places  of  interest  in  Europe,  Asia  and  Africa. 
The  journey  was  made  chiefly  on  account  of  the 
health  of  Mr.  Chapin,  and  in  1876  he  went  to 
Denver,  Colo.,  hoping  thereby  to  benefit  his 
health.  He  returned  to  Chicago  in  1878,  where 
he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  December 


17,  1887.  He  was  married  forty  years  previous, 
in  1847,  to  Carra  B.  Sawin,  a  native  of  Ashland, 
Mass.  They  became  parents  of  six  children,  four 
of  whom  died  in  childhood.  William  Newton 
Chapin,  the  eldest,  now  has  charge  of  the  produc- 
tion of  the  Ticonderoga  Paper  Campany,  of  Ticon- 
deroga,  N.  Y.  He  married  EllaT.  Hull,  daugh- 
ter of  R.  E.  Hull,  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  and  they  have 
had  five  children,  of  whom  one  died  in  infancy, 
while  Edna,  Mary,  Helen  and  Newton  are  still 
living.  Charles  O. ,  the  other  son  of  the  family,  is 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  stationery  special- 
ties in  Chicago.  He  resides  in  Lombard  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  Church  of  that 
place.  He  takes  a  very  active  part  in  the  work  of 
the  church,  and  the  Christian  Endeavor  Society, 
and  is  always  ready  to  aid  in  promoting  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community  in  which  he  lives.  In 
Denver,  Colo. ,  he  wedded  Fannie  E. ,  daughter  of 
J.  G.  A.  and  S.  E.  Finn.  They  have  adopted 
three  children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  and 
Ruth  Sawin  Chapin,  the  third,  died  June  20,  1893, 
at  the  age  of  four  years  and  three  months.  Mrs. 
Carra  Chapin,  wife  of  our  subject,  was  called  to 
her  final  rest  November  24,  1885,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-nine. 

Mr.  Chapin  became  one  of  the  Deacons  of  Ply- 
mouth Congregational  Church  of  Chicago  as  early 
as  1857,  and  was  ever  prominent  in  its  work  and 
upbuilding.  He  contributed  liberally  to  the  erec- 
tion of  the  house  of  worship,  and  on  removing  to 
Lombard  became  the  prime  mover  in  the  building 
of  the  Congregational  Church  at  that  place.  He 
was  always  active  in  church  work,  and  at  his  death 
was  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday-school  of  the  Union 
Tabernacle  Congregational  Church.  He  was  a 
man  of  fixed  principles  and  strict  integrity,  whose 
whole  life  was  governed  by  conscientious  motives. 
Always  interested  in  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the 
community,  he  left  to  his  family  an  untarnished 
name,  well  worthy  of  perpetuation  in  the  history 
of  his  adopted  county. 


C.   H.   HARRISON. 


307 


HON.  CARTER  H.  HARRISON. 


HON.  CARTER  H.  HARRISON,  deceased, 
late  Mayor  of  Chicago,  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  the  western  metropolis 
for  the  long  period  of  thirty-six  years,  and  was 
its  most  popular  citizen.  The  record  of  his  life  is 
interwoven  with  the  history  of  the  community, 
with  its  social,  business  and  political  career.  A 
native  of  Fayette  County,  Ky.,  became  of  an  old 
Virginian  family,  which  was  connected  with  the 
struggle  for  independence,  and  which  had  among 
its  members  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence.  His  father  was  a  gentleman 
planter,  and  from  his  birth,  February  15,  1825, 
until  his  sixteenth  year,  he  remained  in  the  old 
southern  home.  After  completing  his  common- 
school  and  academic  education,  he  studied  under 
Dr.  Marshall,  of  Lexington,  brother  of  Chief 
Justice  Marshall,  thus  preparing  himself  for  his 
university  course.  He  entered  the  sophomore 
class  at  Yale  in  1842,  and  was  graduated  in  law 
and  letters  in  1 845.  At  college  he  was  a  member 
of  the  Scroll  and  Key  Society,  whose  roster  em- 
braces the  names  of  the  most  prominent  men  who 
claim  Yale  as  their  Alma  Mater.  After  his  re- 
turn to  Kentucky,  Mr.  Harrison  attended  a  post- 
graduate course  of  law  lectures  for  a  year.  He 
then  went  back  to  his  boyhood  home,  and  was 
the  manager  of  the  large  plantation  from  1847 
to  1851 

In  the  latter  year,  Mr.  Harrison  went  abroad, 
spending  some  months  in  visiting  Paris,  London, 
Edinburgh  and  the  cities  of  Germany  and  Austria. 
The  ostensible  purpose  of  this  trip  was  the  pur- 
chase of  some  blooded  cattle,  and  this  business 
brought  him  in  contact  with  the  Earl  of  Ducie,  at 
whose  country  seat  he  made  a  long  visit.  It  was 
during  this  trip  that  he  studied  the  French  and 
German  languages,  his  knowledge  of  which 
proved  of  immense  benefit  to  him  in  later  years, 
and  made  him  one  of  the  best  representatives  of 


the  nation  in  receiving  the  foreign  visitors  at  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition,  so  lately  closed. 
Leaving  Europe,  Mr.  Harrison  then  spent  many 
months  in  travel  through  Syria,  Palestine  and 
Asia  Minor,  in  company  with  Bayard  Taylor, 
who  was  then  gathering  material  for  his  book, 
"The  Land  of  the  Saracen,"  in  the  preface  of 
which  the  author  refers  to  "my  traveling  com- 
panion, Mr.  Carter  Henry  Harrison,  of  Clifton, 
Ky." 

Returning  to  his  native  land  and  State  in  1852, 
Mr.  Harrison  completed  his  law  studies  and  was 
soon  afterwards  admitted  to  the  Bar.  In  1855, 
he  married  Miss  Sophie  Preston,  of  Henderson, 
Ky. ,  and  unto  them  were  born  four  children  who 
are  yet  living:  Lina,  wife  of  Heaton  Owsley,  of 
Chicago;  Carter  H.,  Jr.;  William  Preston  and 
Sophie  G.  There  were  six  other  children,  all  of 
whom  died  in  early  youth. 

Chicago  was  first  visited  by  Mr.  Harrison  the 
year  of  his  marriage,  and  so  well  pleased  was 
he  with  the  young  city  that  he  sold  his  Ken- 
tucky home,  and  in  1857  made  a  permanent  loca- 
tion here.  The  $30,000  which  he  secured  from 
his  Kentucky  property  he  at  once  invested  in 
real  estate.  One  of  his  earliest  purchases  was  the 
block  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Harrison  Streets, 
which  he  still  owned  at  the  time  of  his  death,  and 
which  in  the  years  that  have  passed  has  be- 
come very  valuable.  He  also  bought  unim- 
proved land  on  the  West  Side,  which  was  later 
made  the  Carter  Harrison  Subdivision.  His  first 
home  was  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Hermitage 
Avenue  and  Congress  Street,  where  he  erected  a 
residence  in  1860.  Six  years  later  he  purchased 
the  Honore  home  at  No.  231  Ashland  Avenue, 
where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death. 

On  coming  to  Chicago,  he  engaged  to  a  limi- 
ted extent  in  law  practice,  but  he  who  was  to  be- 
come so  well  known  as  an  orator  and  extempor- 


308 


C.  H.  HARRISON. 


aneous  speaker  was  then  so  timid  about  public 
speaking  that  he  abandoned  the  law.  In  1871, 
he  entered  upon  his  official  career,  being  elected 
County  Commissioner.  In  1872,  he  was  pre- 
vailed upon  to  make  the  race  for  Congress 
against  Jasper  D.  Ward,  but  was  defeated  by  seven 
hundred  votes.  In  1874,  he  again  accepted  the 
nomination.  He  and  his  opponent,  Mr.  Ward, 
who  had  defeated  him  two  years  previously, 
both  claimed  the  election,  and  on  a  recount 
of  votes  Mr.  Harrison  was  declared  the  winner 
by  a  majority  of  eight.  It  was  while  he  was  in 
Congress  that,  in  September,  1876,  his  wife  died. 
She  passed  away  in  Gera,  Germany,  where  the 
elder  children  were  attending  school,  and  was 
there  interred.  While  Mr.  Harrison  was  crossing 
the  ocean  to  bring  his  motherless  children  home, 
his  Democratic  constituents  nominated  him  for 
Congress,  and  a  few  days  after  his  return  he  was 
re-elected,  defeating  Col.  George  R.  Davis  by  six 
hundred  votes.  Later  the  remains  of  his  wife  were 
brought  back  to  Chicago  and  interred  at  Grace- 
land.  He  refused  the  re-nomination  for  Congress 
in  1878. 

In  1879,  by  the  vote  of  the  people,  Mr.  Har- 
rison was  placed  in  the  Mayor's  chair,  which  he 
filled  for  eight  years,  being  three  times  re-elected. 
During  his  second  term,  he  was  again  married, 
the  lady  being  Miss  Margaret  Stearns,  daughter 
ol  Marcus  C.  Stearns,  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  of 
Chicago.  The  ceremony  was  performed  in  July, 
1882.  In  1887,  Mr.  Harrison  was  offered  a  fifth 
nomination,  but  declined.  Even  after  this  his 
name  was  put  before  the  convention  as  a  dele- 
gate, and  he  was  nominated  by  acclamation.  Mr. 
Harrison,  who  had  hitherto  been  absent,  then  ap- 
peared before  the  convention,  and  his  coming  was 
the  signal  for  an  ovation.  Cheer  after  cheer  rent 
the  air.  When  quiet  had  been  restored,  he  said 
that  he  would  only  accept  on  one  condition, 
namely,  that  every  man  in  the  convention  should 
by  raising  his  right  hand  pledge  himself  to  loyally 
support  his  candidacy.  Every  hand  went  up, 
and  again  a  mighty  cheer  shook  the  building. 
The  local  press  antagonized  his  nomination  bit- 
terly, and  friends  of 'President  Cleveland  gave  it 
out  that  the  administration  at  Washington  de- 


sired Mr.  Harrison's  defeat.  Worried  by  this 
opposition  in  his  party  and  the  illness  of  his  wife, 
who  died  a  few  weeks  later,  he  sent  a  letter  of  res- 
ignation to  the  Democratic  Committee. 

Two  months  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  Mr. 
Harrison  started  on  his  journey  around  the 
world,  and  during  his  travels  the  public  was 
made  familiar  with  his  wanderings  through  his 
letters  to  the  Chicago  Mail.  On  his  return  he 
was  urged  to  put  these  into  book  form,  which 
he  later  did,  under  the  happily  selected  title,  '  'A 
Race  with  the  Sun."  His  was  certainly  one  of 
the  most  comprehensive  journeys  ever  made  in 
one  circuit  of  the  globe.  He  visited  the  north- 
western part  of  our  own  country,  the  Pacific 
Coast,  and  sailed  from  Vancover  to  Yokohama. 
He  spent  many  pleasant  hours  in  Japan;  studied 
the  habits  and  quaint  customs  of  the  Chinese;  be- 
came intimate  with  the  King  of  Siam;  visited  the 
various  points  of  interest  in  India  and  Ceylon; 
sailed  the  Indian  Ocean,  the  Red  Sea  and  the 
Suez  Canal;  took  a  trip  up  the  Nile,  and  after- 
wards studied  Greece  in  the  light  of  its  past  and 
of  its  present,  and  drew  his  conclusions  as  to  its 
future.  In  conclusion  he  wrote:  "Again  I  look 
out  of  our  window;  clouds  are  gathering  over  the 
sky;  the  curtain  of  the  far  West  is  dyed  in  purple 
and  salmon.  Through  a  cloud-rift  the  round, 
low-down  sun  is  bloody  red.  Nearly  five  hun- 
dred times  has  he  run  his  course  since  we  started 
in  our  race  with  him  around  the  world.  He  has 
reached  our  home  and  passed  it,  and  we  are  not 
yet  quite  there.  He  dips  his  rim  and  is  gone. 
He  has  won  the  race.  To  him  and  to  you  good- 
bye." 

Mr.  Harrison  reached  home  on  the  8th  of  No- 
vember, 1889,  and  the  following  year  was  again 
urged  to  become  the  candidate  for  Mayor,  but  he 
refused  the  honor,  and  during  the  two  succeed- 
ing years  lived  a  quiet,  retired  life.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period,  however,  he  was  again  a 
nominee  for  Mayor  on  an  independent  ticket. 
Nothing  else  could  have  so  indicated  his  personal 
popularity.  There  were  four  candidates  in  the 
field,  and  Mr.  Harrison  polled  a  very  large  vote, 
the  three  leaders  being  separated  by  but  three 
thousand  ballots.  Members  of  the  Democracy 


GEORGE  ERASER. 


309 


greatly  opposed  his  course,  but  the  majority  of 
the  party  believed  in  him,  and  he  became  their 
candidate  for  the  campaign  of  1893.  He  was 
elected  by  an  overwhelming  majority  to  a  position 
all  the  more  important  from  the  fact  that  his  city, 
where  the  World's  Fair  was  to  be  held,  would 
receive  distinguished  visitors  from  all  lands,  and 
he  would  virtually  be  the  country's  representa- 
tive in  welcoming  them  to  the  United  States.  All 
summer  long  as  a  courteous  host  he  presided, 
and  each  day  added  to  the  number  of  his  friends. 
Again  and  again  he  had  presided  on  different  pub- 


lic occasions,  and  on  the  28th  of  October,  two  days 
before  the  official  closing  of  the  Fair,  Mayors'  Day 
was  celebrated,  a  day  set  apart  for  the  Mayors  of 
all  the  cities  of  the  Union.  Mr.  Harrison,  in  his 
capacity  of  host,  presided,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
ceremonies  returned  to  his  home.  A  few  hours 
later  a  shot  was  fired  which  terminated  his  life, 
and  the  city,  which  was  making  such  extensive 
preparations  to  close  the  Fair  with  brilliant  cere- 
monies, went  instead  into  mourning  for  its  Chief 
Executive. 


GEORGE  ERASER. 


SEORGE  FRASER  is  an  influential  Scotch- 
American  citizen,  who  has  made  his  home 
in  Chicago  for  nearly  thirty  years.  Allen 
Grange,  near  the  village  of  Munlochy,  in  Ross- 
shire,  Scotland,  where  he  was  born,  has  been  the 
home  of  his  ancestors  for  more  than  a  century, 
and  three  generations  of  the  name  are  now  living 
there. 

His  father,  Donald  Fraser,  was  a  blacksmith 
by  trade,  succeeding  his  father,  John  Fraser,  in 
that  occupation.  Donald  Fraser  died  at  Allen 
Grange  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Isabella  Young, 
still  lives  there,  having  attained  the  venerable 
age  of  more  than  ninety-one  years.  She  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  place,  her  father  having  been  a 
farmer  in  that  locality. 

George  Fraser  was  born  on  the  2d  of  June, 
1840.  He  attended  the  parish  school  at  Mun- 
lochy, and  when  he  was  old  enough  went  to  learn 
the  trade  of  a  baker  at  Dingwall.  He  served  a 
four-years  apprenticeship  without  wages,  and 
subsequently  spent  two  years  in  working  at  his 
trade  in  Edinburgh,  and  one  year  in  London, 
England.  In  1866  he  resolved  to  come  to  Amer- 


ica. Upon  reaching  Brooklyn,  New  York,  he 
tarried  a  few  months  in  that  city,  but  in  the  fol- 
lowing spring  continued  his  journey  to  Chicago. 
Here  he  immediately  found  work  at  his  trade,  and 
in  1868  he  opened  an  establishment  of  his  own  on 
Division  Street,  near  his  present  location.  In 
common  with  most  of  his  neighbors  in  that  vicin- 
ity, three  years  later  he  lost  everything  he  pos- 
sessed by  the  Great  Fire,  and  for  a  few  months 
thereafter  moved  to  the  West  Side.  For  twenty- 
three  years  past  he  has  been  in  his  present  loca- 
tion, and  the  constant  arrival  and  departure  of 
customers  attests  the  popularity  which  his  busi- 
ness has  attained. 

About  sixteen  years  ago  Mr.  Fraser  united 
with  St.  Andrew's  Society,  an  organization  in 
which  nearly  all  of  the  best  of  his  countrymen 
in  Chicago  are  interested.  His  active  interest  in 
this  association  has  caused  him  to  become  one  of 
its  most  popular  members,  and  for  six  years  past 
he  has  officiated  as  one  of  its  Board  of  Mana- 
gers. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Caledonian 
Club  for  ten  years,  and,  with  few  exceptions,  has 
voted  the  Republican  ticket  since  becoming  a  cit- 
izen of  the  United  States. 


J.  J.  RUSSELL. 


In  1867  Mr.  Fraser  was  married  to  Catharine 
Ross,  a  native  of  Invergordon,  Ross-shire,  Scot- 
land. She  is  the  daughter  of  David  Ross,  a  rep- 
resentative of  one  of  the  oldest  Scottish  families, 
in  honor  of  which  their  native  shire  was  named. 
Mrs.  Fraser  is  a  valuable  helpmate  to  and  ad- 
viser of  her  husband,  and  the  mother  of  five  chil- 
dren, named,  respectively,  Anna,  Isabel,  Donald 
George,  Kate  and  Margaret. 


Born  and  reared  amid  the  historic  and  pic- 
turesque scenes  of  the  Highlands,  Mr.  Fraser  is  a 
typical  representative  of  the  Gaelic  race,  a  people 
noted  for  their  sturdy  character  and  industrious 
and  frugal  habits.  Their  adherence  to  principle 
has  led  them  to  endure  much  in  past  centuries, 
and  they  have  exerted  no  small  influence  upon 
the  progress  and  civilization  of  America. 


JOHN  J.  RUSSELL. 


(JOHN  J.  RUSSELL,  an  esteemed  pioneer  of 
I  Cook  County,  now  deceased,  was  born  in 
(2)  Sharon  Springs,  New  York,  on  the  I4th  of 
August,  1810,  and  made  farming  his  life  work. 
Emigrating  westward,  he  reached  Chicago  on  the 
I4th  of  February,  1836,  and  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  timber-land,  including  the 
site  on  which  Rush  Medical  College  now  stands. 
About  a  year  and  a-half  later  he  sold  and  removed 
to  Niles  Township,  where  he  lived  six  months. 
He  then  became  a  resident  of  Northfield  Town- 
ship, purchasing  land  on  section  14,  to  which  he 
afterwards  added  until  he  had  on  sections  14,  15 
and  22  three  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  rich 
land,  all  in  one  body,  which  yielded  to  him  a 
good  income.  Here  he  devoted  the  greater  part 
of  his  time  and  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
winning  success  in  his  undertakings.  He  mar- 
ried Ann  Eliza  Legg,  daughter  of  Isaac  Legg,  a 
native  of  Tennessee.  The  lady  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky on  the  gth  of  October,  1813,  and  with 
her  parents  came  to  Chicago  in  1833.  Her 
death  occurred  at  Wilmette,  August  20,  1886. 
She  was  a  lady  of  many  admirable  qualities, 
and  she  and  her  husband  had  been  for  many  years 


identified  with  the  Methodist  Church.  They  con- 
tributed liberally  to  its  support,  and  were  always 
considered  among  the  leading  members. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russell  were  born  six  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  three  daughters:  Isaac  H., 
who  is  now  proprietor  of  a  paper  and  paint  store 
in  Chicago;  John  J.,  deceased;  Edward,  whose 
sketch  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work; 
Lizzie,  wife  of  B.  F.  Kay,  who  for  twenty- 
four  years  has  been  connected  with  the  postof- 
fice  of  Chicago;  Ella,  wife  of  Heny  McDaniel,  a 
policeman  of  Wilmette;  and  Lena,  who  completes 
the  family.  After  many  years  spent  in  farming, 
John  J.  Russell  removed  to  Wilmette,  where  his 
death  occurred  April  30,  1889.  He  always  advo- 
cated the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
kept  well  informed  on  the  issues  of  the  day.  He 
took  quite  an  interest  in  military  affairs  and  be- 
longed to  the  State  militia,  in  which  he  held  a 
Lieutenant's  commission  from  Gov.  Ford. 
He  was  for  ten  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  and  for  several  years  County  Com- 
missioner, a  faithful  officer  in  both  positions.  He 
was  ever  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  community  found  in  him  a  friend. 


U8FA3Y 
OF  THE 

L:::VESSITY  OF 


W.  H    JONES. 


WILLIAM  HUGH  JONES. 


HUGH  JONES,  the  President  of 
\  A  /  t^6  Plano  Manufacturing  Company,  one  of 
V  Y  the  substantial  industries  of  Chicago,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Wales.  He  was  born  in  1845,  and  is  one 
of  eight  children  whose  pajents  were  Hugh  and 
Jennett  Jones.  The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation and  was  comfortably  situated.  In  1812, 
when  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  crossed  the  At- 
lantic to  America,  locating  near  Utica,  N.  Y., 
where  the  death  of  his  first  wife  occurred.  He 
afterward  returned  to  Wales,  where  he  was  again 
married,  the  second  wife  being  the  mother  of  our 
subject.  They  were  both  members  of  the  Welsh 
Calvinistic  Church,  in  which  the  father  served 
as  Deacon.  In  1857  ne  again  came  with  his 
family  to  this  country,  and  located  in  Wiscon- 
sin, from  where  he  removed  to  Iowa  in  1873. 
His  death  occurred  in  Howard  County,  Iowa,  in 
1876,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  His  wife 
survived  him  for  about  four  years.  Her  father, 
Richard  Jones,  was  an  extensive  farmer  in  Wales, 
and  reached  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-two  years. 
The  family  to  which  our  subject  belongs  num- 
bered six  sons  and  two  daughters,  but  only  four 
are  now  living:  William  H.,  Hugh  H.,  John  H. 
and  Owen  W.  The  last-named  is  Secretary  of  the 
Piano  Manufacturing  Company. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  W.  H. 
Jones,  who  is  truly  a  self-made  man,  in  the  best 
sense  of  the  term,  for  he  started  out  in  life  empty- 
handed  and  has  worked  his  way  upward  by  un- 
tiring labor,  making  the  most  of  his  opportuni- 
ties and  overcoming  the  difficulties  and  obstacles 
in  his  path  by  a  determined  effort  to  succeed.  He 
continued  in  his  native  land  until  twelve  years  of 
age,  and  then  accompanied  his  parents  to  this 
country,  and  with  them  went  to  Wisconsin.  He 
was  early  inured  to  hard  labor,  but  thereby  he 
developed  a  self-reliance  and  force  of  character 


which  have  proven  of  incalculable  benefit  to  him 
in  his  later  years.  His  youth  was  spent  in  work 
upon  the  home  farm,  and  to  his  father  he  gave 
the  benefit  of  his  services  until  the  spring  of  1866, 
when  he  had  attained  his  majority.  He  now  turned 
his  attention  to  other  pursuits,  and  became  agent 
for  the  Dodge  Reapers  and  Champion  Mowers  in 
Berlin,  Wis. ,  selling  those  machines  until  1868, 
when  he  became  traveling  salesman  for  the  firm 
of  L.  J.  Bush  &  Co.,  of  Milwaukee.  Two  years 
covered  his  continuance  with  that  company,  and 
in  1870  he  formed  a  connection  with  E.  H.  Gam- 
mon for  the  sale  of  the  Marsh  Harvester,  which 
at  that  time  was  the  only  machine  of  the  class  on 
the  market.  Subsequently ,  the  firm  became  Gam- 
mon &  Deering,  and  Mr.  Jones  continued  in  their 
employ  as  general  traveling  salesman  and  super- 
visor of  agencies  until  the  partnership  was  dis- 
solved in  the  fall  of  1879,  on  the  retirement  of  Mr. 
Gammon.  Mr.  Jones,  however,  continued  to 
serve  in  the  interests  of  Mr.  Deering  until  1881, 
when  he,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Gammon,  Lewis 
Steward,  and  others  who  had  been  previously  in- 
terested in  the  Harvester  Works  in  Piano,  I1L , 
organized  the  Piano  Manufacturing  Company. 
He  became  its  President  and  has  since  contin- 
ued at  its  head,  and  owing  to  the  good  man- 
agement, keen  foresight  and  excellent  business 
and  executive  ability  of  the  President,  the  Pia- 
no Manufacturing  Company  now  is  one  of  the 
prominent  industries  of  this  city.  During  his 
business  career,  Mr.  Jones  has  kept  informed 
concerning  all  inventions  along  this  line,  and  no 
agricultural  implement  is  put  on  the  market 
without  his  knowledge.  His  early  life  as  a  farm- 
er made  known  to  him  what  was  needed  in  farm 
work.  His  later  experience  made  him  familiar 
with  all  kinds  of  farm  machinery;  hence  in  plac- 
ing upon  the  market  such  machinery  he  would 


312 


SHEPHERD  JOHNSTON. 


combine  in  its  construction  his  knowledge  of  the 
mechanical  necessities  with  that  which  was  re- 
quired for  the  actual  work.  Many  inventors  who 
know  nothing  about  farm  work  in  itself  fail  to  do 
this.  The  wisdom  of  his  method  is  shown  in  the 
result,  for  the  Piano  machines  have  met  with  un- 
qualified success  and  fill  a  long-felt  want  in  farm 
implements.  Through  the  dark  hours  of  the 
greatest  panic  known  to  commerce  (in  1893),  the 
company  built  and  now  occupies  a  new  factory, 
which  for  completeness  and  detailed  perfection  is 
without  an  equal,  covering  twenty-five  acres.  It 
is  located  on  i2oth  Street,  West  Pullman.  In 
the  old  factory,  although  it  afforded  extensive 
facilities,  it  was  unable  for  several  years  to  satisfy 
the  popular  demand.  With  improved  machinery 
and  perfect  arrangement  for  manufacturing,  it  is 
now  prepared  to  meet  the  full  demand  not  only 
of  its  American  but  rapidly  increasing  foreign 
trade. 

In  1867,  Mr.  Jones  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Elizabeth  Owens,  and  unto  them  have  been 
born  three  sons,  Hugh  W.,  William  O.  and  Gar- 


field  R.  The  parents  are  faithful  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  contribute  liberally 
to  its  support,  and  take  an  active  interest  in  its 
work.  Mr.  Jones  is  now  serving  as  one  of  its 
Trustees.  In  politics,  he  advocates  Republican 
principles,  but  in  voting  does  not  feel  himself 
bound  by  party  ties.  He  has  never  sought  official 
honors,  desiring  rather  to  give  his  entire  time  and 
attention  to  his  business  interests  and  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  home  and  the  companionship  of  his 
family.  In  April,  1872,  he  came  to  Evanston, 
where  he  has  resided  almost  continuously  since, 
and  among  the  people  of  this  beautiful  suburb 
he  is  held  in  the  highest  regard,  for  he  is  a  man 
of  upright  character  and  his  example  is  worthy 
of  emulation.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he  opened  a 
wholesale  implement  house  in  Minneapolis,  which 
has  since  done  a  large  business,  and  with  which  he 
was  connected  until  1889.  The  farm  has  fur- 
nished to  this  country  many  of  its  most  prominent 
and  successful  business  men,  and  among  these  is 
W.  H.  Jones. 


SHEPHERD  JOHNSTON. 


(TfHEPHERD  JOHNSTON,  late  Secretary  and 
Ni  Clerk  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  Chicago, 
QjJ  was  descended  from  Scotch  ancestry, his  pater- 
nal grandfather,  who  was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of 
the  American  Revolution,  being  an  emigrant  from 
Scotland  to  New  York  City  some  time  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Mary,  the 
wife  of  this  ancestor,  was  born  in  1761,  and  died 
June  12,  1838,  at  the  age  of  seventy-seven.  The  pa- 
ternal grandmother  was  "Knickerbocker"  Dutch. 
Shepherd  Johnston,  the  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch,  was  born  in  New  York  City  Sep- 
tember 28,  1797,  and  was  for  many  years  a  well- 
known  educator  in  his  native  place.  His  wife 
was  Jane  Sherwood,  also  a  native  of  New  York, 


born  September  28,  1807.  Her  parents  were  na- 
tives of  Connecticut,  and  were  the  descendants  of 
generations  of  New  England  ancestors,  one  of 
whom  was  a  minute-man  in  the  Revolution.  Her 
death  occurred  on  the  27th  of  December,  1846, 
at  Big  Rock,  Illinois.  Shepherd  and  Jane  John- 
ston had  a  family  of  nine  children,  and  eight  of 
these  grew  to  mature  age.  The  subject  of  this 
biography,  who  was  born  on  the  i8th  of  Septem- 
ber, 1823,  laid  the  foundation  of  his  education  in 
the  private  school  taught  by  his  father.  His  pre- 
cocity and  the  thoroughness  of  his  education  are 
vividly  shown  by  the  fact  of  his  entering  college 
at  the  almost  unparalleled  age  of  thirteen  years. 
After  spending  two  years  at  Columbia  College, 


SHEPHERD  JOHNSTON. 


313 


New  York,  circumstances  necessitated  the  aban- 
donment of  the  further  prosecution  of  his  studies 
— except  as  a  private  and  independent  student — 
but  in  this  latter  capacity  it  can  be  no  more  truly 
said  of  any  other  man  in  the  city  of  Chicago, 
that  he  was  throughout  his  life  a  devoted,  ear- 
nest and  successful  student,  consecrating  himself 
to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  for  the  purpose 
of  making  it  most  useful  to  those  for  whose  inter- 
ests he  spent  a  lifetime  of  toil. 

In  1839  the  elder  Johnston,  tiring  of  the  con- 
straint of  New  York,  came  West  by  way  of  the 
Lakes  to  Detroit,  and  thence,  in  company  with  his 
eldest  son,  Shepherd,  crossed  Michigan  on  po- 
nies to  Chicago,  which  they  found  to  be  a  muddy 
city  of  about  four  thousand  inhabitants.  Not 
liking  Chicago,  they  pursued  their  way  westward 
to  Kane  County,  and  there  the  father  bought  a 
thousand  or  more  acres  of  land  near  Big  Rock, 
to  which  he  removed  his  family  soon  after. 
There  he  spent  seven  years,  but,  not  being  adapt- 
ed either  by  education  or  taste  to  farm  lite,  at 
the  end  of  that  period  he  returned  to  New  York, 
where  he  died  in  1853. 

After  a  residence  of  five  or  six  years  on  the 
farm,  young  Johnston  tired  of  the  monotony  of 
rural  life  and  settled  in  New  York  City,  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  obtained  a  position 
as  teacher  in  the  Institute  for  the  Blind.  He  filled 
this  position  with  that  fidelity  and  ability  which 
characterized  his  life  work  in  any  capacity  in 
which  he  was  called  upon  to  act.  On  the  2-jth  of 
July,  1849,  at  Whitlockville,  Westchester  Coun- 
ty, New  York,  he  married  Mary  Ann  Wild,  a 
native  of  Sheffield,  England,  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Mary  Ann  Outram  (Hobson)  Wild.  Imme- 
diately after  his  marriage  he  came  to  Illinois,  and 
tried  farm  life  for  a  few  months,  but  again  re- 
turned to  New  York  City  in  1850.  There  for  a 
year  he  was  employed  in  the  ticket  office  of  the 
Hudson  River  Railroad.  In  1851  he  engaged  in 
the  retail  grocery  business  in  New  York,  in  which 
he  continued  for  seven  years.  In  the  fall  of  1859 
he  again  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  at  Aurora, 
and  in  the  following  year  settled  in  Chicago, 
where  he  resided  until  the  time  of  his  death.  In 


February  of  the  same  year  he  began  work  as 
clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Board  of  Education,  and 
remained  there  continuously  until  his  life  work 
was  finished.  He  saw  the  public-school  system 
grow  from  comparatively  insignificant  propor- 
tions to  the  wonderful  educational  power  which  it 
is  at  the  present  time.  When  he  began  work 
in  the  office  of  the  Board  the  population  of  the 
city  was  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand,  and  the 
number  of  teachers  was  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three.  Now  the  total  enrollment  of  pupils  is  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  and  the  number  of 
teachers  in  the  public  schools  is  three  thousand 
two  hundred  and  twenty-eight,  and  the  amount 
required  to  pay  this  vast  army  is  two  and  one- 
half  millions  of  dollars. 

Mr.  Johnston  died  at  his  home  on  the  3rd  of 
October,  1894,  leaving  a  widow  and  one  daugh- 
ter, the  latter,  Laura  Ann,  being  now  the  wife 
of  John  M.  Stanley,  of  Chicago.  His  only  son, 
Charles  Sherwood  Johnston,  died  in  1889,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-nine. 

Not  only  as  a  worker  in  the  field  of  education, 
but  also  as  a  zealous  laborer  in  the  cause  of  relig- 
ion, was  Mr.  Johnston  known.  For  nearly  a 
score  of  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  in  which  he  held  the  office  of  vestryman. 
He  also  took  a  deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Sunday-school,  of  which  he  was  Superintendent. 
He  was  a  devoted  student  of  the  Bible,  to  the 
study  of  which  he  gave  many  hours  of  his  crowd- 
ed life.  As  might  be  expected  of  a  man  of  his 
intelligence,  taking  the  interest  he  did  in  public 
affairs,  a  knowledge  of  and  an  interest  in  politics 
were  not  overlooked.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Republican  party,  whose  great  underlying  princi- 
ples he  fully  understood,  endorsed  and  supported. 
But  he  was  far  above  the  petty  broils  of  partisan 
strife,  and  contented  himself  with  working  for 
those  higher  principles  and  ends  which  interest 
the  thinker  and  philosopher. 

A  fitting  summary  of  the  life  and  works  of  Mr. 
Johnston  can  be  no  more  aptly  expressed  than  is 
done  in  the  following  eloquent  tribute  paid  to  his 
memory  by  the  members  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, taken  from  the  records  of  said  body: 


314 


J.  S.  RUMSEY. 


'  'At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion of  Chicago,  held  October  5,  1894,  the  follow- 
ing memorial  was  unanimously  adopted: 

"  'The  Board  of  Education  of  the  City  of  Chi- 
cago learns  with  the  most  profound  sorrow  of  the 
death  of  their  scholarly,  faithful  and  most  tireless 
Secretary,  Shepherd  Johnston,  after  a  continuous 
service  of  thirty-four  years  of  unparalleled  devo- 
tion to  the  educational  interests  of  this  great  me- 
tropolis. 

"  'He  had  reached  the  limit  of  years  allotted  to 
man.  He  closed  his  books  at  the  office,  went  to 
his  quiet  home,  retired  to  sleep,  and  awoke  no 
more  to  consciousness  here.  The  book  of  his  life 
was  gently  closed,  and  he  was  transferred  to  the 
unknown  realm  which  is  beyond  our  mortal  sight. 

"  'Mr.  Johnston  possessed  those  habits  of  mind 
and  character  which  made  him  eminently  fitted 
for  the  responsible  duties  of  the  office  which  he 
held  so  long  and  filled  so  efficiently.  His  early 
training  and  experience  as  a  teacher  made  him 
acquainted  with  the  details  of  educational  work, 


and  gave  him  a  familiarity  with  the  school  sys- 
tem of  the  country,  as  shown  in  the  financial  and 
statistical  reports  which  were  published  annually. 
As  his  labors  multiplied,  his  ability  to  cope  with 
them  multiplied  in  like  ratio.  There  was  no  detail 
of  his  office  with  which  he  was  not  familiar.  He 
was  a  well  of  information,  imparting  courteously 
to  all  who  desired  to  know  aught  of  the  historical 
progress  of  the  city  for  nearly  two  score  of  years. 
In  the  varied  and  perplexing  duties  of  his  office, 
he  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  members 
of  the  Board  of  Education,  the  Superintendents, 
his  associates  in  the  office,  the  teachers  and  citizens 
of  Chicago.  The  members  of  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation take  this  method  of  expressing  their  appre- 
ciation of  his  valuable  services  and  their  high 
regard  for  his  life  and  character. 

' '  'THEREFORE,  Be  it  resolved,  that  this  memo- 
rial be  entered  upon  the  records  of  this  Board,  and 
that  a  copy  be  suitably  engrossed  and  presented  to 
the  family.'  " 


JULIAN  S.  RUMSEY. 


(TUUAN  S.  RUMSEY,  a  very  early  resident 
I  of  Chicago  and  one  of  the  founders  of  its 
G)  Board  of  Trade,  was  born  in  Batavia,  Gene- 
see  County,  New  York,  on  the  3d  day  of  April, 
1823.  His  parents  were  Levi  Rumsey,  of  Fair- 
field,  Connecticut,  and  Julia  F.  Dole,  of  Troy, 
New  York.  The  line  of  descent  is  traced  from 
Robert  Rumsie,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  of 
Welsh  ancestry,  and  who  settled  at  Fairfield, 
Connecticut,  before  1660.  His  name  appears  in 
the  town  records  under  date  of  January  23,  1664, 
the  earliest  entry  in  said  records  bearing  date  of 
January  12,  1649,  which  must  have  been  about 
the  time  of  the  first  settlement  there.  The  will 
of  Robert  Rumsey  appears  in  the  same  record, 


under  date  of  November  28,  1710,  in  which  he 
bequeaths  to  his  widow  and  children  a  large 
amount  of  land  and  personal  property,  his  inter- 
est in  commonage  and  his  negro  man,  Jack.  The 
early  residents  of  New  England  had  to  contend 
with  conditions  differing  widely  from  those  sur- 
rounding pioneers  of  the  present  day,  and  few  can 
realize  the  energy  and  perseverance  required  to 
make  a  home  in  the  wilderness.  Only  those  of 
strong  body  and  mind  could  survive  the  rigorous 
climate  and  overcome  the  obstacles  to  human 
progress.  Among  the  present  generation,  only 
those  who  have  made  a  study  of  the  subject  can 
realize,  in  a  faint  degree  even,  what  were  their 
surroundings,  ideas  and  character. 


J.  S.  RUMSEY. 


Levi  Rumsey  was  one  of  the  first  graduates  of 
Williams  College,  at  Williamstown,  Massachu- 
setts (in  1800),  and  settled  at  Batavia  in  1822, 
becoming  one  of  the  foremost  attorneys  of  western 
New  York  and  sen-ing  as  District  Attorney  of 
Genesee  County.  He  died  there  in  1834.  At 
the  solicitation  of  her  brother,  George  W.  Dole, 
already  a  resident  of  Chicago,  the  widow  decided 
to  move  to  the  new  and  growing  city  with  her 
younger  son  (the  subject  of  this  biography)  and 
two  daughters,  in  the  spring  of  1835,  but  death 
interposed  and  removed  the  mother  before  this 
purpose  could  be  consummated.  With  an  aunt, 
Mrs.  Coffin,  and  her  husband  and  Miss  Townsend 
(who  afterward  became  Mrs.  Dole),  Julian  Sid- 
ney Rumsey  and  his  two  younger  sisters  came  to 
Chicago,  arriving  on  the  steamer  "Michigan" 
July  28,  1835.  This  vessel  was  owned  by  Mr. 
Dole's  partner,  Oliver  Newberry,  of  Detroit,  and 
was  by  far  the  finest  vessel  then  on  the  Lakes. 
The  trip  was  made  from  Buffalo  to  Chicago,  with 
a  stop  at  Green  Bay,  in  a  little  over  eight  days. 
Among  the  passengers  were  George  Smith,  who 
afterward  became  a  wealthy  banker  of  the  city; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  H.  Kinzie  and  a  young  infant, 
and  Miss  Williams,  who  became  the  wife  of  Mark 
Skinner,  one  of  the  judges  of  Chicago  in  later  life. 

Young  Rumsey  had  attended  a  private  school 
in  Batavia  taught  by  Rev.  John  F.  Earnst,  a 
widely-known  educator  of  that  place  and  Buffalo, 
and  after  his  arrival  here  he  had  the  benefit  of 
such  schools  as  the  new  town  afforded  for  a  few 
months.  He  soon  took  employment  in  the  ship- 
ping house  of  Newberry  &  Dole,  where  his  elder 
brother,  George  F.  Rumsey,  was  already  estab- 
lished. This  association  made  him  acquainted 
with  all  the  boats  coming  to  Chicago  and  their 
officers.  These  included  the  bark  "Detroit"  and 
brig  "Queen  Charlotte,"  former'British  vessels, 
which  had  been  sunk  in  the  bay  at  Erie,  Penn- 
sylvania, by  Commodore  Perry  in  1813,  and  sub- 
sequently raised  and  fitted  for  commerce. 

In  September,  1839,  the  Rumsey  brothers,  while 
still  in  the  employ  of  Newberry  &  Dole,  shipped 
the  first  cargo  of  grain  ever  sent  out  of  Chicago, 
consisting  of  about  2,900  bushels  of  wheat,  put  on 
board  the  brig  "Osceola"  for  Buffalo.  This  had 


been  taken  from  farmers'  wagons  and  stored, 
awaiting  an  eastbound  boat.  In  1841  Capt.  E.  B. 
Ward  brought  eighty  tons  of  bituminous  coal  to 
Chicago,  which  was  probably  the  first  here,  and 
this  was  sold  out  by  the  Rumsey  brothers  in  two 
years'  time,  thus  indicating  that  the  consumption 
was  small  in  those  days.  The  firm  of  Rumsey, 
Brother  &  Company  ultimately  succeeded  New- 
berry  &  Dole,  and  became  one  of  the  heaviest 
grain  shippers  and  dealers  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Rumsey  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Board  of  Trade  early  in  1848,  and  continued  his 
membership  with  his  life.  During  the  early  years 
of  its  existence,  it  was  his  custom,  with  others  of 
the  younger  members,  to  visit  business  men  in 
their  offices  and  urge  them  to  go  "on  "Change," 
in  order  that  it  might  be  truthfully  recorded  that 
such  a  meeting  had  been  held.  He  was  elected 
President  of  the  Board  in  1858  and  again  in  1859, 
and  in  the  latter  year  he  drew  and  secured  the 
passage  of  its  charter  and  code  of  rules.  He  also 
secured,  in  the  face  of  much  opposition,  the  pres- 
ent system  of  grain  inspection — Chicago  being  the 
first  city  to  adopt  the  plan.  During  his  adminis- 
tration, the  current  plan  of  obtaining  and  publish- 
ing statistics  of  trade  was  inaugurated,  and  the 
first  annual  report  of  the  Board  issued,  and  in  the 
same  period  the  membership  doubled  and  the 
permanency  of  its  existence  was  established. 

Mr.  Rumsey  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Volunteer  Fire  Department  in  1844,  and  at  one 
time  was  Foreman  of  Engine  Company  Number 
Three,  and  did  much  to  improve  the  old  and  or- 
ganize new  companies.  In  those  days,  many  of 
what  are  now  the  most  prominent  and  wealthy 
citizens  regularly  "ran  with  the  boys."  The 
venerable  Stephen  F.  Gale  was  Chief  Engineer 
and  Mr.  Rumsey  Foreman  in  1847,  when  the  pa- 
rade was  made  in  honor  of  the  famous  River  and 
Harbor  Congress  of  that  year.  In  his  report  to 
the  New  York  Tribune,  Horace  Greeley  said:  "I 
never  witnessed  anything  so  superb  as  the  appear- 
ance of  some  of  the  fire  companies,  with  their  en- 
gines drawn  by  led-horses,  tastefully  caparisoned. 
Our  New  York  firemen  must  try  again.  They 
certainly  have  been  outdone."  Thurlow  Weed 
wrote  to  his  paper:  "Let  me  here  say  that  the 


316 


J.  S.  RUMSEY. 


firemen's  display  in  this  infant  city  to-day  excited 
universal  admiration.  I  never  saw  anything  got 
up  in  better  taste.  The  companies  were  in  neat 
uniforms.  The  machines  were  very  tastefully 
decorated.  There  was  ateo  a  miniature  ship, 
manned  and  full-rigged,  drawn  by  twelve  horses, 
in  the  procession.  While  moving,  the  crew  on 
board  'The  Convention'  made,  shortened  and  took 
in  sail  repeatedly." 

In  early  life  Mr.  Rumsey  associated  himself,  as 
a  political  factor,  with  the  Whig  party,  and  joined 
its  successor — the  Republican — at  its  inception. 
He  was  often  a  delegate  in  the  county  and  State 
conventions,  and  was  a  member  of  the  State  Cen- 
tral Committee  of  his  party  when  Abraham  Lin- 
coln was  first  elected  to  the  Presidency.  He  had 
the  honor  of  entertaining  Mr.  Lincoln  at  his  home 
in  Chicago,  was  present  at  his  inauguration,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  which  devolved 
the  sad  duty  of  receiving  his  remains  when  brought 
back  to  Chicago,  preparatory  to  final  interment 
at  Springfield.  In  1871  Mr.  Rumsey  was  elected 
County  Treasurer  and  Collector  on  the  "Fire- 
proof '  ticket,  the  result  of  a  political  compromise, 
and  served  two  years  in  that  responsible  capacity. 

Before  the  actual  commencement  of  hostilities, 
in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  early  in  1861,  a  Com- 
mittee of  Safety  was  organized  in  Chicago,  and 
Mr.  Rumsey  was  made  a  member  of  the  sub-com- 
mittee to  carry  out  its  objects.  This  involved  the 
judicious  expenditure  of  nearly  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  and  required  the  labor  of  its  members  for 
nearly  two  years,  much  of  it  of  a  secret  character, 
and  all  of  vast  importance  to  the  State  and  Nation. 
One  of  the  first  undertakings  was  the  fitting  out  of 
an  expedition  to  take  possession  of  Cairo,  and  thus 
save  Illinois  to  the  Union.  After  four  days  and 
nights  of  arduous  effort,  a  force  of  five  hundred 
men  was  dispatched  by  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road, and  the  plan  successfully  carried  oat.  Mr. 
Rumsey  never  asked  for  office,  but  was  elected 
Mayor  of  the  city  in  the  troublous  days  of  1861, 
and  maintained  the  high  financial  standing  of  the 
municipality.  During  his  term  of  sendee,  the 
Government  sent  twelve  thousand  rebel  prisoners 
here  from  Fort  Donelson,  without  any  warning 
or  previous  provision  for  their  care.  They  were 


•  quartered  in  the  sheds  of  an  old  race  track,  after- 
wards known  as  Camp  Douglas,  until  suitable 
barracks  could  be  erected  for  their  care  and  reten- 
tion. Among  them  were  about  two  hundred  offi- 
cers, most  of  whom  possessed  knives  or  pistols, 
and  with  the  small  police  force  and  absence  of 
firearms  (caused  by  the  drain  in  supplying  Union 
troops) ,  the  city  seemed  entirely  at  the  mercy  of 
its  unwilling  guests.  Through  the  vigilance  of 
Mayor  Rumsey,  and  his  appeals  to  the  Govern- 
ment, the  danger  was  averted — the  officers  being 
removed  elsewhere,  and  the  privates  speedily  pro- 
vided with  suitable  lodgings,  and  safeguards  cre- 
ated for  the  city. 

July  31,  1848,  at  Chicago,  occurred  the  wedding 
of  J.  S.  Rumsey  and  Miss  Martha  A.  Turner. 
Mrs.  Rumsey,  who  still  survives  her  husband,  is 
a  daughter  of  John  B.  Turner,  one  of  the  most 
honored  and  worthy  of  Chicago's  early  citizens, 
whose  biography  will  be  found  on  another  page 
of  this  work.  This  union  resulted  in  eleven  chil- 
dren, eight  of  whom  were  daughters.  One  of  the 
latter  died  in  infancy,  and  one  after  a  short  mar- 
ried life.  Two  daughters  are  married  and  reside 
in  Massachusetts  and  New  York,  respectively, 
and  the  eldest  son  and  two  daughters,  also  mar- 
ried, reside  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Rumsey  passed  away  in  Chicago  April  20, 
1886,  aged  sixty-three  years.  He  was  ever  inter- 
ested in  the  city  and  its  welfare,  and  did  much  to 
place  it  in  its  present  proud  commercial  position. 
He  did  not  shirk  any  duty  as  a  citizen,  and  left  to 
his  children  an  honored  name.  His  recollections 
of  early  Chicago  are  very  interesting,  and  extracts 
from  his  pen  picture  are  here  given: 

"When  the  'Michigan'  arrived  off  Chicago  in 
July  of  1835,  a  dense  fog  covered  the  surface  of 
the  lake,  and  the  town  could  not  be  easily  located. 
After  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  Calumet  River, 
the  captain  was  set  right  by  the  direction  of  an 
Indian,  and  returned  to  the  city.  In  the  mean 
time  the  fog  had  lifted  and  when  the  boat  came  to 
anchor  the  fort  and  Government  pier  and  light- 
house seemed  the  most  prominent  features.  No 
entrance  to  the  river  existed  for  lake  craft,  and 
even  the  yawlboat  which  brought  the  passengers 
ashore  grounded  on  the  bar  at  the  mouth  of  the 


ANDREW  ORTMAYER. 


317 


river,  and  a  passage  had  to  be  carefully  sounded 
before  it  could  be  brought  in.  The  river  was  then 
but  little  more  than  half  as  wide  as  at  present, 
and  portions  of  its  shores  were  occupied  by  wild 
rice,  and  near  the  mouth  the  abode  of  the  musk- 
rat  was  prominent.  Fish  and  wild  fowl  were 
abundant.  There  was  one  'gallows-frame'  hoist 
bridge  at  Dearborn  Street,  crossing  the  river,  one 
pontoon  over  the  South  Branch,  between  Lake 
and  Randolph  Streets,  and  another  across  the 
North  Branch,  just  south  of  Kinzie  Street.  The 
Tremont  House  was  then  a  yellow  wooden  build- 
ing at  the  southeast  corner  of  Lake  and  Dearborn 
Streets,  kept  by  Star  Foot. 

"The  population  was  about  twenty -three  hun- 
dred, divided  in  something  like  this  proportion: 
Eight  hundred  on  the  North  Side,  twelve  hundred 
on  the  South  Side,  and  three  hundred  on  the 
West  Side.  The  Postoffice  was  located  in  the 
angle  at  the  intersection  of  Lake  and  South  Water 
Streets.  There  were  no  sidewalks  or  improved 
streets,  and  cattle,  pigs  and  wolfish  dogs  occupied 


the  thoroughfares  at  will,  and  sometimes  at  night 
wolves  came  into  the  settlement  Street  lights 
were  unknown,  as  were  sewers,  cellars  or  water 
service,  and  there  were  very  few  brick  buildings. 
The  people  came  fron\  all  parts  of  the  world  and 
included  many  half-breeds,  and  all  were  exceed- 
ingly democratic  in  habit.  It  was  no  uncommon 
thing  for  ladies  to  employ  a  dump-cart,  uphol- 
stered with  hay  or  buffalo  robes,  as  a  means  of 
transportation  when  making  social  excursions. 
There  was  still  a  garrison  at  the  fort,  and  on  two 
subsequent  occasions  Indians  to  the  number  of 
thirty-five  hundred  and  five  thousand,  from  the 
Pottawatamie,  Winnebago  and  Sacs  and  Foxes 
tribes  came  here  to  receive  pay  for  their  lands  from 
the  Government.  During  the  summer  of  1835, 
the  'Michigan'  made  four  trips  between  Chicago 
and  Buffalo,  and  one  or  two  other  vessels  visited 
the  port.  While  anchored  in  the  bay  off  Milwau- 
kee, on  her  first  trip,  only  one  house  was  dis- 
cerned at  that  point,  though  the  weather  was 
clear." 


ANDREW  ORTMAYER. 


(S\  NDREW  ORTMAYER,  who  was  for  nearly 
I  1  half-a  century  a  resident  of  Chicago,  was 
/  |  numbered  among  the  most  substantial  and 
well-known  citizens  of  German  birth.  He  was 
born  in  Bartenstein,  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  on 
the  first  day  of  May,  1826.  His  father,  Joseph 
Ortmayer,  was  a  native  of  Neuoetting,  Bavaria, 
and  his  mother,  Margaret  Uhlman,  was  born  in 
the  same  village  as  her  son,  where  her  ancestors 
had  for  several  generations  carried  on  the  saddlery 
business.  Joseph  Ortmayer  was  also  a  saddler, 
and  when  the  son  had  completed  the  prescribed 
German  term  of  school,  ending  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  he  entered  the  shop  and  was  able 
— through  being  the  son  of  a  master — to  become 


a  journeyman  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  He  first 
sought  employment  in  his  father's  native  city, 
where  he  remained  one  year,  and  was  afterwards 
employed  in  Saalzburg  and  other  Austrian  cities. 
By  the  time  he  had  attained  his  majority,  he 
determined  to  follow  the  sun  towards  that  land  of 
promise,  the  United  States,  as  he  saw  little  op- 
portunity for  a  mechanic  to  better  his  condition 
in  Europe.  His  was  the  same  spirit  which  not 
only  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  Western  continent, 
but  to  the  development  of  its  resources,  east  and 
west.  Being  in  London,  England,  in  the  spring 
of  1849,  he  took  passage  in  March  of  that  year 
on  board  the  sailing-vessel  "Apeona"  for  New 
York,  where  he  arrived  on  the  fourth  day  of 


ANDREW  ORTMAYER. 


Juty,  the  voyage  consuming  nearly  four  months. 
He  proceeded  directly  to  Buffalo,  New  York, 
where  he  was  able  to  maintain  himself  at  his 
trade  until  the  following  spring. 

Again  moved  by  the  spirit  of  enterprise,  he 
took  the  first  steamer  which  left  the  port  of  Buf- 
falo for  the  upper  lakes  in  the  spring  of  1850, 
and  landed  in  Detroit  on  the  3oth  of  March,  after 
a  two  days'  voyage.  Thence,  he  proceeded  di- 
rectly by  rail  to  Chicago,  arriving  on  the  last 
day  of  the  month. 

His  first  employment  in  this  city  was  with  J. 
O.  Humphrey,  the  first  carriage  manufacturer  in 
Chicago,  by  whom  he  was  engaged  as  a  carriage 
trimmer.  This  continned  until  Mr.  Humphrey 
went  out  of  business  two  and  one-half  years  later, 
when  Mr.  Ortmayer  rented  a  room  in  the  now 
idle  factory  and  engaged  in  trimming  carriages 
on  his  own  account.  He  had  by  this  time  formed 
business  acquaintances  and  established  a  reputa- 
tion for  honest  and  faithful  work,  and  did  a  fairly 
prosperous  business.  At  the  end  of  six  months, 
he  established  a  shop  on  Franklin  Street,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1854  he  opened  a  harness  shop  on 
Randolph  Street,  between  Canal  and  Clinton 
Streets.  Though  his  work  as  a  carriage  trim- 
mer had  proved  satisfactory  to  his  patrons,  it  did 
not  satisfy  himself,  on  account  of  the  unsteadiness 
of  the  demand,  and  he  found  business  much  more 
remunerative  in  the  harness  and  saddlery  line. 

In  1863,  he  began  the  wholesale  trade  at  No.  42 
Lake  Street,  in  partnership  with  William  V.  Kay 
and  William  H.  Turner,  under  the  style  of  A. 
Ortmayer  &  Company.  For  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, beginning  with  1866,  the  business  was 
located  at  Nos.  16  to  22  State  Street.  Messrs. 
Turner  and  Kay  successively  retired  from  the 
firm,  and  after  the  great  fire  of  1871,  it  was 
known  as  Ortmayer,  Lewis  &  Company,  until 
it  became  A.  Otrmayer  &  Son  in  1882.  In  1891, 
the  firm  purchased  of  the  Farwell  estate  the 
building  now  occupied,  on  Illinois  Street,  be- 
tween La  Salle  Avenue  and  Wells  Street,  to 
which  two  stories  were  added,  and  the  building 
was  fitted  for  the  extensive  manufacture  of  har- 
ness and  saddlery  ware  now  carried  on  there. 

Mr.  Ortmayer  was  married  at   Buffalo,  New 


York,  in  the  spring  of  1850,  to  Miss  Marie  Cher- 
bon,  who  was  born  in  the  same  place  as  himself, 
and  is  descended  from  French  ancestors,  her 
grandfather  having  moved  from  France  to  Ger- 
many. In  1876,  he  built  a  pleasant  mansion  at 
No.  496  Dearborn  Avenue,  where  dwells  a  united 
and  happy  family.  Mr.  Ortmayer  was  also  pos- 
sessed of  other  improved  real  estate,  which  was 
secured  through  his  own  industry  and  prudent 
management.  Having  made  his  way  from  hum- 
ble beginnings,  he  was  in  sympathy  with  all  hon- 
est efforts  for  success,  and  held  out  encourage- 
ment not  only  by  word  but  by  his  own  example, 
which  any  American  youth  may  well  emulate. 
The  same  steadfast  and  persistent  effort  which 
characterized  his  career  in  life  is  sure  to  bring 
prosperity  to  any  one.  He  never  spent  time  or 
money  in  the  follies  which  are  all  too  prevalent 
among  young  men  of  the  present  day,  but  re- 
solved on  a  course  of  industry  and  thrift,  and  ad- 
hered to  his  plans  through  "good"  and  "bad 
times." 

Of  the  seven  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ortmayer,  three  died  in  early  childhood.  The 
eldest  of  the  others,  Annie,  died  while  the  wife 
of  Albert  Kuhlmay.  Carl  G.  is  manager  of  the 
business  of  A.  Ortmayer  &  Son.  Carrie  is  now 
the  wife  of  Albert  Kuhlmay,  and  Emma  is  Mrs. 
Theophile  Pfister,  all  of  Chicago. 

Though  always  a  busy  man,  until  failing 
health  compelled  him  to  abandon  his  activities 
three  years  ago,  Mr.  Ortmayer  found  time  to  cul- 
tivate pleasant  social  relations,  and  was  always 
deservedly  popular  among  his  fellow-citizens. 
He  was  for  many  years  an  active  member  of  the 
Germania  Club,  and  held  membership  in  Accor- 
dia  Lodge,  No.  277,  of  the  Masonic  order.  He 
cherished  liberal  religious  views,  and  always  ad- 
hered to  Republican  principles  in  politics.  He 
was  never  ambitious  to  hold  public  office,  but 
always  strove  to  fulfill  the  duties  of  a  good 
American  citizen,  and  with  eminent  success. 
He  died  on  Sunday,  February  3,  1895,  having 
succumbed  to  an  acute  attack  of  bronchitis,  which, 
combined  with  other  difficulties,  burst  the  bonds 
of  life. 


OF  THE 

OF  I 


JOEL  ELLIS. 


JOEL  ELLIS, 


(I  OEL  ELLIS,  for  nearly  fifty  years  an  active 

I  citizen  and  useful  business  man  of  Chicago, 
(*)  was  descended  from  the  old  Puritan  stock 
which  has  done  so  much  in  developing  the  men- 
tal, moral  and  material  interests  of  the  United 
States.  The  energy,  fortitude  and  stern  moral 
character  which  characterized  the  founders  of  the 
New  England  colonies  is  still  observed  in  many 
of  their  descendants,  and  these  attributes  were 
possessed  by  Joel  Ellis  in  a  marked  degree. 

His  first  ancestor  of  whom  any  record  is  now 
to  be  found  was  Barzillai  Ellis,  born  June  9, 
1747,  presumably  in  Massachusetts,  and  of  Eng- 
lish blood.  March  6,  1773,  he  married  Sarah 
Tobey,  who  was  born  June  5,  1755,  no  doubt  in 
the  same  state  and  of  similiar  ancestry.  They 
resided  in  Conway,  Franklin  County,  Massachu- 
setts, whence  they  moved,  about  the  close  of  the 
last  century,  to  Chautauqua  County,  New  York. 
Here  Barzillai  Ellis  died  in  1827.  His  youngest 
son,  Samuel  Ellis,  died  in  Chicago  in  1853.  The 
other  children  were  Barzillai,  Asa,  Freeman,  Ben- 
jamin, Joel  and  Elnathan. 

The  children  of  Benjamin  Ellis  were  Parmelia, 
Eleanor,  Jane,  Stephen,  Mason,  Datus,  Joel  (the 
subject  of  this  sketch)  and  Ensign.  His  wife 
was  Sophia  Birch,  a  native  of  Connecticut.  Ben- 
jamin Ellis  died  in  Fredonia,  New  York,  in  the 
year  1855.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  cleared  up  land 
in  the  primeval  forest,  which  consumed  the  best 
years  of  his  life  and  required  the  assistance  of 
his  children,  who  had  little  opportunity  to  attend 
school. 

Joel  Ellis  was  born  in  Fredonia,  Chautauqua 
County,  New  York,  May  25,  1818.  As  above 


indicated,  his  early  years  were  devoted  to  the  toil 
which  usually  befell  farmers'  sons  in  those  days, 
and  he  attended  school  but  very  little.  Schools 
were  far  apart  and  held  sessions  of  only  three 
months  per  year,  in  winter,  when  attendance  on 
the  part  of  many  children  was  almost  impossible. 
However,  Joel  Ellis  was  blessed  by  nature  with  a 
sound  mind  and  body,  and  his  clear  judgment 
and  active  industry  made  him  a  successful  busi- 
ness man  and  good  citizen. 

When,  in  1838,  he  set  out  for  the  West, 
whither  an  uncle  (Samuel  Ellis,  before  mentioned) 
had  preceded  him,  he  was  an  energetic  and  self- 
reliant  young  man  of  twenty  years,  full  of  cour- 
age and  hopefulness  arid  the  ardor  and  ambition  of 
a  strong  nature.  Arriving  in  the  autumn,  he 
found  the  young  city  of  Chicago  suffering  from 
the  commercial  and  industrial  stagnation  which 
followed  the  financial  panic  of  1837,  and  his 
search  for  employment  was  a  vain  one.  The  only 
offer  which  he  received  was  from  his  uncle,  who 
was  engaged  in  farming  some  miles  from  the  then 
city,  but  on  ground  now  built  up  with  thousands  of 
the  finest  homes  in  Chicago,  along  Ellis,  Green- 
wood and  other  avenues  of  the  South  Side.  He 
continued  in  farm  labor  with  his  uncle  for  two 
years,  much  of  which  time  was  occupied  in  chop- 
ping wood  from  the  timber  which  then  covered 
this  region,  and  which  must  be  cleared  away  to 
make  room  for  a  tillable  farm. 

From  1840  to  1858  he  was  associated  with 
Archibald  Cly bourn,  an  active  business  man  of 
Chicago,  and  became  thoroughly  conversant  with 
the  meat  business,  which  was  one  of  Mr.  Cly- 
bourn's  chief  enterprises.  It  was  at  the  house  of 


320 


JOEL  ELLIS. 


Mr.  Clybourn  that  he  met  the  lady  who  became 
his  wife  in  1844.  This  was  Miss  Susan  Gallo- 
way, a  sister  of  Mrs.  Clybourn  and  daughter  of 
James  and  Sally  (McClenthan)  Galloway,  of 
Pennsylvania  birth  and  Scotch  ancestry.  Her 
grandfather,  Samuel  Galloway,  was  a  native  of 
Scotland,  whose  wife  was  of  Pennsylvania-German 
descent.  They  were  among  the  earliest  settlers 
on  the  Susquehanna  River,  and  Samuel  Galloway 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  Army.  Mrs. 
Ellis  was  taken  by  her  parents,  when  a  small 
child,  to  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  thence  the  family 
came  to  Chicago,  arriving  on  the  gth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1826.  They  left  Sandusky  on  the  ist  of 
October,  in  a  sailing-vessel,  and  were  wrecked 
south  of  Mackinaw,  but  were  rescued  by  another 
vessel,  which  brought  them  to  Chicago. 

James  Galloway  had  visited  Illinois  in  the  fall 
of  1824,  and  was  very  much  charmed  with  the 
country  about  the  Grand  Rapids  of  the  Illinois 
River  (now  known  as  Marseilles),  where  he 
bought  a  claim.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1826-27 
in  Chicago,  with  his  family,  and  settled  on  this 
claim  in  the  following  spring,  and  continued  to 
reside  there  the  balance  of  his  life.  His  wife 
died  in  1830,  and  he  subsequently  married  Ma- 
tilda Stipes,  of  Virginia.  In  character  Mr.  Gal- 
loway was  a  fit  representative  of  his  sturdy 
Scotch  ancestry,  and  was  well  fitted  for  pioneering 
in  those  early  days,  when  means  of  travel  and 
communication  were  difficult,  and  the  dwellers  in 
the  wilderness  were  compelled  to  forego  many 
comforts  and  social  advantages,  besides  braving 
the  enmity  of  their  savage  neighbors. 

Of  the  five  children  of  James  and  Sally  Gallo- 
way, Mrs.  Clybourn  is  the  eldest.  The  second, 
Jane,  wife  of  Washington  Holloway,  died  in  1894. 
John  died  iu  Missouri ;  Susan  is  Mrs.  Ellis;  George, 
born  April  12,  1828,  at  Marseilles,  is  now  de- 
ceased. Of  the  second  marriage,  Archibald  and 
Marshall  are  the  only  surviving  offspring.  The 
former  now  shares  a  part  of  the  original  farm  at 
Marseilles  with  George's  widow.  The  latter  re- 
sides in  Chicago. 

On  leaving  the  employ  of  Mr.  Clybourn,  Mr. 
Ellis  engaged  in  the  retail  meat  business  on  his 
own  account,  and  furnished  supplies  to  many  of 


the  leading  hotels  and  to  vessels  entering  Chicago 
Harbor.  In  1865  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Thomas  Armour  and  began  an  extensive  whole- 
sale business  in  meats  and  provisions,  which 
grew  beyond  his  fondest  dreams  of  success.  In 
fifteen  years  he  amassed  a  comfortable  fortune, 
which  was  largely  invested  in  improved  real 
estate  in  the  city.  As  the  care  of  his  property 
absorbed  much  of  his  time,  he  decided  to  retire 
from  active  business,  and,  in  the  spring  of  1871, 
he  purchased  twenty  acres  in  the  town  of  Jeffer- 
son (now  apart  of  the  city  of  Chicago),  on  which 
he  built  a  handsome  suburban  home,  in  which  he 
hoped  to  pass  the  balance  of  his  days  in  well- 
earned  rest  from  the  arduous  labors  which  had 
occupied  his  earlier  years.  Scarcely  was  he  set- 
tled in  his  new  home  when  the  great  fire  of  Octo- 
ber, 1871,  robbed  him  of  all  his  buildings  save 
the  home  at  Jefferson,  just  completed.  Without 
any  repining,  he  set  to  work  at  once  to  repair  the 
losses.  It  was  his  custom  to  rise  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  and  drive  into  the  city  to  begin 
business.  There  were  no  rapid-transit  systems 
then  to  move  suburban  residents  quickly  from 
and  to  their  homes,  and  he  took  means  which 
would  appall  any  but  such  stout  natures  as  his 
to  rebuild  his  fortunes.  In  this  he  was  moder- 
ately successful,  and  when  a  cancer  caused  his 
death  at  his  home  in  Jefferson,  October  29, 
1886,  he  left  his  family  comfortably  provided  for. 
A  quiet,  unassuming  man,  he  gave  little  at- 
tention to  public  affairs,  though  he  took  the  in- 
terest in  local  and  national  progress  which  every 
true  American  must  feel,  and  discharged  his  duty 
as  it  appeared  to  him  by  supporting  the  Republi- 
can party  after  it  came  into  existence,  having 
formerly  affiliated  with  the  Whigs.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  an 
active  supporter  of  the  Universalist  Church,  be- 
ing among  the  organizers  of  St.  Paul's  congre- 
gation, whose  pastor,  Rev.  W.  E.  Manly,  per- 
formed the  ceremony  which  made  him  the  head 
of  a  family.  Besides  his  widow,  he  left  three 
children,  namely:  Lucretia,  the  widow  of  George 
W.  Pinney,  residing  in  Chicago;  Winfield,  of 
Highland  Park,  Illinois;  and  Mary  Josephine, 
Mrs.  Algernon  S.  Osgood,  of  Chicago. 


FRANK   SPAMER. 


FRANK  SPAMER. 


["RANK  SPAMER,  who  is  a  highly  respected 
JW  citizen  of  Chicago,  comes  of  a  race  of  sturdy 
|  men,  of  a  nation  recognized  as  possessing 
great  stability  and  perseverance,  which  qualities 
help  to  make  up  a  strong  character.  Born  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1826,  Mr.  Spamer  is  a  son  of  George 
Theodore  and  Dorothea  (Gaebel)  Spamer,  who 
resided  in  the  city  of  Schatten,  Darmstadt,  Ger- 
many, at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  their  son  Frank. 

Mr.  Spamer  landed  in  New  York  October  6, 
1857,  after  a  tiresome  journey,  with  a  brave  heart 
and  a  determination  to  succeed.  He  had  learned 
the  trade  of  cabinet-maker,  having  served  three 
years  as  apprentice  after  reaching  his  fourteenth 
year.  He  was  occupied  at  that  trade  until  he 
came  to  America,  with  the  exception  of  two  years 
and  two  months,  parts  of  1848,  1849  and  1850, 
when  he  was  in  the  German  army.  With  his 
wife  and  three  children  Mr.  Spamer  arrived  in 
America  and  remained  in  New  York,  after  which 
he  removed  to  Beverly,  Massachusetts.  One 
year  subsequently  he  went  to  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, and  resided  a  short  time  in  Cambridge. 

He  was  in  Boston  at  the  time  the  Civil  War 
broke  out  and  enlisted  June  13,  1861,  in  Com- 
pany C,  Eleventh  Massachusetts  Volunteer  In- 
fantry, thus  proving  his  loyalty  to  his  adopted 
country.  He  was  wounded  in  the  right  side  at 
the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  injury  being 
slight.  He  was  a  prisoner  of  the  South  ten 
months  and  ten  days,  and  was  in  Richmond, 
Virginia,  from  July  21,  1861,  until  December, 


and  was  then  sent  to  Tuscaloosa,  Alabama,  from 
which  point  he  was  taken  to  Wilmington,  North 
Carolina,  to  be  exchanged.  He  was  sent  to  Sal- 
isbury, North  Carolina,  however,  some  hitch 
occurring  in  the  proceedings.  He  was  exchanged 
at  Salisbury.  His  enlistment  being  for  three 
months  only,  he  was  discharged  after  his  ex- 
change. He  was  stricken  with  scurvy  during 
his  service  and  was  very  sick  for  a  time. 

On  his  withdrawal  from  the  service  of  the  Gov- 
ernment Mr.  Spamer  traveled  as  helper  in  the 
service  of  the  Artist  Glass  Company,  traversing 
much  of  the  country.  He  continued  with  that 
concern  until  he  came  to  Chicago  in  July,  1865, 
and  then  occupied  himself  at  his  trade.  He  en- 
tered the  service  of  Herrman  &  Rigger,  located 
on  Division  Street,  remaining  thus  occupied  two 
years.  He  later  became  an  employe  of  Adolph 
Seller,  located  at  the  corner  of  Washington  and 
Canal  Streets,  assisting  in  the  manufacture 
of  billiard  and  pool  tables.  He  remained  in  this 
employ  until  the  concern  passed  into  the  hands 
of  the  Brunswick-Balke  Company,  when  he  be- 
came collector  for  the  last-mentioned  firm.  He 
left  this  service  to  establish  a  catering  business 
of  his  own,  starting  in  1884  at  the  corner  of 
North  Avenue  and  Halsted  Street. 

After  two  months  he  sold  the  business  to  Philip 
Karpan  and  occupied  himself  at  his  trade  for  a 
time.  He  subsequently  started  a  boarding  house 
on  North  Avenue.  He  sold  out  after  one  year 
and  started  again  at  No.  264  L,arrabee  Street, 


322 


P.  E.  HUGUELET. 


which  he  continued  two  years.  He  has  worked 
at  his  trade  since  that  time,  two  years  being  em- 
ployed by  the  city.  He  manufactures  a  com- 
pound called  celery  extract  and  also  celery  salt. 

Mr.  Spamer  was  married,  November  14,  1852, 
to  Miss  Eliza  Margaret  Schmidt,  daughter  of 
Johann  George  and  Katharine  (Hoffman) 
Schmidt.  Mrs.  Spamer  was  born  February  2, 
1827,  in  Germany,  and  is  a  pleasant  and  refined 
woman,  a  helpmate  in  every  sense  and  a  worthy 
character.  Mrs.  Spamer 's  grandfather  was  John 
Adam  Schmidt,  whose  wife  was  Elizabeth  Rock- 
mir.  Her  paternal  grandfather  was  John  Hoff- 
man. 

Mr.   and  Mrs.   Spamer  became  the  parents  of 


five  children,  of  whom  mention  is  here  made  in 
brief:  Caroline  was  born  May  6,  1851,  married 
Conrad  Limn,  a  carpenter,  and  resides  at  Hinck- 
ley,  De  Kalb  County,  Illinois;  their  children 
were  named:  Henry  (deceased),  Fritz  and  Mary. 
George  Frederick,  the  second  of  the  children  of 
Frank  Spamer,  died  at  the  age  of  seven  weeks. 
Katharine  was  born  May  23,  1854,  and  died  July 
i,  1892;  she  married  Herman  Arnold  and  resided 
in  Chicago.  She  left  the  following  children  to 
mourn  her  loss:  Charles,  John,  Ida  and  Herman. 
Theodore,  born  January  9,  1857,  died  at  the  age 
of  four  years.  Frank,  born  after  the  family 
reached  America,  is  the  subject  of  another  article 
in  this  work. 


PIERRE  E.  HUGUELET. 


|~VERRE  EMANUEL  HUGUELET,  a  re. 

yr  spected  and  worthy  citizen  of  Chicago,  has 
fS  been  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  city 
for  many  years,  and  is  loyal  to  his  adopted  coun- 
try. He  was  born  December  5,  1842,  in  Canton 
Berne,  Switzerland.  For  further  mention  of  an- 
cestry refer  to  biography  of  Louis  Huguelet,  on 
another  page  of  this  work. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  entered  the 
employ  of  George  Metz,  a  hardware  merchant, 
and  was  occupied  as  a  laborer  one  year.  He 
then  entered  the  employ  of  George  Sands,  who 
conducted  a  brewery,  with  whom  he  continued 
two  years.  After  one  year  in  the  service  of  the 
McCormick  Reaper  Works  he  entered  the  employ 
of  John  Waldo,  with  whom  he  remained  the  same 
length  of  time.  During  the  next  year  he  was  in 
the  sash  and  door  factory  of  S.  D.  Russell.  For 
a  time  he  did  teaming  with  his  own  horses,  and 
again  entered  a  sash  and  door  factory,  operated 
by  C.  J.  L.  Meyer. 

The  fact  that  he   was  in  the  service  of  the  last 


named  employer  eighteen  years  goes  to  prove  that 
he  is  possessed  of  integrity  and  strength  of  char- 
acter. For  three  years  he  has  been  occupied  in 
teaming,  in  the  interests  of  Lawrence  Huck,  lo- 
cated at  No.  62  Crosby  Street.  He  is  a  valued 
and  honored  employe,  and  is  respected  by  all  who 
come  in  contact  with  his  genial  nature. 

Mr.  Huguelet  was  married  to  Miss  Amala 
Laura,  daughter  of  Gottfried  and  Christine 
(Meyer)  Seidenschwanz.  She  was  born  Septem- 
ber 29,  1839,  in  Saxony,  Germany,  and  is  a  con- 
genial and  helpful  life  companion  and  a  comfort 
to  her  husband.  With  her  parents  and  nine  other 
children,  she  arrived  in  Chicago  September  i, 
1847.  They  had  landed  in  Quebec  and  traveled 
from  there  to  Buffalo,  and  by  steamer  "Niagara" 
to  Chicago.  They  spent  forty-two  days  in  a 
sailing  vessel  on  the  ocean.  The  father  and  four 
children  died  two  months  after  their  arrival  in 
America.  The  children  who  died  were  named: 
Herman,  Carl,  William  and  Godfrey. 

Mrs.  Seidenschwanz    kept  the  family  together 


ADAM  BOETTIGER. 


323 


and  purchased  a  land  claim  from  Mr.  Bright. 
She  paid  seventy  dollars  for  the  claim,  and  the 
house  where  Mr.  Huguelet  now  lives  stands  on 
the  ground.  The  old  house  was  burned  in  the 
fire  of  1 87 1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seidenschwanz  were 
the  parents  often  children,  of  whom  the  following 
brief  mention  is  made: 

Christoph,  born  March  29,  1828,  married  Doro- 
thy Rehm,  December  12,  1854,  and  resides  at  No. 
267  Rush  Street.  Augusta  married  Christian 
Haas,  who  came  to  America  in  1852.  His  chil- 
dren are  three  in  number,  as  follows:  Frederick, 
who  keeps  a  meat  market  at  the  corner  of  Oakley 
Avenue  and  Thirty-third  Street;  Emma,  wife  of 
Edward  Harsh,  living  at  the  corner  of  Thirty- 
third  and  Leavitt  Streets;  and  Christian  T.,  the 
youngest,  residing  with  the  man  whose  name 
heads  this  article.  Minnie,  the  next  in  order  of 
birth,  married  Tobias  Almendinger  (now  de- 
ceased), and  resides  on  Wilton  Avenue,  near 
Waveland  Avenue.  Amala  is  Mrs.  Huguelet. 
Emma  married  Benjamin  Slater,  who  is  retired, 


and  resides  at  No.  22  Chestnut  Place.  Frederick 
resides  at  No.  23  Chestnut  Place. 

Mrs.  Huguelet's  paternal  grandfather  had  time 
children:  Gottfried,  Christoph  and  Gottleib.  Her 
maternal  grandfather,  George  Andrew  Meyer, 
married  Christina  Miller,  and  their  children  weie 
named  Christina  and  Andrew.  They  had  a  farm 
in  Germany.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  E. 
Huguelet  were  seven  in  number:  Amala  W.  S. 
was  the  oldest.  Augusta  died  at  the  age  of  six 
months.  Edward  Jule  Eugene  was  the  next  in 
order  of  birth.  Maud  Augusta  died  at  the  age  of 
five  and  one- half  years.  Frances  Elizabeth  died 
when  ten  years  of  age.  Emily  Christina  married 
Frederick  Seidenschwanz,  junior,  and  her  hus- 
band being  now  deceased,  she  is  living  with  her 
parents.  Minnie  Julia  is  the  youngest. 

The  house  Mr.  Huguelet  resides  in  was  erected 
by  Henry  Fuller  in  1872,  and  he  has  occupied  it 
with  his  family  since  1874.  He  is  loyal  to  the 
Republican  party,  and  his  influence  is  used  for 
the  right  in  all  instances. 


ADAM  BOETTIGER. 


(31  DAM  BOETTIGER,  who  is  living  in  retire- 
LJ  ment,  was  born  in  Hesse-Darmstadt,  Ger- 
/  |  many,  November  12,  1829.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  parish  school  until  fourteen  years 
old,  and  was  then  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 
Church.  He  then  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  at  the  trade  of  stone  and  brick 
mason,  at  which  he  worked  until  he  immigrated. 
In  June,  1854,  he  went  down  the  River  Rhine  to 
Rotterdam,  and  then  to  Havre,  when  he  took 
passage  on  a  sailing  ship  that  carried  over  five 
hundred  passengers. 

The  ocean  voyage  of  forty-six  days  was  a  very 
unpleasant  one   and   fraught  with  many    trying 


and  sad  incidents.  The  cholera  broke  out  on 
board  ship,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty -eight 
people  died  and  were  buried  in  the  sea.  After 
this  the  black  small- pox  broke  out  just  before 
coming  in  sight  of  New  York. 

After  arrival  in  New  York  Mr.  Boettigercame 
directly  to  Chicago.  Three  days  after  he  arrived 
in  the  city  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company,  as  a  mason,  to  assist 
in  building  the  freight  depot.  He  was  occupied 
at  his  trade,  as  foreman  in  the  service  of  other 
men,  until  1873,  with  the  exception  of  one  year, 
when  he  was  a  contractor,  in  company  with 
Charles  Meister.  In  1873  he  was  appointed  by 


324 


LOUIS  HANSON. 


the  commissioner  of  public  works  of  Chicago 
to  the  position  of  building  inspector.  As  this 
was  shortly  after  the  fire  of  1871,  he  had  very 
much  work  to  do.  He  superintended  the  erection 
of  the  Halsted  Street  viaduct,  the  Lake  Street 
bridge  and  the  Harrison  Street  police  station,  in 
1873,  and  served  as  local  inspector  of  buildings 
and  street  improvements  under  Mayors  Heath 
and  Colvin. 

Mr.  Boettiger  held  this  position  until  1880, 
when  he  was  appointed  chief  inspector,  by  Mayor 
Harrison.  He  served  during  that  gentleman's 
administration,  the  full  term  under  DeWitt  C. 
Cregier  and  a  part  of  the  time  under  the  adminis- 
tration of  Mayor  Washburne.  He  held  this  po- 
sition until  the  2ist  of  February,  1894,  having 
faithfully  served  the  city's  interests  for  a  period 
of  eighteen  years,  after  which  he  retired  from 
active  business  life. 

Mr.  Boettiger  has  always  taken  a  lively  inter- 
est in  the  affairs  of  the  city  and  was  active  in 
the  support  of  the  Democratic  party,  although 


for  a  time  after  becoming  a  citizen  he  supported 
the  Republican  party.  He  keeps  himself  well  in- 
formed on  the  questions  of  the  day.  He  is  a 
member  of  Goethe  Lodge  No.  329,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  Humboldt  Encamp- 
ment No.  101,  of  the  same  order. 

Mr.  Boettiger  was  married  February  22,  1857, 
to  Miss  Louise  Voss,  who  proved  to  be  all  that  a 
man  could  desire,  to  lighten  his  burden  of  hard- 
ships and  responsibility.  Mrs.  Boettiger  was 
born  in  Braunschweig,  Germany,  came  to  Chicago 
in  1855,  and  died  February  27,  1895.  She  had 
five  children,  only  three  of  whom  are  living  at 
the  present  writing,  namely:  William,  who  is  in 
the  employ  of  Marshall  Field  &  Company,  and 
resides  at  Hinsdale;  Louise,  at  home;  and  Adam, 
who  is  employed  in  the  Union  Trust  Company's 
Bank.  The  members  of  the  family  are  connected 
with  St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
and  are  highly  respected  in  the  community  where 
they  dwell,  in  harmony  with  each  other  and  the 
world  in  general. 


LOUIS  HANSON. 


I  GUIS  HANSON,    a  well-known    manufac- 

I 1  turer  and  business  man  of  Chicago,  was 
|_2J     born   in    Denmark    September    16,     1843. 
He  remained  in  that  country  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  when  he  resolved  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  United  States,   and  ac- 
cordingly   crossed    the    Atlantic    to     Portland, 
Maine.     He  spent  one  year  in  that  city,  finding 
employment  in  a  picture  frame  factory,  and  re- 
ceiving one  dollar  per  day  for  his  labor.     In  1866 
he  removed  to  Boston,  where  he  secured  similar 
employment.       Hearing  of  greater    advantages 
for  ambitious  young  men   farther  west,   he  came 
to  Chicago  in  1867   and  at  once  secured  work. 
He   proved    to   be   industrious,    and    continued 


working  in  various  factories,  carefully  saving  all 
he  could,  and  learning  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
business  ways  of  the  country.. 

In  1871  he  resolved  to  start  in  business  for  him- 
self, and,  with  this  in  view,  formed  a  partnership 
with  David  Goodwillie.  The  firm  began  the 
manufacture  of  picture  frames,  and  a  year  later 
Mr.  Goodwillie' s  sons  took  his  place  in  the  firm, 
this  partnership  continuing  until  1874.  In  that 
year  Mr.  Hanson  and  nine  others  bought  out  the 
Goodwillies  for  $3,400,  and  remained  in  the  bus- 
iness until  1877,  when  the  subject  of  this  notice 
was  able  to  buy  out  his  partners  and  take  entire 
control.  Thus,  by  diligent  attention  to  his 
work,  he  became  owner  of  a  growing  business, 


F.  V.  HOFMANN. 


325 


which,  under  his  careful  personal  management, 
has  increased  to  a  wonderful  extent.  Having 
begun  at  the  bottom  round  of  the  ladder,  he  is 
familiar  with  every  detail  of  his  establishment, 
and  is  thus  able  to  give  instruction  and  advice 
wherever  needed.  Several  departments  have 
been  added  to  his  factory  and  he  now  manufac- 
tures various  articles,  besides  mirror  and  picture 
frames  and  mouldings.  Some  of  the  largest  bar- 
ber shops  in  both  East  and  West  have  been  fitted 
up  with  furniture  manufactured  by  Mr.  Hanson. 
In  October,  1898,  he  made  and  shipped  a  large 
barbers'  case  to  Johannesburg!!,  Africa.  In  his 
business  career,  Mr.  Hanson  has  not  been  with- 
out his  discouragements.  In  1880  his  entire  plant 
was  burned,  including  tools  and  machinery.  His 
courage  did  not  abate,  however,  and  within 
three  days  he  bought  an  entire  plant  and  contin- 
ued his  business  at  No.  151  Washington  Street. 
In  1883  he  had  so  far  recovered  his  loss  that  he 
was  able  to  build  his  present  large  and  commo- 
dious plant  at  Nos.  136  and  138  North  Curtis 
Street.  This  building  is  one  hundred  thirty  feet 
by  sixty  feet  in  dimensions,  and  in  it  are  em- 
ployed about  ninety  hands.  In  the  year  1892 


they  received  the  sum  of  $40,000  in  wages. 
The  product  of  this  factory  is  well  known  all 
over  the  country,  and  is  sold  from  Maine  to 
California. 

In  May,  1870,  Mr.  Hanson  was  married  to 
Miss  Caroline  Nortensen.  Six  children  have 
been  born  of  this  marriage,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing at  home  and  all  were  born  in  Chicago. 
Their  names  in  order  of  birth  are:  Maria,  Martin, 
Lizzie,  John,  Rosa  and  Louis.  They  have  re- 
ceived the  best  of  educational  advantages  and 
have  all  been  carefully  reared.  Their  home  is  a 
fine  residence  at  No.  668  North  Hoyne  Avenue. 
This  house  was  first  built  in  1879,  but  was  re- 
built in  1891. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  may  well  be  proud 
of  his  business  career,  having  advanced  by  his 
own  efforts  from  poverty  to  independence  and 
wealth.  He  recognizes  the  broadening  influence 
of  travel,  and  has  visited  many  scenes  of  interest 
both  East  and  West.  He  has  supported  the 
Republican  ticket  for  many  years,  and  voted  both 
times  for  General  Grant,  of  whom  he  was  a  great 
admirer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  National  Union 
and  of  the  Dania  Society. 


FRANK  V.  HOFMANN. 


f~  RANK  VALENTINE  HOFMANN,  a  pop- 
r^  ular  citizen  of  the  village  of  Lyons,  was 
I  born  in  Chicago,  June  n,  1866,  a  son  of 
Valentine  and  Barbara  (Veil)  Hofmann,  both  na- 
tives of  Germany,  the  former  of  Hessen- Darm- 
stadt and  the  latter  of  Baden.  Frank  V.  Hof- 
mann's  paternal  great-grandfather,  George  Hof- 
mann, a  tanner  by  trade,  died  at  the  age  of  one 
hundred  and  thirteen  years.  His  son,  Alois 
Hofmann,  came  to  America  in  1846,  with  his 
family,  and  located  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania. 
In  1849  he  removed  to  Sharpsburg,  the  same 


State,  and  a  suburb  of  Pittsburgh.  Here  he  owned 
and  operated  farm  lands  and  was  extensively  en- 
gaged in  the  cooperage  business,  manufacturing 
staves  and  nail  kegs.  He  was  also  a  talented 
musician  of  his  day,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years. 

Alois  Hofmann  was  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Anna  Mary  Wilhelm,  grandmother  of 
the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article,  and  his 
second  was  Frances  Yaeger.  Valentine  Hof- 
manu  was  born  March  15,  1831,  and  came  to 
America  with  his  parents  in  1846.  While  em- 


326 


THORE  TOLLAKSON. 


ployed  in  the  factory  of  his  father,  his  right  hand 
was  severed  by  a  buzz  saw.  In  1855  he  arrived 
at  Chicago,  without  one  cent  to  his  name,  but 
soon  became  associated  with  his  brother  in  the 
hotel  business,  with  a  dairy  attached.  During 
the  gold  excitement  at  Pike's  Peak,  he  traveled 
overland  with  team  and  wagon  to  the  gold  fields. 
He  was  away  from  home  about  one  year  and 
paid  his  expenses  back  by  playing  the  violin  for 
money. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  sixth  decade  of  the 
present  century  he  embarked  in  the  meat  busi- 
ness, at  the  corner  of  Throop  and  Madison  Streets, 
Chicago,  and  from  there  removed  to  Twelfth 
Street  and  Western  Avenue,  near  the  Stock 
Yards,  where  he  had  one  of  the  largest  slaughter 
houses  in  the  city  at  that  time.  He  slaughtered 
cattle  by  the  carload,  for  the  trade  and  for  him- 
self. In  July,  1870,  he  located  in  Lyons,  where 
he  engaged  in  the  meat  and  hotel  business,  con- 
ducting the  market  for  a  very  short  time,  how- 
ever, and  later  giving  his  whole  attention  to  the 
hotel,  which  he  successfully  conducted  until  his 
death,  in  March,  1882.  He  was  six  years  at  the 
corner  of  Joliet  and  Ogden  Avenues,  and  the 
same  length  of  time  on  the  property  on  the  latter 
avenue,  now  conducted  by  his  sons,  Frank  and 
John,  which  he  purchased  in  1876.  After  his 
death  his  widow  and  son  continued  the  business 
four  years  and  rented  it  for  twelve  years.  Since 
March,  1898,  the  sons,  Frank  and  John,  have 
taken  it  in  charge. 

Valentine  Hofmann  was  married  February  14, 


1862,  to  Barbara,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Ehrhart)  Veil,  of  Baden,  Germany,  who  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1852,  and  located  in  Chi- 
cago. John  Veit  was  a  weaver  by  trade,  but  on 
coming  to  Chicago,  engaged  in  gardening  and 
also  carried  on  a  dairy.  The  issue  of  this  union 
was  seven  children :  Katharine  (Mrs.  John  Leach), 
Frank  V.,  John  A.,  William,  Elizabeth,  Mar- 
garet and  Mary.  Mr.  Hofmann  died  of  pneumo- 
nia, March  8,  1882,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  St.  Mary's  Roman  Catho- 
lic Church,  of  Lyons,  a  strict  disciplinarian — pro- 
gressive, and  an  advocate  of  the  public  school 
system. 

Frank  Valentine  Hofmann  was  reared  in  Lyons, 
from  the  time  he  reached  the  age  of  four  years. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  served 
a  three-years'  apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  followed  twelve  years,  principally 
as  a  contractor.  March  i,  1898,  with  his  brother, 
he  became  proprietor  of  the  famous  summer  re- 
sort now  known  as  Hofmann  Brothers  Park,  to 
which  is  added  a  cafe  and  restaurant.  They 
have  made  it  one  of  the  most  popular  resorts  in 
the  suburbs  of  Chicago,  for  recreation  and  for 
parties,  both  public  and  private. 

Mr.  Hofmann  is  a  member  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  He  is  serving  his  fifth  year 
and  third  term  as  Village  Trustee,  and  is  among 
the  popular  and  progressive  young  business  men 
of  Lyons.  As  to  politics  he  is  a  Democrat, 
staunch  and  true  to  his  party,  and  arguing  in 
favor  of  it  at  all  opportunities. 


THORE  TOLLAKSON. 


'HORE  TOLLAKSON,  deceased,  was  one  of 
the  worthy  sons  of  Norway  who  have  as- 
sisted in  the  building  up  of  the  great  city  of 
Chicago.     He  was  born  April  24,  1845,  in  Rose- 


land,  Flekkefiord,  on  the  rugged  coast  of  Nor- 
way, where  he  spent  the  first  sixteen  years  of  his 
life.  He  then  removed  to  the  great  seaport  town 
of  Stavanger,  and  served  an  apprenticeship  with 


MICHAEL  SCHIESS. 


327 


a  cabinet-maker.  In  1872  he  resolved  to  try  his 
fortune  in  the  New  World,  where  many  of  his 
countrymen  had  found  comfortable  homes,  and 
with  this  in  view  he  made  his  way  to  the  great 
western  metropolis,  Chicago,  arriving  there  May 
1 6.  He  soon  found  a  demand  for  his  services, 
and  began  working  in  a  shop  at  piece  work. 

Soon  after  he  concluded  that  he  would  begin 
business  for  himself,  where  he  would  receive  the 
entire  benefit  of  his  efforts,  and  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  a  man  named  Oleson,  for  the  manu- 
facture of  furniture.  Their  machinery  was  first 
run  by  a  windmill.  This  partnership  was  soon 
dissolved  and  a  new  firm  was  formed,  consisting 
of  Mr.  Tollakson  and  Mr.  Thorsen.  They  be- 
gan their  business  in  Canal  Street,  but  subse- 
quently removed  to  a  building  at  the  corner  of 
Lincoln  and  Kinzie  Streets.  This  was  the  same 
building  in  which  Mr.  Tollakson  worked  when 
he  first  arrived  in  Chicago.  The  business  grew 
rapidly  until  1882,  when  they  built  a  factory  on 
Armour  Street,  between  Austin  and  Grand  Ave- 
nues. About  a  year  and  one-half  later  they  ad- 
mitted to  the  firm  Nels  Arnesen,  and  the 
concern  was  incorporated  as  the  Central  Manu- 
facturing Company.  Mr.  Thorsen  was  president 
during  the  first  year,  but  from  that  time  until  his 
death  Mr.  Tollakson  filled  that  office. 

Coming  to  this  country  a  poor  man,  but  with 


abundant  courage  and  strong  determination  to 
succeed,  the  subject  of  this  notice  rose  above 
obstacles  and  secured  for  himself  and  his  family  a 
competence.  Among  his  business  associates  he 
was  greatly  respected  and  his  honesty  and  in- 
tegrity were  well  known.  He  invested  quite  ex- 
tensively in  real  estate,  possessing  a  number  of 
lots  and  other  valuable  property.  Politically  he 
was  a  supporter  of  the  men  and  issues  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  never  sought  political  favor 
at  the  hands  of  his  fellow-citizens.  He  was  a 
genial  companion  and  was  a  popular  member  of 
the  Columbia  Yacht  Club.  He  died  on  the  2d 
of  April,  1898,  and  was  mourned  as  a  loving 
husband  and  father  and  as  a  kind  neighbor  and 
friend. 

October  27,  1881,  Mr.  Tollakson  was  married 
to  Miss  Annie  Wang,  who  was  born  in  Norway 
February  10,  1856.  She  came  to  America  with 
her  parents  when  but  six  months  old,  and  the 
family  settled  at  Woodstock,  Illinois,  where  the 
father  died.  Mrs.  Tollakson  came  to  Chicago 
with  her  mother,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  and 
completed  her  education  in  the  schools  of  that 
city.  Five  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tollakson,  as  follows:  Mabel  C. ;  Theodore  Irv- 
ing, who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  months; 
Susanna,  who  died  at  the  age  of  five  days; 
Florence  T.  and  Pearl  C. 


MICHAEL  SCHIESS. 


bjl  ICHAEL  SCHIESS  is  a  highly  respected 
I  Y  I  old  settler  of  Chicago.  He  was  born  in 
\(3\  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  January  19,  1834, 
a  son  of  John  and  Dorothy  Schiess,  both  of  whom 
passed  away  in  his  native  land,  where  they  spent 
their  entire  lives.  Of  the  ten  children  born  to 
this  couple,  the  six  following  became  residents 
of  the  United  States. 


Katharine,  now  Mrs.  Hettinger,  lives  in  Ohio; 
Michael  is  next  in  order  of  birth;  Christina  Spate, 
deceased;  Margaret,  deceased;  Paulina,  widow  of 
Mr.  Heber,  of  Chicago;  and  John,  of  Dakota. 
Michael  was  the  first  to  emigrate.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  parish  schools  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  after  being  confirmed,  went  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  baker. 


328 


JAMES  THORSEN. 


He  came  to  America  in  1851,  landing  in  New 
York  April  14.  Three  days  later  he  went  to 
Buffalo,  New  York,  where  he  spent  about  a  year, 
and  subsequently  came  to  Chicago.  He  at  once 
began  learning  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  contin- 
ued to  work  at  this  until  1857,  when  times  be- 
came so  hard  that  work  in  his  line  could  not  be 
obtained.  He  then  decided  to  engage  in  any 
work  he  could  obtain,  and  for  a  few  years  rented 
land  on  Grand  and  North  Avenues  and  made  hay 
for  a  livelihood.  He  was  industrious  and  eco- 
nomical, and  saved  enough  of  his  earnings  to 
invest  in  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Center  and  West 
Chicago  Avenues,  and  later  purchased  another 
piece  of  property. 

This  investment  was  profitable  and  he  still 
owns  the  property  and  has  resided  on  this  place 
since  1 857.  During  his  long  residence  in  the 
city  he  has  been  variously  employed,  part  of  the 
time  as  laborer  and  at  teaming.  Mr.  Schiess 
has  never  taken  an  active  interest  in  political 
affairs  and  never  aspired  to  public  office  of  any 
kind. 


He  was  very  fortunate  in  securing  an  amiable 
life  companion  in  the  person  of  Mary,  daughter  of 
John  and  Katharine  Ueble,  a  native  of  Wurtetn- 
berg,  Germany,  whom  he  married  July  8,  1855. 
Mrs.  Schiess'  father  came  to  Chicago  in  1852, 
the  mother  following  in  1854,  with  the  six  chil- 
dren, arriving  August  15.  The  father  died  of 
cholera  October  6  of  that  year,  and  the  mother 
survived  until  February  10,  1884,  being  seventy- 
six  years  and  six  days  old  at  the  time  of  her 
death. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ueble  are:  John, 
deceased;  Mrs.  Schiess;  Barbara;  Anna,  widow 
of  Victor  Walter;  Katharine,  wife  of  August 
Dorring,  of  No.  896  West  Monroe  Street;  and 
Conrad,  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schiess  have 
four  children,  namely:  Anna,  wife  of  Albert  Ohl- 
endorf,  of  Chicago;  John,  a  clothier;  Edward; 
and  Mary,  wife  of  Dr.  A.  R.  Martin,  of  No. 
732  Hoyne  Avenue.  The  family  is  connected 
with  St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
and  each  one  is  influential  in  promoting  all  meas- 
ures for  the  good  of  mankind. 


JAMES  THORSEN. 


(I  AMES  THORSEN,  deceased,  was  among 
I  the  earliest  citizens  of  Danish  birth  to  make 
(•/  his  home  in  Chicago.  He  was  born  May  22, 
1825,  in  Schlesin,  Holstein,  Denmark,  now  apart 
of  Germany,  the  only  son  in  a  family  of  three 
children.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  city  and  in  his  youth  spent  some  time  in 
the  Danish  navy.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  year8 
he  made  the  long  journey  to  California,  where 
he  remained  about  ten  years.  He  was  in  that 
state  at  the  time  gold  was  discovered  and  became 
a  miner,  eventually  owning  a  mine. 

About  1854  he  returned  to  Denmark  with  his 
savings  and  entered  the  brewery  business,  which 


he  pursued  successfully  about  fifteen  years.  His 
residence  during  this  time  was  in  Copenhagen, 
and  in  1856  he  was  married  in  that  city  to  Miss 
Emma  Bloch,  who  was  born  in  Copenhagen. 
She  is  the  youngest  child  in  a  family  of  two  sons 
and  three  daughters,  and  received  a  liberal  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  her  native  city.  Her 
father,  Carl  Bloch,  was  a  sailor  and  ship  owner. 
In  1869  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thorsen  crossed  the 
Atlantic  with  their  family  and  journeyed  at  once 
to  Chicago,  where  Mrs.  Thorsen  opened  a  milli- 
nery store,  at  No.  155  Milwaukee  Avenue.  She 
continued  this  business  successfully  eight  years, 
accumulating  during  that  time  considerable  prop- 


J.  A.  HANSEN. 


329 


erty.  Mr.  Thorsen  secured  a  position  in  a  book 
store,  which  he  retained  for  some  time.  He  was 
a  man  of  quiet,  unassuming  habits,  but  won  the 
love  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  became  ac- 
quainted. He  was  an  influential  member  of  the 
Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  and  his 
absence  is  greatly  felt  by  all  his  fellow-members. 
He  passed  away  November  3,  1898,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-three  years,  and  his  remains  were  buried 
in  the  beautiful  cemetery  at  Graceland. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thorsen  were  born  five  chil- 
dren, all  but  the  youngest  of  whom,  Mitchell,  are 
still  living.  Mary  is  traveling  agent  for  a  whole- 
sale millinery  firm  of  Chicago;  James  B. ,  formerly 
of  the  bicycle  firm  of  Thorsen  &  Cassaday,  Chi- 
cago, is  president  of  the  Thorsen  Company, 


dealing  in  bicycle  material  ;  John  is  clerk  in 
a  retail  boot  and  shoe  store;  and  Peter  is  agent 
for  a  bicycle  firm.  Mrs.  Thorsen  is  prominent 
among  the  Danish  ladies  of  Chicago,  and  is  fore- 
most in  charitable  work.  She  was  the  leader  in 
the  movement  to  organize  the  Danish  Old  People's 
Home  Association,  to  build  a  home  for  the  aged 
Danish-born  citizens  of  Chicago,  and  it  was  at 
her  house  that  the  first  meeting  of  the  society  was 
held,  March  12,  1891.  She  was  its  first  presi- 
dent and  has  been  its  treasurer  seven  years,  and 
was  recently  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the 
association  by  acclamation.  The  society  is  now 
getting  ready  to  build  a  home,  having,  after  years 
of  patient  effort,  secured  sufficient  funds  for  the 
purpose. 


JOHN  A.  HANSEN. 


(JOHN  AUGUST  HANSEN,  who  has  been  a 
resident  of  Chicago  since  1853,  was  born 
O  in  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  Septem- 
ber 13,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of  Capt.  Hans  Han- 
sen,  who  was  a  seafaring  man  and  sailed  his  own 
ship  for  a  great  many  years.  John  A.  Hansen 
is  one  of  the  old  and  respected  citizens  of  the 
city,  and  conducts  a  first  class  catering  estab- 
lishment and  resort  at  No.  1311  North  Western 
Avenue. 

He  attended  the  parish  school  in  his  native 
place  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twelve  years 
and  then  went  sailing  with  his  father,  remaining 
with  him  three  years.  He  sailed  out  of  Ham- 
burg ten  years,  in  different  vessels,  and  on  one 
trip  he  went  to  Buenos  Ayres  and  was  on  the 
coast  of  South  America  three  years,  trading  in 
sun-dried  beef.  After  this  he  shipped  in  another 
vessel  and  visited  Australia  and  California.  He 
has  been  in  nearly  all  the  principal  seaports  of 
the  world.  He  was  twice  in  Saint  Petersburg 


and,  before  locating  permanently  in  America, 
made  four  trips  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  with 
passengers,  his  first  trip  being  in  1851.  In  1853 
he  located  permanently  in  the  United  States,  and 
made  two  trips  later  out  of  New  York  to  Pensa- 
cola. 

Mr.  Hansen  subsequently  traveled  to  Chicago, 
and  made  two  trips  as  a  sailor  on  the  lakes,  be- 
ing then  promoted  to  second  mate,  and  as  such 
made  five  trips.  He  became  first  mate,  and 
sailed  on  the  schooner  "Richard  Mott"  in  that  ca- 
pacity seven  years.  In  all  he  sailed  out  of  Chi- 
cago eleven  years.  He  then  started  his  present 
business,  on  Desplaines  street,  between  Harrison 
and  Polk  Streets.  He  did  a  profitable  business 
in  that  location  eleven  years  and  then  removed 
to  the  corner  of  Milwaukee  and  North  Avenues 
and  started  a  grocery  and  saloon,  remaining  at 
this  location  five  years.  From  there  he  moved 
to  his  present  place  of  business.  He  continued 
in  a  similar  line,  and  was  one  of  the  fiist  mer- 


330 


FERDINAND  LOTT. 


chants  to  locate  in  this  portion  of  the  city,  when 
it  was  but  sparsely  settled.  At  that  time  the 
streets  were  lighted  with  gasoline  lamps  and  Mr. 
Hausen  had  the  first  one  placed  on  that  part  of 
North  Western  Avenue.  In  his  various  busi- 
ness ventures  he  has  been  successful,  and  he 
erected  his  present  large  and  handsome  building 
in  1895.  The  ground  floor  is  used  for  business 
purposes,  and  in  the  upper  stories  are  four  res- 
idence flats. 

Since  the  time  Mr.  Hansen  became  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  he  has  taken  an  active  inter- 
est in  politics,  but  has  never  sought  political  pre- 
ferment. He  has  given  his  support  to  the  Dem- 


ocratic party,  attended  its  conventions  and  on 
different  occasions  declined  offered  nominations 
for  local  offices,  but  for  ten  years  served  as  cap- 
tain of  his  voting  precinct. 

Mr.  Hansen  is  a  member  of  the  Turners'  So- 
ciety and  of  the  Sons  of  Herman.  March  7, 
1873,  he  married  Miss  Louise  Hansen,  daughter 
of  Claus  Hansen ,  and  who  was  born  in  the  same 
part  of  Germany  as  her  husband.  They  have  a 
family  of  three  interesting  daughters,  Lillian, 
Minnie  and  Ellen,  all  of  whom  are  receiving  good 
educational  advantages.  The  family  is  connect- 
ed with  the  Evangelical  Church  and  is  one  of 
eminent  respectability. 


FERDINAND  LOTT. 


|"~ERDINAND  LOTT  is  one  of  the  pioneer 
rft  German-American  settlers  now  living  on 
I  ^  the  North  Side.  He  was  born  in  the  Hart- 
ney  Mountains,  in  Prussia,  January  24,  1836,  a 
son  of  Godfried  and  Marie  (Kerckner)  Lott. 
Godfried  Lott  kept  a  tavern  in  the  Fatherland, 
and  was  prominent  among  the  countrymen  near 
him.  Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  revolution 
in  1848,  he  decided  to  leave  the  country  of  his 
nativity,  because  of  the  suspicion  under  which  he 
was  held  by  the  government,  and  cast  his  lot  in 
the  New  World.  Putting  this  resolution  into 
effect,  he  left  Germany  in  September,  embarking 
at  Bremen  in  a  sailing-vessel  bound  for  New 
Orleans,  where  he  had  a  schoolmate  with  whom 
he  had  been  in  correspondence. 

After  an  ocean  voyage  of  some  weeks  he 
arrived  at  his  destination.  He  remained  there 
but  a  short  time  and  then  went  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri.  In  that  city  he  worked  a  short  time 
at  his  trade  (that  of  blacksmith) ,  and  then  came 
to  Chicago  in  1849.  His  first  work  here  was  for 
a  Mr.  Schuttler,  by  whom  he  was  employed  a 


short  time  and  subsequently  went  into  the  service 
of  Frank  Bush,  who  operated  a  wagon-making 
business  on  Washington  Street,  between  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Franklin  Street.  In  1851  he  wrote 
to  his  family  to  sell  his  property  and  come  to  the 
United  States,  or  he  would  return  home  and  take 
the  consequences  of  his  suspected  complicity  in 
the  revolution. 

His  wife  disposed  of  their  property  and  came 
with  their  five  children  to  America.  They 
landed  in  New  York  and  came  directly  to  Chi- 
cago, arriving  at  Rush  Street  bridge  November 
n,  1851 .  A  few  years  later  Mr.  Lott  established 
a  shop  on  the  corner  of  Halsted  and  Randolph 
Streets,  where  he  carried  on  the  manufacture  of 
wagons  for  several  years.  He  was  induced  to 
embark  in  the  manufacture  of  grain  drills,  which 
proved  a  failure  and  ruined  him  financially.  His 
wife  died  in  Chicago  in  1866,  and  in  1869  Mr. 
Lott  left  the  city  and  never  returned.  Of  their 
five  children  all  are  deceased  except  Ferdinand, 
of  this  sketch,  and  Adolph,  who  resides  in  Mem- 
phis, Tennessee. 


MICHAEL  LEONARD. 


331 


Ferdinand  Lott  was  sixteen  years  old  when  he 
came  to  Chicago.  After  leaving  school,  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years,  he  worked  at  the  occupa- 
tion of  blacksmith  with  his  uncle  until  he  left 
for  the  United  States.  In  May  of  the  year  fol- 
lowing his  arrival  in  Chicago,  he  engaged  with 
A.  C.  Ellithorp  and  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
four  years,  learning  the  trade  of  carriagemaker. 
He  worked  at  his  trade  as  a  journeyman  thirty- 
two  years,  for  different  manufacturers.  As  he 
was  a  first-class  mechanic  and  wheelmaker,  he 
was  never  out  of  employment,  and  during  the 
last  fifteen  years  of  this  period  he  was  employed 
by  Hugh  McFarland,  a  manufacturer  of  express 
wagons. 

Too  much  hard  work  broke  his  constitution 
and  forced  him  to  abandon  labor,  and  he  retired 
in  1883.  He  commanded  the  highest  salaries  at 
all  times,  and  was  careful  of  his  earnings.  As  a 
result  of  their  judicious  investment  he  is  able  to 
live  at  his  ease  in  his  declining  years,  though  he 
lost  heavily  in  the  fire  of  1871.  He  has  always 


been  a  loyal  citizen  and  takes  an  intelligent  inter- 
est in  public  affairs. 

He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  in  favor  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  1860,  and  has  since  sup- 
ported the  Republican  party.  He  never  sought 
office  nor  held  any,  except  that  of  judge  of  elec- 
tions, which  he  occupied  several  years.  He  was 
for  several  years  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Turn- 
gemeinde,  and  now  belongs  to  the  Pioneers' 
Society.  May  4,  1863,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Caroline,  only  daughter  of  Louis  Malzacher, 
mention  of  whom  is  made  on  another  page  of 
this  work.  She  is  a  native  of  Chicago.  They 
became  the  parents  of  two  children:  Louis  F., 
who  died  in  the  year  1893;  and  Edwin,  who  is  a 
musician. 

Mr.  Lott  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 
Church  and  still  gives  his  support  to  that  denom- 
ination, although  not  a  member  of  any  church. 
He  has  always  borne  a  good  reputation  for  his 
industry  and  integrity,  and  has  used  his  influence 
for  the  best  interests  of  society. 


MICHAEL  LEONARD. 


IV /[ICHAEL  LEONARD,  who  comes  of  very 
I Y I  old  German  stock,  is  one  of  our  many 
\(y\  prominent  citizens  and  business  men  who 
were  born  in  the  Fatherland  but  have  adopted 
America  as  their  country,  and  came  here  to  better 
their  financial  standing.  He  was  born  May  7, 
1841,  in  Bavaria,  Germany,  in  the  village  of 
Schmitzhausen.  His  parents  were  Michael  and 
Mary  (Gabriel)  Leonard.  Michael  Leonard, 
senior,  died  in  1845.  He  conducted  a  general 
store  in  his  native  land. 

His  wife  and  three  children  emigrated  from 
their  native  land  in  1851,  arriving  in  New  York, 
where  Michael  attended  school  two  years.  He 
then  obtained  employment  in  a  match  factory  and 


began  the  battle  of  life  in  earnest.  After  five 
months  he  entered  a  hat  factory,  remaining  one 
year.  He  spent  eighteen  months  subsequently  in 
a  candle  factory,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  years 
began  an  apprenticeship  in  the  lithographing 
business  with  Ferdinand  Meyer  &  Company,  at 
No.  96  Fulton  Street.  He  served  one  year  over 
his  time,  and  during  that  time  was  variously  em- 
ployed. 

In  1 866  Mr.  Leonard  located  in  Chicago  and 
entered  the  service  of  the  Western  Bank  Note 
Engraving  Company,  located  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  La  Salle  and  Randolph  Streets,  where 
he  remained  one  year  as  lithographer.  He  re- 
turned to  New  York  and  for  three  years  worked 


332 


FREDERICK  DIERCKS. 


in  various  lithographing  establishments.  He 
made  his  home  in  Morrisania,  which  is  one  of 
New  York's  suburbs.  At  this  time  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Monitor  Engine  Company,  No.  2, 
Volunteer  Fire  Department. 

In  1869  Mr.  Leonard  again  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Chicago,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Charles  Shober  Lithographing  Company,  located 
at  the  southeast  corner  of  Clark  and  Lake 
Streets.  He  next  spent  a  short  time  with  Louis 
Nelke,  at  No.  42  Clark  Street,  and  then  again  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Western  Bank  Note  En- 
graving Company,  and  was  with  it  until  the 
Chicago  fire  in  1871,  when  this  establishment 
was  burned.  It  later  started  business  in  the 
Grain  Manufacturers'  Building  on  South  Jeffer- 
son Street.  Mr.  Leonard  spent  a  short  time  with 
Edward  Mandel,  at  Twenty-second  and  State 
Streets,  and  two  years  in  the  employ  of  Ezra  A. 
Cook,  though  not  occupied  all  of  that  time.  Mr. 
Cook  was  located  on  Wabash  Avenue  near  South 
Water  Street.  Still  later,  having  been  one  year 
with  Mr.  Sherwood,  on  Arcade  Court,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Culver,  Page  &  Hoyne,  at  No.  140 
Monroe  Street,  who  were  succeeded  by  the  John 
Morris  Company.  This  house  was  in  turn  suc- 
ceeded by  P.  F.  Pettibone  &  Company.  Mr. 
Leonard  has  been  engaged  in  the  interests  of  this 
concern  the  past  sixteen  years,  and  is  a  valued, 
honored  and  trusted  employe.  Michael  Leonard 
has  a  brother,  Jacob,  who  is  engaged  in  the  same 
business  as  his  brother,  and  is  living  with  his 
wife  and  son  in  Chicago. 


July  16,  1871,  Mr.  Leonard  was  married  to 
Elizabeth  Hilcher,  a  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Louisa  (Hoppa)  Hilcher.  Charles  Hilcher  was 
born  in  Breslau,  Germany,  and  emigrated  to 
Philadelphia.  His  daughter,  Elizabeth,  was 
born  in  that  city,  and  Mr.  Hilcher  removed  his 
family  to  Chicago  in  1858.  His  children  were 
named:  Louisa,  Charles  and  Jennie  (twins), 
Elizabeth,  Edward  and  Lillian.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  Leonard  were  six  in  number, 
three  of  whom  are  deceased ;  they  are  respectively : 
Henry,  died  at  the  age  of  seven  months;  Lily,  at 
the  age  of  eight  months;  and  Joseph,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  three  years.  Of  the  living,  Edward 
Michael,  aged  twenty-six  years,  is  employed  by 
H.  H.  Kohlsaat  &  Company  at  Nos.  331-335 
Dearborn  Street,  asmanager.  He  married  Rye  B. 
Combs,  who  is  head  assistant  principal  of  the 
Auburn  Park  school,  and  lives  at  No.  6503  Stew- 
art Avenue.  George  Arthur,  aged  twenty-four 
years,  married  Ollie  Hagert,  and  resides  at  No. 
895  North Halsted  Street.  The  youngest  child, 
Jennie,  at  the  time  of  this  writing,  resides  at 
home. 

Michael  Leonard  is  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and 
was  reared  a  Roman  Catholic,  following  the 
teachings  of  his  father.  Mrs.  Leonard  comes  of 
Protestant  people.  He  is  a  man  of  quiet  and 
peaceable  demeanor,  but  an  interesting  conversa- 
tionalist. He  is  skilled  in  his  art  and  well  known 
among  lithographing  concerns  in  the  city.  He 
is  an  example  of  thriving  German  stock  and  has 
not  neglected  his  opportunities. 


FREDERICK  DIERCKS. 


r~  REDBRICK  DIERCKS,  a  worthy  pioneer, 
r3  was  born  in  Hanover,  Germany,  August 
I  17,  1818.  He  is  a  son  of  Frederick  and 
Katharine  Diercks,  who  were  of  a  very  old  and 


highly  respected  family.  Frederick  Diercks, 
senior,  was  the  father  of  six  children,  two  of 
whom  died  in  the  Fatherland.  The  remaining 
four  came  to  America.  Frederick,  of  this  men- 


ADOLPH  BURGER. 


333 


tion,  is  the  eldest.  Henry  enlisted  in  the  Union 
Army,  during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  by  the  Confederates.  He  met  the 
terrible  fate  of  many  of  our  brave  men,  and  died 
in  the  prison  at  Andersonville.  Mary,  who  be- 
came Mrs.  Meinheit,  is  deceased;  and  Christian 
'is  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  Iowa.  Both  the  parents 
died  in  Chicago. 

Frederick  and  Mary  came  to  America  in  1842, 
arriving  in  Chicago  October  2 1 .  The  next  year 
Henry  came,  and  two  years  later  Frederick  sent 
money  to  his  parents  to  enable  them  to  join  their 
family  in  this,  to  them,  new  country.  Frederick 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter  in  his  native 
land,  and  worked  many  years  at  this  occupation 
after  his  arrival  in  Chicago.  He  was  a  trusted 
and  valued  employe  in  the  car  shops  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company  for 


nearly  twenty-one  years,  proving  his  ability  and 
strength  of  character  by  this  long  period  of  ser- 
vice with  one  employer. 

Although  far  advanced  in  age,  he  has  been  oc- 
cupied more  or  less  at  his  trade  up  to  the  past 
two  years.  He  has  never  aspired  to  political 
honors,  but  has  steadily  supported  the  Republican 
party  since  its  organization.  In  December, 
1849,  he  married  Dorothy  Beckman,  who  has 
proven  a  helpmate  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 
To  them  were  born  nine  children,  six  of 
whom  are  now  living:  Henry,  of  Colorado; 
Anna,  Sophia;  Louise,  wife  of  John  O.  Ander- 
son; Dora,  now  Mrs.  J.  B.  Page;  and  Emma, 
wife  of  W.  J.  Mortimer.  The  family  is  con- 
nected with  St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  and  each  one  is  devout  and  recognized  as 
wielding  an  influence  for  the  promotion  of  good. 


ADOLPH  BURGER. 


(31  DOLPH  BURGER  is  a  native  of  picturesque 
LJ  Switzerland— a  country  whose  people  have 
J  I  more  freedom  than  the  people  of  any  other 
country  of  continental  Europe.  We  find  this  life 
of  freedom  stamped  on  the  Switzer  wherever  he 
may  be.  Mr.  Burger  was  born  June  18,  1845, 
in  the  village  of  Menziken,  in  the  canton  of 
Argau,  Switzerland,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and 
Anna  (Sager)  Burger,  and  is  a  true  type  of  the 
Switzer.  That  he  has  succeeded  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that  he  now  occupies  a  position  of  trust 
in  the  service  of  the  great  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railway  Company. 

His  paternal  grandfather  had  three  sons:  Jacob, 
John  and  Gottleib,  and  one  daughter.  Jacob 
Burger,  father  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this 
article,  was  born  June  18,  1800,  in  Switzerland, 
in  the  village  of  Burg.  He  was  the  owner  and 
conductor  of  a  blacksmith  business,  and  his  son 


Adolph  learned  the  same  trade  from  him.  Jacob 
Burger  died  when  seventy-one  years  of  age,  in 
1871.  He  was  twice  married,  and  by  his  first 
wife  his  children  were:  Henry,  Jacob,  Gottleib, 
Rudolph  and  Marianna.  By  his  second  wife  his 
children  were:  Lena,  Herman  and  Adolph.  The 
mother  of  the  last  mentioned  three  was  born 
about  1815,  and  died  in  1892.  Henry  Burger 
came  to  America  in  1852,  and  located  in  Michi- 
gan. 

Adolph  Burger  was  the  next  of  the  family  to 
emigrate,  and  landed  in  America  Augusts,  1868. 
He  remained  two  months  in  the  United  States 
before  going  to  London,  Canada.  He  followed 
the  trade  of  blacksmith  in  Canada,  but  remained 
there  only  until  1876,  when  he  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, arriving  in  the  fall.  He  was  employed  by 
John  Cindinger,  at  No.  82  Sherman  Street,  until 
1884,  when  he  went  into  the  employ  of  the  Chi- 


334 


FREDERICK   KNOP. 


cago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
as  depot  passenger  agent,  and  has  retained  the 
position  since  that  time.  He  has  resided  at  No. 
6809  Lafayette  Avenue  eleven  years,  and  is  well 
known  and  highly  respected  in  the  neighborhood. 

Mr.  Burger  was  married  October  19,  1880,  to 
Magdalena,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Magdalena 
(Baker)  Kammerer.  Mrs.  Burger  was  born 
March  n,  1855,  in  Baden,  Germany,  and  came 
to  America  in  1879.  Jacob  Kammerer  was  born 
July  8,  1819,  and  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter. 
His  wife  was  born  March  n,  1825,  and  her  chil- 
dren were  named:  Jacob,  Carl,  Mary,  Magdalena, 
Herman  and  William.  Mrs.  Kammerer's  father 
was  William  Baker. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burger  became  the  parents  of 
five  children ,  who  are  as  follows:  Herman  Adolph, 
born  August  9,  1 88 1,  died  June  30,  1885;  Will- 


iam Jacob,  born  August  13,  1883,  died  July  10, 
1885;  Lillie  Bertha,  born  September  26,  1885; 
Adolph  Lewis,  August  31,  1887;  and  Freda  Al- 
bertina,  September  13,  1895.  Mr.  Burger  is  a 
Royal  Arch  Mason  of  St.  Paul  Chapter  No.  105, 
of  London,  Canada.  He  is  connected  with  Syra- 
cuse Lodge  No.  500,  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
Garden  City  Council  No.  59,  National  Union. 
He  is  a  follower  of  the  creed  of  the  Presbyterian , 
and  uses  his  influence  at  all  times  for  the  good  of 
mankind  in  general. 

Mr.  Burger's  home  is  pleasantly  situated  on 
one  of  the  fashionable  thoroughfares  of  Engle- 
wood,  Lafayette  Avenue.  He  is  surrounded  by 
an  interesting  family,  and  the  eldest,  a  child  of 
twelve  years,  shows  much  talent  for  the  art  of 
drawing,  which  needs  only  cultivation  to  develop 
a  rare  skill. 


FREDERICK  KNOP. 


I""  REDBRICK  KNOP  was  born  in  the  province 
Yrt  of  Hanover,  Germany,  July  i,  1830,  and  was 
|  reared  to  manhood  on  his  father's  farm. 
Both  his  parents  died  in  the  Fatherland,  and  their 
youngest  son  still  owns  the  old  homestead.  Of 
their  seven  children,  three  came  to  the  United 
States.  Mary  came  in  1852  with  her  husband, 
and  now  lives  in  Atlantic  City,  Iowa.  Frederick 
and  Louis  came  in  1854. 

On  coming  to  Chicago  Frederick  Knop  was  first 
employed  by  Mr.  Hesing,  in  a  brick  yard  in  Jef- 
ferson. He  worked  as  laborer  and  farm  hand  for 
ten  years,  and  then  bought  a  team  and  wagon 
and  began  teaming  for  members  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  hauling  grain  and  other  produce.  He 
followed  this  occupation  fifteen  years  and,  with 
his  savings,  purchased  a  lot  on  May  Street,  where 
he  has  resided  since  1867.  He  has  lived  a  quiet, 
industrious  life,  and  has  done  his  share  towards 
improving  and  developing  the  city,  and  as  a 


pioneer  deserves  honorable  mention  in  this  work. 
He  cast  the  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln,  in  1860,  and  has  supported  the  candidates 
of  the  Republican  party  since. 

Mr.  Knop  is  a  member  of  the  order  of  Chosen 
Friends.  October  12,  1863,  he  married  Frances 
Tomisesco,  by  whom  he  had  five  children,  three 
of  whom  are  living.  They  are  :  Clara,  now  the 
wife  of  Charles  Bors;  Anna  and  Bertha,  the  latter 
being  the  wife  of  Charles  Kondar,  all  residing  in 
Chicago.  Mrs.  Knop  died  in  1871,  and  in  1872 
Mr.  Knop  married  Arsoba  Aggus,  a  native  of 
Holstein,  Germany.  Of  this  union,  there  is  one 
child  living,  Louise,  who  is  a  dress-maker.  They 
have  lost  three  children.  Since  1875  Mr.  Knop 
has  lived  retired,  enjoying  the  thought  that  he 
has  done  his  part  and  lived  an  economical  and 
useful  life.  The  family  is  connected  with  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  where  each  mem- 
ber is  valued  and  honored  as  a  power  for  good. 


T.  F.  WITHROW. 


335 


THOMAS  F.  WITHROW. 


'HOMAS  FOSTER  WITHROW  was  born 
in  Kanawha  County,  Virginia  (now  West 
Virginia),  March  6,  1832.  His  father,  who 
was  a  physician,  was  bound  his  son  should  be  a 
medical  practitioner,  but  the  son  had  an  early 
bent  for  the  law,  which  brooked  no  opposition; 
on  this  account,  as  his  father  would  not  furnish 
necessary  funds,  his  early  years  were  mainly 
self-educated.  When  sufficiently  advanced,  he 
taught  district  schools,  thereby  earning  the  means 
wherewith  to  attend  the  Western  Reserve  College, 
situated  at  Delaware,  Ohio.  By  reason  of  his 
father's  death  during  his  youth,  he  was  obliged  to 
drop  his  books,  leave  college,  and  forthwith  pro- 
ceed to  business  life  in  order  to  support  his  wid- 
owed mother  and  his  sister. 

Adopting  for  a  season  the  journalistic  field, 
that  he  might  lay  up  money  to  prosecute  ultimate 
legal  aims,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  ap- 
pointed local  editor  upon  the  Republican,  pub- 
lished at  Mt.  Vernon,  Ohio,  removing  in  1855  to 
Zanesville,  in  the  same  State,  to  assume  editor- 
ship in  chief  of  the  Free  Press.  Although  excep- 
tionally brilliant  in  this  sphere  of  occupation  (a 
fact  amply  vouched  for  by  his  rapid  rise  therein), 
he  felt  that  his  powers  were  not  called  upon  to 
their  fullest  extent,  and  that  he  would  be  alto- 
gether unable  in  any  field,  save  the  law,  to  find  a 
theme  whose  ringing  echoes  should  sound  the 
melody  of  his  life. 

Upon  the  death  of  his  dearly  beloved  mother 
in  the  fall  of  1856,  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  in  the  offices  of  Miller  &  Beck,  of  Fort  Madi- 
son, Iowa.  The  following  year  witnessed  his 
admission  to  the  practice  of  the  local  bar  of  his 
newly  acquired  home  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  where 
he  first  opened  his  office.  Directly  his  unusual 
abilities  became  voiced,  he  was  sought  for  private 
secretary  by  Governor  Ralph  P.  Lowe  (the  first 


Republican  to  assume  the  gubernatorial  functions 
in  that  State) ,  as  also  by  his  successor  in  office, 
Governor  Samuel  J.  Kirkwood.  Fancy  can  read- 
ily picture  what  flames  were  added  to  his  aspira- 
tions by  such  distinguished  environment  at  the 
inception  of  his  young  career.  Prosperity,  how- 
ever, far  from  spoiling  him,  amplified  both  his 
talents  and  his  tact;  wherefore,  recognizing  his 
fitness  for  so  exacting  a  function,  the  proper  au- 
thorities selected  our  modestly-laureled  subject  to 
act  as  Official  Reporter  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  State  of  Iowa;  the  well-digested  results  of  his 
long  incumbency  of  such  office  being  embodied 
in  some  fourteen  volumes  of  Iowa  State  Reports, 
containing  decisions  upon  all  branches  of  law  as 
issues  were  made  on  appeals,  and  which,  as  the 
decrees  of  the  court  of  dernier  resort,  are  prece- 
dents in  that  State  for  future  adjudication. 

In  1863  the  deserts  of  his  exceedingly  enthusi- 
astic political  services  were  formally  acknowledged 
in  his  elevation  to  the  highly  responsible  position 
of  Chairman  of  the  Iowa  State  Republican  Com- 
mittee. During  this  period  his  alert  faculties 
were  so  impressed  by  the  necessities  calling  for 
better  means  for  effectual  campaign  work,  that  he 
originated  a  new  code  of  methods,  thereupon 
proven  to  be  so  superior  in  conception  that  they 
have  been  very  largely  followed  and  patterned 
after  ever  since.  The  unusual  needs  of  these  '  'war 
times' '  so  enthused  his  impressionable  mind  that 
he  foresaw  and  spoke  as  a  party  prophet  or  law- 
giver. None  has  left  a  brighter,  more  wholesome 
memory  in  the  political  annals  of  that  State,  so 
long  his  honored  and  honoring  home. 

In  1866  he  was  made  local  Division  Attorney 
for  the  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway,  his  ser- 
vices manifesting  such  activity  and  success  that 
in  1873  he  was  rewarded  by  an  advancement  to 
the  chief  post  of  his  department,  under  the  title 


T.  F.  WITHROW. 


of  General  Solicitor,  whereupon  removal  of  resi- 
dence was  made  to  the  situs  of  the  general  offices 
of  that  road  at  Chicago.  Litigation  increased  in 
bulk  to  such  a  degree,  that  in  after  years  they 
found  it  would  be  expedient  to  select  two  such 
solicitors,  at  which  juncture  Mr.  Withrow  was 
installed  in  the  newly  created  office  of  General 
Counsel  for  the  entire  system,  having  a  general 
supervision  over  a  corps  of  able  legal  subordi- 
nates, in  person  only  going  into  the  highest 
courts  upon  questions  of  weightier  import.  These 
duties  he  continued  with  conscientious  energy  to 
administer  until  the  time  of  his  decease,  Febru- 
ary 3,  1893,  since  which  time  the  Rock  Island 
Railway  has  withheld  from  elevating  any  suc- 
cessor to  his  so  peculiarly  honored  seat. 

On  the  occasion  set  apart  by  the  Supreme 
Court  of  Iowa  for  the  delivering  of  eulogies  upon 
the  life-work  and  character  of  Mr.  Withrow, 
among  numerous  eloquent  tributes  paid  to  his 
superlative  worth  on  the  part  of  professional  old 
friends  and  associates,  we  find  in  the  address  par 
excellence,  spoken  by  Judge  Wright,  the  follow- 
ing passage:  '  'As  a  lawyer,  he  was  industrious, 
conscientious,  aggressive,  and  of  the  quickest 
perceptions.  He  had  a  genius  for  hard  and  ef- 
fective work,  all  of  which  was  done  thoroughly, 
slighting  nothing.  *  He  was  the  very 

soul  of  fidelity  to  his  client.  *  *  His 
greatest  power  was  fertility  of  resource.  *  * 
Generous  and  considerate,  alas,  that  he  must  pass 
away  in  the  prime  of  life!" 

It  was  this  "genius  for  hard  and  effective 
work"  which  led  to  his  untimely,  sudden  death, 
through  heart  failure.  The  fall  previous,  in  the 
retirement  of  his  summer  home  at  Lake  Geneva, 
he  had  spent  several  very  laborious  weeks  in  pre- 
paring for  hearing  an  extremely  important  case 
for  his  corporation,  from  which  particular  over- 
work, though  he  respited,  he  never  fully  recov- 
ered. Sturdy  as  an  oak,  which  under  careful 
cherishing  outstands  the  violence  of  myriad  sea- 
sons, his  ardent  temperament  recked  not  of  the 
prudences  of  life;  with  him  it  was  always — "This 
is  the  battle!  This  must  end  in  victory!"  And 
so  into  the  seething  flames  of  a  too  consumingly 
brilliant  professional  life,  he  had  cheerfully  thrown 


that  score  of  years  of  reserved  force  which,  along 
more  conservative  lines,  would  undoubtedly  have 
sufficed  him  to  meet  with  heroic  fortitude  the 
slowly  gathering  shadows  of  a  quite  advanced 
age.  But  who  will  take  upon  him  to  assert  that 
he  was  not  well  contented  on  the  whole  that  it 
befell  as  indeed  it  did?  For  had  not  the  solicita- 
tions of  friends  often  cautioned  him  against  his  so 
lavish  expenditure  of  exceptional  energies?  Let 
us  take  example  of  this  '  'faithfulness  unto  death, ' ' 
his  most  fitting  eulogy,  and  rarest,  pure  balm  of 
solace  to  the  bereaved. 

By  religious  faith  he  was  a  Unitarian;  always 
in  attendance  upon  the  inspiring  services  of  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Collyer  while  he  so  long  and 
efficiently  filled  the  pulpit  of  Unity  Church  of  this 
city.  Of  later  years  a  warm  friendship  had  grown 
up  between  him  and  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  David 
Swing,  who  officiated  so  feelingly  at  the  obsequies, 
unspeakably  regretful  over  the  loss  of  his  lawyer- 
naturalist  comrade;  for  they  were  boon  mates 
together  in  the  woods  and  fields,  mutually  wor- 
shiping the  omnipresent  God  as  they  walked. 

Like  his  father,  Mr.  Withrow  was  an  exceed- 
ingly devoted  abolitionist,  at  a  period  when  Vir- 
ginia was  not  at  all  prolific  of  such  citizenship. 
Many  a  colored  man  was  able  through  their 
agency  to  breathe  the  free  air  of  the  North.  In- 
deed, so  bitter  grew  the  local  sentiment  engen- 
dered by  the  temerity  of  so  exceptional  an 
attitude,  altogether  hostile  to  southern  tenets, 
that  it  became  expedient,  and  was  the  chief 
cause  of,  the  family  removal  to  Ohio.  No  less 
zealous  in  this  new  field,  and  grown  to  great 
prominence  in  the  dominant  party,  what  pleasure 
our  friend  must  have  experienced  over  that  im- 
mortal proclamation  of  President  Lincoln,  with 
its  ensuing  complete  practical  ratification!  We 
sincerely  believe  that  no  happier  moments  than 
these  crowned  his  life,  unless,  possibly,  the  con- 
templation of  these  signal,  national  transactions 
in  later  years,  while  seated  upon  his  own  mag- 
nificent premises  overlooking  Chicago  Lincoln 
Park,  of  which  he  was  a  Commissioner,  being 
thus  in  full  view  of  the  superb  bronze  statue  of 
the  President  himself,  of  the  fund  for  erecting 
which  he  had  been  a  trustee. 


J.  M.  WARREN. 


337 


Vivacious  and  sociable,  a  semi-public  life  had 
found  him  a  member  of  many  choice  clubs  and 
societies;  but  with  growing  domesticity  necessi- 
tated by  maturer  years,  added  to  the  drains  made 
by  constant  prefessional  duties  upon  his  vitality, 
he  withdrew  more  and  more  into  the  quiet  enjoy- 
ments afforded  by  home  life,  especially  delighting 
in  belles  lettres,  in  whose  rich  domain  he  was 
during  the  thirty-five  most  busily  occupied  years 
of  professional  activity,  never  less  than  an  ambi- 
tious student  and  philosophic  meditator.  Here 
the  richest  verbal  expressions  of  genius  became 
again  his  living  legacy,  always  ready  at  a  neces- 
sitous crisis  to  do  his  eloquent  bidding.  At  the 
time  of  his  demise  he  was  still  enrolled  with  the 
Chicago  Literary  Club,  as  for  the  many  years 
past,  as  well  as  with  the  famous  Grolier  Club  of 
New  York  City. 

Mr.  Withrow  was  married  October  27,  1859, 
at  Hamilton,  Madison  County,  New  York,  to 
Miss  Jane  Frances  Goodwin,  who  survives  him, 
together  with  three  children  born  unto  them,  as 
follows:  Henry  Goodwin  Withrow,  born  April 
29,  1861,  whose  advanced  education  was  com- 
pleted in  the  University  of  Michigan,  now  being 
engaged  in  railroading;  Charles  LeBaron  With- 
row, born  in  June  1866,  matriculated  at  the  Cam- 
bridge (Massachusetts)  Law  School,  but  now  in 
journalistic  labors  with  the  Associated  Press  in 
New  York  City;  Bonnie  Withrow,  born  in  Au- 
gust, 1867,  educated  at  Ogontz,  near  Philadel- 
phia, now  largely  devoted  to  philanthropic  work, 


especially  the  welfare  of  young  women  whom  fate 
has  thrown  upon  their  own  resources. 

Mrs.  Withrow  is  a  daughter  of  the  sea  captain, 
LeBaron  Goodwin,  of  Old  Plymouth,  Massachu- 
setts, and  Mary,  his  wife  (nee  Leggett),  of  Sarato- 
ga Springs,  New  York.  Her  father  removed  in 
mature  years  to  De  Ruyter,  Madison  County, 
New  York,  where  he  led  a  retired  and  studious 
life.  The  said  Mary  Leggett  was  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Susannah  Leggett  (nee  Smith) ;  Sam- 
uel being  a  son  of  Isaac  and  Rebecca  Leggett  (nee 
Starbuck),  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Hepsibah 
Starbuck  (nee  Bunker).  The  said  LeBaron  Good- 
win was  a  son  of  William  and  L,ydia  C.  Goodwin, 
(nee  Sampson),  the  former  a  son  of  Nathaniel 
and  Lydia  Goodwin  (nee  LeBaron) ,  a  son  of  John 
and  Mary  Goodwin  (nee  Roby),  a  son  of  Nathan- 
iel (who  died  in  1754)  and  Elizabeth  Goodwin. 

Mrs.  Withrow  is  related  to  eminent  families, 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  through  her  pa- 
ternal grandmother,  Lydia  C.  Sampson,  she  traces 
back  to  Nathaniel  Gushing,  born  in  1588  (a  son 
of  Peter  Gushing,  of  Norfolk,  England),  an  early 
American  colonist;  also  to  Henry  Pitcher,  born 
in  1586,  who  came  early  to  Hingham,  Massachu- 
setts, in  the  ship  "Delight;"  also  to  Capt.  Miles 
Standish,  famous  of  the  "Mayflower"  crew;  also 
to  Henry  Sampson,  compeer  of  Standish,  whose 
grandson  Isaac  married  L,ydia,  a  granddaughter 
of  Captain  Standish,  and  who  became  in  due  time 
grandparents  of  the  said  Lydia  C.  Sampson,  the 
grandmother  of  Mrs.  Withrow. 


JULIUS  M.  WARREN. 


(fUUUS  M.    WARREN,  only  son  of  Daniel 

I    Warren,  a  pioneer  settler  of  Du  Page  Coun- 

G/  ty  (see  biography  elsewhere  in  this  volume), 

was  born  in  Fredonia,  New  York,  June  13,  1811, 

being  the  first  white  child  born  in  Chautauqua 


County.  He  became  a  member  of  the  New  York 
militia,  in  which  he  attained  the  rank  of  colonel. 
With  the  family,  he  came  to  Du  Page  County  in 
the  autumn  of  1833,  and  spent  the  balance  of  his 
life  there.  He  was  a  very  genial  and  happy-dis- 


338 


J.  M.  WARREN. 


positioned  gentleman,  and  early  became  a  favorite 
in  society.  A  recent  writer  in  the  Chicago  Her- 
ald  speaks  thus  of  the  society  of  that  day:  '  'The  so- 
ciety of  all  this  region,  including  town  and  coun- 
try, forty-five  years  ago,  had  its  attractive  seat 
and  held  its  principal  revelries  in  the  valley  of 
Fox  river.  'The  best  people'  that  came  out 
from  the  eastern  states  to  settle  in  this  region  did 
not  stop  in  Chicago,  but  made  for  the  magnifi- 
cent farming  lands  in  this  vicinity.  Some  came 
from  central  and  western  New  York,  where  they 
had  seen  families  of  the  aristocracy  plant  them- 
selves and  flourish  on  the  fat  lands  of  the  Mohawk 
and  Genesee  valleys.  To  clear  off  timber  and  re- 
duce those  great  farms  to  productivity,  had  taken 
half  a  century  of  time  and  had  exhausted  the  lives 
of  three  generations.  This  was  known  to  the  new 
emigrants,  and  as  they  heard  of  or  saw  these 
Illinois  lands,  bare  of  obstinate  trees,  but  clothed 
with  succulent  grasses,  of  nature's  sowing;  in  a 
climate  that  possessed  no  torridity,  nor  yet  any 
destructive  rigors;  all  this  being  known  before- 
hand, many  refined  and  cultivated  families  came 
out  with  all  their  effects,  and  bought  or  entered 
land  and  proceeded  to  make  themselves  homes, 
which,  they  had  no  doubt,  would  be  homes  to 
them  for  their  natural  lives." 

Mr.  Warren  had  a  keen  sense  of  humor  and 
was  always  amiable  and  cheerful,  which  made 
him  a  favorite  in  all  circles.  Instead  of  disaprov- 
ing  the  amusements  of  the  young  people,  he  al- 
ways had  a  strong  sympathy  and  interest  in  their 
pleasures.  He  was  the  constant  attendant  of  his 
sisters,  and  often  laughingly  mentioned  them  as 
seven  reasons  why  he  should  not  marry.  He  was 
also  devotedly  attached  to  his  mother  who  was 
justly  proud  of  her  only  son.  Together  they  kept 
house  until  her  death,  when  he  induced  his  nephew 
to  bring  his  family  to  live  on  the  old  homestead 
at  Warrenville,  where  he  continued  to  reside. 
He  passed  away  on  the  first  of  May,  1893,  his 
last  words  being,  '  'Take  me  home  to  my  mother. ' ' 

In  speaking  of  Colonel  Warren  and  the  village 
of  Warrenville,  we  again  quote  from  the  Herald: 
"He  called  in  a  storekeeper,  a  blacksmith,  a  coop- 
er and  a  carpenter,  and  a  tavernkeeper  came  in 
good  time.  Naperville  was  a  smaller  village,  hav- 


ing but  two  log  houses.  Aurora  scarcely  had  a 
being,  and  St.  Charles  was  not.  But  all  along 
on  the  banks  of  the  Fox  river  were  settlers  of  a 
high  class,  who  had  knowledge  of  and  corres- 
pondence with  the  eastern  portions  of  the  United 
States.  Foremost  among  these  was  Judge  Whip- 
pie,  who,  acting  with  the  Warrens,  father  and 
son,  organized  and  gave  direction  to  local  affairs. 
They  were  without  postal  facilities  of  any  kind, 
and  every  family  had  to  send  a  member  into 
Chicago  for  letters  and  papers.  A  letter  from 
Buffalo  to  any  place  on  the  Fox  river  was  from 
four  to  six  weeks  in  coming,  and  to  Chicago  cost 
fifty  cents  postage.  Colonel  Warren  making  use 
of  eastern  friends,  got  a  postoffice  (the  first  in  the 
valley)  established  at  Warrenville  in  1833,  and 
himself  appointed  postmaster.  He  was  his  own 
mail-carrier,  making  weekly  trips,  on  foot  some 
times,  to  Chicago  and  out  again,  with  letters  and 
papers  for  distribution  through  his  office  to  people 
in  all  that  section.  Colonel  Warren  held  this  of- 
fice for  fifty  years,  and  only  lost  it  when  President 
Cleveland  came  in  the  first  time." 

Although  chiefly  self-educated,  Colonel  Warren 
was  a  thoroughly  well-read  man,  and  was  admir- 
ably fitted  for  a  leader  in  politics,  as  well  as  in  so- 
ciety. He  represented  his  district  for  three  suc- 
cessive terms  in  the  State  Legislature,  from  1840 
to  1843,  but  refused  to  longer  remain  in  public 
life,  preferring  the  quiet  joys  of  his  home  and 
neighborhood  to  anything  the  capital  or  metropo- 
lis might  offer.  He  continued  to  manage  the 
large  homestead  farm  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
loyal  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  having 
espoused  its  leading  principles  before  its  organi- 
zation. 

The  following  incident  will  indicate  the  kindly 
nature  of  Colonel  Warren  and  his  noble  mother, 
as  well:  A  young  lawyer  of  Chicago,  now  known 
throughout  Illinois  as  the  venerable  ex- Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  State,  John  Dean  Caton,  fell  sick  of 
fever  while  staying  at  the  log  tavern  in  Naper- 
ville, one  of  the  two  buildings  of  that  village. 
Hearing  of  the  case,  Colonel  Warren  went  at 
once  to  see  what  he  could  do  to  render  the  suf- 
ferer comfortable,  and  soon  decided  to  remove  him 
to  his  own  home,  where  he  could  receive  better 


F.  W.  PECK. 


339 


nursing  than  at  the  little  frontier  tavern.  This 
probably  saved  the  life  of  the  patient,  who  attrib- 
utes his  recovery  to  the  careful  nursing  of  Mrs. 
Warren  and  her  daughters,  with  such  aid  as 
Colonel  Warren  could  apply.  The  last-named 
saw  the  completion  of  his  eighty-second  year, 


full  of  humor  and  harmless  badinage  to  the  last, 
and  died  as  the  result  of  an  attack  of  pneumonia, 
after  an  illness  of  only  two  days,  leaving  as  an 
inspiration  to  those  who  come  after  the  record  of 
a  well-spent  life. 


FERDINAND  W.  PECK. 


|"~  ERDINAND  W.  PECK.  Among  Chicago's 
Yrt  native  sons,  of  whom  she  is  justly  proud, 
is  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  is  the 
youngest  son  of  P.  F.  W.  Peck,  the  pioneer 
settler  and  merchant  of  the  city  (for  biography 
see  another  page),  and  was  born  in  the  family 
residence,  which  stood  on  ground  now  covered  by 
the  Grand  Pacific  hotel,  July  isth,  1848. 

It  is  not  often  that  one  not  stimulated  by 
necessity  or  forced  to  cultivate  self-reliance 
achieves  anything  worthy  of  note  among  the 
active  men  of  to-day.  Without  this  stimulus, 
Mr.  Peck  applied  himself  first  to  the  acquirement 
of  an  education,  passing  through  the  grades  of 
the  city  schools,  graduating  at  the  High  School, 
the  Chicago  University  and  the  Union  College  of 
Law.  Next  he  took  up  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession,  and  met  with  the  full  measure 
of  success  vouchsafed  to  the  young  lawyer  in  a 
field  already  occupied  by  a  multitude  of  able  and 
experienced  jurists  and  attorneys.  After  several 
years  of  practice,  with  growing  business  that  is 
bound  to  come  to  one  of  his  energy  and  ability, 
he  was  forced  to  abandon  the  law  to  engage  in 
caring  for  the  estate  which  his  father  had  left  to 
the  charge  of  his  sons,  at  his  demise.  This 
property  consisted  principally  of  real  estate, 
much  of  which  had  been  stripped  of  its  im- 
provements by  the  great  fire  of  1871,  and  which 
now  required  constant  and  careful  attention. 
Under  the  conservative  management  of  the  senior 


Peck's  sons,  the  estate  has  prospered,  at  the  same 
time  it  has  conferred  upon  the  city  some  of  its 
most  valuable  and  permanent  features. 

Mr.  F.  W.  Peck  is  a  devotee  of  music  and  a 
lover  of  art,  and  has  been  the  means  of  bringing 
to  Chicago  much  of  its  culture  in  these  elevating 
and  ennobling  studies.  For  some  years  he  cher- 
ished the  idea  of  providing  the  city  with  facilities 
sufficiently  ample  and  substantial  to  bring  hither 
all  that  was  best  in  the  line  of  intellectual  and 
refining  entertainments.  The  Opera  Festival  of 
1885,  of  which  Mr.  Peck  was  President,  brought 
to  the  city  the  finest  musical  and  dramatic  enter- 
tainments ever  offered  to  an  American  audience, 
and  made  apparent  to  the  citizens  the  need  of 
better  facilities  for  such  entertainments.  Mr. 
Peck  seized  upon  this  sentiment  and  organized 
the  Auditorium  Association,  of  which  he  was 
unanimously  chosen  President.  The  stock  was 
distributed  among  three  hundred  subscribers, 
including  the  most  prominent  and  wealthy 
citizens,  and  the  result  is  known  to  every  denizen 
of  the  city,  in  one  of  its  most  conspicuous  land- 
marks— the  Auditorium. 

A  recent  writer  says :  ' '  The  genius  of  the 
world  has  exhausted  itself  in  devising  and 
erecting  architectural  edifices.  The  Parthenon 
in  the  age  of  Pericles,  glorious  in  all  the  adorn- 
ments of  art  wrought  by  the  chisel  of  Phidias  and 
brush  of  Praxiteles,  was  a  temple  of  heathen 
worship;  the  mighty  walls  of  the  Coliseum  were 


340 


F.  W.  PECK. 


raised  to  furnish  an  arena  for  gladiatorial  brutal- 
ity. Mediaeval  architects  reared  the  clustered 
columns  and  vaulted  arches  of  Gothic  cathedrals 
to  woo  men  to  pious  aspirations;  the  chaste  lines 
and  sculptured  walls  of  the  "  Nouvelle  Opera  " 
were  raised  as  a  temple  of  music  and  dramatic 
art;  each  had  or  has  its  beauties  and  special  use; 
but  it  remained  for  the  genius  of  Chicago  to  con- 
ceive and  its  enterprise  to  provide,  by  private 
munificence,  a  structure  as  perfect  as  any  in  sub- 
stantial utility,  both  as  a  gathering  place  of  the 
multitude  and  a  temple  of  all  the  arts;  the  per- 
fection of  architectural  genius.  It  is  more  capa- 
cious than  the  Albert  Hall  of  South  Kensington, 
more  substantial  than  the  new  opera  of  Paris; 
chaste,  solid  and  sublime." 

Mr.  Peck  has  shown  the  same  zeal,  energy 
and  ability  in  the  conduct  of  public  business 
which  has  been  placed  in  his  charge  that  mark 
all  his  own  undertakings.  As  chairman  of  the 
finance  committee  of  the  World's  Columbian  Ex- 
position he  assumed  a  heavy  responsibility,  and 
aided  in  bringing  that  stupendous  enterprise 
through  successfully  and  paying  every  pecuniary 
obligation.  This  involved  the  expenditure  of 
over  $30,000,000,  and  was  calculated  to  test  the 
capacity  of  the  greatest  financiers.  Mr.  Peck  is 
also  associated  in  official  capacity  with  many  of 
the  permanent  institutions  of  the  city,  including 
most  of  those  calculated  to  promote  an  aesthetic 
sentiment  among  the  people.  Some  of  these 
official  positions  are  the  presidency  of  the  Chicago 
Athenaeum,  the  Auditorium  Association  and  the 
Union  League  Club;  he  has  been  Vice-president 
of  the  Board  of  Education  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
and  was  Vice-president  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  with  a  seat  in  its  board  of  reference 
and  control,  on  its  executive  committee,  commit- 
tee on  legislation  and  special  committee  on  cere- 
monies, in  addition  to  the  finance  committee,  as 
above  noted. 

Mr.  Peck's  habits  and  manners  are  wholly  un- 
ostentatious, and  he  is  ever  affable  and  kind  to 
all  who  may  come  in  contact  with  him.  In  the 
midst  of  a  busy  life,  full  of  cares  and  responsibil- 
ities, he  gives  much  attention  to  the  amenities  of 
life  and  has  been  an  extensive  traveler.  In  sum- 


mer he  spends  much  time  out  of  doors,  and  main- 
tains a  summer  home  at  Oconomowoc,  Wisconsin, 
and  enjoys  the  honor  of  being  Commodore  of  the 
Wisconsin  Yacht  Club.  His  favorite  yacht  is 
named  the  "Tarpon,"  in  honor  of  his  good  for- 
tune in  capturing  an  enormous  tarpon  while  fish- 
ing off  the  coast  of  Florida  at  one  time.  In  his 
handsome  home  on  Michigan  Avenue,  in  the 
city,  are  found  a  happy  and  congenial  wife,  four 
sons  and  two  daughters.  Mrs.  Peck  is  the 
daughter  of  the  late  William  A.  Spalding,  a 
sketch  of  whom  appears  on  another  page. 

In  speaking  of  Mr.  Peck,  the  History  of  Chi- 
cago says:  '  'One  only  slightly  familiar  with  the 
telltale  disclosures  of  physiognomy,  looking  upon 
his  mild,  refined  and  thoughtful  features,  cannot 
fail  to  be  impressed  that  behind  them  is  character 
of  more  than  ordinary  delicacy  of  sentiment  and 
maturity  of  mind,  that  belongs  rather  to  the  aes- 
thetic than  to  the  gross  and  material  lines  of 
thought  and  action.  While  not  an  artist,  he  is 
a  lover  of  art;  his  mind  has  a  constructive  qual- 
ity, which,  with  sympathy  with  human  needs 
and  enthusiasm  for  the  uplifting  of  the  standard 
of  life  among  the  masses  of  the  people,  calls  him 
to  undertake  enterprises  of  pith  and  magnitude, 
for  the  education  of  the  people,  for  inspiring  them 
with  higher  ideals  of  life,  and  leading  them  from 
the  indulgence  of  degrading  passions,  through 
the  ministries  of  the  '  diviner  arts, '  to  higher 
planes  of  living  and  enjoyment.  This  type  of 
mind  is  not  often  found  amid  the  rush  and  com- 
petition of  life  in  our  great  cities.  To  its  pos- 
session and  well-developed  proportions  by  so 
many  of  the  well-to-do  young  men  of  Chicago, 
whose  names  will  readily  occur  to  the  observant 
student  of  her  inner  life,  is  due  in  great  part  the 
aesthetic  character  which  Chicago  has  taken  on, 
despite  her  unwonted  devotion  to  the  more  sordid 
pursuits  of  her  gigantic  enterprises.  With  her 
university  and  schools  of  every  sort,  with  her  art 
studios  and  collections,  with  her  social  clubs,  mu- 
sical festivals  and  dramatic  entertainments,  and 
especially  since  her  magnificent  triumph  in  con- 
structing and  maintaining  the  grandest  exhi- 
bition of  art  and  industry  which  the  world  has 
ever  seen,  Chicago  easily  leads  all  other  Ameri- 


J.  F.  STAFFORD. 


can  cities  in  aesthetic  development,  and  stands 
not  far  behind  such  old-world  centers  of  art  and 
artists  as  Paris,  Brussels  and  Florence. ' ' 

The  stockholders  of  the  Auditorium  Associa- 
tion have  caused  to  be  placed  in  the  foyer  of  the 
Auditorium  a  bronze  bust  of  Mr.  Peck,  upon  the 


granite  pedestal  of  which  has  been  inscribed:  '  'A 
tribute  to  the  founder  of  this  structure,  from  the 
stockholders  of  the  Auditorium  Association,  in 
recognition  of  his  services  as  their  President,  in 
behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago.  1 889. " 


CAPT.  JOHN  F.  STAFFORD. 


EAPT.  JOHN  FRANCIS  STAFFORD,  who 
was  for  many  years  connected  with  the  mer- 
cantile and  maritime  interests  of  Chicago, 
was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  August  12,  1820. 
His  father,  John  Stafford,  was  a  provision  mer- 
chant, and  an  intimate  friend  of  Daniel  O'Connell, 
the  famous  Irish  patriot.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Sarah  Mallon. 

In  the  year  1828  the  family  removed  to  Port 
Hope,  Canada  West  (now  Ontario),  where  John 
Stafford  bought  and  operated  a  grist,  saw  and 
fulling  mill.  In  the  following  winter  he  was 
frozen  to  death  while  on  the  road  between  Port 
Hope  and  Toronto.  The  next  spring  his  widow 
moved  to  Rochester,  New  York,  where,  a  few 
years  later,  her  son  John  began  the  study  of 
medicine  in  the  office  of  Elwood  &  Toby,  the 
former  then  one  of  the  eminent  surgeons  of  the 
State,  and  the  latter  a  prominent  physician.  Two 
years  later,  in  1832,  Mrs.  Stafford  died  of  cholera, 
and  the  son  abandoned  his  medical  studies;  but 
he  never  forgot  his  mother's  counsel  and  made 
it  the  rule  of  his  life,  which  has  always  been  up- 
right and  stainless. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  began  life  on  the 
great  lakes  in  the  capacity  of  cabin  boy  on  the 
ship  '  'Julia  Palmer, ' '  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  In 
those  days  the  old  custom  of  serving  grog  (in  this 
case  it  was  Santa  Cruz  rum)  prevailed,  and  at 
eleven  o'clock  each  day  the  crew  had  its  daily 


rations.  Being  anxious  to  succeed,  young  Staf- 
ford spent  several  years  as  a  sailor,  and  gradually 
worked  up  to  a  position  as  master,  which  he  ac- 
quired in  1849,  at  which  date  he  became  part 
owner  and  captain  of  the  brig  "Boston,"  of  Buf- 
falo. In  this  capacity  he  spent  three  years  on 
the  lakes. 

In  1851  he  settled  in  Chicago,  and  engaged  in 
the  business  of  ship  chandler  and  grocer  on 
South  Water  Street,  in  which  occupation  he  re- 
mained nine  years.  During  that  time  he  bought 
vessels,  and  in  1860  he  owned  a  fleet  of  ten.  One 
of  these,  the  brig  '  'Banner, ' '  made  the  voyage 
from  Chicago  to  Buffalo  in  four  days  and  two 
hours.  In  the  year  1859  he  purchased  a  half 
interest  in  Sans'  Ale  Brewing  Company.  This 
firm  manufactured  a  very  fine  quality  of  ale  and 
supplied  the  United  States  Government,  under 
contract,  with  one  hundred  barrels  of  ale  daily, 
for  use  in  the  hospitals  of  the  sick  and  wounded, 
during  the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

Mr.  Stafford  was  a  member  and  principal  cap- 
italist in  the  firm  of  Bennett,  Peters  &  Co.,  then 
the  largest  wholesale  liquor  house  west  of  New 
York.  He  sold  his  interest  in  the  two  last-men- 
tioned firms  in  1869,  and  disposed  of  his  fleet  of 
ships  the  following  year,  since  which  time  he  has 
not  been  actively  engaged  in  business.  During 
all  these  years  he  had  been  active  in  politics,  and 
through  this  activity  became  well  acquainted  with 


342 


J.  F.  STAFFORD. 


all  the  public  men  of  his  political  (Republican) 
faith  in  the  State  of  Illinois  since  Richard  Yates 
was  elected  Governor  of  this  commonwealth. 
Although  often  solicited  to  become  a  candidate 
for  office,  he  would  never  consent,  and  has  held 
but  one  political  position.  During  Mr.  Yates' 
term  as  Governor  of  Illinois  Mr.  Stafford  was 
prevailed  upon  to  accept  the  appointment  of  Coal 
Oil  Inspector,  in  order  to  give  the  city  the  bene- 
fit of  his  experience  and  ability  in  straightening 
out  the  irregularities  previously  prevailing  in  the 
administration  of  that  office.  This  he  did  in 
eight  months,  and  promptly  resigned.  After  the 
great  fire  of  1871  he  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Aid  and  Relief  Committee,  and  contributed 
liberally  to  assist  the  sufferers  by  that  disaster. 

It  was  in  a  work  of  vast  importance  to  the  citi- 
zens of  Chicago  that  Captain  Stafford  most  dis- 
tinguished himself,  not  only  by  his  steadfastness 
of  purpose,  but  also  by  the  results  of  his  efforts  in 
a  matter  which  involved  the  title  to  millions  of 
dollars'  worth  of  property.  In  the  year  1869  the 
Legislature  of  the  State  of  Illinois  granted  to  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  the  use  of  the 
lake  shore  a  long  distance  south  of  the  Chicago 
River.  The  company  afterward,  in  the  exercise 
of  its  riparian  rights,  usurped  the  rights  of  own- 
ership over  the  adjacent  portions  of  the  lake  and 
filled  up  a  portion  of  the  harbor,  subjecting  so 
much  of  the  lake  as  it  chose  to  its  own  purposes. 
At  the  time  of  the  passing  of  the  statute  providing 
for  the  conveyance  of  an  easement  to  the  com- 
pany, it  was  held  to  be  illegal  by  some  of  the 
best  lawyers,  and  a  meeting  of  merchants,  cap- 
italists and  others  was  called  to  take  measures  to 
resist  the  encroaciiments  of  the  railroad  company. 
As  a  result  of  this  meeting,  J.  Young  Scammon, 
Thomas  Hoyne  and  John  F.  Stafford  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  take  proper  steps  to  re- 
strain the  company  from  exercising  riparian 
rights  on  the  lake  front.  In  pursuance  thereof, 
an  injunction  was  obtained  from  the  lower  court, 
which  was  sustained,  but  the  railroad  company 
carried  the  case  up  until  it  finally  reached  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  and  there, 
twenty-four  years  after  its  institution,  the  case 


was  decided  adversely  to  the  company.  One 
hundred  million  dollars'  worth  of  property,  it 
was  estimated,  was  thus  saved  to  the  citizens  of 
Chicago.  While  the  suit  was  in  the  courts,  Cap- 
tain Stafford's  colleagues  had  died,  and  he  alone 
had  been  left  to  see  the  end  of  this  famous  suit. 
During  all  the  years  of  this  litigation  Captain 
Stafford  had  given  the  case  unremitting  attention, 
and  expended  his  money  liberally  in  forwarding 
the  interests  of  the  people,  and  did  it  all  gratu- 
itously. 

In  March,  1854,  at  Buffalo,  New  York,  Cap- 
tain Stafford  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  C. 
Cadwallader,  daughter  of  Michael  Cadwallader, 
City  Comptroller  of  that  city,  and  for  many  years 
editor  of  the  Buffalo  Journal.  It  is  a  noteworthy 
fact  that  Gen.  Thomas  Proctor,  the  maternal 
grandfather  of  Mr.  Cadwallader,  inducted  Gen- 
eral Washington  into  the  mysteries  of  Free  Ma- 
sonry. Mrs.  Stafford  died  in  1861,  leaving 
two  daughters,  Juniata  and  Minnie,  who  reside 
with  their  father. 

Although  Mr.  Stafford  finds  no  more  pleasant 
place  than  his  comfortable  home  on  the  North 
Side,  he  has  spent  much  time  during  recent  years 
in  travel,  always  accompanied  by  one  of  his 
daughters.  The  summer  season  of  the  year  was 
spent  in  northern  resorts  and  the  winter  in  the 
South,  sometimes  as  far  away  as  Cuba  or  Mex- 
ico. During  the  year  1888  Captain  Stafford  and 
Miss  Minnie  spent  six  months  in  Europe,  visiting 
the  home  of  his  childhood  (after  an  absence  of 
sixty-two  years) ,  the  four  quarters  of  Britain  and 
the  principal  countries  of  Southern  Europe. 

In  politics  Captain  Stafford  has  been  an  earnest 
and  unflinching  Republican  since  the  organization 
of  the  party.  He  has  never  been  a  candidate  for 
office,  but  has  chosen,  rather,  to  help  deserving 
friends  to  good  positions.  In  religious  faith  he  is 
an  Episcopalian,  and  for  seventeen  years  has  been 
vestryman  of  Trinity  Church.  There  is  no  man 
in  Chicago  deserving  a  larger  circle  of  warm 
friends,  or  more  highly  esteemed  for  public  ser- 
vices than  genial,  warm-hearted  Captain  Stafford, 
whose  fidelity  to  the  interests  of  the  people  of 
Chicago  will  be  long  remembered. 


U8SA3Y 
OF  THE 

t:::vERSiTY  OF 


C.  M.  HAWLEY. 


343 


HON.  CYRUS  M.  HAWLEY. 


EYRUS  MADISON  HAWLEY  was  bora  in 
Cortland  County,  New  York,  in  January, 
1815.  His  liberal  education,  for  the  times, 
was  received  at  the  Albany  (New  York)  Normal 
School,  under  the  tutelage  of  the  eminent  scholar, 
Professor  Woolworth.  His  law  studies  were 
begun  under  the  guidance  of  the  distinguished 
advocate,  Joshua  A.  Spencer,  of  Utica,  New 
York.  On  coming  to  Chicago,  in  1847,  he  con- 
tinued his  application  until  admission  to  the  local 
bar  in  1849,  and  in  1862,  on  motion,  was  admitted 
to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  Says  a  noted  contemporary,  "By  force 
of  native  genius  and  industry,  he  directly  took  a 
front  position  in  the  ranks  of  his  profession." 
Remarkable  indeed  was  the  degree  of  success 
which  attended  his  twenty-five  continuous  years 
of  legal  practice  here,  being  annually  retained  by 
such  opulent  clients  as  John  V.  Farwell  &  Com- 
pany and  Field,  L,eiter  &  Company;  and  his  profes- 
sional affiliations  being  for  many  years  with  such 
legal  giants  as  Senator  Lyman  Trumbull  and  his 
brother,  George  Trumbull. 

In  1869  he  was  nominated  by  President  U.  S. 
Grant  to  act  as  Associate  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court  for  the  Territory  of  Utah,  which  appoint- 
ment was,  on  the  isth  of  April  of  that  year, 
unanimously  confirmed  by  the  United  States  Sen- 
ate. To  this  new  sphere  of  usefulness  he  was 
warmly  welcomed,  delivering  the  Fourth  of  July 
oration  at  Salt  Lake  City  the  year  of  his  arrival, 
which  was  very  highly  complimented  and  at  once 
established  his  ability  as  a  public  speaker,  in 
addition  to  his  known  superior  legal  acquirements 
and  the  laurel  crown  of  jurist  about  to  be  won. 

Of  the  succeeding  four  years,  through  which  he 
sat  upon  the  Supreme  bench  of  that  polygamy- 
practicing  territory,  it  would  be  quite  difficult  to 
speak  in  full  justice,  but,  in  the  language  of  two 


of  his  conservative  biographers,  we  may  chron- 
icle, "Among  the  distinguished  persons  who 
have  figured  in  the  affairs  of  Utah,  there  is  none 
deserving  a  more  respectful  notice  than  Judge 
Hawley . ' '  '  'Every  subject  demanding  his  official 
attention  has  been  grasped  firmly  and  fearlessly, 
and  his  written  decisions  and  opinions  upon  the 
various  legal  issues  which  have  been  submitted  to 
his  consideration  are  noted  for  their  soundness, 
ability  and  perspicuity." 

Taking  a  firm  stand  against  the  Mormon  sys- 
tem, as  might  have  been  expected,  he  encoun- 
tered the  solid  antagonism  of  its  united  press 
and  public  efforts,  in  which  he  was  made  the  sub- 
ject of  undeserved  censure  and  even  vituperative 
abuse.  But  the  golden  purity  of  his  judgment 
and  decisions  continued  unsullied  by  malign  tra- 
ducers,  living  now  in  the  immortal  canons  of  law 
of  that  region,  wherein  his  own  bravely  sown 
seeds  were  among  the  first  and  noblest  to  bear 
governmental  fruit.  On  all  questions  involving 
polygamy  or  other  associated  evils,  which  were  a 
growing  menace  to  these  United  States,  he  took 
the  most  determined  and  unwavering  stand  against 
further  usurpation  by,  or  continuance  in  the  prac- 
tice of  such  customs.  No  more  doughty  champion 
of  the  right  has  ever  thrown  down  the  glove  of 
challenge  against  Mormon-entrenched  hierarchy; 
for  to  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  as  much  as  to  any 
single  person,  is  due  credit  for  the  improved  pres- 
ent tone  and  condition  of  that  territory,  now  ad- 
mitted to  our  sisterhood  of  States. 

From  among  many  of  his  prominent  decisions, 
afterward  published  in  pamphlet  form,  we  make 
mention  of  the  following:  "Opinion  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  as  to  the  Jurisdiction  of  Probate 
Courts  in  the  Territory  of  Utah,"  1870;  "An 
Important  United  States  Supreme  Court  Decision 
for  Utah,"  1871;  "Arrest  of  Militia  Officers  in 


344 


C.  M.  HAWLEY. 


Utah  Territory,"  after  1870;  "Militia  Officers  in 
Utah  Territory,  Habeas  Corpus  Decision,"  after 
1870;  "Habeas  Corpus  Decision  of  January  28, 
1873;"  "The  Mormons  and  the  Treaty  with 
Mexico;"  "A  Review  of  a  Decision  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  States,"  after  1870; 
"Opinion  on  the  Original  Jurisdiction  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,"  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States,  October  term,  1873,  on  appeal. 

One  of  the  most  memorable  acts  of  Judge  Haw- 
ley  in  connection  with  this  epoch  of  his  career 
was  his  causing  the  arrest  of  Bishop  Lee,  leader 
of  the  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre,  who  was  sub- 
sequently indicted,  tried  and  convicted,  the  death 
penalty  being  executed  upon  the  very  spot  of  the 
bloody  massacre.  Because  of  such  heroic  and 
judicial  acts  as  the  foregoing,  upon  the  eve  of  his 
departure  from  Utah — for  he  had  been  too  stu- 
dious in  performance  of  duties  to  seek  subtle 
means  of  continuance  or  preferment  in  office — his 
recent  friends  and  associates,  made  in  these  few 
but  eventful  years,  tendered  him  a  dignified  but 
cordial  banquet  in  this  formal  manner: 

"SAi/r  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH,  April  8,  1873. 
"Hon.  C.  M.  Hawley, 

"Dear  Sir: — Understanding  that  it  is  your 
intention  to  return  to  your  former  home  in  Chi- 
cago, we  desire  to  evince  before  your  departure  in 
some  suitable  manner  our  appreciation  of  your 
character  as  a  citizen,  gentleman,  and  an  able, 
fearless  and  incorruptible  judge. 

"We,  therefore,  respectfully  tender  to  you  the 
compliment  of  a  dinner  on  the  evening  of  the  nth 
instant,  when  we  may  have  another  opportunity 
of  expressing  the  esteem,  confidence  and  friend- 
ship we  now  entertain  and  have  ever  entertained 
for  you  in  your  personal  and  official  capacity." 

The  foregoing  was  signed  by  leaders  at  the 
bar,  and,  upon  acceptance,  was  the  occasion  of  a 
remarkable  gathering,  including  many  distin- 
guished legal  lights,  federal  functionaries  and 
army  officers,  which  called  forth  many  a  brilliant 
and  touching  expression  of  sentiment. 

From  that  post  of  honor,  after  some  journey- 
ings,  he  settled  for  a  time  at  Washington,  D.  C., 
as  a  copartner  of  the  Hon.  A.  G.  Riddle,  where 
his,  by  this  time,  widely  voiced  reputation  brought 
distinguished  and  lucrative  retention.  But  the 
old  home  by  the  lakes  always  held  a  warm  spot 


in  his  heart,  and  returning  to  Chicago,  he  here 
passed  the  final  years  of  a  worthy  life.  The  vital 
spark  too  soon  burned  out  at  his  substantial  resi- 
dence, No.  5326  Washington  Avenue,  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  August  29, 
1894. 

Aside  from  pursuits  of  law,  he  was  profuse  in 
discursive  literary  outpourings  on  social  as  well 
as  legal  problems.  Among  numerous  lectures 
delivered  we  find  gratifying  reviews  of  those  upon 
these  subjects:  "What  is  Life,"  "Corinne," 
"The  Mutations  of  Time."  He  was,  at  the  time 
ol  his  decease,  President  of  the  Hyde  Park  Phil- 
osophical Society.  He  was  very  proud  of  hav- 
ing been  one  of  the  founders,  as  likewise  a  most 
active  and  able  supporter,  of  the  Chicago  "Old 
Tippecanoe  Club, ' '  before  whom  he  repeatedly  ap- 
peared in  edifying  contributions,  notable  among 
which  was  a  paper  in  1891  (afterward  published 
as  a  pamphlet)  upon  the  Italian  Mafia  trouble  at 
New  Orleans.  Therein  was  furnished  a  learned 
review  of  the  international  laws  covering  the  dis- 
pute, together  with  the  treaty  in  force  between 
the  two  countries,  which  was  made  the  occasion 
for  suitable  resolutions.  Most  feelingly  of  their 
recent  loss  the  Tippecanoe  Club  adopted  the  fol- 
lowing resolutions  at  a  regular  monthly  meeting, 
held  at  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel,  September  29, 
1894: 

"RESOLVED,  That  the  President  appoint  a 
committee  of  three  to  present  a  paper  expressive 
of  the  profound  sorrow  of  the  Club  for  the  death 
of  Judge  Cyrus  Madison  Hawley." 

The  President  therefore  appointed  the  following 
committee:  Dr.  J.  W.  Harmon,  Henry  Sayrs 
and  Rev.  W.  S.  Post. 

That  committee  presented  the  following  report: 

'  'Since  our  last  meeting  this  Club  has  met  with 
an  irreparable  loss  in  the  death  of  Judge  Cyrus 
Madison  Hawley. 

"He  was  one  of  our  most  talented  and  influen- 
tial members.  No  member  of  this  Club  could 
speak  upon  questions  which  were  discussed  at 
our  meetings  with  more  force  and  eloquence.  He 
attended  our  meetings  quite  regularly,  and  always 
contributed  to  their  interest. 

"He  was  a  patriot.  Descended  from  a  long 
line  of  revolutionary  and  patriotic  ancestors,  he 
was  a  worthy  son  of  such  noble  sires. 

"He  was  an  able  expounder  and  defender  of 


C.  M.  HAWKEY. 


345 


the  foundation  principles  of  this  Club  and  of  the 
Republican  party.  In  him  were  embodied  the 
essential  and  enduring  principles  which  are  the 
foundation  of  the  prosperity  of  our  government. 

"Judge  Hawley  was  a  man  of  great  ability. 
He  was  a  logical  and  consecutive  reasoner.  His 
keen  intellect  enabled  him  to  see  the  pith  and 
very  essence  of  questions  which  he  discussed,  and 
he  always  supported  his  propositions  with  con- 
summate skill,  force  and  ability. 

"He  was  the  author  of  many  papers  which 
have  been  published. 

'  'He  also  left  a  large  number  of  manuscripts, 
which  the  writer  of  this  has  read,  and  they  all 
give  evidence  of  profound  study  and  research 
and  great  ability. 

'  'The  death  of  Judge  Hawley  is  a  great  loss  to 
this  Club.  We  all  mourn  the  sad  event.  There- 
fore, be  it 

'  'Resolved,  That  by  the  death  of  Judge  Hawley, 
the  old  Tippecanoe  Club  of  Chicago  loses  one  of 
its  most  esteemed  and  valuable  members,  and 
that  we  all  deeply  deplore  the  sad  event. 

'  'Resolved,  That  this  report  be  entered  upon  the 
records  of  this  Club,  and  that  a  copy  of  it  be  sent 
to  the  family  of  the  deceased." 

It  is  thus  apparent  that  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  in  political  views  a  Republican,  in 
whose  ranks  few  were  more  modestly  conspicu- 
ous. An  Abolitionist,  he  lived  to  see  the  greatest 
stain  upon  national  and  domestic  annals  wiped 
away;  an  early  advocate  (in  1861)  of  the  right 
and  duty  of  government  to  issue  treasury  notes  as 
a  circulating  medium,  as  a  means  with  which  to 
meet  immediate  fiscal  governmental  demands,  he 
saw  that  opinion  become  an  established  adminis- 
trational  dogma. 

What  affords  a  more  impressive  spectacle  than 
to  see  one  pass  away  in  the  fullness  of  years  and 
fame?  Prominent,  as  lawyer;  consummately 
able,  as  a  jurist;  stanch,  as  a  friend;  devoted,  as 
husband  and  father;  independent  in  means  ac- 
quired through  channels  of  laborious  honor; 
surely  we  may  safely  leave  his  memory  and  his 
fame  to  the  goddess  of  impartial  hand,  who  con- 
siders the  consciences,  and  records  for  all  eternity 
the  deeds  of  each. 

Judge  Hawley's  charities  were  dispensed  with 
quiet  unostentation,  but  were  none  the  less  very 
substantial  both  in  amount  and  judicious  selection 
of  the  donees.  Witness,  during  his  lifetime  he 


was  a  periodical  giver  to  the  Chicago  Presbyte- 
rian Hospital,  the  Newsboys'  and  Bootblacks' 
Association,  and  the  Protestant  Orphan  Asylum, 
his  contributions  to  each  of  these  often  amounting 
to  as  much  as  $500  yearly.  In  his  will  he  pro- 
vided for  the  annual  payment  to  all  of  said  insti- 
tutions of  $500  during  the  lifetime  of  two  of  his 
immediate  relatives,  and  upon  their  deaths  the 
whole  of  his  ample  estate  is  devised  in  fee  to  be 
divided  among  the  said  institutions.  Who  can 
foresee  the  amount  of  good  thus  accomplished, 
the  suffering  relieved  and  the  buds  of  many  noble 
manhoods  forever  quickened?  Thus  he  reared  a 
monument  in  the  hearts  of  unborn  thousands  who 
are  yet  to  arise  and  bless  his  life  and  memory. 

Judge  Hawley  was  a  lifelong  Presbyterian  in 
religious  faith,  having  been  a  member  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  Chicago,  for  upward  of 
thirty  years.  Its  pastor,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Barrows, 
preached  his  funeral  sermon  in  sincerely  glowing 
terms.  He  was  buried  at  Penfield,  New  York, 
beside  his  deceased  wife. 

In  1862  he  married  Sophia  Fellows,  of  Penfield, 
New  York;  her  father  being  a  lawyer  of  good 
abilities,  and  her  grandfather  the  General  Fellows 
who  performed  heroic  service  for  the  colonies  in 
the  Revolutionary  War. 

Upon  her  decease,  Mr.  Hawley,  January  19, 
1893,  married  Mrs.  Annie  Fulton  Loomis  (a 
widow),  of  Chicago,  who  survives  him.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Fulton,  the  family  being  of 
Scotch- Presbyterian  descent,  one  branch  of  which 
produced  the  immortal  Robert  Fulton,  inventor 
of  the  first  steamboat,  successfully  launched  on 
the  Hudson  River  in  1814.  Her  mother  was 
Elizabeth  Moore,  a  daughter  of  Major  Thomas 
Moore,  famed  in  connection  with  the  War  of  1812. 

He  had  two  children:  C.  Myron  Hawley,  who 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  served  his  father  as 
Clerk  of  the  Court  in  Utah,  where  he  untimely 
died  of  pneumonia;  and  a  daughter,  now  Mrs. 
Charles  Bumford,  of  New  York  City. 

Cyrus  Madison  Hawley  was  a  son  of  Lewis  and 
Sarah  Hawley,  nee  Tanner,  a  daughter  of  James 
and  Hannah  Tanner,  nee  Hazard,  of  Newport, 
Rhode  Island,  they  having  been  formerly  of 
Huntington,  Connecticut,  but  removing  to  Solon, 


346 


I.  N.  CAMP. 


New  York,  where  they  were  prominent  residents 
for  upward  of  half  a  century. 

Ascending  the  lineage  in  America,  we  record 
the  following:  His  grandparents  were  Joseph 
and  Anna  Hawley,  nee  Lewis,  a  daughter  of  Na- 
thaniel and  Ruth  Lewis,  nee  Beardsley,  of  Hunt- 
ington,  Connecticut.  Joseph  was  a  son  of  Cap- 
tain Francis  and  Rachel  Hawley,  nee  Davis,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Sarah  Davis,  nee  Chatfield, 
of  "Great  Hill"  Derby,  Connecticut,  residents  of 
Huntington.  Francis  was  a  son  of  Samuel,  Jr., 
and  Bethia  Hawley,  nee  Booth,  a  daughter  of 
Ephraim  and  Mary  Booth,  nee  Clark,  of  Strat- 
ford, Connecticut,  who  lived  at  Stratford,  and 
later  at  Derby,  Connecticut.  Samuel,  Jr.,  was  a 
son  of  Samuel,  Sr.,  and  Mary  Hawley,  nee 
Thompson,  a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Ann 
Thompson  (nee  Welles,  of  Farmington,  Connect- 
icut) ,  of  Stratford,  Connecticut.  Samuel  was  a 
son  of  Joseph  Hawley,  ' ' Yaoman  and  Town  Re- 
corder," and  Katherine  Birdsey,  of  Stratford, 
Connecticut. 

The  last  said  Joseph  Hawley  came  to  America 
about  1629  or  1630,  from  "Parwidge"  (now  Par- 
wick),  Derbyshire,  England,  which  is  a  place 
located  about  nine  miles  northwest  of  Old  Derby; 
he  settled  upon  "Home  Lot  No.  37,"  as  set  off 
by  the  "first  inhabitants  of  Stratford,  Connecti- 
cut." Here  he  died  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty-seven,  his  burial  spot  being  still  identified 
by  a  well-worn  slate  tablet  (an  exceptional  mark 
among  early  New  England  settlers) ,  on  which  is 
yet  legible  its  inscription,  "J.  H.  May  20,  1690." 


From  a  work  embodying  the  results  of  great 
labor  and  research,  into  which  we  have  been 
privileged  to  examine  in  connection  herewith  (the 
volume  being  entitled  the  "Hawley  Record,  1066 
to  1890,"  a  heavy  quarto  tome),  we  ascertain 
that  this  family  is  both  very  ancient  and  honor- 
able. The  line  is  of  Norman  origin;  the  first 
Hawley,  as  appears  from  the  "Roll  of  Battel 
Abbey' '  (that  consummate  aggregate  genealogical 
tree  builded  by  '  'The  Conqueror, ' '  back  to  whom 
is  traced  so  much  of  the  good  and  bad  of  the  past 
nine  hundred  years  of  English  history),  came 
into  England  in  1066  from  France  with  the  con- 
quering King  William  I.  The  arms  of  the  Derby 
(England)  Hawleys  are,  "  -vert  a  saltier  engrailed 
argent.  Crest,  a  dexter  arm  in  armor  ppr. ,  gar- 
nished or  holding  in  the  hand  a  spear  in  bend 
sinister,  point  downward  ppr.  Motto,  "suivez 
mot."  The  etymology  of  this  patronymic  sug- 
gests itself  as  a  compound  of  the  root  words, 
"haw"  and  "ley,"  which  might  be  intelligently 
interpreted  as  '  'A  meadow  field  enclosed  by  haw- 
thorns. 

Stratford,  Connecticut,  the  ancestral  American 
seat,  is  situated  very  advantageously  upon  Long 
Island  Sound,  in  Fairfield  County,  which  is  not 
only  the  southwesternmost  in  that  State,  but  all 
New  England;  here  the  Hawley  family  has  been 
prominent  for  many  generations.  As  one  au- 
thority states,  '  'The  name  of  Hawley  has  stood 
pre-eminent  in  the  ranks  of  jurists  and  statesmen 
of  New  England." 


ISAAC  NEWTON  CAMP. 


N.  CAMP,  one  of  the  prominent  busi- 
ness men  of  Chicago,  who  has  been  success- 
Jl  fully  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits  in  this 
city  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  is  a 


native  of  Elmore,  Lamoille  County,  Vermont, 
having  been  born  there  on  the  igth  of  December, 
1831.  His  ancestors  were  colonial  settlers  in  the 
Green  Mountain  State.  His  parents,  Abel  and 


I.  N.  CAMP. 


347 


Charlotte  (Taplin)  Camp,  were  both  natives  of 
Vermont.  The  father  was  a  farmer,  whose  sound 
sense  and  good  judgment  gave  him  the  position 
of  leading  citizen  among  the  people  of  the  town 
in  which  he  lived.  For  several  years  he  held  the 
office  of  Postmaster  and  Town  Clerk.  He  died 
on  the  22d  of  December,  1890,  aged  ninety  years. 
In  respect  to  his  longevity,  he  was  like  his  father, 
grandfather  and  great-grandfather,  each  of  whom 
lived  to  a  very  advanced  age.  Among  other 
things  that  came  to  Mr.  Camp,  on  account  of  his 
integrity  and  financial  ability,  was  the  charge  of 
a  large  tract  of  land  which  was  left  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Vermont  by  Guy  Catlin.  In  connec- 
tion with  the  management  of  this  land  was  a 
scholarship  in  the  university  held  by  Mr.  Catlin, 
and  placed  at  Mr.  Camp's  disposal. 

Isaac  Newton  Camp,  after  the  usual  course  in 
the  common  schools,  attended  the  academy  at 
Bakersfield,  Vermont,  where  he  paid  his  board  by 
teaching  music.  .At  the  age  of  twenty  he  entered 
the  University  of  Vermont,  where  he  made  use 
of  the  scholarship  above  mentioned,  and  in  his 
spare  time  earned  enough  money  to  pay  his  cur- 
rent expenses.  After  four  years  of  hard  study, 
interspersed  with  a  liberal  amount  of  hard  work, 
he  was  graduated  and  received  his  diploma  from 
his  Alma  Mater  in  1856.  Soon  afterward  he  be- 
came assistant  principal  in  Barre  Academy,  which 
had  been  transferred  from  Bakersfield  during  the 
time  he  was  in  college.  There  he  taught  math- 
ematics and  music  for  four  years,  after  which  he 
became  principal  of  the  High  school,  at  Burling- 
ton, Vermont,  filling  that  position  until  he  came 
to  Chicago,  April  20,  1868. 

In  this  city  Mr.  Camp  became  associated  with 
H.  I,.  Story,  and  entered  the  business  in  which 
he  spent  a  large  portion  of  his  life.  The  firm 
took  the  name  of  Story  &  Camp,  and  continued 
in  business  until  the  spring  of  1884,  when  the 
Estey  Organ  Company  bought  Mr.  Story's  inter- 
est, and  the  firm  assumed  the  style  of  Estey  & 
Camp,  which  has  been  continued  to  the  present 
date,  1895. 

Mr.  Camp's  life  is  an  exemplification  of  what  a 
man  may  do  if  he  has  ability  and  business  meth- 
ods. He  began  life  on  a  small  capital  which  he 


had  saved  out  of  his  salary  as  a  teacher.  With 
that  as  a  base,  and  an  abundance  of  energy,  per- 
severance, enterprise  and  integrity  of  the  highest 
character,  he  was  prepared  to  enter  the  contest 
for  success  in  commercial  circles  with  a  good 
prospect  of  winning,  and  he  succeeded.  The 
house  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  one  of  the  most 
reputable  and  substantial  in  Chicago,  and  its 
status  is  the  outgrowth  of  the  efforts  of  the  gen- 
tlemen who  have  managed  its  affairs.  It  grew 
up  on  fair  dealing  and  honest  and  successful 
competition  with  its  rivals.  At  the  time  of  Mr. 
Story's  withdrawal  from  the  firm,  the  capital 
exceeded  $500,000,  and  he  received  $250,000  for 
his  interest  in  the  business.  The  capital  to-day 
exceeds  $1,000,000. 

Mr.  Camp  has  been  prominently  connected 
with  public  enterprises.  He  is  a  director  in  the 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary  and  the  Royal 
Trust  Company.  In  April,  1891,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  director  of  the  World's  Columbian  Ex- 
position, and  served  as  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tees on  Agriculture  and  Liberal  Arts.  In  politics 
Mr.  Camp  is  a  Republican,  but  he  does  not  serve 
his  party  with  a  blind  devotion,  rather  taking  a 
liberal  view  of  political  matters,  and  in  local 
affairs  votes  for  the  man  whom  he  thinks  best 
qualified  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  office. 
For  many  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  Union 
Park  Congregational  Church,  and  is  president  of 
its  board  of  trustees.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  and  Union  League  Clubs. 

On  the  ist  of  January,  1862,  Mr.  Camp  mar- 
ried Miss  Flora  Carpenter,  daughter  of  Hon. 
Carlos  Carpenter,  of  Barre,  Vermont.  Of  the 
four  children  born  of  this  marriage,  three  are  now 
living.  The  daughter,  Charlotte,  is  the  wife  of 
M.  A.  Farr,  of  Chicago;  Edward  N.,  the  elder 
son,  is  in  business  with  his  father;  and  William 
Carpenter,  the  younger  son,  is  also  in  the  business. 

Mr.  Camp  has  found  time  in  his  busy  commer- 
cial life  to  see  his  native  land  quite  thoroughly, 
and  has  also  traveled  extensively  abroad  with  his 
family.  As  a  result  of  his  journeyings,  he  is  a 
better  citizen  and  more  loyal  American  than  he 
would  otherwise  have  been.  He  is  a  generous 
giver  to  the  church  and  for  charitable  purposes. 


E.  A.  JEWETT. 


In  consequence  of  his  industrious,  well-spent  life, 
and  his  energy,  integrity  and  force  of  character, 
Mr.  Camp  has  raised  himself  from  the  bottom 
round  of  the  financial  ladder  to  a  position  of  in- 


dependence, and  at  this  advanced  period  of  his 
life  enjoys  the  luxuries  of  wealth,  the  society  of 
numerous  friends,  and  the  pleasures  of  an  envi»t»i- 
ment  of  refinements. 


EDWARD  A.  JEWETT. 


[~~DWARD  ADAMS  JEWETT,  one  of  the 
rp  successful  sons  of  Vermont,  now  identified 
I  with  the  greatest  enterprise  of  Chicago,  was 
born  at  St.  Johnsbury,  July  18,  1838.  His 
grandfather,  Dr.  Luther  Jewett,  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  that  town,  where  he  officiated  first  as 
a  clergyman  and  later  as  a  physician.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  Congress  from  Vermont,  elected 
in  1815  and  re-elected  in  1817.  He  was  born  in 
Canterbury,  Connecticut,  and  reached  the  age  of 
eighty-seven  years.  Ephraim  Jewett,  the  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  in  turn  a  promi- 
nent citizen  of  St.  Johnsbury,  where  he  carried 
on  a  mercantile  business.  He  married  Miss  Jane 
Fairbanks,  a  daughter  of  ex-Governor  Erastus 
Fairbanks  and  sister  of  ex-Governor  Horace 
Fairbanks — a  name  which  is  a  household  word 
in  the  Green  Mountain  State,  and  familiar  in  this 
and  other  countries  in  connection  with  Fairbanks' 
scales  and  philanthropic  deeds.  Mrs.  Jane  Jewett's 
grandfather  was  remotely  of  English  descent,  his 
ancestors  being  among  the  first  settlers  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Both  he  and  his  wife  lived  to  extreme 
old  age,  departing  this  life  during  the  boyhood  of 
Edward  A.  Jewett — Mrs.  Fairbanks  at  the  age  of 
ninety-nine  years.  Erastus  Fairbanks  was  born  in 
Brimfield,  Massachusetts,  in  1792,  and  was  known 
as  Vermont's  "War  Governor,"  his  second  elec- 
tion to  that  office  having  occurred  in  the  fall  of 
1860.  The  first  election  was  in  1852. 

The  ancestry  of  Edward  A.  Jewett  on  both 
sides  was  of  prime  New  England  stock — a  lineage 


distinguished  for  sturdy  character,  industrious 
habits  and  intellectual  force — and  this  scion  per- 
petuates  those  characteristics  to  a  marked  degree. 
He  attended  the  schools  in  St.  Johnsbury,  and 
later  became  a  student  at  Phillips  Academy,  at 
Andover,  Massachusetts,  graduating  from  that 
famous  educational  institution  in  1857.  He  then 
entered  Harvard  University,  but  his  health  hav- 
ing become  impaired,  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish 
his  studies  there  at  the  end  of  the  second  year. 

He  soon  after  entered  upon  the  business  career 
in  which  he  has  since  been  almost  continuously 
occupied.  His  first  employment  was  with  a  large 
wholesale  boot  and  shoe  house  in  Boston,  where 
he  remained  until  1861.  He  was  then  sent  to 
Burlington,  Vermont,  to  settle  up  the  affairs  of  a 
boot  and  shoe  store  which  had  become  largely 
indebted  to  his  employers.  Having  adjusted  this 
business  in  a  manner  creditable  to  himself  and 
satisfactory  to  the  creditors,  he  purchased  the 
business  of  the  bankrupt  concern  and  carried  on 
the  same  for  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
period  he  became  interested  in  the  construction  of 
a  railway  from  Swanton,  Vermont,  to  St.  John's, 
Quebec,  which  subsequently  became  a  part  of  the 
Vermont  Central  system.  From  1866  to  1870  he 
was  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment as  deputy  collector  of  internal  revenue  at 
Burlington,  Vermont,  after  which  he  engaged  in 
the  book  and  stationery  business  at  that  place  for 
three  years. 

In  1873  Mr.  Jewett  became  a  resident  of  Chi- 


GOTTLIEB  MERZ. 


349 


cago,  and  in  July  of  that  year  he  was  appointed 
Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  Chicago  division 
of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company.  On  the  ist 
of  June,  1874,  he  was  promoted  to  the  office  of 
Division  Superintendent,  and  held  that  position 
until  April  i,  1888,  when  he  was  appointed  As- 
sistant General  Superintendent  of  the  company, 
a  position  which  he  still  capably  fills.  This  high 
and  responsible  position  was  given  to  him  in 
recognition  of  his  merits  and  qualifications. 
This  important  trust  involves  in  its  operations 
millions  of  dollars,  under  a  method  so  thoroughly 
systematized  that  the  checks  and  balances  must 
tally  to  a  cent.  The  vast  system  managed  by 
the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  extends 
throughout  the  United  States,  Canada  and  Mex- 
ico, its  domain  being  so  broad  as  to  be  almost 
incomprehensible — all  under  the  sagacious  super- 
intendency  of  this  quiet  and  unpretentious  gen- 
tleman, whose  hand  is  felt  and  recognized  as 
being  constantly  at  the  helm.  He  has  been  the 
recipient  of  many  evidences  of  the  high  regard  in 
which  he  is  held  by  the  heads  of  this  great  cor- 
poration. 

In  1870  he  married  Miss  Jennie  M.  Hubbell, 
of  Charlotte,  Chittenden  County,  Vermont,  a 
member  of  an  old  and  highly-respected  family, 


the  daughter  of  S.  W.  and  Polly  Hubbell.  The 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett  in  Chicago  is  the 
seat  of  pleasant  hospitality,  where  their  friends 
are  always  sure  of  cordial  welcome. 

In  his  social  and  fraternal  relations  Mr.  Jewett 
occupies  an  enviable  position.  He  is  an  honored 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  affiliated 
with  Washington  lyodge,  Burlington  Chapter  and 
Council,  of  Burlington,  Vermont;  of  Chevalier 
Bayard  Commandery,  Chicago;  and  Boston  (Mas- 
sachusetts) Consistory.  He  served  one  year  as 
Deputy  Grand  Master  of  the  State  of  Vermont, 
Grand  High  Priest  of  the  Grand  Chapter  for  two 
years,  and  Grand  Generalissimo  of  the  Grand 
Commandery  for  one  year.  He  was  an  early 
member  of  the  Sons  of  Vermont  in  Chicago,  and 
one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  that  society  in  1894. 
He  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  Republican  principles 
of  government,  and  in  1872  and  1873  he  served 
as  aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Gov.  Julius  Con- 
verse, of  Vermont.  His  bearing  is  uniformly 
courteous  and  dignified,  and  inspires  the  confi- 
dence and  regard  of  all  who  come  in  contact  with 
him.  He  can  have  the  proud  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  it  has  been  to  his  own  capacity, 
diligence  and  careful  observance  of  the  highest 
rules  of  business  that  his  uniform  success  is  due. 


GOTTLIEB  MERZ. 


JOTTLIEB  MERZ.  Among  the  self-made 
and  patriotic  citizens  of  Chicago  of  foreign 
birth,  is  the  subject  of  this  biography.  His 
ancestors  were  among  the  prominent  people  of 
Menziken,  in  the  canton  of  Aargau,  Switzerland, 
and  he  does  honor  to  his  lineage.  His  grandfather 
moved  from  that  city  to  Erlach,  Canton  Berne, 
where  his  parents,  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Merz, 
were  born.  Jacob  Merz  was  a  carpenter,  and 


passed  his  whole  life  in  the  pursuit  of  his  occu- 
pation at  Erlach. 

Gottlieb  Merz  was  born  at  the  last-mentioned 
place  on  the  I4th  of  October,  1838,  and  attended 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  place  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  old.  He  was  then  apprenticed  to 
a  cabinetmaker  and  became  a  journeyman  two 
years  later,  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  After  this  he 
worked  at  his  trade  in  several  of  the  Swiss  cities 


350 


GOTTUEB  MERZ. 


bordering  on  the  Lake  of  Geneva,  such  as  Neuf- 
chatel,  Locel,  Lucerne,  Vevey  and  Morges.  He 
was  also  employed  for  some  time  in  the  principal 
city  of  Geneva. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-four,  possessed  by  that 
spirit  of  enterprise  which  has  made  the  American 
Nation  pre-eminent  in  the  world's  progress,  he 
determined  to  settle  in  the  western  world,  and 
came  direct  to  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  After 
working  six  months  in  a  cabinet  shop  there,  he 
went  into  a  factory  employed  in  the  manufacture 
of  picture  frames,  mirrors  and  show  cases,  and 
after  being  there  two  months,  was  made  foreman 
and  had  charge  of  a  large  business. 

Mr.  Merz  became  a  resident  of  Chicago  in  1865, 
and  was  employed  for  two  years  by  Stotz  &  Wolz, 
makers  of  cabinet  ware.  In  1867  he  established 
his  present  business — the  manufacture  of  cigar 
boxes — which  has  grown  under  his  energetic  and 
judicious  care  to  enormous  magnitude.  His  first 
shop  was  in  the  old  Turner  Hall  on  Kinzie  Street, 
where,  in  1871,  he  lost  everything  in  the  great 
fire.  The  North  Side  residents  did  not  suppose 
the  devouring  element  would  cross  the  river  from 
the  South  Side,  until  it  seemed  to  leap  over  all 
along  the  river  front,  and  Mr.  Merz  was  sur- 
rounded, like  many  others,  before  he  could  make 
arrangements  to  save  anything,  and  was  glad  to 
escape  with  his  family  to  a  place  of  safety.  After 
this  disaster  he  set  cheerfully  to  work  to  repair 
his  losses,  as  far  as  possible,  without  wasting  any 
time  in  repining.  He  began  on  Twenty-second 
Street,  whence  he  removed  in  June,  1872,  to 
North  Franklin  Street.  His  business  continuing 
to  grow  until  he  was  again  compelled  to  move, 
he  built  the  brick  buildings  now  occupied  by  him 
at  209  to  215  Superior  Street,  in  1879.  Here  he 
turns  out  daily  five  thousand  cigar  boxes,  beside 
from  one  to  two  thousand  other  light  packing 
boxes.  The  establishment  is  equipped  with  the 
latest  improved  machinery,  much  of  which  is  the 
result  of  Mr.  Merz'  inventive  genius. 

Mr.  Merz  is  the  founder  and  builder  of  his  own 
fortune,  and  his  example  is  commended  to  the 
youth  of  the  land.  His  success  is  the  result  of 
no  sudden  turn  of  fortune,  but  to  the  persistent 


pushing  of  his  enterprise,  which  is  the  only  real 
"luck"  in  the  world.  Sometimes  a  fortune  is 
rapidly  accumulated,  but  an  examination  of  the 
case  will  show  that,  with  rare  exceptions,  the 
foundation  of  such  success  was  laid  by  long  years 
of  patient  preparation  which  fitted  the  individual 
for  seizing  the  opportunity  when  it  came.  Mr. 
Merz  labored  patiently  many  years  at  his  trade 
to  secure  a  start  in  the  way  of  a  small  capital  and 
a  business  experience  and  knowledge  of  the  En- 
glish language,  which  fitted  him  for  the  promi- 
nent position  he  now  holds  in  the  business  world 
of  Chicago,  that  typical  city  of  American  enter- 
prise. 

While  he  has  been  energetic  in  business,  Mr. 
Merz  has  also  fulfilled  his  duty  to  society.  He 
has  long  been  an  active  member  of  the  Grutli 
Society,  an  organization  of  Swiss-born  citizens, 
of  which  he  was  treasurer  for  ten  years.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Schweitzer  Maennerchor,  the 
North  Side  Turners'  Society,  and  was  for  many 
years  identified  with  the  Sons  of  Herman.  He  holds 
membership  in  Miethra  Lodge,  No.  410,  in  the 
Masonic  Order,  beside  that  of  the  Consistory  and 
Shrine  of  the  same  order.  In  religious  faith  he 
adheres  to  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and 
has  usually  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party 
in  matters  of  public  policy. 

Mr.  Merz  was  married,  in  1864,  to  Miss  Jo- 
sephine Boppart,  who  is  a  native  of  St.  Gallen, 
Switzerland.  Two  sons  and  a  daughter  of  this 
family  died  in  childhood.  The  living  are,  Emilie, 
widow  of  Henry  Kallemberg;  Louise,  Mrs. 
Charles  Stierlin;  Edward  G.,  who  is  associated 
with  his  father  in  business  (the  firm  now  being 
G.  Merz  &  Son) ;  and  Lily,  still  in  the  home  of 
her  parents.  All  reside  in  Chicago. 

By  his  uniform  courtesy  and  fair  dealing,  Mr. 
Merz  has  won  the  confidence  and  good  will  of  all 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  and  he  is  unan- 
imously voted  one  of  the  most  popular  of  the 
North  Side  citizens.  He  has  never  aspired  to 
public  station,  but  has  been  content  to  fill  his 
place  as  a  gentleman  among  his  fellows  and  at  his 
own  fireside,  where  he  is  the  center  of  conjugal 
and  filial  regard. 


OF  THE 

L:r.vzssiTY  OF 


H.    M.  WILMARTH. 


351 


HENRY  M.  WILMARTH. 


HENRY  MARTIN  WILMARTH  was  born 
January  25,  1836,  at  Newport,  Sullivan 
County,  New  Hampshire,  a  son  of  Jonathan 
Monroe  and  Lucy  Wilmarth  (nee  Cheney).  He 
was  educated  at  Kimball  Union  Academy,  situ- 
uated  at  Meriden,  New  Hampshire,  which  was  a 
preparatory  school  for  Dartmouth  College.  Com- 
ing to  Chicago  in  the  early  days  of  1856,  he  be- 
gan active  business  life  in  the  employ  of  Gerould 
Brothers,  dealers  in  gas  fixtures,  an  old  house  on 
Clark  Street,  opposite  the  present  site  of  the 
Court  House;  and  upon  the  death  of  the  senior 
member,  acquired  and  succeeded  to  the  business, 
under  the  style  of  H.  M.  Wilmarth,  which  he  in- 
creased to  very  considerable  proportions.  After 
his  demise,  his  younger  brother,  Thomas  Wil- 
marth, who  for  a  period  of  years  had  been  asso- 
ciated with  him,  became  and  is  at  present  the 
owner  of  said  business,  located  at  No.  225  State 
Street,  in  a  valuable  structure  owned  by  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Wilmarth  was  one  of  the  projectors  and 
corporators  of  the  Chicago  First  National  Bank, 
that  pillar  of  financial  strength  through  all  panics 
and  monetary  trials,  of  which  he  remained  a  Di- 
rector from  its  inception  to  the  date  of  his  demise. 
Speaking  of  his  long  connection  with  that  corpor- 
ation, one  of  its  present  leaders  was  pleased  to 
use  the  following  language:  '  'When  the  final  rec- 
ord of  the  old  First  National  comes  to  be  made  up, 
it  will  plainly  be  seen,  that  no  one  stood  higher  in 
financial  acumen  or  wiser  in  management-coun- 
sels during  its  first  quarter  of  a  century  than 
Henry  M.  Wilmarth." 

The  brevity  of  this  narrative,  to  the  many  who 
knew  the  subject  of  this  article,  will  appear 
strangely  incongruous,  in  the  light  of  remem- 


brance of  his  exceeedingly  long  and  prominent 
service  in  our  midst  as  a  man  of  noteworthy  af- 
fairs. But  perhaps  this  apparent  discrepancy  will, 
partially  disappear,  in  the  future  light  of  that 
general  knowledge  that  Mr.  Wilmarth  was  a  very 
modest  and  unassuming  man;  alas,  further,  that 
such  was  the  pertinacity  and  concentration  of  the 
business  genius  which  he  undoubtedly  possessed 
that  he  allowed  himself  to  engage  seriously  in 
but  a  few  matters;  but  whatever  he  embarked  in 
was  worthy  and  invariably  successful. 

His  lifelong  Republicanism  was  rewarded,  un- 
sought, by  election  to  the  responsible  chair  ot 
Alderman  during  the  Civil  War.  He  was  a 
member  of  several  clubs,  among  them,  the  Chi- 
cago and  Calumet;  but  he  never  in  his  life  joined 
any  secret  society.  In  spiritual  views,  he  was 
both  liberal  and  honest,  being  one  of  the  first  to 
assist  in  the  organization  of  Central  Church, 
where,  together  with  his  family,  he  was,  from 
the  time  of  the  coming  of  the  late  lamented  David 
Swing  to  the  South  Side,  an  habitual  attendant 
upon  services. 

Mr.  Wilmarth,  like  so  many  of  our  active  busi- 
ness men,  was  fond  of  his  outings  and  rustic  sum- 
mer life  with  rod  and  gun.  He  was  a  prized 
member  of  that  club  which  owns  a  preserve  at 
Marquette,  Wisconsin,  where  many  an  enjoyable 
month  was  spent,  recruiting  from  the  arduous 
labors  of  exacting  city  life.  Indeed,  it  was  ow- 
ing to  exposure,  following  a  railway  accident,  re- 
turning from  one  of  these  trips,  that  we  are 
obliged  to  chronicle  the  beginning  of  his  decline  in 
health.  His  end,  which  was  sudden,  for  one 
who  had  always  enjoyed  good  health,  came  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1885.  The  obsequies  were  conducted 
by  the  late  Rev.  David  Swing,  and  interment 


352 


H.   M.  WILMARTH. 


was  made  at  Graceland  Cemetery.  And  so  passed 
away  in  the  very  height  of  his  powers  and  reputa- 
tion one  of  the  worthiest  of  the  fathers  of  Chicago. 

The  possessor  of  many  noble  traits,  perhaps 
that  which  more  than  any  other  was  instrumental 
in  conspiring  toward  his  advancement  was  his 
natural  tact  for  managing  and  planning  ahead  for 
men.  He  carried  command  in  his  bearing.  As 
instancing  how  rapidly  this  faculty  accomplished 
its  end,  old  friends  still  recall  his  action  upon  that 
eventful  morning  of  the  Chicago  Fire,  when  by 
his  house  on  the  South  Side,  at  whose  very  step 
further  destruction  in  that  direction  was  stayed, 
he  called  to  his  assistance  a  handful  of  neighbors, 
and  set  to  work  with  saving  energy  an  engine, 
which  had  been  abandoned  by  its  crew,  after  long 
and  even  perilous  service.  Many  believed  that 
by  this  move  the  fire  was  stayed  at  this  point; 
but  Mr.  Wilmarth  never  in  his  life  alluded  to  it 
in  any  boastful  terms,  or  in  any  way  to  make  a 
listener  believe  he  had  done  anything  more  than 
an  ordinary  deed.  And  small  indeed  it  was  to 
his  dauntless  mind. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  May  21, 
1 86 1,  to  Miss  Mary  Jane  Hawes,  a  daughter  ot 
Capt.  Shubael  and  Nancy  Blackmer  (Smith) 
Hawes,  of  New  Bedford,  Massachusetts.  Mrs. 
Wilmarth,  prominent  in  social  and  charitable 
functions,  survives  her  lamented  husband,  living 
with  the  still  surviving  daughter  of  the  children 
she  bore  him,  as  follows:  Fanny  Hawes  Wilmarth, 
born  October  21,  1863,  died  December  12,  1863; 
Stella  Wilmarth,  born  August  28,  1865,  died  Sep- 
tember 28,  1885;  Anna  Hawes  Wilmarth,  born 
January  27,  1873,  unmarried,  and  a  student,  at 
present  writing,  in  the  University  of  Chicago. 

The  American  Wilmarths  are  of  Norman- 
French  blood,  descended  from  one  who  in  early 
times  settled  near  Wantage,  Berkshire,  England; 
a  later  branch  went  into  Wales,  where  in  ancient 
times,  they  maintained  a  feudal  castle.  The 
patronymic,  which  was  "Wilmot"  under  the 
"Conqueror,"  is  still  kept  by  the  English  stock; 
but  was  changed  by  the  Welsh  branch  to  the 
present  "Wilmarth."  Their  coat  of  arms  is: — 
Argent,  on  a  fess  gules,  between  three  eagles' 
heads  erased  sable  reaked  of  the  second,  an  uni- 


corn couchant,  between  two  flcur  de  Us.  From 
the  latter  branch  came  the  progeny  emigrating  to 
this  country,  in  the  forepart  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  which  settled  at  the  old  homestead  town 
of  Attleboro,  Massachusetts. 

While  not  as  distinguished  as  some  families,  the 
numerous  persons  descended  are  of  uniformly 
sterling  integrity,  and  the  men  very  successful  in 
business  life.  In  Revolutionary  times,  they 
filled  the  posts  and  played  the  part  of  heroes; 
many  of  them,  remnants  of  the  survivors,  being 
upon  the  pension  rolls.  In  fact,  the  very  last 
person  to  be  killed  in  that  War  of  Independence 
was  a  Captain  Wilmarth,  who  was  killed  in  the 
final  skirmish  a  few  miles  out  from  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  and  singularly  enough,  his  being 
the  only  fatality. 

Henry  M.  Wilmarth  was  a  son  of  Jonathan 
M.  Wilmarth,  who  married  Lucy  Cheney,  and 
lived  at  Newport,  New  Hampshire,  where  he 
was,  during  a  long  and  useful  career,  a  bank  di- 
rector, county  treasurer,  selectman  and  recruit- 
ing officer.  Daniel  Wilmarth  was  the  paternal 
grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  living 
at  Newport  aforesaid,  where  he  was  a  farmer  and 
mechanic;  his  wife  being  a  Nancy  Monroe,  ot 
Rehoboth,  Massachusetts.  John  Wilmarth  was 
great-grandfather;  he  married  Phebe  Briggs,  of 
Massachusetts,  and  removing  from  the  ancestral 
seat  of  Attleboro,  went  to  the  said  Newport  by 
the  aid  of  "blazed  trees"  for  a  trail,  represent- 
ing the  ninth  family  to  settle  in  that  town. 

Mrs.  Wilmarth' s  father,  Capt.  Shubael  Hawes, 
was  a  son  of  Shubael  Hawes,  Sr. ,  who  died  in 
1802  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  he  being 
(probably)  a  son  of  Benjamin  Hawes,  who  mar- 
ried a  Miss  Dorcas  Smith.  The  last-named  was 
a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Smith,  who  married  Miss 
Jedidah  Mayhew  a  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas 
Mayhew,  a  son  of  Gov.  Thomas  Mayhew. 

Mrs.  Wilmarth 's  mother,  Nancy  Blackmer 
Smith,  came  from  Martha's  Vineyard,  Massachu- 
setts, being  a  daughter  of  Ebenezer  and  Mary 
(Hulsart,  of  New  York)  Smith;  the  Smith  line, 
which  is  of  Edgartown  and  neighboring  towns 
on  Martha's  Vineyard,  runs  as  follows:  Ebenezer 
Smith,  a  son  of  Ebenezer  Smith,  son  of  the  Ben- 


E.  T.    SHEDD. 


353 


jamin  Smith  who  married  Miss  Jedidah  May  hew, 
and  had  the  Dorcas  Smith  above  spoken  of  as 
the  paternal  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Wilmarth. 
The  second  Ebenezer  Smith  married  Mrs.  Jane 
Claghorn  Mears,  daughter  of  John  Claghorn,  a 
son  of  James  Claghorn,  a  son  of  James  Claghorn, 
who  married  Mary  (or  Mercy)  Mayhew,  daugh- 
ter of  Gov.  Thomas  Mayhew.  [The  conspicuous 
intermarriages  are  probably  largely  due  to  the 
insular  nature  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  with  the 
emphasized  isolation  imposed  upon  the  early 
colonial  settlers.] 

The  said  Thomas  Mayhew,  in  1671,  was  made 
"Governor  of  the  islands  of  Martha's  Vineyard, 
Nantucket,  and  all  others  embraced  within  the 
limits  of  Duke's  County  as  originally  constitut- 
ed." 

Rev.  Thomas  Mayhew,  only  son  of  the  Gover- 
nor, when  about  twenty-one  years  of  age,  entered 
upon  the  work  of  preaching  to  the  aborigines 
in  1643,  about  three  years  before  his  more  widely 


distinguished  co-laborer,  John  Eliot,  known  as 
the  Apostle  to  the  Indians.  He  took  passage  in 
November,  1657,  in  a  large  ship,  of  four  hundred 
tons  burden,  James  Garrett,  Master,  bound  from 
Boston  to  England ;  but  the  ship  was  never  heard 
from  after  leaving  port. 

The  above  mentioned  Benjamin  Smith,  Esq., 
was  chosen  Representative  to  the  General  Court 
in  1693,  1703  and  1713;  was  constable  in  1701; 
and  selectman  in  1693,  1696-97,  1702  and  1703. 

The  oldest  Ebenezer  Smith  was  born  in  1700, 
and  was  a  selectman  in  1738  and  1739. 

Hisson,  Ebenezer,  Esq.,  was  born  tn  1734,  and 
was  a  housewright  and  a  man  of  considerable 
local  influence;  was  selectman  in  1773-74-75,  80- 
81-82-83,  1790  and  1794. 

The  said  Benjamin  Hawes  was  one  of  a  com- 
mittee of  five  in  1719  to  consider  the  matter  ot 
building  the  meeting  house  for  the  town.  He 
was  a  selectman  for  1711  and  1712. 


EZRA  T.  SHEDD. 


[""  ZRA  TWITCHELL,  SHEDD,  a  commercial 
(^  traveler,  who  has  been  identified  with  the 
I  business  of  Chicago  for  nearly  thirty  years, 
was  born  at  Norway,  Maine,  May  n,  1837.  He 
is  the  third  child  born  to  John  S.  and  Sally 
(Coffin)  Shedd,  and  represents  the  sixth  genera- 
tion of  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respectable 
American  families,  as  shown  by  the  following 
record: 

Daniel  Shedd,  a  native  of  England,  settled  at 
Braintree,  Massachusetts,  in  1642.  About  fifteen 
years  later  he  removed  to  Billerica,  Massachu- 
setts, where  the  balance  of  his  life  was  doubtless 
spent.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling  character  and 
determination,  qualities  which  have  been  im- 
pressed upon  his  posterity,  as  illustrated  by  the 


fact  that  of  four  thousand  whose  history  has  been 
traced,  none  were  ever  convicted  of  misdemeanor. 
Over  forty  of  his  descendants  are  known  to  have 
participated  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was 
the  father  of  five  sons  and  six  daughters,  of  whom 
the  third  son,  Zachariah,  born  1656,  was  three 
times  married  and  had  seventeen  children.  Sev- 
eral members  of  this  family  were  massacred  by 
the  Indians,  at  Billerica  in  1692.  Five  sons  of 
Zachariah  Shedd  grew  to  maturity,  of  whom  the 
youngest,  Benjamin,  born  1724,  had  four  sons 
and  one  daughter.  His  third  son,  Lemuel,  born 
1762,  served  seven  years  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  He  was  one  of  General  Washington's  life 
guards,  endured  all  the  hardships  of  the  encamp- 
ment at  Valley  Forge  and  was  employed  much  of 


354 


E.  T.    SHEDD. 


the  time  on  scouting  duty.  During  the  Burgoyne 
campaign  he  was  sent  from  Washington's  head- 
quarters with  an  express  order  to  General  Gates. 
Passing  through  a  country  infested  with  tories,  he 
was  in  constant  danger  of  his  life,  and  one  time 
was  obliged  to  abandon  his  horse  and  run  through 
the  woods  to  escape  capture.  He  took  shelter 
behind  a  sheet  of  water  which  fell  over  a  preci- 
pice, leaving  a  space  in  which  his  body  could  be 
concealed.  After  his  pursuers  had  passed  he  re- 
sumed the  journey  on  foot  and  succeeded  in  de- 
livering his  message. 

In  1788  Lemuel  Shedd  became  one  of  the  first 
settlers  of  Norway,  Maine,  where  Joseph  Stevens 
built  the  first  house  in  1786.  He  married  Ruth 
Simonds,  a  descendant  of  Samuel  Simonds,  a  prom- 
inent Puritan  of  Boston.  They  had  four  children, 
three  of  whom  grew  up,  namely:  Nathaniel  P., 
_  Abigail  (Mrs.  Joseph  Holt),  and  John  S.  The 
last  named  lived  and  died  upon  a  farm  in  Norway. 
He  passed  a  peaceful,  uneventful  life,  and  was 
never  involved  in  litigation  of  any  kind.  He  first 
married  Miss  Alice  Noyes,  by  whom  he  had  two 
children — Clarissa  wife  of  Francis  Blake,  of  Lar- 
amie,  Wyoming;  and  Ward  Noyes,  who  lost  his 
life  during  the  Kansas  Border  War  in  1857.  Af- 
ter the  death  of  his  first  wife  Mr.  Shedd  married 
Miss  Sally  Coffin,  a  native  of  Conway,  New 
Hampshire.  The  names  of  their  children  are, 
Augustus  F.  of  Chicago;  Alice  Augusta,  widow 
of  Moses  Rolfe,  now  living  on  the  old  homestead 
at  Norway,  Maine;  Ezra  T. ;  and  John  Wesley, 
who  died  in  infancy.  Sally  Coffin  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  Coffin,  and  her  mother  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Phcebe  (Richardson)  Stevens. 

James  Coffin  was  a  descendant  of  Tristam  Cof- 
fin, who  settled  at  Salisbury,  Massachusetts,  in 
1642.  '  As  early  as  the  fourth  century  the  Coffin 
family  had  extensive  estates  in  Normandy.  Sir 
Richard  Coffin,  knight,  accompanied  William  the 
Conqueror  to  England  in  1066,  and  the  manor  of 
Alwington,  in  Devonshire,  was  assigned  to  him 
in  recognition  of  his  services.  His  descendants 
were  prominent  knights  through  several  succeed- 
ing reigns.  Tristram  Coffin  was  born  at  Brixlin, 
near  Plymouth,  England,  in  1605,  and  married 
Dionis  Stevens.  A  few  years  after  coming  to 


Massachusetts,  he  became  one  of  a  party  of  ten 
who  purchased  Nantucket  Island  from  the  In- 
dians. The  original  deed  is  still  preserved  in  the 
family.  He  and  his  sons  at  one  time  owned  one- 
fourth  of  the  whole  island.  He  transacted  much 
important  public  business  for  the  settlers,  and 
was  a  man  of  affairs.  Of  his  numerous  descend- 
ants many  were  Quakers,  among  them  Levi 
Coffin,  of  Newport,  Indiana,  the  so-called  "presi- 
dent of  the  underground  railroad,"  and  the 
original  "Uncle  Phineas"  of  "Uncle  Tom's  Cab- 
in." The  number  also  includes  two  admirals  of 
the  British  navy  and  a  number  of  eminent  Amer- 
icans, among  them  John  G.  Whittier,  Lucretia 
Mott  and  Carleton  Coffin,  the  journalist  and  his- 
torian of  Boston. 

Ezra  T.  Shedd  was  named  in  honor  of  Ezra 
Twitchell,  of  Bethel,  Oxford  County,  Maine,  the 
husband  of  Betsey  Coffin,  who  was  a  sister  of 
James  Coffin.  In  1856  he  left  home  and  came  to 
Illinois,  locating  at  Aurora,  where  he  engaged  in 
mercantile  business.  In  1868  he  removed  to 
Chicago,  which  has  since  been  his  residence  and 
business  headquarters.  During  this  time  he  has 
represented  several  of  the  leading  wholesale 
houses  of  the  city,  and  was  for  ten  years  employed 
by  one  concern.  Since  1888  he  has  served  the 
interests  of  Sweet,  Dempster  and  Co.,  in  Illinois. 
He  has  also  been  successfully  engaged  in  building 
houses  for  sale  for  some  years  past.  He  was 
married,  in  1863,  to  Helen  Scarritt,  daughter  of 
the  Rev.  Josiah  A  Scarritt,  of  Sandwich,  New 
Hampshire.  The  lady  was  born  at  Warren,  New 
York,  and  died  in  Chicago,  June  16,  1894,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-three  years.  She  possessed  marked 
literary  ability  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the 
greatest  female  parliamentarians  of  the  West. 
Her  life  was  largely  devoted  to  philanthropical 
labors.  She  was  a  charter  member  and  first  vice- 
president  of  the  Philosophical  Society,  the  nucleus 
of  all  the  literary  societies  of  the  city.  She  was  a 
charter  member  and  at  one  time  president  of  the 
Woman's  Club,  and  for  many  years  served  as 
chairman  of  the  reform  committee  of  Ih  it  organ- 
ization, which  was  largely  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing the  apprehension  and  conviction  of  the  noto- 
rious Chicago  "boodlers."  Through  an  address 


R.  A.  KINZIE. 


355 


delivered  before  the  County  Board,  she  secured  the 
appointment  of  the  first  lady  physician  on  the  staff 
of  the  Cook  County  Insane  Asylum.  She  was  also 
identified  with  the  Fortnightly  Club,  serving  re- 
peatedly as  its  secretary,  and  for  ten  years  was 
president  of  the  Physiological  Society.  At  the 
United  States  Woman's  Congress,  held  at  Denver 
in  1889,  Mrs.  Shedd  read  a  paper  entitled  "Wo- 
man in  Affairs, ' '  which  attracted  much  attention 
throughout  the  country.  She  was  a  charter 
member  of  the  Saracen  Club,  and  was  an  inde- 
fatigable worker  in  every  field  devoted  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  modern  progress  and  reform. 

Mr.  Shedd  is  liberal  in  religious  views.  He  is 
the  first  vice-president  of  the  Sons  of  Maine,  and 
has  been  for  years  actively  identified  with  the 
Saracen  Club,  the  Sunset  Club  and  the  Philo- 
sophical Society.  He  has  always  voted  with  the 
Republican  party  on  State  and  National  issues, 


but  is  independent  in  municipal  and  judicial  elec- 
tions. He  is  a  moderate  protectionist,  believes 
in  the  maintenance  of  a  stable  and  honest  cur- 
rency and  an  economical  administration  of  the  gov- 
ernment. He  is  a  careful  student  of  American 
history,  and  his  far-sightedness  has  enabled  him  to 
foretell  many  important  political  events.  Soon 
after  the  beginning  of  the  Lincoln-Douglas  sena- 
torial campaign,  he  predicted  that  Mr.  Lincoln 
would  be  the  next  President  of  the  United  States, 
a  forecast  which  was  received  with  much  skepti- 
cism by  his  associates.  He  also  predicted  the 
nomination  to  the  presidency  of  R.  B.  Hayes  im- 
mediately after  his  triumph  over  '  'Bill' '  Allen  in 
the  contest  for  the  Ohio  Governorship.  Mr.  Shedd 
is  a  gentleman  of  genial,  open  character,  and 
enjoys  the  friendship  of  a  large  number  of  leading 
citizens  throughout  the  Northwest. 


ROBERT  A.  KINZIE. 


ROBERT  ALLEN  KINZIE.  The  history 
of  Rome  will  never  be  considered  complete 
without  the  story  of  Romulus  and  Remus; 
the  history  of  New  England  will  always  find  its 
most  interesting  chapter  that  which  tells  of  the 
Pilgrim  fathers;  and  the  history  of  Chicago  will 
always  begin  with  the  account  of  the  Kinzies 
and  Whistlers.  These  were  the  earliest  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  settlement  which  has  developed 
into  the  present  city  of  Chicago.  The  father 
of  John  Kinzie,  our  early  pioneer,  was  a  Scotch- 
man; his  name  was  John  McKenzie,  and  he 
lived  at  Quebec,  and,  lastly,  at  Detroit,  where 
he  died.  The  wife  of  this  gentleman,  we  are  told 
in  "Wau-bun,"  was  Mrs.  Haliburton,  whose 
daughter  by  her  previous  marriage  was  mother 
of  the  late  General  Fleming  and  Nicholas  Low, 
of  New  York.  Mr.  Kinzie  (the  name  was  con- 
tracted to  Kinzie  because  of  its  constant  mis- 


pronunciation in  this  country)  at  his  death  left  a 
widow  and  a  son,  John  Kinzie.  The  widow  mar- 
ried William  Forsythe.  John  Kinzie,  son  of  the 
above  John  McKenzie,  is  said  to  have  been  born 
in  Quebec  in  the  year  1763,  but  lost  his  father  in 
infancy.  The  step-father  and  mother  removed  to 
New  York,  and,  finally,  to  Detroit.  John  Kinzie 
acquired  some  knowledge  of  the  business  of  a 
silversmith,  which  occupation  he  followed  in 
connection  with  his  trade  with  the  Indians.  He 
early  entered  the  Indian  trade  and  had  establish- 
ments at  Sandusky,  Maumee,  and  afterward 
pushed  west,  about  1800,  to  St.  Josephs. 

He  had  been  doing  business  in  Detroit  from 
1795  to  1798.  He  was  a  grantee  of  lands  from 
the  Ottawa  Indians.  In  the  year  1804  he  took 
up  his  residence,  as  sutler,  at  the  post  of  Chicago 
— the  first  entry  in  his  books  bearing  date  May 
12  of  that  year.  He  remained  here  until  after 


356 


R.  A.  KINZIE. 


the  Chicago  massacre,  August  15,  1812,  his  fam- 
ily escaping  unharmed  by  the  Indians  on  account 
of  the  universally  kind  and  courteous  treatment 
accorded  to  them  by  the  Kiuzies,  whose  friend- 
ship for  the  Indians  had  always  been  true  and 
unswerving.  No  more  emphatic  statement  of  the 
regard  of  the  Indians  for  the  Kinzie  family  could 
be  made  than  that  ' '  the  Indians  had  not  attacked 
Fort  Dearborn  the  autumn  preceding  the  massa- 
cre out  of  regard  for  one  family — that  of  Mr. 
Kinzie."  The  years  between  1812  and  1816 — 
the  latter  being  the  date  of  the  return  of  the  fam- 
ily to  Fort  Dearborn — were  spent  in  Detroit. 

John  Kinzie  married  Margaret  Mackenzie,  a 
native  of  the  vicinity  of  Pearisburgh,  Virginia, 
who,  together  with  her  sister,  was  captured  by 
the  Indians  about  the  time  of  the  American  Rev- 
olution, when  she  was  eight  or  ten  years  old. 
Three  children  were  born  of  this  marriage,  name- 
ly: William,  James  and  Elizabeth  Kinzie.  John 
Kinzie  and  his  wife  afterward  separated,  and 
each  married  again.  Mr.  Kinzie' s  second  wife 
was  Mrs.  Eleanor  (Lytle)  McKillip,  and  from 
this  marriage  are  descended  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  and  others.  The  oldest  of  these,  John 
Harris  Kinzie,  afterward  Colonel  Kinzie,  was  the 
husband  of  Juliette  A.  Magill,  a  very  elegant  and 
accomplished  woman,  who  gained  the  reputation 
of  a  graceful  and  intensely  interesting  writer, 
which  the  volume,  entitled  "  Wau-bun,  the  Early 
Day  in  the  Northwest,"  clearly  proves.  This 
couple  came  to  live  in  Chicago  in  1833,  and  the 
advertisement  of  John  H.  Kinzie,  forwarding  and 
commission  merchant,  appears  in  the  Chicago 
Democrat  of  that  year.  Colonel  Kinzie  filled 
successively  the  offices  of  Registrar  of  Public 
Lands,  Collector  of  Tolls  of  the  Illinois  Canal  at 
Chicago,  and  Paymaster  in  the  United  States 
Army,  which  latter  position  he  held  at  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1865.  He  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  St.  James  Episcopal  Church,  and  a  valuable 
member  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  which 
he  helped  to  organize. 

The  other  members  of  the  family  were:  Eleanor, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Wolcott,  of  Chicago, 
and  after  his  death  married  George  C.  Bates,  of 
Detroit;  Maria,  who  was  the  wife  of  that  gal- 


lant soldier,  Gen.  David  Hunter,  of  the  United 
States  Army;  and  Robert,  of  this  sketch,  the 
youngest. 

On  his  arrival  in  Chicago  in  1804,  with  his 
family,  John  Kinzie  took  possession  of  the  cabin 
lately  occupied  by  L,e  Mai,  a  French  trader,  who 
succeeded  the  builder  of  the  cabin — Baptiste 
Point  de  Sable,  the  first  settler  on  the  site  of  Chi- 
cago. This  historic  structure  stood  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  and  has  been  stated  to  have  been 
one  hundred  feet  east  of  the  present  Pine  Street, 
near  Michigan  Street,  and  occupied  a  portion  of 
the  quarter  section  taken  up  by  Mr.  Kinzie, 
which  to-day  is  worth  millions  of  dollars.  Kin- 
zie's  occupation  of  silversmith,  or  his  paying  the 
natives  in  silver,  caused  them  to  name  him 
Shaw-nee-aw-kee,  meaning  silver  man,  and  after 
his  death  this  title  descended  to  his  son  John. 
The  house  of  John  Kinzie  was  the  first  hotel  in 
Chicago,  for  travelers  were  entertained  there.  It 
was  the  scene  of  the  first  marriage,  for  here  his 
daughter,  Eleanor,  was  wedded  to  Dr.  Alex- 
ander Wolcott,  Sunday  July  20,  1823.  It  was, 
probably,  the  first  court  house  in  Chicago,  for 
Mr.  Kinzie  was  commissioned  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  December  2,  1823,  and  he  doubtless  held 
court  at  his  residence.  Mrs.  Eleanor  Kinzie  died 
in  1834. 

Robert  A.  Kinzie,  son  of  John  and  Eleanor, 
was  born  in  Chicago,  February  8,  1810.  He  was 
a  child  two  and  a-half  years  old,  but  he  could 
remember,  as  he  told  in  1872,  sixty  years  after 
the  battle  of  Chicago,  of  the  family  returning  to 
their  old  home  again,  and  also  the  circumstance 
of  his  father's  cutting  a  ball  from  the  arm  of  Mrs. 
Heald,  immediately  after  the  massacre.  After  a 
four  years'  absence  the  family  were  again  at 
their  old  home  in  Chicago. 

The  only  public  school  education  which  he 
seems  to  have  received  was  at  Detroit.  He  thus 
describes  his  return,  overland,  from  that  point  on 
horseback:  "Ten  days  was  the  distance,  and,  in 
company  with  a  couple  of  half  breeds  I  started, 
supplied  with  rations  for  the  whole  journey.  We 
were  five  days  out,  and  our  provisions  were  out 
also.  We  ate  faster  than  we  traveled.  When  we 
came  to  a  stream  of  any  ambition  we  had  to  con- 


R.  A.  KINZIE. 


357 


struct  a  raft  to  cross  it.  Hungry  and  tired,  we 
reached  Coldwater,  Michigan,  then  known  as 
Nagg's  Trading  Post.  Nagg  was  out  of  every- 
thing but  cake  sugar,  and  so  we  stayed  our 
stomachs  with  that,  and  would  doubtless  have 
died  of  surfeit  of  sweetness,  but  for  the  fact  that 
one  of  the  Indian  boys  shot  twenty-three  pigeons. 
We  ate  all  at  one  meal,  and  reached  Chicago 
heaven  knows  how." 

In  1825  Mr.  Kinzie  was  sent  to  Prairie  du  Chien, 
where  he  took  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  post 
agency,  then  conducted  by  Dousman.  John  Kin- 
zie, then  head  clerk,  later  became  agent,  and 
Robert  Kinzie  succeeded  to  his  place.  The  latter 
returned  to  Chicago  in  1827  and  in  the  following 
year  went  to  Detroit.  Returning,  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Captain  Leonard,  sutler  at  Fort  Win- 
nebago,  where  he  remained  six  months,  but  was 
recalled  to  Chicago  by  the  death  of  a  sister.  From 
1825  to  1840  he  remained  mostly  here,  including 
several  years  in  trade  at  Wolf  Point.  Early  in 
the  year  1832  he  erected  a  store,  which  was  the 
first  frame  building  in  Chicago,  except  one — that 
is,  the  Government  structure  built  by  William 
Caldwell.  Mr.  Kinzie  sent  to  Du  Page  for  car- 
penters to  build  it,  and  the  builders  were  two  old 
deacons. 

Mr.  Kinzie  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Kinzie,  Davis  &  Hyde  in  the  year  1835.  They 
were  dealers  in  hardware.  In  1840  he  moved  to 
a  farm  at  Walnut  Grove,  Illinois,  where  he  re- 
mained three  years.  In  1845  he  was  at  Des 
Moines,  and  thence  went  beyond  the  Missouri 
River  to  trade  with  the  Indians.  He  was  located 
at  Uniontown,  on  the  Pottawattomie  reservation, 
and  later  at  what  is  now  Greenwood,  on  the  res- 
ervation of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  He  and  his  broth- 
er-in-law both  owned  farms,  upon  which  they 
laid  out  the  town  of  Burlington,  Kansas,  named 
in^  honor  of  the  birthplace  of  the  subsequent 
proprietors  of  that  town.  In  May,  1861,  he  was 
appointed  Paymaster  in  the  army,  with  the  rank 
of  Major,  and  remained  in  the  service  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  December  13,  1873.  From 
1861  to  1864  he  was  in  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia;  from  1864  to  1868  in  Santa  Fe,  New 
Mexico;  and  was  then  ordered  to  Chicago,  where 


he  was  Paymaster  on  General  Sheridan's  staff. 
Major  Kinzie  was  a  very  powerful  as  well  as 
active  man.  His  death,  caused  by  heart  disease, 
was  very  sudden.  He  breathed  his  last  at  his 
residence  on  Thirty-fifth  Street,  Chicago.  It  may 
be  truly  said  of  him  that  he  was  a  man  of  sterling 
character  and  honesty.  While  his  life  presented 
no  brilliant  succession  of  great  achievements,  he 
deserves  a  testimonial  to  his  honesty  and  fidelity 
in  the  performance  of  his  duties  as  a  citizen  and 
public  officer. 

In  1834  Mr.  Kinzie  married  the  beautiful  and 
accomplished  daughter  of  Col.  William  Whistler, 
an  early  pioneer,  who  saw  placed  or  laid  the  first 
palisades  and  timbers  of  Fort  Dearborn.  Her 
grandfather,  Captain  John  (afterward  Major) 
Whistler,  the  builder  and  commandant  of  the  first 
Fort  Dearborn,  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolution- 
ary Army.  From  the  time  of  its  construction  until 
1811  he  was  in  command  of  the  post  of  Chicago, 
but  left  a  year  before  the  massacre.  He  died  at 
Bellefontaine,  Missouri,  in  1817. 

William,  son  of  Major  John  Whistler,  was 
born  in  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  about  1784,  and 
at  the  time  of  his  marriage  (in  May,  1802)  was 
a  Second-Lieutenant  in  his  father's  company, 
then  stationed  at  Detroit.  The  maiden  name 
of  his  wife  was  Julia  Person.  She  was  born 
in  Salem,  Massachusetts,  July  3,  1787,  and  her 
parents  were  John  and  Mary  (La  Duke)  Person. 
In  childhood  she  removed  with  her  parents  to 
Detroit,  where  she  met  her  future  husband.  In 
the  summer  of  1803  Capt.  John  Whistler,  Mrs. 
Whistler,  their  son  George  W.  (then  three  years 
old) ,  Lieutenant  Whistler  and  his  wife  came  to 
Fort  Dearborn.  After  five  years'  sojourn  here, 
Lieutenant  Whistler  was  transferred  to  Fort 
Wayne,  having  previously  been  made  a  First 
Lieutenant.  He  distinguished  himself  at  the 
battle  of  Maguago,  Michigan,  August  9,  1812, 
was  in  Detroit  at  Hull's  surrender,  and  with  Mrs. 
Whistler,  was  taken  prisoner  to  Montreal;  was 
promoted  to  Captain,  December,  1812,  to  Major 
in  1826,  and  Lieutenant- Colonel  in  1845.  He 
died  in  Newport,  Kentucky,  December  4,  1863, 
having  rendered  sixty -two  years'  continuous  ser- 
vice in  the  army.  In  the  fall  of  1875  Mrs.  Whis- 


358 


R.  A.  KINZIE. 


tier  visited  her  daughter,  Mrs.  R.  A.  Kinzie,  in 
Chicago.  Surrounded  by  her  children,  grand- 
children and  great-grandchildren,  she  was  found 
in  good  health  and  in  the  full  possession  of  her 
faculties,  both  intellectual  and  physical,  though 
over  eighty-eight  years  old.  Her  appearance  in- 
dicated that  she  had  been  a  woman  of  tall  form, 
and  verified  the  truth  of  the  common  report  that 
in  her  earlier  years  she  had  been  a  person  of  sur- 
passing elegance.  She  died  at  her  home  in  New- 
port, Kentucky,  at  the  age  of  ninety-six  years. 

The  fifth  child  of  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Whistler 
was  born  at  Green  Bay,  July  20,  1818,  and  given 
the  name  of  Gwinthlean  Harriet.  In  1832  Lieu- 
tenant (now  Captain)  Whistler  was  again  sta- 
tioned at  Fort  Dearborn,  and  here  his  daughter 
met  and  married  Robert  Allen  Kinzie,  the  nour- 
ishing, and,  indeed,  the  only  merchant  at  that 
time  in  Chicago.  Mrs.  Kinzie  died  on  the  gth  of 
September,  1894,  while  on  a  visit  at  the  home  of 
her  son  in  Omaha.  At  the  time  of  her  death  she  was 
the  oldest  resident  of  Chicago,  except  Alexander 
Beaubien,  whose  biography  will  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  volume.  Miss  Eliza  Allen 
Starr,  in  speaking  of  her,  says  she  was  "of  a 
majestic  height  and  carriage,  classical  head  and 
features;  the  expression  charming  and  ingenuous; 
her  soul  never  losing  its  enthusiasm  and  her  gen- 
erosity bounded  only  by  her  means. ' '  She  was 
spoken  of  as  the  "Beautiful  Gwinthlean,"  and  to 
their  mansion  Mr.  Kinzie  and  his  charming  wife 
called  around  them  the  choicest  and  best  of  Chi- 
cago's society,  which  numbered  among  its  mem- 
bers many  enterprising  young  scions  from  the 
most  highly  educated  families  of  the  East.  At 
the  time  of  her  death  nine  of  Mrs.  Kinzie's  chil- 
dren were  still  living. 

Gwinthlean,  the  eldest  of  these,  is  now  the 
wife  of  Dr.  William  Manson,  of  Burlington,  Kan- 
sas; Maria  is  the  wife  of  Gen.  George  H.  Stewart, 
who  was  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  Confederate 
Army,  and  is  at  present  a  resident  of  Colorado 
Springs,  Colorado;  Maj.  David  H.  Kinzie,  of  the 
United  States  Army,  educated  at  West  Point, 
is  stationed  at  the  Presidio,  San  Francisco, 
California;  Julia  Whistler  is  the  widow  of  the  late 
William  B.  Parsons,  whose  biography  appears 


elsewhere  in  this  volume;  Marian,  now  the  wife 
of  John  Sneden,  resides  with  him  in  Algiers, 
Africa;  Capt.  John  Kinzie,  of  the  Second  Infantry, 
United  States  Army,  stationed  at  Fort  Omaha, 
was  appointed  Second  Lieutenant  by  President 
Grant  in  1872. 

Frank  X.  Kinzie,  born  in  Chicago  on  the  4th 
of  April,  1854,  was  educated  at  Barre,  Vermont, 
and  in  the  public  schools  of  Chicago.  He  was  in 
the  office  of  his  father  at  Chicago  for  a  time,  and 
in  1876  was  appointed  Second  Lieutenant  by 
General  Grant  and  assigned  to  the  Twentieth 
United  States  Infantry.  He  joined  his  command 
at  Fort  Pembina,  Dakota,  and  spent  four  years  on 
the  western  frontier.  He  was  second  in  command 
of  the  Gatling  battery  in  the  expedition  against 
the  Sioux  in  1876,  and  was  within  a  day's  march 
(fifteen  miles)  of  the  fatal  field  where  the  massa- 
cre of  Custer  and  his  command  took  place.  At 
the  close  of  that  campaign  he  married  Miss  Julia 
F.  Mallory,  daughter  of  the  late  Herbert  E.  Mai- 
lory  and  his  wife,  Lucy  (Wakefield)  Mallory. 
He  resigned  his  command  January  i,  1879,  after 
having  spent  some  time  on  the  Texas  frontier. 
The  following  twelve  years  he  was  with  the  firm 
of  Mallory  &  Brother.  He  has  six  children, 
namely:  Claude  F.,  Percy,  Earle  D.,  Homer  B., 
Harold  and  Frank  X.,  junior. 

Walter  Henry  Kinzie,  born  March  16,  1857,  at 
Burlington,  Kansas,  then  a  frontier  town  in  the 
Indian  country,  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools,  at  the  College  of  Notre  Dame, 
South  Bend,  Indiana,  and  the  Jesuit  College  of 
Chicago.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  a  place  in  the  Water  Department  of 
Chicago,  and  subsequently  entered  the  employ  of 
B.  F.  StauSer,  a  prominent  Board  of  Trade  oper- 
ator. In  1882  he  was  with  H.  E.  Mallory  & 
Brother,  and  later  with  Martin  Brothers,  stock 
commission  merchants.  Since  1885  he  has  been 
in  the  office  of  the  Union  Stock  Yards  &  Transit 
Company.  On  the  24th  of  January,  1885,  he 
married  Miss  Fanny  Kintz,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Kintz,  an  early  settler  of  Ottawa,  Illinois,  and 
now  a  resident  of  Chicago.  Miss  Nellie  D.  Kin- 
zie resides  with  her  brother  at  Fort  Omaha. 


W.  C.  MAGILL. 


359 


WILLIAM  C    MAGILL. 


fi>6)lLLIAM  CHARLES  MAGILL,  a  busi- 
\  A  I  ness  man  of  Chicago,  residing  at  Evanston, 
Y  V  was  born  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  June  14, 
1850.  He  is  a  son  of  Charles  J.  and  Esther  S. 
Magill,  extended  notice  of  whom  appears  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work. 

William  C.  Magill  was  about  four  years  old 
when  the  family  came  to  Chicago.  His  primary 
education  was  obtained  at  the  Skinner  School  of 
this  city,  and  he  afterward  took  a  course  at  Im- 
manuel  Hall,  a  military  school  at  Ravenswood, 
now  a  part  of  Chicago.  Leaving  school  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  years,  he  entered  his  father's 
office  as  clerk  and  cashier.  The  name  of  the  firm 
at  that  time  was  Magill  &  Latham,  but  it  after- 
ward became  Magill  &  Hall.  He  was  subse- 
quently connected  with  other  commission  houses, 
dealing  "on  change,"  and  in  April,  1874,  became 
the  representative  on  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the 
insurance  firm  of  George  C.  Clark  &  Company. 
He  continued  to  be  the  solicitor  and  manager  of 
the  marine  department  of  this  concern  for  some 
years.  As  his  time  was  not  all  occupied  in  this 
manner,  he  began  to  devote  a  portion  of  his  at- 
tention to  fire  insurance.  Since  1880  he  has 
given  almost  exclusive  attention  to  fire  under- 
writing, being  successively  a  member  of  the  firms 
of  Magill  &  Nichols,  George  W.  Montgomery  & 
Company  and  Magill  &  Chamberlain.  The  last- 
mentioned  firm,  which  was  organized  October  i, 
1889,  is  one  of  the  leading  concerns  among  the 


many  engaged  in  that  line  of  business  on  La  Salle 
Street. 

On  the  i2th  of  November,  1873,  Mr.  Magill 
was  married  to  Mary  C.  Montgomery,  daughter 
of  Robert  Montgomery,  a  prominent  shipper  and 
vessel-owner  of  Buffalo,  New  York.  Of  the  six 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Magill,  Robert,  the 
eldest,  is  a  clerk  in  his  father's  office,  and  the 
names  of  the  others  are:  Esther,  Irving,  Laura, 
Marion  and  Eunice.  The  members  of  this  fam- 
ily are  regular  communicants  of  St.  Mark's  Epis- 
copal Church  at  Evanston,  which  suburb  has  been 
their  home  since  1874. 

Mr.  Magill  is  prominently  identified  with  the 
Masonic  order,  holding  membership  with  Evans 
Lodge,  Evanston  Commandery  and  Oriental  Con- 
sistory. At  different  times  he  has  been  associated 
with  several  other  social  and  fraternal  organiza- 
tions, but  is  not  now  in  affiliation  with  any.  A 
life-long  adherent  of  the  Republican  party,  he 
has  never  been  a  seeker  for  public  patronage.  In 
deference  to  the  wishes  of  his  friends,  he  served 
for  four  years  as  a  Trustee  of  the  village  of  Evans- 
ton,  but  has  peremptorily  declined  to  accept  the 
office  of  Alderman  since  the  incorporation  of  that 
place  as  a  city.  His  career  has  been  one  of  ac- 
tivity and  enterprise,  and  he  is  accustomed  to  dis- 
patch business  with  readiness  and  decision.  All 
who  have  occasion  to  call  upon  Mr.  Magill  in  re- 
lation to  business  or  social  matters  are  certain  to 
receive  just  and  considerate  attention. 


360 


M.  W.  HAYNES. 


REV.  MYRON  W.   HAYNES,  D.  D. 


REV.  MYRON  WILBUR  HAYNES,  D.  D., 
pastor  of  the  Englewood  Baptist  Church  of 
Chicago,  was  born  in  Lunenburg,  Massa- 
chusetts, on  the  ist  of  January,  1855,  and  is  a 
son  of  Elnathan  and  Sarah  (Wheeler)  Haynes, 
who  were  natives  of  the  same  State.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather  was  also  born  in  Massachusetts, 
and  was  of  English  descent.  The  father  of  Dr. 
Haynes  was  a  farmer,  and  died  in  the  Bay  State 
when  Myron  was  a  child  of  eight  years.  The 
mother,  who  is  still  living,  is  now  the  widow  of  L. 
Holt,  and  makes  her  home  in  Ayer,  Massachu- 
setts. To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haynes  were  born  nine 
children,  six  sons  and  three  daughters,  namely: 
Alfred,  deceased;  Rev.  Edwin  M. ,  D.  D.,  a  min- 
ister of  Rutland,  Vermont;  Nathan  J.,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Twenty-second  Massachusetts 
Sharpshooters  and  lost  his  life  during  the  Civil 
War;  Alonzo  J.,  deceased;  Sarah  H.,  deceased, 
wife  of  George  F.  Parker,  of  Shirley,  Massachu- 
setts; Melissa  A.;  George  H.,  who  belonged  to 
the  Fifty-third  Massachusetts  Infantry  and  died 
during  the  war;  Amanda  M.,  wife  of  Leonard 
Spaulding,  of  Ayer,  Massachusetts;  and  MyronW. 
Our  subject  was  reared  in  Lunenburg  and  Roy- 
alston,  Massachusetts,  until  about  seventeen  years 
of  age,  and  acquired  his  early  education  in  the 
district  schools.  He  afterwards  attended  Belle- 
ville Academy,  of  Belleville,  New  York,  and 
completed  his  academic  course  in  Colgate  Acad- 
emy, at  Hamilton,  New  York,  after  which  he 
was  graduated  from  Colgate  University.  When 
his  literary  education  was  completed  he  at  once 


entered  upon  the  work  of  the  ministry,  his  first 
charge  being  at  Frankfort,  New  York.  He  was 
afterward  at  Marblehead,  Massachusetts,  and 
Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  and  in  1888  came  to  Eng- 
lewood, where  he  was  one  of  the  prime  movers 
in  the  erection  of  the  large  and  handsome  edifice 
known  as  the  Englewood  Baptist  Church,  which 
has  a  membership  of  one  thousand.  The  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him  by 
Shurtliff  College,  of  Alton,  Illinois,  in  May,  1893. 

On  the  2oth  of  June,  1879,  Dr.  Haynes  was 
united  m  marriage  with  Miss  Florence  G.  Felt, 
daughter  of  Warren  and  Eveline  (Alexander) 
Felt,  who  were  natives  of  New  York.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  them:  Carey  Dana, 
Ethel  Ada  and  Arthur  Stanley.  In  his  political 
views,  Mr.  Haynes  is  a  Prohibitionist. 

The  State  Republican  of  Lansing,  Michigan,  in 
speaking  of  the  dedication  of  the  new  Baptist 
Church  on  the  i8th  of  March,  1894,  said:  "Rev. 
M.  W.  Haynes,  D.  D.,  who  delivered  two  power- 
ful sermons  at  yesterday's  dedication,  is  one  of 
the  finest  pulpit  orators  ever  heard  in  Lansing. 
There  are  orators  who  are  not  leaders  of  men; 
they  are  simply  mouthpieces,  and  whatever  power 
they  possess  dies  with  the  sound  of  their  voices. 
There  are  leaders  who  are  not  orators,  though,  as 
Carlisle  has  said,  they  must  possess  a  certain  pow- 
erful eloquence,  however  rude  or  halting  their 
speech.  Dr.  Haynes  is  at  once  an  orator  whose 
culture  and  scholarship  does  not  refine  away  the 
convincing  logic  and  the  inspiring  eloquence  that 
proclaim  a  high  purpose  and  a  single  aim  of  im- 


WILLIAM  MCGREGOR. 


36- 


mediate  and  practical  value.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
Hamilton  College  and  has  filled  successive  pas- 
torates at  Marblehead,  Massachusetts,  Frankfort, 
New  York,  and  Kalamazoo,  Michigan,  with  con- 
spicuous and  increasing  success.  In  1888,  he 
was  called  to  the  Baptist  Church  of  Englewood, 
and  his  first  sermon  there  was  delivered  to  a  con- 
gregation of  less  than  a  hundred.  In  two  years 
his  people  had  outgrown  the  old  church  and  had 
constructed  under  his  leadership  one  of  the  finest 
churches  in  Chicago,  which  is  weekly  packed  to 
its  utmost  capacity.  His  church  now  numbers 
one  thousand  members,  and  his  congregation  is 
usually  more  than  double  that  number.  This 
phenomenal  growth  is  indicative  of  the  magnetic 


power  of  leadership  Dr.  Haynes  possesses  and 
which  is  established  in  numerous  practical  works 
covering  a  wide  field  of  activity.  In  fact,  Dr. 
Haynes'  religion  is  one  that  is  emphatically  prac- 
tical. In  proof  of  this  a  number  of  gentlemen 
who  are  not  members  of  his  church,  convinced  of 
the  power  and  practical  character  of  Dr.  Haynes' 
sermons,  have  formed  a  company  to  publish  an 
undenominational  journal,  The  Plowshare,  for  the 
special  purpose  of  publishing  weekly  Dr.  Haynes' 
morning  sermons.  Such  a  tribute  is  rarely  re- 
ceived by  any  minister.  The  Plowshare  has  been 
published  one  year  and  has  attained  a  remarkable 
popularity,  the  subscribers  including  those  of 
different  churches  and  of  no  churches. ' ' 


WILLIAM  MCGREGOR. 


McGREGOR  is  a  gentleman  in 
whose  life  is  seen  the  reward  of  patient  in- 
dustry  and  wise  business  management.  He 
was  born  on  the  nth  of  March,  1826,  and  the 
place  of  his  nativity  is  the  parish  of  Sorbie,  Gal- 
lowayshire,  Scotland.  There  his  father,  Dugald 
McGregor,  born  in  1 788,  was  a  farmer.  The  latter 
died  in  Gallowayshire  in  1850,  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-two. His  wife,  Mary  (Shaerer)  McGregor, 
was  the  daughter  of  Daniel  Shaerer  and  Ann 
McKnight,  his  wife.  Daniel  Shaerer  was  an  at- 
torney of  character  at  Whithorn,  Wigtonshire, 
Scotland.  Mrs.  McGregor  came  to  America  in 
1850,  and  died  in  Waukesha,  Wisconsin,  in  1887, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years. 

Dugald  McGregor,  the  grandfather  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  held  the  position  of  greve 
(manager) ,  and  had  charge  of  the  farms  of  the 
Laird  of  Glasserton.  Until  eighteen  years  old 


William  McGregor  spent  his  time  upon  his  fa- 
ther's farm,  and  attended  school,  where  he  picked 
up  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  fundamental  principles 
of  an  education.  From  his  eighteenth  to  his 
twentieth  year  he  was  at  Nottingham,  England, 
engaged  in  learning  the  dry-goods  business  in  the 
store  of  a  relative;  but,  finding  the  employment 
uncongenial ,  he  abandoned  it.  Sailing  from  Liv- 
erpool in  the  ship  "John  Bright,"  he  found  him- 
self, seven  weeks  later,  April,  1847,  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  at  the  cost  of  ten  pounds,  three  shill- 
ings for  passage.  After  a  short  visit  with  rela- 
tives there  and  being  dissatisfied  with  the  outlook 
for  business,  he  went  to  Newburg,  New  York, 
where  he  found  former  schoolmates,  and  engaged 
in  learning  the  trade  of  stationary  engineer  in 
the  Washington  Iron  Works.  Three  years  later, 
having  completed  the  trade,  he  took  charge  of 
the  machinery  of  J.  Beveridge,  brewer,  with 


362 


WILLIAM  MCGREGOR. 


whom  he  remained  until  April,  1861.  The  sub- 
sequent four  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the 
Washington  Iron  Works,  where  he  had  the  su- 
pervision of  five  hundred  men  or  more,  engaged  in 
shipping  and  setting  up  machinery.  His  just 
and  fair  treatment  of  all  won  him  the  good- will 
of  his  subordinates,  and  he  was  the  recipient  of 
many  marks  of  esteem,  among  them  a  gold  watch 
presented  to  him  by  them  on  the  occasion  of  his 
leaving  the  establishment. 

In  April,  1865,  Mr.  McGregor  was  induced  to 
go  to  Oil  City,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  started  a 
machine-shop  on  Oil  Creek.  He  also  engaged  in 
oil  speculations,  and  at  the  end  of  1867  had  lost 
all  of  the  savings  of  years  of  hard  work.  He 
next  turned  his  attention  to  Chicago,  and  settled 
here  in  the  summer  of  1867,  engaging  in  the  bus- 
iness of  buying  and  selling  second-hand  machin- 
ery, having  a  few  men  by  whose  aid  he  rebuilt 
and  repaired  machinery,  but  having  no  power. 

Here  the  natural  ability  and  energy  of  Mr. 
McGregor  showed  itself,  and  in  a  quiet  yet  vigor- 
ous manner  he  set  out  to  win  back  what  he  had 
lost  by  speculation.  Year  by  year  he  enlarged 
his  business.  The  Great  Fire  came  but  did  not 
reach  his  establishment.  Business  was  greatly 
stimulated  by  the  immense  local  demand  that 
event  made  for  goods  in  his  line.  In  1872  Mr. 
Terwilliger  became  a  partner  in  the  concern,  and 
in  1884  it  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of 
W.  McGregor  &  Company,  Mr.  McGregor  own- 
ing a  majority  of  the  stock  and  becoming  Presi- 
dent. In  1875  the  machine-shop  was  transferred 
from  Canal  Street  to  Nos.  53  and  55  South  Clinton 
Street,  one  block  away,  where  it  occupies  a 
building  fifty-seven  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
in  dimensions,  a  portion  of  which  is  three  stories 
in  height.  The  work  of  manufacturing  steam 
boilers  was  begun  in  1875,  and  the  boiler  factory 
at  the  intersection  of  Carroll  Avenue  and  Fran- 
cisco Street  now  requires  a  shop  two  hundred  by 
four  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet,  besides  other 
buildings. 

In  1852,  at  Newburg,  New  York,  Mr.  McGreg- 
or was  married  to  Miss  Ann  Wilson,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Amelia  Wilson,  both  natives  of  Orange 
County,  New  York.  There  were  five  children 


born  of  this  marriage,  namely:  Douglas  J.,  now 
manager  of  the  boiler  works  of  W.  McGregor  & 
Company;  Mary  Ellen,  the  wife  of  Charles  D. 
Willard,  Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  Los  Angeles,  California,  who  has  one  child, 
named  Annie;  the  second  daughter,  now  deceased, 
late  wife  of  Virgil  Kinzie,  a  wool  merchant  of 
Chicago;  William  G. ,  who  is  engaged  in  business 
with  his  father;  and  Walter  Herbert,  who  died  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  years  in  California,  where 
he  had  gone  on  account  of  his  health. 

Mrs.  McGregor's  death  occurred  in  July,  1876. 
She  was  a  faithful  wife  and  mother,  a  sincere 
Christian,  and  reared  her  children  in  the  paths 
of  sobriety,  honesty  and  uprightness.  Five  years 
later,  Mr  McGregor  was  wedded  to  Mrs.  Maria 
Pike,  widow  of  Meshick  Pike,  of  Bloomington, 
Illinois.  She  survived  only  five  years  after  this 
marriage,  and  died  in  New  Mexico,  while  return- 
ing from  California  with  her  husband.  June 
2,  1886,  Mr.  McGregor  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  his  present  wife,  Maria  L-  Peugeot, 
daughter  of  Lemuel  H.  Flershem,  and  widow  of 
Edward  Peugeot,  biographies  of  whom  appear  in 
this  work. 

In  politics  Mr.  McGregor  is  a  Republican,  but 
is  not  oblivious  of  the  shortcomings  of  his  own  or 
any  other  political  party.  In  the  last  city  elec- 
tion he  was  an  earnest  worker  for  George  B.  Swift, 
who  is  his  personal  friend.  He  is  a  leading  spirit 
in  the  Illinois  Club,  of  which  he  has  been  a  mem- 
ber since  its  early  days. 

He  joined  the  Union  Presbyterian  Church  of 
Newburg,  New  York,  in  1848,  and  for  fifteen 
years  was  an  active  member,  and  for  some  time 
an  Elder,  in  that  organization,  and  for  ten  years 
Superintendent  of  its  Sunday-school.  After  com- 
ing to  Chicago  he  was  a  warm  supporter  of  Dr. 
Swazey  and  an  Elder  in  his  church,  the  Ashland 
Avenue  Presbyterian.  He  now  worships  at  the 
Third  Presbyterian  Church. 

Mr.  McGregor  has  lived  a  busy  life  and  success 
has  come  to  crown  his  labors.  He  has  a  large 
circle  of  personal  friends,  who  are  warmly  at- 
tached to  him,  and  his  home  at  No.  692  West 
Madison  Street  is  an  exceedingly  happy  one. 


G.  B.  CARPENTER. 


363 


GEORGE  B.  CARPENTER. 


(3EORGE  BENEDICT  CARPENTER  was 

bborn  in  New  York  City  July  14,  1845,  going 
thence  in  boyhood  to  his  grandparents'  home 
upon  a  farm  near  Goshen,  New  York  State,  where 
early  development  took  place  and  his  entire  aca- 
demic schooling  was  obtained.  During  the  Civil 
War  he  continued  to  live  there,  being  engaged  in 
a  store;  thereafter  going  to  Philadelphia  to  travel 
for  a  local  house,  to  sell  its  paper  upon  commis- 
sion. 

He  came  to  Chicago  about  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1866,  in  his  twenty-first  year,  being  helped 
by  an  uncle,  Charles  Tappen,  then  General 
Freight  Agent  for  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway,  to  a  position  with  that  corporation,  in 
the  capacity  of  freight  clerk,  in  which  duties  he 
busied  himself  the  following  two  years.  Then, 
not  finding  this  occupation  congenial,  he  selected 
journalism,  at  a  lesser  income,  commencing  as  re- 
porter on  the  Chicago  Republican.  After  another 
two  years  of  faithful  service  here  he  became  as- 
sociated with  another  periodical,  The  Interior,  on 
which  a  speedy  reward  of  merit  advanced  him  to 
the  chief  position  as  its  managing  editor,  which 
duties  were  performed  up  to  the  date  of  the  Big 
Fire.  The  Pulpit,  a  short-lived  weekly,  which 
had  for  its  motive  the  printing  of  noteworthy  ser- 
mons of  the  previous  week,  was  a  creation  of  his 
brain;  but  did  not  meet  with  deserved  support,  and 
was  discontinued.  But  all  this  time  he  was  feel- 
ing his  way;  associates  had  not  yet  come  to  rec- 
ognize his  strength. 

At  this  juncture  came  the  inspiration  destined 
to  give  superb  tone  to  his  accomplishments  and 
a  worthy  home  in  our  city  to  the  Muse.  The 
Star  Lecture  Course,  as  planned  by  himself  be- 
fore the  reconstruction  of  burned  theatres,  was 
instrumental  in  bringing  the  best  lecturers  and 
concert  companies  to  our  midst  for  several  years; 
these  entertainments  being  at  first  given  in  two 
places,  namely,  the  Union  Park  Congregational 


Church  on  the  West  Side,  and  the  Michigan  Av- 
enue Baptist  Church  on  the  South  Side.  The 
firm  of  Carpenter  &  Sheldon  was  continued  after 
this  had  grown  to  be  unprofitable  upon  the  re- 
building of  old  and  new  playhouses,  but  turned 
its  attention  to  the  handling  of  real  estate.  In 
1878  Mr.  Carpenter  developed  mentally  his  grand 
scheme  for  the  building  of  Central  Music  Hall, 
which  after  two  years  of  unwearying  energy  was 
an  assured  success  through  enlisting  the  financial 
aid  of  leading  capitalists.  This  fine  building, 
now  erected  at  the  southeast  corner  of  State  and 
Randolph  Streets,  is  to-day  the  noblest,  most  en- 
during monument  standing  to  the  memory  of  this 
young  enthusiast,  whose  white  heat  of  action  so 
young  in  life  consumed  his  usefulness,  and  whose 
handsome  features,  reproduced  by  the  sculptor 
Volk,  now  grace  one  of  its  halls. 

On  Friday,  the  yth  of  January,  1881,  Mr.  Car- 
penter was  called  away  from  a  prosperous  earthly 
life,  after  but  a  brief  illness  occasioned  by  over- 
work. Obsequies  were  held  in  Central  Music 
Hall,  to  whose  creation  he  had  devoted  so  much 
of  his  last  years,  and  which  was  the  pride  of  his 
heart.  Loving  hands  did  every  beautifully  grace- 
ful act  that  could  be  performed  to  make  the  final 
services  touchingly  memorable.  The  since  la- 
mented Rev.  David  Swing  delivered  the  funeral 
address,  which  was  listened  to  with  rapt  atten- 
tion by  the  elite  of  our  city.  The  opportunity 
offered  by  the  demise  of  one  so  popular  passing 
away  in  the  height  of  young  powers  was  the 
means  of  inspiring  that  gifted  divine  with  a  sym- 
pathetic eloquence  rarely  heard.  During  the  im- 
pressive ceremony  Mr.  Swing  made  use  of  the 
following  exquisite  language: 

'  'Rarely  has  there  come  into  this  world  a  young 
man  so  full  of  the  study  and  love  of  the  public. 
*  *  Youth  forgot  all  selfish  pleasures  and  hon- 
ors, forgot  that  accumulation  of  money  which 
blinds  and  consumes  so  many ;  forgot  the  pleasures 


364 


G.  B.  CARPENTER. 


of  food  and  drink ;  forgot  the  peace  of  the  evening 
fireside,  that  it  might  toil  for  what  pertained  to 
mankind.  *  *  He  has  fallen  the  victim  of  his 
own  impassioned  nature.  *  *  He  gathered  up 
many  years  into  a  few,  and  compelled  us  to  weep 
to  day  the  tears  which  should  have  been  long 
delayed.  *  *  It  remains  for  me  to  say  fare- 
well to  the  most  useful  of  all  our  young  men." 

His  remains  were  taken  to  Rose  Hill,  followed 
by  sincere  benedictions  of  multitudes  to  whom 
the  results  of  his  work  had  brought  happiness. 
Those  who  best  knew  honored  him,  while  respect 
and  affection  were  universally  entertained  for  him. 

Among  the  organizations  making  formal  ac- 
knowledgement of  their  loss,  were  the  Apollo 
Club,  the  Central  Music  Hall  Company,  and  the 
Press  Club;  the  resolutions  of  which  last,  being 
of  unusually  graceful  significance,  are  repro- 
duced •verbatim: 

"The  Chicago  Press  Club,  having  learned  with 
sincere  sorrow  of  the  death  of  George  B.  Carpen- 
ter, formerly  a  member  of  the  journalistic  profes- 
sion in  this  city,  desires  to  place  upon  record  its 
appreciation  of  his  many  noble  qualities.  Dur- 
ing his  journalistic  career  he  won  the  esteem  of 
his  associates;  and,  had  he  remained  in  the  pro- 
fession, his  abilities  would  have  enabled  him  to 
attain  a  high  position  in  its  ranks.  As  an  amuse- 
ment manager  he  achieved  success  because  of  his 
indomitable  energy;  and  in  all  his  career  as  a 
manager  he  catered  only  to  the  highest  and  pur- 
est taste,  and  thus  became  a  public  benefactor. 
As  a  citizen  he  was  remarkable  for  his  public 
spirit  and  enterprise;  as  a  man  he  was  lovable 
and  beyond  reproach;  as  a  companion  he  was 
eagerly  sought;  and  we  who  knew  his  many  vir- 
tues mourn  him  deeply  and  sincerely. 

'  'The  sympathy  of  the  club  is  hereby  extended 
to  the  family  of  our  departed  friend,  who  has  left 
to  them  the  richest  legacy  a  husband  and  a  father 
can  leave — the  memory  of  a  true  man. ' ' 

Mr.  Carpenter  married,  May  25,  1870,  Miss 
Lucy  A.  Boone,  a  daughter  of  Levi  D.  Boone, 
M.  D. ,  whose  wife  was  Louisa  M.  Smith,  both  her 
parents  being  very  early  and  esteemed  residents 
of  Chicago.  Three  children  greeted  their  every 
way  congenial  union: 

Marion  Louise  Carpenter,  born  in  1872,  educat- 
ed at  Miss  White's  private  school  of  this  city,  and 
upon  the  violin,  being  given  the  superior  advant- 


ages of  the  "Hoch  Schule"  of  Berlin,  Germany, 
under  the  distinguished    Prof.   Emanuel  Wirth; 

Susie  Tappen  Carpenter,  born  in  1874,  also  a 
graduate  of  Miss  White's  school;  with  the  added 
accomplishment  of  painting,  acquired  at  the  Berlin 
(Germany)  School  of  Art  during  the  family  tour 
abroad. 

George  Boone  Carpenter,  born  May  7,  1879; 
now  attending  the  famous  Armour  Institute  of 
Chicago,  where  he  already  evinces  marked  bias 
toward  the  profession  of  architecture. 

Mrs.  Carpenter  was  born  January  30,  1852,  in 
this  city,  and  was  educated  at  the  Dearborn  Semi- 
nary, where  before  graduation  she  developed  rath- 
er remarkable  vocal  talent,  which,  unfortunately, 
later  exacting  duties  have  conspired  to  repress. 
From  the  time  of  her  husband's  death  in  1881, 
she  became  the  agent  and  secretary  of  the  Cen- 
tral Music  Hall  Company,  with  which  she  con- 
tinued in  that  business  relation  of  great  de- 
mands and  personal  responsibility  for  the  full 
period  of  ten  years,  having  been  the  lessee  of  the 
hall  all  the  said  period.  Resigning  therefrom  in 
1891,  she  took  her  family  to  the  European  Con- 
tinent for  a  period  of  two  years,  wintering  in  Ber- 
lin and  dividing  the  summers  among  various 
places  of  advantage,  that  the  incalculable  benefits 
of  both  travel  and  study  might  fit  her  children 
for  adorning  the  more  elegant,  refined  walks  of 
life.  Returning  to  her  ever-dear  America  and 
the  metropolis  of  her  nativity,  she  at  once  became 
deeply  interested  in  musical  matters,  having  acted 
most  efficiently  during  the  last  two  preceding 
years  as  President  of  the  Chicago  Amateur  Mu- 
sical Club,  one  of  the  conspicuous  associations  of 
its  kind  in  the  country,  being  able  to  boast  of  a 
membership  of  six  hundred.  Previous  to  her 
incumbency  of  this  chair  she  had  been  serving 
upon  its  Executive  Committee. 

For  the  first  thirteen  years  of  her  married  life, 
the  family  residence  was  upon  Michigan  Avenue, 
but  the  cozy  home  which  now  welcomes  through 
its  portals  representatives  of  our  city's  elite  is 
located  at  No.  3222  Lake  Park  Avenue,  sur- 
rounded by  choice  neighbors  and  overlooking 
that  ever  changeably  interesting  panorama  of  the 
harbor  of  Lake  Michigan. 


GODFREY  MACDONALD. 


365 


Mrs.  Carpenter  comes  rightly  by  her  talents, 
being  the  direct  descendant  of  two  distinguished 
old  American  families,  the  Rathbone  and  the 
Daniel  Boone.  Of  the  former  we  are  able  to 
glean  the  following  very  satisfactory  account 
from  a  volume  of  genealogy  published  years  ago, 
and  which,  we  are  glad  to  note,  is  now  about  to 
be  brought  down  to  the  present  generations: 

Rev.  William  Rathbone  is  the  first  of  that 
name  found  in  the  United  States,  about  the  year 
1637;  he  was  an  author,  and  not  in  accord  with 
the  prevailing  doctrines  of  the  Massachusetts 
Colony,  as  appears  from  the  Historical  Collec- 
tion of  that  state. 

John  Rathbone,  Senior  (probably  a  son  of  the 
preceding),  of  Block  Island,  Rhode  Island,  was 
elected  Freeman  May  4,  1664,  and  was  one  of  the 
sixteen  original  purchasers  of  that  island  from 
Governor  Endicott.  In  1676  he  was  a  Surveyor 
of  Highways;  in  1682,  1683  and  1684,  Represen- 
tative in  the  Rhode  Island  General  Assembly;  in 
1686,  one  of  the  petitioners  to  the  king  in  refer- 
ence to  "Quo  Warranto;"  in  1688,  one  of  the 
Grand  Jury  of  Rhode  Island;  and  in  1689  nar- 
rowly escaped  the  hostilities  of  the  French,  who 
pillaged  the  island  and  bore  his  son  into  captiv- 
ity. He  married  and  had  eight  children,  the 
third  being, 

John  Rathbone,  Junior,  who  married,  January 
10,  1688,  Ann  Dodge,  and  had  eight  children, 
the  fourth  being 

Joshua,  born  February  9,  1696;  married,  Feb- 
ruary 16,  1724,  Mary  Wightman,  daughter  of 
Valentine  Wightman,  of  Groton,  Connecticut,  by 


whom  he  had  twelve  children,  their  fourth  being 

The  Rev.  John  Rathbone,  born  June  26,  1729, 
near  Stonington,  Connecticut;  he  married,  Janu- 
ary 8,  1751,  Content  Brown,  daughter  of  Hum- 
phrey Brown,  by  whom  he  had  thirteen  children, 
their  eldest  being 

John  Rathbone,  born  October  20,  1751,  in 
Canterbury,  Connecticut;  died  March  14,  1843; 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  merchants  of  New 
York  City.  He  married,  in  1775,  Eunice  Wells, 
in  Westerly,  Rhode  Island,  and  had  eleven  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  sixth  was 

Clarissa  Harlowe  Rathbone,  born  in  Stoning- 
ton, Connecticut,  November  19,  1787;  married, 
June  6,  1808,  in  New  York  City,  to  Theophilus 
Washington  Smith,  who  was  born  in  that  city 
September  28,  1784,  and  was  an  incumbent  of 
the  Supreme  Bench  of  the  State  of  Illinois  for 
twenty-five  years,  during  which  time  he  never 
had  an  opinion  reversed;  the  writer  of  several 
valuable  judicial  treatises.  His  parents  emi- 
grated from  Europe  in  1761,  his  father  being  a 
native  of  Dublin,  Ireland;  his  mother,  a  native  of 
London,  England.  They  had  nine  children,  of 
whom  their  fourth  was 

Louisa  Matilda  Smith,  born  in  New  York  City 
June  25,  1814;  married  in  1833,  at  Edwardsville, 
Illinois,  Levi  Day  Boone,  who  was  born  in  Fayette 
County,  near  Lexington,  Ky.,  December  8,  1808, 
and  died  in  Chicago,  January  24,  1882.  They 
had  eleven  children,  and  their  third  was 

Lucy  Adeline  Boone,  the  present  Mrs.  George 
B.  Carpenter,  and  representative  of  the  ninth 
Rathbone  generation  in  America. 


GODFREY  MACDONALD. 


lODFREY  .MACDONALD  has  been  identi- 
fied with  the  railroad  interests  of  the  United 
_.  States  for  more  than  forty  years,  and  is  one 
of  the  best  known  of  the  many  men  connected 
with  that  line  of  business.  He  is  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, a  land  whose  sons  have  been  instrumental 


in  no  small  degree  in  developing  the  industries 
and  shaping  the  destinies  of  the  Western  World. 
His  father  was  William  Macdonald,  of  Ballyshear, 
near  Campbeltown,  County  of  Kintyre,  Argyle- 
shire,  who  came  to  America  with  his  family  in 
1844.  After  a  few  years'  residence  in  Canada  he 


366 


GODFREY  MACDONALD. 


returned  to  his  native  land,  where  he  was  appoint- 
ed Professor  of  Natural  History  at  the  College  of 
St.  Andrew's  in  Fifeshire,  and  held  that  position 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  January,  1875, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  In  1820  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Jane  Blair,  of  Doonholm,  on  the  "banks 
and  braes  of  bonnie  Boon."  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  six  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom 
Godfrey  is  the  sole  survivor,  and  the  only  one 
who  became  a  resident  of  Chicago.  The  two 
youngest  brothers  of  the  latter  died  in  India,  after 
an  active  service  of  over  thirty  years  in  the  British 
army,  a  period  which  included  the  famous  Indian 
Mutiny.  These  were  Col.  William  Macdonald, 
of  the  Twelfth  Regiment,  Bengal  Native  Infantry, 
who  died  at  Sihchar  in  1884;  and  Maj.  Lome 
Macdonald,  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Regiment,  Ben- 
gal Native  Infantry,  who  died  at  Agra  in  1883. 

Godfrey  Macdonald  was  born  in  January,  1829, 
at  Ballyshear.  He  was  educated  at  Edinburgh, 
in  the  high  school  and  the  Edinburgh  University, 
but  left  there  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years  to  accom- 
pany his  parents  to  Canada.  Their  residence  was 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Niagara  Falls,  Ontario, 
until  1850,  when  he  returned  with  the  family  to 
Scotland.  Two  years  later,  however,  he  again 
came  to  Canada  and  engaged  in  business  at 
Grimsby,  near  Hamilton,  Ontario. 

In  1853  he  made  his  first  trip  to  Chicago,  and 
continued  to  visit  this  city  at  intervals  until  1857, 
when  he  and  his  family  became  permanent  resi- 
dents. At  that  date  he  was  appointed  Assistant 
Agent  of  the  Grand  Trunk  Railroad  at  this  place. 
From  1859  to  1863  he  was  engaged  in  the  cattle 
and  distilling  business  in  central  Illinois.  At  the 
latter  date  he  was  appointed  Contracting  Freight 
Agent  of  the  Michigan  Southern  &  Northern  In- 
diana Railroad,  which  was  eventually  absorbed 
by  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad. 
He  continued  his  connection  with  these  corpora- 
tions as  General  Western  Freight  Agent  until 
1876,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  same  posi- 
tion, with  charge  of  their  export  freight  business, 
with  the  Michigan  Central  &  Great  Western 
Railroads.  In  1881  he  was  appointed  General 
Through  Freight  Agent  of  the  Detroit,  Grand 
Haven  &  Michigan  Railroad,  with  headquarters 


at  Milwaukee.  Resigning  in  1883,  he  was  ap- 
pointed General  Agent  of  the  Union  Pacific  Rail- 
road in  Chicago.  This  position  he  also  resigned 
in  1884  to  attend  to  personal  business  in  Colorado. 
In  November,  1887,  he  returned  to  Chicago  and 
accepted  a  position  with  the  "Nickel  Plate"  line, 
with  which  he  has  since  been  employed,  and  at 
present  occupies  pleasant  offices  in  the  Traders' 
Building. 

There  is  probably  no  other  man  in  Chicago,  if 
there  is  in  the  United  States,  who  has  become  so 
thoroughly  familiar  with  the  transaction  of  freight 
business  as  Mr.  Macdonald.  He  has  applied 
himself  to  the  development  and  mastery  of  its  de- 
tails with  all  the  vigor  and  enterprise  which  char  • 
acterize  his  race  in  its  undertakings.  In  1871  he 
published  a  volume  of  foreign  freight  and  premium 
tables,  showing  comparative  measures  of  capacity 
and  value.  It  is  useful  in  facilitating  the  transac- 
tion of  foreign  freight  business,  and  these  tables 
have  come  into  general  use  by  railroad  men  all 
over  the  United  States  and  Canada,  by  many  of 
whom  he  is  characterized  as  the  '  'father  of  the 
export  business  of  America. ' ' 

In  1853  Mr.  Macdonald  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Blackwell,  eldest  daughter  of  Dr.  John 
Harrisson  Blackwell,  a  prominent  physician  of 
Lundy's  Lane,  Niagara  Falls,  Ontario.  Of  the 
four  children  born  to  them,  two  died  before  reach- 
ing mature  years,  and  the  survivors  are  Charles 
Blair,  Vice-President  of  the  banking  house  of 
Tracy,  Macdonald  &  Company,  of  Chicago;  and 
Godfrey  H. ,  First  Lieutenant  of  the  First  United 
States  Cavalry,  now  stationed  at  Ft.  Riley,  Kan- 
sas. Mr.  Macdonald  has  been  for  thirty  years 
past  a  member  of  Christ  Church  of  Chicago,  and 
is  one  of  the  most  active  members  of  St.  An- 
drew's Society,  of  which  he  was  President  for  two 
years.  He  has  been  identified  with  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Chicago,  Washington 
Park  and  other  popular  clubs.  He  has  acquired 
an  extensive  acquaintance,  not  only  among  rail- 
road officials,  but  including  many  of  the  leading 
business  men  of  the  nation,  and  may  be  justly 
termed  one  of  the  representative  citizens  of  Chi- 
cago. 


A.  H.  DARROW. 


ALEXANDER  H.  DARROW. 


LEXANDER  HAMILTON  DARROW  is 
LJ  one  of  those  gallant  men,  now  residing  in 
/  I  Chicago,  who  cheerfully  gave  their  time  and 
services  in  defense  of  the  Union  when  treason 
threatened  its  destruction.  Though  he  spent 
about  three  years  with  the  Federal  army,  and 
was  exposed  to  constant  dangers,  he  has  never 
applied  for  a  pension  nor  received  aught  for  his 
services  except  the  regular  pay  of  all  volunteers. 
His  progenitors  for  more  than  a  century  past 
had  been  conspicuous  for  their  patriotism  and 
disinterested  public  spirit.  The  Darrow  family 
is  of  English  origin,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest 
to  locate  in  Rochester,  New  York.  John  Dar- 
row, grandfather  of  Alexander,  who  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  while  a  young  man  helped  to  forge 
an  immense  chain  which  was  stretched  across  the 
Hudson  River  to  impede  the  passage  up  that 
stream  of  British  war  vessels.  James,  the  son  of 
John  Darrow,  settled  on  a  farm  in  Orleans  Coun- 
ty, New  York,  which  he  cleared  of  the  primitive 
forest.  About  1856  he  removed  thence  to  Clar- 
endon, Calhoun  County,  Michigan,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  1884,  when  nearly  eighty- four 
years  of  age.  His  wife,  Mary  Milliken,  died 
there  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy- five  years. 
She  was  born  in  Peterborough,  New  Hampshire, 
and  represented  one  of  the  earliest  families  of  that 
commonwealth.  Her  grandfather  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  his  wife,  Mrs. 
Mary  Milliken,  who  is  well  remembered  by  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety- 
seven  years,  her  death  occurring  in  Clarendon, 
New  York.  Alexander  Milliken,  a  son  of  this 
couple  and  the  father  of  Mrs.  Darrow,  became  an 


influential  farmer  in  western  New  York.  His 
wife,  Sally  Nay,  was  a  daughter  of  a  Continental 
soldier  who  also  fought  at  Bunker  Hill.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  James  Darrow  were  devout  Presbyterians, 
and  were  distinguished  for  their  devotion  to  prin- 
ciple. Their  children  were:  Elizabeth,  Mrs.  A. 
C.  Hopkins,  of  Homer,  Michigan;  Charles  E., 
now  a  business  man  of  Chicago;  Russell;  Alvira, 
Mrs.  I.  L.  Winn,  also  of  Chicago;  Alexander 
H. ;  Sally  Ann,  Mrs.  I,.  A.  Harris,  of  Marshall, 
Michigan;  James  Henry;  and  John  H.  The 
last  two  are  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at 
Homer,  Michigan.  All  the  members  of  this  fam- 
ily are  still  living  except  Russell  T. ,  who  enlisted 
in  1861  in  Company  M,  Second  Michigan  Caval- 
ry, and  for  his  gallantry  was  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  First  Lieutenant.  The  three  years'  term 
for  which  he  enlisted  had  expired,  and  he  was 
offered  a  Major's  commission  as  an  inducement 
to  re-enlist.  This  he  declined,  but  volunteered  to 
remain  with  his  company  for  a  few  days,  and  dur- 
ing this  time  he  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Frank- 
lin, Tennessee.  James  Darrow  had  been  a  con- 
servative Whig,  as  opposed  to  the  Abolition  wing 
of  his  party,  but  upon  the  outbreak  of  hostilities 
between  the  South  and  the  North  became  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  Government,  and  three 
of  his  sons,  Russell  T.,  Alexander  H.  and  James 
H.,  became  soldiers  in  its  defense. 

Alexander  H.  Darrow  was  born  at  Clarendon, 
Orlearns  County,  New  York,  November  20,  1841, 
and  was  educated  at  an  academy  at  Holley, 
New  York,  and  another  at  Homer,  Michigan. 
In  August,  1862,  he  enlisted  and  was  assigned  to 
Company  M,  of  General  Sheridan's  old  regiment, 


368 


A.  H.  DARROW. 


the  Second  Michigan  cavalry.  This  regiment 
was  employed  on  the  skirmish  line  at  Rienzi, 
Mississippi,  when  he  joined  it  as  a  recruit,  and 
for  the  next  year  and  a-half  he  was  almost  con- 
stantly engaged  in  that  line  of  duty.  At  the  end 
of  that  period  he  was  detailed  as  military  book- 
keeper under  Gen.  Sooy  Smith,  Chief  of  Cavalry 
on  General  Grant's  staff,  with  headquarters  at 
Nashville,  Tennessee.  When  General  Sherman 
succeeded  to  the  command  of  this  army,  he  con- 
tinued in  the  same  capacity,  but,  having  been 
granted  a  furlough  at  the  time  of  the  memorable 
march  to  the  sea,  he  did  not  accompany  that  ex- 
pedition. Upon  his  return  from  furlough  he  was 
stationed  at  Louisville  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
During  the  first  part  of  his  service,  Mr.  Darrow 
helped  to  form  a  detail  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
cavalrymen  which  escorted  a  wagon  train  loaded 
with  supplies  for  the  army  from  Gallatin,  Ten- 
nessee, to  Cave  City,  Kentucky.  Upon  arriving 
at  Glasgow,  toward  evening,  he  and  his  comrades 
who  composed  the  advance  guard  were  surprised 
to  find  the  town  occupied  by  General  Morgan 
with  about  six  thousand  Confederate  cavalry. 
After  a  hurried  consultation,  the  little  band  of 
Federals  determined  to  charge  the  enemy,  and 
attempt  to  run  their  wagons  through  the  town,  a 
design  which  was  quickly  and  successfully  car- 
ried out.  They  had  no  more  than  passed  the  out- 
skirts of  the  city,  however,  before  the  enemy 
recovered  from  their  surprise  and  confusion,  and, 
discovering  the  weakness  of  the  wagon  escort, 
fiercely  pursued  the  train  along  the  road  to  Cave 
City,  to  which  point  it  escaped  under  cover  of  a  re- 
lief party  sent  to  its  rescue,  though  about  fifty 
Federals  were  captured.  Mr.  Darrow  had  his 
clothes  riddled  with  bullets  during  the  first  charge, 
but  escaped  without  wounds.  He  became  sepa- 
rated from  his  command,  and  his  horse,  which 
was  lame,  stumbled  and  fell,  throwing  him  heav- 
ily to  the  ground.  This  accident  caused  a  tem- 
porary lameness,  which  prevented  his  escaping  on 
foot,  and  he  was  captured  and  marched  back  to 
Glasgow.  During  the  excitement  and  confusion 
of  the  evening,  he  managed  to  elude  his  guards 
and,  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  he  made  his 
way  out  of  town  and  reached  a  farmhouse,  where 


he  was  kindly  sheltered  for  a  few  days  until  he 
was  able  to  travel.  His  host  had  a  brother-in- 
law  who  was  a  Captain  in  Morgan's  force.  Mr. 
Darrow  finally  reached  the  Union  lines  at  Mum- 
fordville,  where  he  was  warmly  welcomed  by  his 
brother  and  other  comrades,  who  had  given  him 
up  for  dead,  as  the  other  prisoners  had  been  pa- 
roled and  returned  to  camp  several  days  pre- 
viously. 

In  1868  became  to  Chicago,  and  soon  after  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Republic  Insurance  Com- 
pany. Beginning  as  a  clerk,  he  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  cashier  of  the  company,  which 
was  the  only  Chicago  insurance  company  which 
paid  in  full  the  losses  sustained  by  the  great  fire. 
Its  policy-holders  received  three  and  a-half  mill- 
ions of  dollars.  In  1872  he  became  the  state 
agent  of  the  Agricultural  Insurance  Company  of 
Watertown,  New  York,  with  which  corporation 
he  has  ever  since  been  identified.  Since  that 
time  the  premiums  received  in  this  state  have 
nearly  doubled,  and  for  twenty-two  years  past  he 
has  been  the  General  Agent  for  the  Western  De- 
partment, which  now  includes  ten  states.  The 
offices  of  this  branch  have  been  for  two  years 
past  in  the  Security  Building,  and  under  his  able 
management  the  business  has  always  been  pro- 
gressive, profitable  and  satisfactory. 

In  November,  1867,  Mr.  Darrow  was  married 
to  Miss  Susan  C.  Johnston,  daughter  of  William 
Johnston,  of  Marshall,  Michigan,  an  early  settler 
of  that  place.  Mrs.  Darrow  is  also  a  sister  of 
Col.  Thomas  W.  Johnston,  of  the  Second  Mich- 
igan Cavalry,  who  was  for  some  years  subsequent 
to  the  war  a  resident  of  Chicago.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Darrow  are  the  parents  of  five  children,  the  two 
eldest  sons  being  employed  in  connection  with 
their  father's  business.  Their  names  are:  Will- 
iam H.,  Robert  Lee,  Zoe,  Chrystal  and  Alexan- 
der H.,  junior. 

Mr.  Darrow  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Club, 
the  Masonic  fraternity  and  Columbia  Post,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  He  supports  the  Repub- 
lican party,  though  never  an  active  politician. 
His  life  has  been  one  of  quiet,  unostentatious 
industry  and  sobriety,  and  all  who  enjoy  his  ac- 
quaintance accord  him  the  highest  respect. 


F.  M.  BUCK. 


369 


FRANCIS  M.  BUCK. 


[""FRANCIS  MARION  BUCK.  Among  the 
1^  self-made  men  of  Chicago — that  city  em- 
I  ^  bodying  the  most  wondrous  aggregation  of 
human  energy,  perseverance  and  enterprise  and 
their  results — is  found  the  subject  of  this  notice. 
He  was  born  on  the  3oth  of  July,  1855,  in  Ger- 
mantown,  Tennessee,  and  is  the  second  child  of 
Edwin  Gorum  and  Sophronia  Melvina  (Harrall) 
Buck.  The  family  is  an  old  one  in  America,  of 
undoubted  English  origin,  but  little  is  now  posi- 
tively known  of  the  time  of  its  planting  here. 
Frederick  Buck,  father  of  Edwin  G.,  was  born  in 
Pitt  County,  North  Carolina,  in  1793,  and  died 
in  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  in  1871.  Edwin 
G.  Buck  was  born  January  31,  1823,  in  North 
Carolina,  and  his  wife,  October  12,  1830,  in  Ten- 
nessee. They  were  married  in  the  latter  State 
November  7,  1850.  Only  two  of  their  nine  chil- 
dren are  now  living,  most  of  them  having  died 
from  the  effects  of  la  grippe,  and  all  having 
passed  away  within  recent  years.  Following  is 
the  record  of  their  birth:  Cornelius,  October 
12,  1851,  and  Mary  Ellen  (now  living,  married), 
May  12,  1858,  in  Tennessee;  Sarah  M.,  Septem- 
ber 21,  1860,  in  Southern  Illinois;  Louisa  D., 
May  15,  1864,  and  Etta  S.,  October  18,  1866,  in 
Henderson  County,  Illinois;  Eddie,  March  n, 
1869,  in  Tecumseh,  Kansas;  Irvin,  January  23, 
1872,  and  Alice,  March  25,  1874,  near  Topeka, 
Kansas.  From  Tennessee  the  father  of  this  fam- 
ily removed  to  Illinois,  living  for  a  short  time 
near  Golconda,  whence  he  removed  to  Henderson 
County,  in  the  same  State.  In  October,  1868,  he 
moved  to  Kansas  by  team,  and  after  living  a 
short  time  in  Tecumseh  he  took  a  homestead  in 
Dover,  near  Topeka,  where  he  now  resides,  at 


the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  His  faithful  help- 
meet and  companion  passed  away  in  June,  1894, 
in  her  sixty-fourth  year. 

Francis  M.  Buck  was  in  his  ninth  year  when 
his  parents  came  to  reside  near  Oquawka,  Illinois, 
and  his  education,  as  far  as  school  attendance 
goes,  was  completed  in  the  grammar  school  of 
that  place  before  the  removal  of  the  family  to 
Kansas.  When  he  was  about  fourteen  years  old 
he  left  home  and  has  since  maintained  himself. 
From  a  humble  sphere  of  life  he  has  risen  to  a 
position  of  great  responsibility  in  the  management 
of  one  of  Chicago's  largest  enterprises.  His 
father  prophesied,  on  his  leaving  home,  that,  on 
account  of  his  positive  and  determined  character, 
he  would  either  make  a  great  success  or  a  com- 
plete failure.  His  first  employment  was  in  a  liv- 
ery stable  in  Topeka,  where  he  was  engaged  by 
Silas  Rain.  His  first  care  was  to  make  himself 
useful,  and  with  such  energy  and  tact  did  he  pro- 
ceed that  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  barn  at 
the  end  of  two  months,  and  remained  in  that  po- 
sition over  two  years.  Returning  then  to  Hen- 
derson County  he  was  employed  by  the  month  as 
a  farm  hand  by  Lewis  Duke,  of  Rozetta,  with 
whom  he  remained  during  the  summer  most  ot 
the  time,  until  his  removal  to  Chicago  in  Janu- 
ary, 1879.  In  the  mean  time  he  found  employ- 
ment in  winter  in  the  village  of  Oquawka. 

On  his  arrival  in  Chicago  Mr.  Buck  began  to 
look  for  employment,  with  varying  success.  In 
March,  1880,  he  engaged  in  the  manufacturing 
department  of  the  Western  Toy  Company,  at 
$4.50  per  week.  Within  three  months  his  salary 
was  raised  to  $7,  and  later  to  $10.  In  the  mean 
time  he  purchased  a  membership  in  the  night 


370 


F.  M.  BUCK. 


school  of  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  College, 
and  on  resigning  his  position  with  the  Toy  Com- 
pany at  the  end  of  a  year,  he  attended  the  day 
sessions  of  the  business  college  for  several  months. 
His  next  engagement  was  with  Sprague,  Warner 
&  Co. ,  wholesale  grocers,  being  placed  in  charge 
of  their  branch  warehouse  at  39  River  Street, 
where  he  continued  nearly  a  year.  He  now  re- 
signed to  engage  in  business  on  his  own  account. 
In  partnership  with  H.  Jaeschke,  a  practical 
butcher,  he  purchased  a  meat  market  at  Division 
and  Moore  Streets,  and  immediately  took  charge 
of  the  business  management,  and  in  a  short  time 
built  up  from  a  small  patronage  a  flourishing 
trade  among  the  best  people  of  the  North  Side. 
When  his  partner  undertook  to  supply  their  cus- 
tomers with  inferior  meats,  a  dispute  arose,  and 
Mr.  Buck  withdrew  from  the  firm,  disposing  of 
his  interest  at  a  handsome  profit  on  his  original 
investment. 

When  he  took  employment  with  the  Chicago 
Telephone  Company,  Mr.  Buck  became  associated 
with  employers  who  soon  recognized  his  ability 
and  appreciated  his  conscientious  efforts  to  suc- 
ceed. He  was  first  placed  in  charge  of  its  Amer- 
ican District  Telegraph  office  at  515  Wabash 
Avenue,  with  four  messengers,  In  nine  months 
he  had  so  extended  the  business  that  it  required 
eleven  messengers,  and  he  was  then  transferred 
to  the  main  office  of  the  district  business,  at  118 
La  Salle  Street,  with  the  position  of  assistant 
manager.  His  effort  to  improve  the  service  here 
resulted  in  a  strike  of  the  messengers.  This  he 
speedily  overcame,  with  the  result  that  the  serv- 
ice was  improved  and  the  business  became  at  once 
more  profitable  to  his  employers.  Soon  after 
this  he  was  appointed  assistant  superintendent  of 
the  American  District  Telegraph  in  Chicago,  and 
after  a  few  months  general  agent,  in  charge  of 
all  its  contract  work  in  the  messenger,  burglar- 
alarm  and  watch  service.  After  discharging  the 
duties  of  this  position  for  a  year,  he  was  made 
contract  agent  of  the  Chicago  Telephone  Com- 
pany for  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  six  months 
afterward  his  territory  was  extended  to  include 
its  entire  field  of  operations,  reaching  out  about 
seventy-five  miles  in  every  direction  from  the  city. 


His  responsibility  was  again  extended,  at  the  end 
of  one  and  one-half  years,  when  he  was  given  en- 
tire charge  of  rates  as  well  as  contracts.  Some 
idea  of  the  growth  of  the  business  of  this  concern 
may  be  gained  from  the  statement  that  when  Mr. 
Buck  became  contract  agent  there  were  twenty- 
five  hundred  subscribers,  while  there  are  now 
more  than  ten  thousand  in  the  city  alone.  His 
practical  experience  in  various  subordinate  posi- 
tions made  him  familiar  with  the  remotest  detail 
of  the  business,  and  he  is  now  able  to  perform 
more  work,  and  in  a  much  more  satisfactory  man- 
ner at  the  same  time,  than  one  not  having  had 
the  benefit  of  a  similar  training.  In  this  connec- 
tion it  may  be  mentioned  that  he  was  never  dis- 
charged from  any  position  which  he  undertook 
to  fill,  but  has  always  made  himself  a  useful  and 
profitable  assistant  to  his  employers.  He  is  an 
affable,  genial  gentleman,  and  always  finds  time 
to  be  courteous  in  the  midst  of  a  busy  and  re- 
sponsible life.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club  and  the  Art  Institute,  and  a  Deacon 
of  the  Englewood  Baptist  Church — one  of  the 
largest  congregations  in  the  city.  In  political 
strife  he  has  usually  acted  with  the  Democratic 
party. 

In  August,  1880,  Mr.  Buck  married  Miss 
Nettie  A.  Russell,  who  was  born  in  Dundee,  Illi- 
nois, January  5,  1862.  One  child  is  the  result  of 
this  union,  born  in  April,  1881,  and  named  Bessie 
Rue  Rose  Buck.  Mrs.  Buck's  parents,  Ruell  D. 
Russell  and  Sarah  A.  Wilbur,  were  born,  respect- 
ively, January  22,  1821,  and  May  u,  1837,  and 
were  married  November  i,  1855.  Mrs.  Nettie 
A.  Buck  died  April  15,  1886. 

Mr.  Buck  was  again  married,  this  time,  June 
30,  1887,  to  Miss  Mollie  K.  Duke,  who  was  born 
at  Rozetta,  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  June  4, 
1864.  Mrs.  Buck's  father,  Lewis  Duke,  was 
born  in  England  on  the  3oth  of  December,  1832, 
and  her  mother,  Fannie  King  (Coghill)  Duke, 
in  Henderson  County,  Illinois,  December  23, 
1842. 

The  history  of  the  Coghill  family  in  England 
and  America  is  an  interesting  and  well-authen- 
ticated one.  The  founder,  so  far  as  the  records 
show,  was  John  Cockhill,  who  lived  in  the  castle 


JOHN  NAPER. 


of  Knaresborough,  in  the  County  of  York,  during 
the  reigns  of  Richard  III.  and  Henry  IV. ,  between 
1377  and  1413.  Either  he  or  his  only  heir 
changed  the  name  to  its  present  form,  and  it  thus 
appears  in  all  the  records  of  marriages,  baptisms 
and  burials  in  Knaresborough  Church.  The 
records  show  a  will,  dated  October  9,  1585,  made 
by  Thomas  Coghill,  of  Tentergate,  in  the  town- 
ship of  Scriven,  and  parish  of  Knaresborough, 
who  was  the  eldest  son  of  Marinaduke  Coghill. 
The  family  was  prominent  in  military  and  naval 
affairs.  Three  fell  in  battle — one  in  Africa,  one 
in  Europe,  and  the  third  in  America.  One  served 
with  distinction  in  Asia,  and  another  was  vice- 
admiral  on  the  high  seas. 


Benjamin  C.  Coghill,  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Buck, 
was  born  in  Carolina  County,  Virginia,  in  1826, 
and  died  in  1880.  The  records  of  the  family,  in 
his  handwriting,  show  that  a  son  of  Thomas  Cog- 
hill,  ST.,  left  England  in  1664  and  settled  in 
Essex  County,  Virginia,  where  he  died  in  1685. 
In  1764  a  portion  of  Essex  County  became  merged 
in  Carolina  County,  Virginia,  in  which  precinct 
the  father  and  grandfather  of  Benjamin  C.  Cog- 
hill,  William  and  Thomas  Coghill,  ST.,  respect- 
ively, were  prominent  citizens.  The  children  of 
Benjamin  C.  Coghill  were  Benjamin  C.,  Millicent 
E-,  Fannie  K.  and  J.  W-  Coghill.  Mrs.  Buck 
is  a  worthy  descendant  of  her  noble  ancestors,  and 
the  congenial  wife  of  a  worthy  husband. 


JOHN  NAPER. 


(TOHN  NAPER.  If  New  Germany,  like  New 
I  England,  is  a  part  of  America,  surely  its 
C/  capital  is  not  far  from  our  chief  metropolis, 
Chicago,  in  the  fair  state  of  Illinois.  Like  the 
early  settlers  Down  East,  most  of  our  Teutonic 
citizens  first  come  among  us  with  limited  means, 
but  with  a  determined  will  to  do  and  become 
something  respectable,  and  often  honorable.  As 
a  race  very  industrious,  sober,  healthy  and  in- 
telligent, they  soon  prove  their  right  to  enjoy  in 
the  highest  sense  the  full  responsibilities  of  Amer- 
ican freemen;  we  therefore  frequently  find  those 
of  the  second  and  third  generations  have  become 
some  of  our  best  educated,  richest  and  most  influ- 
tial  leaders  in  both  private  and  public  life. 

One  of  these  early  Germans  was  born  at  Han- 
over in  the  year  1814,  his  name  being  John  Na- 
per,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who,  as  one  of 
Chicago's  early  settlers,  and  the  father  of  children 
who  already  have  proven  their  abilities  as  repre- 
sentative citizens  of  the  United  States,  is  entitled 


to  have  the  worthiest  facts  of  his  useful  life  pre- 
served herein  for  the  benefit  of  future  genera- 
tions. 

Mr.  Naper's  father  was  a  Catholic,  while  his 
mother  was  a  Lutheran.  He  himself,  as  often 
happens,  finding  his  chief  strength  in  the  faith  of 
his  maternal  ancestor,  became  a  conscientious 
Lutheran,  and  was  for  long  years  preceding  his 
death  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Church  of  that 
denomination  in  this  city. 

Coming  to  America  in  1842,  he  directly  made 
his  way  to  Chicago,  and  the  following  year  con- 
summated a  real-estate  transaction  which  will 
suffice  to  keep  his  offspring  in  comfortable  cir- 
cumstances for  many  years  to  come.  It  is  hard 
for  one,  looking  at  Chicago  as  it  is  to-day,  to  fully 
realize  the  village  (nothing  more)  which  greeted 
the  eyes  of  those  earlier  comers;  and  thereby 
hangs  the  circumstance  which  enabled  those  of 
foresight,  within  the  span  of  a  single  lifetime,  to 
become  wealthy,  by  the  simple  method  of  holding 


372 


JOHN  NAPER. 


to  a  moderate  piece  of  land.  In  the  spring  of 
1843  Mr.  Naper  bought,  for  the  very  small  price 
of  $200,  two-thirds  of  the  block  of  real  estate 
now  in  the  center  of  activity  upon  the  North 
Side,  and  within  three  squares  of  the  great  New- 
berry  Library.  It  is  situated  between  Rush  and 
State  Streets,  and  Walton  and  Delaware  Places, 
but  at  that  time  was  without  highways,  even 
without  survey,  being  a  portion  of  the  old  Canal 
Lands.  This  right  he  acquired  from  a  Norwegian 
named  Johnson,  who  had  it  direct  from  the  Gov- 
ernment. Mr.  Naper  held  it  to  the  time  of  his 
death,  when  it  was  peaceably  subdivided  among 
his  large  family.  A  small  part  of  it,  at  the  south- 
west corner  of  Rush  Street  and  Walton  Place,  is 
now  occupied  by  that  magnificent  family  hotel, 
The  Majestic. 

On  this  block,  on  the  Rush  Street  side,  in  the 
'405  there  was  a  district  school,  which  at  the  end 
of  that  decade  was  done  away  with,  and  aside 
from  a  few  still  remaining  building  sites  of  choice 
property,  the  ground  is  now  entirely  built  over 
with  substantial  residences. 

Here  Mr.  Naper  set  up  his  humble  home  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  America,  and  he  clung  to  it 
with  all  the  tenacity  of  those  home-loving  people. 
His  first  home  was  on  Rush  Street;  thence  he  re- 
moved to  the  Walton  Place  side,  where  he  was 
burnt  out  by  the  big  fire  of  1871,  after  which  he 
constructed  at  what  is  now  No.  43  Delaware 
Place  a  neat  frame  residence,  where  his  widow  and 
some  of  his  younger  children  at  present  reside. 

In  the  earlier  days  there  was  less  of  class  dis- 
tinction, more  of  common-sense,  in  men's  rela- 
tions one  with  another;  and  so,  although  but  a 
market-gardener,  being  an  honest  man,  he  was 
greeted  with  respect  by  many  of  our  most  famous 
men,  such  as  Judge  Skinner,  Cyrus  H.  McCor- 
mick,  J.  Y.  Scammon,  John  Kinzie,  and  others, 
who  have,  like  Mr.  Naper,  now  passed  to  their 
long  home.  Upon  this  block,  Mr.  Naper  main- 
tained a  well-regulated,  valuable  market-garden, 
and  those  whose  tables  were  supplied  from  the 
produce  of  his  lands  knew  they  were  getting  the 
best  and  purest  that  careful  husbandry  could 
raise.  He  was  a  quiet,  peaceable,  honest,  indus- 
trious citizen,  of  the  sort  of  stuff  that  best  befits 


men  who  start  in  to  build  up  a  new  country.  A 
stanch  Republican  in  politics,  he  never  sought 
public  life,  though  he  left  a  son  whose  services 
have  been  conspicuous  in  the  city's  annals. 

For  about  two  years  prior  to  his  death,  he  was 
a  quiet  but  excessive  sufferer  from  that  bodily 
scourge,  gastritis.  Resigned  to  the  will  of  his 
Maker,  he  passed  away  on  the  1 5th  of  October, 
1882,  and  was  interred  in  the  family  lot  at  Grace- 
land,  overlooking  the  lake  whose  sounds  were 
such  music  to  him  in  life's  struggles. 

Mr.  Naper  was  twice  married;  first,  in  1843, 
to  Anna  Stuven,  who  came  from  Schauley,  Ger- 
many (near  the  boundary  of  Holland)  in  that 
year,  with  her  parents.  They  had  three  children, 
two  of  whom  died  in  infancy,  but  Henry  G.  Na- 
per, born  September  30,  1848,  lived  to  grow  to 
an  honorable  manhood,  connected  in  various  ca- 
pacities with  the  city  government  since  he  became 
seventeen  years  of  age,  having  been  Chief  Permit 
Clerk  in  the  Water  Department  at  the  time  he 
was  retired  by  Mayor  Hopkins  in  1894,  after 
which  he  took  a  trip  to  California.  He  married, 
in  1876,  Louise  Deverman,  of  this  city,  by  whom 
he  has  four  children:  Herbert  J.  (now  in  the 
senior  class  of  the  Chicago  Manual  Training 
School),  George  H.,  May  A.  A.  and  Erwin  G. 

Mr.  Naper,  Sr.,  married  for  his  second  wife 
Miss  Augusta  Catherine  Dorothea  Hufmeyer,  a 
daughter  of  John  Adam  and  Gertrude  (Gang) 
Hufmeyer.  She  was  born  near  Osnabruck,  Han- 
over, and  came  to  America  with  her  parents  when 
a  little  girl  of  only  three  years  of  age,  first  to  Syr- 
acuse, but  shortly  to  their  future  home,  Chicago, 
where  she  was  educated,  and  married  to  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  on  the  6th  of  March,  1850. 
Nine  children  blessed  their  happy  wedded  life,  all 
but  one  of  whom  lived  to  be  a  comfort  to  their 
parents.  John  Adam  was  born  June  7,  1851, 
became  a  bookbinder  by  trade,  and  has  consider- 
able real -estate  interests;  he  married  Frederica 
Abel,  July  4,  1889,  by  whom  he  has  a  pretty 
daughter,  Mabel.  Herman,  born  October  i,  1853, 
is  yet  a  single  man,  and  for  long  years  has  worked 
for  '  'Uncle  Sam' '  as  letter  carrier.  Helen  M. ,  born 
April  i,  1856,  married,  October  19,  1886,  Frank 
L-  Smith,  of  this  city,  where  he  is  employed  as  a 


G.  W.  SPOFFORD. 


373 


soliciting  agent,  having  been  for  a  time  Govern- 
ment Storekeeper  in  early  days.  Mary  L-  was 
the  next:  Lizzie  J.,  born  July  17,  1861,  married, 
March  29,  1887,  Charles  E.  Barmm,  Ph.  D., 
M.  D.,  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Toxicology  and 
Urinalysis  of  the  American  Medical  College,  of  In- 
dinapolis,  Indiana.  Louise  W.  died  single,  after 
she  had  grown  to  the  flower  of  womanhood.  Ed- 
ward J.,  born  June  17,  1867,  married,  April  14, 
1892,  Anna  M.  Horn,  of  this  city;  he  is  a  book- 


keeper by  occupation.     Amelia  B.  is  the  youngest 
child. 

On  an  opposite  page  will  be  seen  the  honest, 
kindly  face  of  Mr.  Naper,  which  will  be  viewed 
with  a  proud  satisfaction  by  his  descendants  for 
many  generations  to  come,  as  they  turn  to  this 
dignified  source  of  information  to  learn  how  their 
first  parents  in  America  made  the  beginning  of 
future  prosperity  to  unborn  hundreds. 


GEORGE  W.  SPOFFORD. 


OEORGE  WASHINGTON  SPOFFORD,  a 

b  well-known  citizen  of  Chicago,  was  born  in 
Peterborough,  New  Hampshire,  August  9, 
1831.  He  is  a  son  of  Ira  and  Miriam  (Atwood) 
Spofford.  The  first  authentic  record  of  the  Spof- 
ford  family  is  found  in  the  "Domesday  Book," 
showing  the  allotment  of  lands  in  England  to  the 
followers  of  William  the  Conqueror  in  1066.  By 
that  division  this  family  was  dispossessed  of  its 
lands,  which  were  given  to  the  Earl  of  Percy. 
Eleven  generations  of  the  family  are  traced  in 
England,  and  among  its  members  were  very  many 
prominent  ecclesiastics,  one  of  whom  was  Thomas 
Spofford,  Lord  Archbishop  of  York.  The  family 
coat-of-arms  is  still  preserved,  bearing  the  motto, 
"Rather  deathe  than  false  of  fay  the."  Spofford 
Castle,  in  Yorkshire,  is  said  to  be  the  best  pre- 
served ruin  in  England.  The  earlier  generations 
were  devout  Catholics,  but  in  1554  Rev.  Bryan 
Spofford,  a  contemporary  of  the  Earl  of  Canter- 
bury, having  married,  refused  to  put  away  his 
wife  and  children  in  accordance  with  the  edict  of 
the  church,  and  became  a  Protestant. 

The  first  American  ancestor  was  Rev.  John 
Spofford,  son  of  an  Episcopalian  minister,  who 
came  from  Spofford,  Yorkshire,  and  settled  at 
Georgetown,  Massachusetts,  in  1634.  The  subject 
of  this  notice  represents  the  eighth  generation  in 
America.  His  grandfather,  Amos  Spofford,  served 
three  years  in  the  Continental  army,  entering 
the  service  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  as  a  sub- 


stitute for  his  father,  who  was  drafted.  When  the 
family  received  notice  of  this  conscription,  a  sheep 
was  hastily  shorn,  and  from  the  fleece  his  mother 
spun  and  wove  cloth  to  equip  him  for  this  duty. 

Ira  Spofford,  who  was  a  stone-cutter  and  con- 
tractor, lived  and  died  at  Peterborough.     While 
but  a  lad,  he  also  entered  the  military  service  of 
his  country,  which  was  then  engaged  in  the  War 
of  1812.     He  was  a  relative  of  General  McNeal, 
a  prominent  officer  of  that  conflict,  who  afterward 
became  Governor  of  Arkansas.     Ira  Spofford  was 
a  man  of  resolute  character  and  stern  convictions. 
In  common  with  many  of  his  relatives  who  re- 
sided in  the  South,  he  gave  unswerving  allegi- 
ance to  the  Democratic  party,  and  could  tolerate 
no   deviation  from   its   doctrines   in  his  family. 
The  names  of  Ira  Spofford's  children  were  Will- 
iam, Nancy  (who  was  successively   married  to 
John  Challis,  Thomas  Upton  and  Joseph  Knowl- 
ton),  Ira  A.,  Nathan  H.,   Miriam  A.  (Mrs.  F. 
Farwell),  George  W.,  John  L-,  Elizabeth  (Mrs. 
Joseph  Alexander),  and   twin   brothers,   Albert 
and  Alvah.    Of  this  family  but  three  now  survive. 

Mrs.  Miriam  Spofford's  father,  Jeremiah  At- 
wood, served  for  seven  years  in  the  Continental 
army,  enlisting  from  Chester,  Vermont.  During 
this  time  he  had  no  furloughs,  and  was  constantly 
in  the  field.  After  the  battle  of  Yorktown  he  was 
honorably  discharged  from  the  service,  and  started 
for  his  home  on  foot.  There  being  no  means  of 
public  conveyance,  most  of  the  veterans  were 


374 


G.  W.  SPOFFORD. 


obliged  to  travel  in  this  way,  and  were  heartily 
welcomed  by  the  citizens  whom  they  met  along 
the  way,  and  who  were  pleased  to  extend  to  them 
their  best  hospitality  and  hear  the  news  from  the 
seat  of  war.  Among  that  number  was  Mr.  At- 
wood'swife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Bacon.  All 
the  returning  soldiers  who  passed  her  door  were 
kindly  entertained,  and  when  Mr.  Atwood  ar- 
rived, footsore  and  weary  from  his  journey  of 
several  weeks,  she  failed  to  recognize  him,  but 
gave  him  the  same  kind  and  hearty  welcome,  at 
once  providing  him  with  a  bountiful  dinner,  but 
was  considerably  surprised  to  find  that  he  did 
not  resume  his  journey  after  the  repast.  Her 
joy  on  discovering  his  identity  can  easily  be 
imagined. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  years,  George  W.  Spof- 
ford  left  home  and  went  to  Boston  in  search  of 
employment.  He  subsequently  spent  four  years 
at  Phillips  Academy,  Exeter,  New  Hampshire, 
with  a  view  to  entering  Harvard  University,  and 
completed  the  freshman  year  at  Exeter.  He 
abandoned  this  purpose  on  account  of  failing  eye- 
sight, and  began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of 
Hon.  Edward  S.  Cutler,  of  Peterborough,  New 
Hampshire.  This  pursuit  also  proved  too  trying 
for  his  eyes,  and,  coming  to  Chicago  in  1856,  he 
accepted  the  position  of  Principal  of  the  Foster 
School. 

He  acceptably  carried  this  trying  responsibility 
for  fourteen  years,  retiring  in  1871.  Since  that 
date  he  has  devoted  his  attention  chiefly  to  the 
management  of  his  extensive  real-estate  interests. 
He  had  just  completed  a  fine  building  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Clark  and  Madison  Streets 
when  the  fearful  holocaust  of  1871  swept  over 
the  city,  annihilating  the  structure  and  causing  a 
loss  which  at  that  time  was  a  serious  one.  He 
recovered  no  insurance,  but  immediately  built 
with  borrowed  capital  the  structure  which  now 
adorns  that  site.  He  has  since  erected  a  number 
of  business  blocks  in  the  city,  and  is  the  present 
owner  of  considerable  choice  city  and  suburban 
property.  Among  these  parcels  is  a  fine  farm 
near  Wheaton,  Illinois,  dotted  with  several  nat- 
ural groves  and  pretty  little  lakes. 

For  four  years  Mr.  Spofford  served  as  County 


Commissioner,  during  which  time  he  was  Chair- 
man of  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  county  in- 
stitutions at  Dunning.  For  some  years  past  he 
has  spent  his  winters  in  the  South,  where  he  has 
a  number  of  relatives  who  are  prominent  public 
citizens,  and  has  acquired  an  extensive  acquaint- 
ance throughout  that  section  of  the  Union.  In 
the  interests  of  the  management  of  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago,  he  visited 
several  Southern  cities  and  secured  their  endorse- 
ment of  this  undertaking. 

In  1859  Mr.  Spoflbrd  was  married  to  Miss 
Hannah  M.  Morrison,  daughter  of  Orsemus  Mor- 
rison, a  well-known  pioneer  of  Chicago,  whose 
biography  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this 
volume.  Mrs.  Spofford  was  born  at  the  corner 
of  Clark  and  Madison  Streets,  and  has  become 
the  mother  of  five  children,  three  of  whem  passed 
away  in  childhood.  The  others  are  Percy  and 
Florence  M.,  the  latter  a  graduate  of  Ogontz 
Seminary,  near  Philadelphia.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
SpofTord  are  leading  members  of  the  Seventh 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  and  move  in  the 
best  social  circles.  Mr.  Spofford  is  identified 
with  the  Mencken  and  Ashland  Clubs,  and  is 
prominent  in  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a 
member  of  National  Lodge,  York  Chapter,  St. 
Bernard  Cornmandery  and  the  Mystic  Shrine. 
Having  been  reared  in  the  atmosphere  of  Dem- 
ocracy, he  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
James  Buchanan,  but,  upon  the  opening  of  the 
Civil  War,  he  became  a  stanch  Republican,  al- 
though he  incurred  the  displeasure — amounting 
almost  to  enmity — of  his  father  and  most  of  his 
family  by  so  doing. 

When  Mr.  Spofford  first  came  to  Chicago  the 
ground  now  composing  Garfield  Park,  opposite 
his  present  residence,  was  worth  but  $9  per  acre, 
and  the  present  value  of  many  other  portions  of 
the  city  real  estate  was  proportionally  unforeseen. 
He  has  seen  Chicago  successively  become  the  ri- 
val of  Milwaukee,  Detroit,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis 
and  New  York.  He  is  one  of  its  most  loyal 
citizens,  considering  it  one  of  the  most  auspicious 
fields  of  investment  in  the  Union,  with  nearly 
every  part  of  which  he  is  familiar. 


Or  THE 
I  'IVEHSITY  OF 


ELLIOTT  ANTHONY. 


375 


ELLIOTT  ANTHONY,  LL.  D. 


PT  LLIOTT  ANTHONY,  LL.  D.     In  the  ca- 

1^  reer  of  Judge  Anthony,  who  for  twelve  years 
I  honored  the  Bench  of  Chicago,  the  ambitious 
attorney  may  read  the  way  to  honor  and  success. 
He  was  born  in  Spafford,  Onondaga  febunty, 
N.  Y.,  June  10,  1827,  and  is  descended  from 
Quaker  ancestors,  who  early  located  in  New  Eng- 
land. Many  of  the  members  of  the  family  ac- 
quitted themselves  with  credit  as  soldiers  and 
officers  of  the  Continental  army.  It  was  early  in 
the  seventeenth  century  that  Judge  Anthony's 
progenitor  located  in  Rhode  Island,  whence  his 
grandfather  moved  soon  after  the  Revolution  to 
Washington  County,  N.  Y.  Almost  at  the  same 
time,  his  maternal  grandfather  went  from  Ver- 
mont to  the  same  locality.  Isaac  Anthony,  father 
of  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  born  on 
Rhode  Island,  eight  miles  from  the  island  of  New- 
port, and  early  imbibed  the  hatred  of  British  ag- 
gression which  had  been  handed  down  by  his 
father,  on  account  of  the  abuses  heaped  upon  him 
and  others  at  the  time  the  English  and  Hessian 
forces  occupied  Rhode  Island  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. While  residing  in  Cambridge,  Washington 
County,  N.  Y.,  he  met  Miss  Parmelia  Phelps,  a 
scion  of  an  old  New  England  family,  and  their 
acquaintance  led  to  mutual  affection  and  marriage. 
Isaac  Anthony's  mother  was  a  member  of  the 
noted  Chase  family,  which  has  given  to  the 
United  States  a  famous  Chief  Justice.  Shortly 
before  the  birth  of  Elliott,  he  moved  to  the  south- 
western part  of  Onondaga  County,  where  he  en- 
tered upon  the  work  of  clearing  a  farm.  With 
such  energy  did  he  carry  out  this  undertaking 
that  he  came  to  be  the  foremost  and  most  success- 
ful farmer  of  all  that  region. 

Elliott  is  the  youngest  of  four  sons  in  a  family 


including  the  same  number  of  daughters,  and  all 
in  turn  were  sent  to  the  Cortlandt  Academy,  at 
Homer,  the  leading  educational  institution  of 
western  New  York,  to  finish  their  education. 
Here  the  future  judge  prepared  for  college  under 
Prof.  Samuel  B.  Woolworth,  a  famous  educator 
of  his  time.  At  the  end  of  two  years'  study  here, 
in  the  fall  of  1847,  he  entered  the  Sophomore 
class  of  Hamilton  College,  at  Clinton,  N.  Y., 
from  which  he  was  graduated  with  high  honors  in 
1850.  He  then  became  a  resident  graduate,  and 
took  a  special  course  in  law  and  political  economy 
with  Prof.  Theodore  W.  Dwight,  who  afterward 
became  so  highly  distinguished  as  Dean  of  the 
Columbia  College  Law  School  in  the  city  of  New 
York.  With  his  accustomed  vigor  and  earnest- 
ness, young  Anthony  followed  his  studies  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Bar  at  Oswego  on  the  7th  of 
May,  1851.  While  pursuing  his  law  course  in 
company  with  a  classmate,  Joseph  D.  Hubbard, 
he  took  charge  of  the  well-known  Kirkland  Acad- 
emy at  Clinton,  and  had  for  one  of  his  pupils 
Grover  Cleveland,  now  President  of  the  United 
States. 

Being  possessed  of  the  same  pioneer  spirit  which 
led  his  grandfather  and  father  to  settle  new  re- 
gions, he  resolved  to  begin  practice  in  the  new 
West,  and  proceeded  to  Sterling,  Whiteside  Coun- 
ty, 111.,  soon  after  his  admission  to  the  Bar.  Re- 
turning East  in  June,  1852,  he  was  married  to 
Mary  Dwight,  the  sister  of  his  preceptor,  and  in 
the  fall  of  1852  he  became  a  resident  of  Chicago, 
which  city  has  been  his  home  ever  since.  None 
have  been  more  active  in  the  development  of  the 
city  and  State  than  he,  and  in  both  he  takes  an 
honest  pride.  Chicago,  as  well  as  Illinois,  was 
fortunate  in  the  beginning,  in  the  fact  that  the 


376 


ELLIOTT  ANTHONY. 


pioneers  were  of  good  blood,  the  blood  which  has 
developed  the  best  of  the  entire  Northwest  and 
West.  Wherever  the  New  England  blood  pre- 
dominates, churches,  schoolhouses,  manufactories 
and  highways  of  commerce  have  appeared  simul- 
taneously and  systematically.  With  a  determina- 
tion to  succeed  in  his  chosen  profession,  Mr. 
Anthony  began  practice  among  the  fifty  lawyers 
who  constituted  the  Bar  of  Chicago  at  his  com- 
ing. Throughout  his  long  and  busy  career,  he 
has  been  a  diligent  worker,  and  in  less  than  three 
years  after  coming  here  he  was  recognized  as  a 
leading  attorney  of  the  young  city,  and  his  rise 
was  quite  as  rapid  as  his  ambition  had  dared  to 
hope.  He  foresaw  the  rise  of  a  great  city,  sur- 
rounded by  a  tributary  country  of  almost  bound- 
less resources,  and  became  identified  with  many 
enterprises  and  projects  for  their  mutual  advan- 
tage and  growth.  "If  a  general  diffusion  of 
learning,  science  and  the  arts  at  this  time  is  de- 
sirable," said  he,  "then  the  Mississippi  Valley 
is  the  chosen  spot  for  their  cultivation.  The 
generations  are  increasing,  and  the  career  of  duty 
and  usefulness  which  is  to  be  seen  by  our  chil- 
dren will  be  under  constantly  increasing  excite- 
ment, and  the  voice  which  in  the  morning  of  life 
shall  awaken  a  large  and  patriotic  sympathy,  will 
be  echoed  back  by  a  community  vastly  swelled  in 
its  proportions  before  that  voice  shall  be  hushed 
in  death." 

When  he  arrived  in  Chicago,  the  young  law- 
yer had  no  acquaintance,  no  influential  friends  to 
push  his  claims  to  attention,  and  no  capital  save 
individual  ability  and  merit,  which  won  him  rec- 
ognition. During  his  first  year's  residence  in 
Chicago,  he  compiled,  with  the  aid  of  his  devoted 
wife,  "A  Digest  of  the  Illinois  Reports,"  which 
was  soon  after  published  and  received  with  great 
favor  by  the  profession  throughout  the  State.  In 
1858  he  was  elected  City  Attorney  for  Chicago, 
and  distinguished  his  administration  of  that  re- 
sponsible office  by  the  energy  and  ability  with 
which  he  conducted  the  legal  business  of  the  city. 
He  became  an  expert  upon  all  subjects  of  mu- 
nicipal corporation  law,  and  was  for  several  years 
specially  retained  by  the  city  authorities  to  con- 
duct many  important  cases  in  the  local  courts,  in 


the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and  in  the  United 
States  Supreme  Court  at  Washington.  While 
acting  for  the  city  he  established  several  new  and 
interesting  law  points,  among  which  was  that  the 
collection  of  special  assessments  could  not  be  en- 
joined by  a  Court  of  Chancery;  next,  that  the 
city  of  Chicago  could  not  be  garnisheed  to  collect 
the  salary  or  wages  of  any  of  its  officers  or  em- 
ployes; and  lastly,  that  no  execution  could  issue 
against  the  city  to  collect  a  judgment;  and  at  a 
later  period,  that  the  city  could  not  tie  up  its  leg- 
islative powers  by  making  contracts  with  the  gas 
companies  for  the  supply  of  gas,  so  as  to  interfere 
with  its  legislative  prerogatives.  These  positions 
were  at  the  time  so  novel  that  they  were  for  a 
time  gravely  doubted  by  the  most  eminent  mem- 
bers of  the  legal  profession,  and  many  of  the 
newspapers  subjected  him  to  the  severest  ridicule; 
but  he  was  upheld  by  the  highest  tribunal  in  the 
State  on  every  point,  and  they  are  now  fixed  and 
settled  as  the  law  of  the  State. 

In  1863  he  was  appointed  the  General  Attorney 
and  Solicitor  of  the  Galena  Union  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  all  its  branches,  then  the  leading  rail- 
road corporation  in  the  Northwest,  and  for  many 
years  held  that  position,  until,  in  fact,  the  con- 
solidation of  that  company  with  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railway  Company  was  effected.  A 
contest  arose  over  this  consolidation,  and  he  was 
shortly  after  retained  by  a  number  of  the  bond- 
holders and  non-consenting  stockholders  to  test 
the  validity  of  the  consolidation,  and  in  con- 
nection with  that  case  prepared  and  printed 
a  most  remarkable  argument  upon  the  law  of 
the  case,  which  grew  into  a  treatise,  which 
he  entitled,  '  'The  Law  Pertaining  to  the  Consoli- 
dation of  Railroads,"  which  is  unquestionably 
the  most  complete  and  exhaustive  treatise  upon 
that  subject  ever  made.  It  is  a  marvel  of  legal 
research  and  of  acute  reasoning,  and  is  a  most 
learned  and  clear  statement  of  the  rights  and 
duties  of  directors  of  corporations  and  the  rights 
of  minority  stockholders,  and  called  forth  the 
admiration  of  corporation  lawyers  throughout  the 
country.  The  late  Samuel  J.  Tilden  was  directly 
interested  in  the  questions  involved,  as  well  as 
many  of  the  leading  capitalists  aiid  railway  mag- 


ELLIOTT  ANTHONY. 


377 


nates  in  New  York,  and  the  array  of  legal  talent 
was  formidable,  the  late  Judge  Beckwith  leading 
the  opposition  to  Judge  Anthony.  The  case  was 
tried  in  chancery  before  Judge  David  Davis,  of 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  and  the  late 
Samuel  J.  Treat,  United  States  District  Judge  for 
the  Southern  District  of  this  State,  and  Mr.  An- 
thony's position  was  sustained  in  almost  every 
particular.  The  differences  of  stockholders  were 
shortly  settled  out  of  court,  however,  thus  avoid- 
ing a  legal  decision,  which  could  not  fail  to  favor 
Judge  Anthony's  clients.  At  this  time  Mr. 
Anthony  received  numerous  letters  from  some  of 
the  most  distinguished  lawyers  and  judges  in  this 
country,  complimenting  him  upon  his  masterly 
exposition  of  the  law.  Among  these  were  the  late 
Josiah  Quincy  and  Sidney  Bartlett,  of  Boston; 
Mr.  Justice  Swayne,  of  the  United  States  Supreme 
Court;  the  late  Thomas  A.  Ewing,  of  Ohio,  and 
many  others.  His  brief,  which  was  in  the  shape 
of  a  bound  volume  of  several  hundred  pages,  was 
in  great  demand  in  this  country  and  in  Europe, 
and  was  most  kindly  reviewed  by  several  of  the 
leading  legal  periodicals  and  journals  in  Great 
Britain. 

In  the  last  two  conventions  for  the  revision  of 
the  constitution  of  the  State,  in  1862  and  1870, 
Judge  Anthony  served  as  a  delegate.  In  the 
convention  of  1862,  Mr.  Anthony's  colleagues 
were  Henry  Muehlke,  Hon.  John  Wentworth,  and 
Melville  W.  Fuller,  now  Chief  Justice  of  the 
United  States.  In  both  conventions,  Mr.  An- 
thony took  a  leading  part,  being  regarded  as  one 
of  the  most  expert  members  upon  constitutional 
law  and  methods  of  procedure.  In  the  conven- 
tion of  1870  he  served  on  the  Executive,  Judicial 
and  Railroad  Committees,  reporting  many  of  the 
provisions  of  the  present  constitution  relating  to 
those  matters.  He  was  instrumental  in  provid- 
ing for  Appellate  Courts  and  additional  judges  in 
Cook  County,  when  the  public  business  required 
it.  Whenever  he  spoke  in  the  convention,  he 
commanded  attention,  and  always  spoke  to  the 
point,  clearly  and  forcibly. 

Judge  Anthony  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Republican  party  in  Illinois,  and  was  a  delegate 
to  the  first  convention  of  that  party  in  Cook 


County.  He  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  third- 
term  movement  in  r.88o,  and  was  a  delegate  in 
the  National  Convention  which  nominated  Gen. 
Garfield  for  President.  In  the  fall  of  that  year 
he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  the 
city  of  Chicago,  and  re-elected  six  years  later, 
filling  the  position  twelve  years  with  dignity,  im- 
partiality and  expedition  of  public  business.  He 
was  the  founder  of  the  Chicago  Law  Institute, 
having  drawn  the  charter  and  visited  Springfield 
twice  at  his  own  expense  to  secure  its  passage 
by  the  Legislature,  and  was  three  times  made 
President  of  the  Institute.  He  has  been  an  ex- 
tensive traveler,  both  in  his  native  country  and 
over  Europe,  and  the  reviews  and  periodicals  of 
this  country  have  been  often  enriched  by  his  ob- 
servations. His  ripe  scholarship  and  keen  obser- 
vation conspire  to  make  his  utterances  and  writ- 
ings valuable  to  his  fellows. 

Judge  Anthony  is  a  rapid  thinker,  and  grasps 
a  point  with  a  celerity  which  contributed  no  little 
to  his  advancement  in  the  profession  which  he 
adorns.  He  writes  with  facility,  and  his  contri- 
butions to  legal  periodicals  are  numerous  and 
able.  They  cover  almost  every  legal  topic,  and 
are  authorities  wherever  found.  His  descriptions 
of  Russian  and  British  courts  and  methods  of 
procedure  are  likely  to  prove  interesting  to  one 
not  particularly  versed  in  law,  and  are  of  especial 
value  to  the  profession.  He  also  gives  much 
thought  and  study  to  historical  and  philosophical 
topics,  on  which  he  has  written  much.  His 
treatise  on  the  "Law  of  Self-Defense"  should  be 
read  and  carefully  considered  by  every  citizen. 

Judge  Anthony  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Chicago  Public  Library,  and  was  a  member  of 
its  first  Board  of  Directors.  He  has  been  es- 
pecially active  in  the  effort  to  preserve  the  mem- 
ory of  the  pioneers,  whose  number  is1  now  very 
small.  When  all  have  passed  away,  who  shall 
commemorate  their  virtues  ?  "Let  the  record  be 
made  of  the  men  and  things  of  to-day,  lest  they 
pass  out  of  memory  to-morrow  and  are  lost. ' '  At 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  State  Bar  Association 
in  1892,  he  read  a  very  interesting  paper,  entitled 
"Remember  the  Pioneers,"  which  is  replete  with 
interesting  reminiscences.  At  the  meeting  of  the 


378 


F.  C.  HAGEMAN. 


association  in  1893,  Judge  Anthony  was  elected 
President,  an  honor  most  worthily  bestowed.  In 
1889  the  Judge  received  from  his  alma  mater  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  to  which  his  merit  had 
long  entitled  him. 

On  the  i4th  of  July,  1852,  Elliott  Anthony 
married  Miss  Mary  Dwight,  a  sister  of  his  law  pre- 
ceptor, and  grand-daughter  of  President  Dwight, 
the  well-known  head  of  Yale  College.  A  daugh- 
ter (now  deceased)  and  three  sons  have  been  given 
him,  two  of  whom  are  associated  with  him  in 
the  practice  of  law  in  Chicago. 

During  his  busy  life,  into  which  has  been 
crowded  an  immense  amount  of  labor  in  the  in- 
terest of  his  fellow-men,  Judge  Anthony  has  ever 
kept  in  sight  the  wish  to  accomplish  something 
worthy  of  emulation  and  commemoration,  as 
evidenced  in  his  remarks  upon  the  virtues  and 


works  of  a  co-laborer  and  brother  judge,  with 
which  this  notice  may  be  fittingly  closed.  He 
said:  "May  our  successors  in  the  profession  look 
back  upon  our  times,  not  without  some  kind  re- 
grets and  some  tender  recollections.  May  they 
cherish  our  memory  with  that  gentle  reverence 
which  belongs  to  those  who  have  labored  ear- 
nestly, though  it  may  be  humbly,  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  law.  May  they  catch  a  holy 
enthusiasm  from  the  review  of  our  attainments, 
however  limited  they  may  be,  which  shall  make 
them  aspire  after  the  loftiest  possessions  of  human 
learning.  And  thus  may  they  be  enabled  to  ad- 
vance our  jurisprudence  to  that  degree  of  perfec- 
tion which  shall  make  it  a  blessing  and  protection 
to  our  own  country,  and  excite  the  just  admiration 
of  mankind." 


DR.  FREDERICK  CHARLES  HAGEMAN. 


BR.  FREDERICK  CHARLES  HAGEMAN, 
one  of  the  most  useful  and  influential  citizens 
of  DuPage  County,  and  a  former  prominent 
citizen  of  Chicago,  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Christoph 
Hageman,  and  was  born  at  Minden,  Prussia,  on 
the  26th  of  November,  1817.  His  mother  died 
when  he  was  a  mere  child,  and  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  set  out  for  America.  His  first  employ- 
ment was  on  the  Great  Lakes  as  a  sailor,  and  he 
settled  in  Chicago  in  the  fall  of  1843.  His  father 
came  to  join  him,  and  was  one  of  three  persons 
who  escaped  from  a  burning  steamer  on  Lake 
Erie,  the  brother  and  step-mother  of  our  subject 
being  lost  in  that  disaster.  The  first  regular 
graduating  class  of  five  from  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege, Chicago,  in  1847,  included  Frederick  C. 
Hageman.  In  connection  with  his  practice,  he 
opened  a  drug  store  on  South  Water  Street,  Chi- 
cago, removing  later  to  North  Clark  Street,  and 


thence  to  Indiana  Street,  where  he  built  the  first 
brick  structure  on  the  North  Side.  Here  he 
served  as  Alderman,  and  was  at  one  time  City 
Physician. 

In  the  spring  of  1852,  Dr.  Hageman  moved  to 
Winfield,  DuPage  County,  and  invested  in  farm 
lands,  becoming  in  time  an  extensive  owner.  He 
lived  there  for  a  few  years,  but  spent  most  of  his 
remaining  years  in  Wheaton,  and  was  a  very  suc- 
cessful physician.  He  was  elected  Coroner  during 
the  first  years  after  coming  here,  and  filled  that 
position  several  terms,  being  the  incumbent  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  which  occurred  on  the  3d 
of  September,  1869. 

Dr.  Hageman  was  an  active  and  public-spirited 
citizen,  and  did  much  to  promote  the  prosperity 
of  the  community.  He  was  active  in  securing 
the  county  seat  at  Wheaton,  which  involved  the 
construction  of  a  court  house  as  a  gift  to  the 


BRAMAN  LOVELESS. 


375 


county.  He  was  reared  in  the  Lutheran  faith, 
but  espoused  Universalism,  and  was  an  ardent 
Democrat  in  political  contests,  and  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  order.  He  made  many  addresses  in  sup- 
port of  the  war  for  the  Union  through  Kane,  Du- 
Page  and  other  counties,  and  materially  aided  in 
raising  the  Eighth  and  Twelfth  Illinois  Cavalry 
regiments,  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  In- 
fantry. He  went  out  as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-first  Infantry,  which 
served  a  short  time  in  garrison  duty.  He  was  a 
supporter  of  Abraham  Lincoln  in  his  second  can- 
didacy for  President. 

At  Buffalo,  in  June,  1843,  our  subject  married 
Miss  Margaret  Snyder,  a  native  of  Elsass,  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  America  when  seven  years 
old  with  her  parents,  George  and  Anna  Mary 
(Gearhardt)  Snyder.  George  Snyder  was  a  tal- 
ented architect,  but  understanding  no  English, 
he  was  obliged  to  accept  any  employment  that 
offered  when  he  arrived  at  Buffalo.  While  em- 


ployed as  a  hodcarrier  in  the  repair  of  a  church, 
he  noticed  that  the  builders  had  great  difficulty  in 
following  the  plans.  He  essayed  to  explain,  and 
showed  such  interest  and  knowledge  that  an  in- 
terpreter was  obtained,  through  whom  he  so  in- 
telligently directed  the  work  that  he  was  placed 
in  charge,  and  from  that  time  had  no  lack  of  em- 
ployment in  his  profession.  Mrs.  Hageman  was 
born  April  21,  1821,  and  died  November  19, 
1887.  She  was  a  woman  of  much  intelligence 
and  ability,  and  conducted  her  husband's  estate 
with  greater  skill  than  had  marked  his  own  man- 
agement of  it  during  his  life. 

Of  the  six  children  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hageman, 
the  first  died  in  infancy.  Dr.  Frederick  Christian 
Hageman,  of  Chicago,  is  the  second.  Mary 
(Mrs.  Henry  Grote),  George  W.  and  Franklin 
Julius  are  residents  of  Wheaton.  Louis  B.  died 
at  Wheaton  February  8,  1892,  aged  thirty-four 
years. 


BRAMAN  LOVELESS. 


BRAMAN  LOVELESS,  eldest  son  and  third 
child  of  Ariel  C.  Loveless,  is  among  the  suc- 
cessful business  men  of  DuPage  County  and 
Chicago,  and  prominent  in  charitable  and  Chris- 
tian work.  He  was  born  May  27,  1839,  in  Had- 
ley,  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.  He  was  fifteen 
years  old  when  the  family  came  West,  and  re- 
mained on  the  farm  with  his  father  until  Febru- 
ary, 1859,  when  he  started  for  Pike's  Peak,  to 
engage  in  mining,  that  "El  Dorado"  having  just 
been  discovered.  Proceeding  by  rail  to  a  point 
forty  miles  west  of  Dubuque,  Iowa,  then  the 
terminus  of  the  railway,  he  traveled  overland, 
much  of  the  way  on  foot,  to  Omaha,  where  he 
joined  a  wagon  train.  On  reaching  the  moun- 


tains, he  was  stricken  with  mountain  fever,  and 
was  obliged  to  return  home.  He  again  took  up 
farming  with  his  father  until  the  spring  of  1861. 
He  had  just  rented  a  farm  and  prepared  to  en- 
gage in  business  on  his  own  account,  when  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion  broke  out.  Stirred  by  pa- 
triotic impulses,  he  at  once  offered  his  services 
in  defense  of  the  Union,  and  was  enrolled  as  a 
member  of  Company  A,  Thirty-sixth  Illinois  In- 
fantry, on  the  8th  of  August.  Although  a  mem- 
ber of  the  regimental  band,  Mr.  Loveless  carried 
a  musket  through  part  of  his  service,  taking  part 
in  some  fierce  engagements.  The  regiment  was 
stationed  at  first  at  Rolla,  Mo. ,  whence  it  marched 
in  dead  of  winter  to  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  taking 


38c 


BRAMAN  LOVELESS. 


part  in  the  battle  at  that  point  under  Gen.  Sigel. 
On  the  way  to  Pittsburgh  Landing,  it  marched 
six  hundred  miles  to  Cape  Girardeau,  Mo. ,  where 
transportation  was  taken  by  boat.  Arriving  at 
Pittsburgh  Landing,  after  the  famous  battle,  it 
proceeded  southward,  at  one  time  marching  eigh- 
teen miles  in  the  night  to  aid  in  investing  Cor- 
inth, Miss.  From  there  it  proceeded  to  Cincin- 
nati, to  join  Gen.  Lew  Wallace,  but  was  soon 
transferred  to  Louisville,  where  it  became  a  part 
of  the  Second  Division  of  the  Fourth  Army  Corps, 
under  Gen.  Sheridan.  From  this  time  the  regi- 
ment participated  in  many  severe  battles,  among 
which  were  Perryville,  Stone  River,  Peach  Tree 
Creek,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Dallas,  New  Hope 
Church,  Atlanta  and  Jonesboro.  The  history  of 
this  campaign  is  one  of  almost  continual  fighting, 
and  Mr.  Loveless  witnessed  many  scenes  of  cruel 
carnage.  He  was  mustered  out  September  23, 
1864,  having  more  than  served  out  his  three- 
years  term  of  enlistment,  and  without  ever  receiv- 
ing a  reprimand. 

From  1865  to  1872  Mr.  Loveless  followed  farm- 
ing near  Elgin,  in  Kane  County.  In  May,  1872, 
he  went  to  Chicago  and  engaged  for  seven  years 
in  the  grain,  feed  and  coal  trade.  Since  selling 
out  this  business,  he  has  engaged  in  the  hotel  and 
real-estate  business  with  marked  success.  In 
August,  1882,  he  purchased  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land  at  Turner,  and  five  years 
later  added  forty  acres  to  this.  The  entire  tract 
was  platted  as  an  addition  to  the  village  of  Turner 
in  1893,  and  is  known  as  Montview.  Many  lots 
have  already  been  sold,  and  this  investment  is 
among  the  best  made  by  a  man  known  for  fore- 
sight and  shrewdness  in  business.  Like  many 
other  investments  in  the  neighborhood  of  Chi- 
cago, this  has  proven  a  popular  site,  and  is  vindi- 
cating the  sagacity  of  its  projector. 

Mr.  Loveless  experienced  religion  in  January, 
1860,  and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  In  1883  he  began  to  extend  the  revival 
work  which  he  had  been  doing  in  a  quiet  way 
for  many  years,  and  became  a  powerful  and  much- 
sought  aid  in  evangelistic  work.  Until  failing 
strength,  in  1889,  compelled  him  to  resign  this 
work,  he  gave  his  entire  attention  to  it  and  la- 


bored in  many  Western  States,  chiefly  in  Iowa, 
Illinois  and  California.  In  this  he  was  ably  as- 
sisted by  his  wife,  a  lady  of  strong  faith  and 
spirit.  In  reviewing  his  work,  the  Cedar  Rapids 
(Iowa)  Republican  said :  '  'Though  his  address  had 
no  peculiar  charm,  and  his  work  seemed  devoid 
of  the  personal  magnetism  which  characterizes 
the  influence  of  many  public  speakers,  his  earnest- 
ness and  sincerity  carried  great  power. ' '  He  still 
continues,  as  for  many  years  past,  to  do  mission 
work  in  Chicago,  and  is  an  active  temperance 
worker,  both  by  precept  and  example.  In  1888 
he  was  the  Prohibition  candidate  for  Senator  from 
the  Fourteenth  Illinois  District,  and  has  been 
three  years  President  of  the  County  Committee  of 
that  party,  and  four  years  President  of  the  Whea- 
ton  Prohibition  Club.  From  Lincoln  to  Garfield 
he  was  a  Republican,  and  is  ready  to  again  affili- 
ate with  the  Republican  party  when  it  consents 
to  espouse  the  Prohibition  issue. 

October  17,  1860,  Mr.  Loveless  married  Miss 
Mary  Tweddale,  a  native  of  New  York  City,  a 
daughter  of  Garlius  and  Elizabeth  Tweddale,  na- 
tives of  Whithorn,  an  island  in  the  south  of  Scot- 
land. Mrs.  Loveless  was  a  teacher  before  her 
marriage.  She  died  in  1865,  leaving  a  son,  Frank 
Ariel,  now  a  resident  of  Chicago.  On  the  3d  of 
April,  1866,  Mr.  _Loveless  was  again  married,  the 
bride  being  Miss  Huldah  Elizabeth  Holden,  who 
was  born  in  Stockholm,  St.  Lawrence  County, 
N.  Y.  Her  parents,  John  and  Mary  A.  (Clark) 
Holden,  were  natives,  respectively,  of  England 
and  Gilsum,  N.  H.,  the  latter  being  descended 
from  an  old  New  England  family,  dating  from 
the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims.  Three  children  have 
blessed  the  second  union  of  Mr.  Loveless,  namely: 
Braman  H.,  Benjamin  E.  and  Gertrude.  The 
second  died  February  5,  1893,  and  the  first  is 
practicing  law  in  Chicago  and  residing  in  Whea- 
ton.  Mrs.  Loveless  taught  the  first  colored  school 
in  the  North,  at  Elgin,  and  continued  in  the 
work  three  years.  She  is  active  in  temperance 
work,  and  is  an  officer  in  control  of  several  char- 
itable and  philanthropic  undertakings  in  Chicago, 
independent  of  her  husband's  work,  for  the  suc- 
cess of  which  he  gives  her  large  credit. 


W.  A.  SPALDING. 


38 i 


WILLIAM  A.  SPALDING. 


{DQlLLLAM  AUGUSTUS  SPALDING,  who 
\  A I  ^or  forty  Years  lived  a  quiet  and  happy  life 
V  Y  in  Chicago,  deserves  more  than  a  passing 
notice  on  account  of  his  manly,  upright  character 
and  the  appreciation  in  which  he  was  held  by 
those  privileged  to  enjoy  his  acquaintance  and 
friendship.  He  was  born  at  Onondaga  Hill,  four 
miles  from  the  city  of  Syracuse,  New  York, 
August  17,  1815,  and  was  the  eighth  child  in  the 
family  of  Coit  Spalding.  The  latter  was  born 
May  10,  1772,  and  married  Rhoda  Cobb  on  the 
8th  of  May,  1799.  Of  their  family  of  eight  sons 
and  three  daughters,  none  are  now  living.  The 
mother,  died  December  6,  1857,  and  the  father 
May  22,  1859. 

The  town  and  family  of  Spalding  are  known  to 
have  existed  in  the  southern  part  of  Lincolnshire, 
England,  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  about  1632 
Edward  Spalding  left  that  place  and  settled  in 
Braintree,  in  the  new  colony  of  Massachusetts. 
From  the  latter  are  descended  nearly  all  bearing 
the  name  in  the  United  States,  many  of  whom 
have  been  distinguished  as  soldiers,  ecclesiastics, 
jurists,  legislators,  manufacturers  and  business 
men.  They  were  active  in  subduing  the  wilder- 
ness and  in  establishing  the  church,  school  and 
factory  in  New  England.  Many  served  in  King 
Philip's  War,  several  distinguished  themselves  at 
the  heroic  defense  of  Fort  Groton,  Connecticut, 
and  fifty-two  participated  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  nine  of  whom  were  active  in  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  where  one  fell  from  the  back  of  his 
disabled  horse. 


During  the  period  of  Mr.  Spalding's  boyhood, 
Syracuse  was  not  the  commercial  center  it  now  is, 
and  the  community  was  wholly  rural  in  its  char- 
acter. He  enjoyed  the  limited  advantages  of  so- 
ciety and  school  which  the  time  and  region 
afforded  in  early  boyhood,  but  was  thrown  upon 
his  own  resources  while  yet  a  mere  youth.  He 
was  fond  of  outdoor  life,  and  took  employment 
as  a  railroad  man,  running  west  from  Buffalo. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  he  had  become  a 
conductor  on  the  Michigan  Central  Railroad, 
running  between  Detroit  and  Chicago.  His 
promptness,  faithfulness  and  integrity  are  shown 
by  the  fact  that  he  remained  in  that  employ  until 
his  removal  to  Chicago,  in  1852,  to  take  charge 
of  the  union  station,  operated  by  the  Michigan 
Central  and  Illinois  Central  Railways.  This  oc- 
cupation further  illustrated  his  capacity  and  the 
confidence  reposed  in  him  by  the  officers  of  the 
Michigan  Central  Railroad  Company.  Up  to  the 
time  of  his  death  he  filled  this  responsible  posi- 
tion, enjoying  the  respect  of  all  who  were  brought 
in  contact  with  him.  His  home  on  Michigan 
Avenue  was  the  scene  of  quiet  comfort,  and  he 
was  always  a  valued  member  of  a  small  circle  of 
congenial  friends.  He  loved  to  select  his  com- 
panions, was  always  true  in  all  the  relations  of 
life,  and  was  most  appreciated  by  those  who  knew 
him  best.  He  was  loath  to  talk  of  himself,  con- 
sequently it  is  now  difficult  to  learn  much  of  his 
early  life.  That  he  was  somewhat  adventurous 
in  youth  is  indicated  by  his  relation  of  his  expe- 
riences while  on  a  voyage  to  Newfoundland. 


382 


JOSEPH  KIPLEY. 


during  which  the  boat  on  which  he  was  a  passen- 
ger was  violently  tossed  about  by  the  waves  in  a 
storm,  and  he  was  in  imminent  danger  of  losing 
his  life.  He  was  very  fond  of  horses,  and  one  of 
his  first  purchases  after  he  began  to  earn  money, 
was  a  driving  horse.  He  believed  in  extracting 
the  most  that  was  possible  from  life,  and  sought 
to  make  those  around  him  cheerful  and  contented 
in  mind,  as  he  always  was.  He  suffered  from 
gradual  paralysis  during  the  last  five  years  of  his 
life,  without  murmuring,  and  passed  away  at  his 
home,  April  16,  1892,  his  remains  being  depos- 
ited at  Rose  Hill  two  days  later.  It  is  said  that 
he  never  had  an  enemy  in  the  world.  He  was  a 
member  of  Trinity  Protestant  Episcopal  Church ; 
was  a  high  degree  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, a  life-long  Democrat  in  political  affiliations, 
as  was  his  father  before  him.  He  was  named  after 
William  Augustus  Ellis,  who  was  a  nephew  of 


his  father,  and  also  a  prominent  early-day  Demo- 
crat. r 

April  18,  1852,  Mr.  Spalding  married  Miss 
Jane  Ann,  daughter  of  William  Augustus  Ellis 
and  Prudence  Horton,  his  wife.  The  Ellis  fam- 
ily, like  the  Spaldings,  was  early  planted  in  New 
England.  The  parents  of  William  A.  Ellis  were 
Warren  Ellis,  born  February  26,  1766,  and 
Nancy  Spalding,  born  February  2,  1774.  They 
were  married  January  17,  1793,  and  had  five  sons 
and  three  daughters,  William  A.  being  the  eldest 
son  and  second  child,  born  January  17,  1796,  and 
died  July  27,  1832.  He  had  two  sons  and  a 
daughter,  Mrs.  Spalding  being  the  only  survivor 
at  this  time.  Warren  Ellis  died  August  10, 
1813.  The  adopted  daughter  of  William  A.  and 
Jane  A.  Spalding  is  now  the  wife  of  Ferdinand 
W.  Peck,  of  Chicago  (whose  biography  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  work) . 


JOSEPH  KIPLEY. 


(JOSEPH  KIPLEY  is  Assistant  Chief  of  Police 
I  of  Chicago.  He  has  reached  this  responsible 
Q)  and  important  position  through  meritorious 
conduct,  which  has  won  for  him  promotion  from 
rank  to  rank,  until  he  is  now  almost  at  the  head 
of  the  police  department  of  the  second  city  of  the 
Union.  The  record  of  his  life  is  as  follows:  He 
was  born  in  Paterson,  N.  J. ,  in  1848,  and  is  a  son  of 
Charles  and  Catherine  (Waller)  Kipley.  The 
family  is  of  German  origin.  The  parents  of  our 
subject  were  both  born  in  Baden-Baden,  Germany, 
and  there  continued  to  reside  until  1845,  when 
they  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  America,  and  located 
in  New  Jersey.  The  father  is  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  and  has  made  that  pursuit  his  life  work. 
Both  parents  are  still  living  in  Chicago,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven  years. 

No  event  of  special  importance  occurred  during 
the  boyhood  and  youth  of  Joseph  Kipley,  who 


was  reared  in  his  parents'  home,  and  acquired 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
State.  He  thus  obtained  a  good  knowledge  of 
the  English  branches,  and  has  since  been  a  close 
student  of  the  topics  of  the  time  and  of  current 
events.  When  his  school  life  was  ended,  he  came 
westward,  locating  in  Chicago,  and  entered  the 
employ  of  R.  B.  Appleby,  a  picture  dealer  of  this 
city,  with  whom  he  continued  until  he  entered 
upon  the  work  which  led  to  his  present  position. 
It  was  on  the  22d  of  January,  1872,  that  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  police  force,  serving  as  a 
patrolman.  From  that  position  he  has  risen  suc- 
cessively, step  by  step,  to  a  position  of  prominence. 
When  he  joined  the  force  it  consisted  of  only  two 
hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  he  has  made  his  way 
without  any  political  influence. 

In  1872   Mr.    Kipley  was  united   in  marriage 
with  Miss  Winnefred  Wheeler. 


OF  THE 

OF  ILLIK"'  • 


SAMUEL  E.  GROSS. 


S.  E.  GROSS. 


383 


SAMUEL  EBERLY  GROSS. 


j  AMUEL  E.  GROSS  is  one  of  Chicago's  best 
known  business  men,  and  especially  in  real- 
estate  circles  has  he  a  wide  acquaintance. 
He  has  long  been  active  in  promoting  the  growth 
and  advancement  of  the  city,  not  merely  for  his 
own  interest,  but  largely  for  the  benefit  of  the 
community  as  well.  He  was  born  on  the  Old 
Mansion  Farm  in  Dauphin  County,  Pennsylva- 
nia, November  u,  1843.  He  is  descended  from 
Huguenot  ancestry,  and  reliable  information 
shows  that  the  family  lived  in  America  in  1726, 
at  which  time  Joseph  Gross  was  the  owner  of 
property  in  Montgomery  County,  Pennsylvania. 
His  grandson,  who  was  the  great-grandfather  of 
our  subject,  valiantly  aided  the  colonies  in  their 
struggle  for  independence  and  became  a  captain 
in  the  service,  his  commission,  dated  November 
25,  1776,  being  signed  by  John  Hancock,  Gov- 
ernor of  Pennsylvania.  When  the  war  was  over 
he  went  to  Dauphin  County,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  owned  extensive  farm  and  milling  interests. 
His  wife,  who  bore  the  maiden  name  of  Sahler, 
•was  of  Holland  descent  on  the  paternal  side,  and 
of  Huguenot  on  the  maternal,  coming  from  the 
;Du  Bois  family,  which  was  prominent  in  Kings- 
ton, New  York,  as  early  as  1649.  The  mother 
of  Mr.  Gross  was  in  her  maidenhood  Elizabeth 
Eberly.  She  came  of  a  family  of  German  origin, 
whose  representatives  have  been  prominent  in 
various  professional  walks  in  life. 

The  American  people  are  coming  to  recognize 
more  fully  every  day  the  fact  that  good  blood  tells. 
The  most  prominent  characteristics  of  Mr.  Gross 
are  inherited  from  ancestors  who  were  active  in 
war  and  in  the  same  lines  of  business  as  himself. 
His  genealogy  is  traced  as  follows:  Seigneur 
Jean  de  Gros,  Master  of  the  Chamber  of  the 
Count  of  Dijon,  (died  1456),  married  Peronette 
le  Roye;  their  eldest  son,  Jean,  of  Dijon,  Secre- 


tary to  Due  de  Bourgogne,  married  Philiberte  de 
Sourlam;  their  son,  Ferry,  of  Dijon,  in  1521, 
married  Phillipolte  Wielandt;  their  son,  Jean,  of 
Dijon,  (died  1548),  married  Catharine  I<aurym; 
their  son,  Jean,  of  Dijon,  in  1599,  married  Jacque- 
line de  Berneincourt;  their  son,  Jean,  of  Dijon, 
in  1620,  married  Leonore  de  Briard;  their  son, 
Jacob,  married  Marie  Debar,  and  removed  from 
France  at  the  time  of  the  persecution  of  the  Hugue- 
nots to  the  Palatinate,  Germany,  and  later  re- 
moved to  Mannheim  on  the  Rhine.  Their  son, 
Johann,  of  Mannheim,  in  1665,  married  Miss 
Neihart;  their  son,  Johann  Christopher,  of  Mann- 
heim, in  1703,  married  Elizabeth  Metger;  and 
their  son,  Joseph,  in  1719,  accompanied  the  Men- 
nonites  from  the  Palatinate  to  America,  residing 
for  some  time  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  and 
removing  afterward  to  Pennsylvania.  He  mar- 
ried Catherina  ,  owned  property  in 

the  neighborhood  of  the  Trappe,  Montgomery 
County,  Pennsylvania,  previous  to  1726,  and  land 
in  Philadelphia  County  in  1728,  and  died  in  1753; 
their  son,  John,  of  Montgomery  County,  married 

Clara — ,  and  died  in  1788;    their  son, 

John,  born  in  1749,  was  a  Captain  in  the  War  of 
the  Revolution.  In  1778  he  married  Rachel  Sah- 
ler, and  died  in  1823;  their  son,  Christian,  born 
in  1788,  of  Dauphin  County,  Pennsylvania,  mar- 
ried Ann  Custer,  of  Montgomery  County,  and 
died  in  1843;  their  son,  John  C. ,  in  1843,  married 
Elizabeth  Eberly,  of  Cumberland  County,  Penn- 
sylvania; and  their  eldest  son,  Samuel  E.,  is 
the  subject  of  this  biography. 

Through  his  great-grandmother,  Rachel  Sah- 
ler, wife  of  Capt.  John  Gross  of  Revolutionary 
fame,  Samuel  E.  Gross  is  directly  descended  from 
Matthew  Blanshan,  Louis  Dubois  and  Christian 
Deyo,  Huguenots  of  France,  who,  like  Jacob  de 
Gros,  at  the  time  of  the  persecution,  removed  to 


S.  E.  GROSS. 


the  Palatinate  in  Germany,  and  thence  emigrated 
to  America  in  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury. Matthew  Blanshan  and  his  family  were  the 
first  of  the  refugees  to  try  their  fate  in  the  New 
World,  sailing  from  the  Palatinate  April  27,  1660. 
Louis  Dubois  and  Christian  Deyo  soon  followed, 
and  were  two  of  the  twelve  patentees  who,  in 
1677,  obtained  title  to  all  the  lands  in  Eastern 
New  York  State  lying  between  the  Shawangunk 
Mountains  and  the  Hudson  River,  and  were  in- 
strumental in  founding  New  Paltz  and  Kingston 
in  Ulster  County. 

Rachel  Sahler  was  the  daughter  of  Abraham 
Sahler  and  Elizabeth  Dubois.  Her  mother,  Eliza- 
beth Dubois,  was  the  daughter  of  cousins,  Isaac 
Dubois  and  Rachel  Dubois.  Isaac  Dubois,  her 
father,  was  the  son  of  Solomon  Dubois,  and  her 
mother,  Rachel  Dubois,  was  the  daughter  of  Sol- 
omon Dubois'  eldest  brother,  Abraham.  The 
mother  of  Rachel  Dubois  was  Margaret  Deyo, 
daughter  of  Christian  Deyo,  the  patentee.  Abra- 
ham Dubois,  Rachel's  father,  and  Solomon  Du- 
bois, her  husband's  father,  were  both  sons  of 
Louis  Dubois,  the  patentee  and  founder  of  New 
Paltz,  and  his  wife,  Catherine  Blanshan,  daugh- 
ter of  Matthew  Blanshan,  the  first  of  these  Hugue- 
not arrivals. 

In  1846,  Mr.  Gross  came  with  his  parents  to 
Illinois,  and  after  residing  for  a  time  in  Bureau 
County  removed  to  Carroll  County.  His  early  ed- 
ucation was  acquired  in  the  district  schools,  and 
he  afterwards  attended  Mt.  Carroll  Seminary. 
Prompted  by  patriotic  impulses,  he  enlisted  in  his 
country's  service  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  late 
war,  although  only  seventeen  years  of  age.  He 
joined  the  Forty-first  Illinois  Infantry,  and  took 
part  in  the  Missouri  campaign,  but  was  then  mus- 
tered out  by  reason  of  the  strong  objections  made 
by  his  parents  to  his  service,  on  account  of  his 
youth.  He  spent  the  following  year  as  a  student 
in  Whitehall  Academy,  Cumberland  County, 
Pennsylvania,  but  in  June,  1863,  he  again  left 
school,  for  the  Confederates  had  invaded  the  Key- 
stone State  and  he  could  no  longer  remain  quiet- 
ly at  his  books.  On  the  2gth  of  June  he  was  made 
First  Lieutenant  of  Company  D,  Twentieth  Penn- 
sylvania Cavalry,  being  one  of  the  youngest  offi- 


cers of  that  rank  in  the  army.  His  faithful  and 
valiant  service  won  him  promotion  to  the  rank  of 
Captain  of  Company  K,  February  17,  1864.  He 
participated  in  many  of  the  important  battles  of 
the  eastern  campaign,  and  when  the  war  was 
over  was  mustered  out  at  Cloud  Mills,  Virginia, 
July  13,  1865. 

At  this  time  Chicago  was  becoming  a  city  of 
prominence  and  gave  rich  promise  for  a  brilliant 
future.  Attracted  by  its  prospects,  Mr.  Gross 
here  located  in  September,  1865,  and  entered  Un- 
ion Law  College.  The  following  year  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar,  entering  at  once  upon  practice. 
In  the  mean  time,  however,  he  had  invested  a 
small  capital  in  real  estate.  He  built  upon  his 
lots  in  1867,  and  as  his  undertakings  in  this  di- 
rection met  with  success,  he  gave  more  and  more 
attention  to  the  business.  He  was  instrumental 
in  the  establishment  of  the  park  and  boulevard 
system  in  the  winter  of  1869.  When  the  great 
fire  broke  out  in  1871,  and  Mr.  Gross  saw  that  his 
office  would  be  destroyed,  he  hastily  secured  his 
abstracts,  deeds  and  other  valuable  papers,  as 
many  as  he  could  get,  and,  putting  them  in  a  row- 
boat,  carried  them  to  a  tug.  When  the  flames 
had  completed  their  disastrous  work,  he  returned 
to  the  old  site  of  his  office  and  resumed  business. 
A  financial  depression  from  1873  until  1879  fol- 
lowed the  boom,  and  Mr.  Gross  gave  his  time  to 
the  study  of  politics,  science,  and  to  literary 
pursuits. 

On  the  revival  of  trade,  Mr.  Gross  determined 
to  devote  his  entire  time  to  real-estate  interests, 
and  to  the  southwest  of  the  city  founded  several 
suburbs.  In  1882,  to  the  north,  he  began  what 
has  now  become  Gross  Park.  In  1883,  he  began 
the  work  which  has  made  him  a  public  benefac- 
tor, that  of  building  homes  for  people  of  moderate 
means,  and  the  selling  the  same  to  them  on  time. 
Thus  many  a  family  has  secured  a  comfortable 
home,  where  otherwise  their  wages  would  have 
been  expended  in  rent,  and  in  the  end  they  would 
have  had  nothing  to  show  for  it.  Unimproved 
districts  under  his  transforming  hand  became  pop- 
ulated and  flourishing  neighborhoods.  In  1886, 
Mr.  Gross  founded  the  town  of  Brookdale;  platted 
Calumet  Heights  and  Dauphin  Park  the  following 


CALVIN  DE  WOLF. 


385 


year,  and  platted  a  forty-acre  subdivision  on  Ash- 
land Avenue.  A  large  district  near  Humboldt 
Park  was  improved  by  him,  and  some  three  hun- 
dred houses  were  built  near  Archer  Avenue  and 
Thirty-ninth  Street.  The  beautiful  town  of  Gross- 
dale  has  been  one  of  his  most  successful  ventures. 
He  established  the  town  one  mile  west  of  River- 
side, and  beautiful  drives,  lovely  homes,  churches, 
a  theatre  and  fine  walks  make  this  one  of  Chica- 
go's best  suburbs.  He  has  also  recently  founded 
the  beautiful  town  of  Hollywood,  and  during  the 
last  twelve  years  he  has  founded  sixteen  thriving 
suburban  towns  and  cities.  His  fortune  is  esti- 
mated at  $3, 000,000,  or  over,  and  although  his 
reputation  is  that  of  a  multi-millionaire  the  United 
Workingmen's  societies  showed  their  confidence 
in  him  by  nominating  him  to  the  mayoralty  in 
1889,  an  honor  which  from  press  of  private  busi- 
ness he  was  obliged  to  decline. 

Constantly  has  the  business  of  Mr.  Gross  in- 
creased, until  his  dealings  have  reached  the  mill- 
ions. He  buys  property  outright,  and  then  sells 
as  the  purchasers  feel  that  they  can  pay.  It  is 
said  that  he  has  never  foreclosed  a  mortgage,  and 
his  kindliness,  forbearance  and  generosity  have 
won  for  him  the  love  and  confidence  of  the  poorer 
people  and  the  high  regard  of  all. 

Mr.  Gross  was  married  in  January,   1874,  to 


Miss  Emily  Brown,  a  lady  of  English  descent. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Club,  the  Union 
Club,  the  Washington  Park,  the  Athletic,  Mar- 
quette  and  Iroquois  Clubs.  He  is  a  patron  of  the 
Art  Institute  and  the  Humane  Society,  and  his 
support  is  given  to  other  benevolent  organizations. 
He  holds  membership  with  the  Chicago  Union 
Veteran  Club;  U.  S.  Grant  Post  No.  28,  G.  A. 
R.;  the  Western  Society  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
and  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolution. 

In  1886,  Mr.  Gross  made  a  trip  to  Europe, 
spending  four  months  in  visiting  the  leading  cit- 
ies and  points  of  interest  in  that  continent.  He 
also  made  investigations  concerning  city  develop- 
ment. In  1889,  he  traveled  through  Mexico  and 
the  cities  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  later  in  the 
year  attended  the  Paris  Exposition.  In  1892,  he 
went  to  Europe  once  more,  and  also  visited  the 
Orient.  In  manner,  Mr.  Gross  is  genial,  pleas- 
ant and  entertaining,  and  the  kindliness  of  his  face 
at  once  wins  him  friends.  Although  he  would 
not  be  called  a  professing  philanthropist,  his  life 
has  certainly  been  characterized  by  a  practical 
charity,  which  has  probably  proven  of  more  bene- 
fit than  the  acknowledged  philanthropic  work  of 
some  others.  His  success  in  business  seems  mar- 
velous, yet  it  is  but  the  result  of  industry,  enter- 
prise, and  careful  and  well-directed  management. 


CALVIN  DE  WOLF. 


EALVIN  DE  WOLF,  now  one  of  the  foremost 
citizens  of  Chicago,  is  an  example  of  the 
manner  in  which  men  rise  to  stations  of 
wealth  and  honor  through  sturdy  moral  integrity 
and  unceasing,  ambitious  toil.     His  story  is  that  of 
a  young  man  who  came  to  Chicago  with  nothing 
in  the  days  of  the  city's  infancy,  and  by  a  sustained 
effort  has  grown  with  the  city's  growth,  until  he 
is  numbered  among  the  representative  men  of  the 
'  'great  city  by  the  inland  sea. ' ' 


Calvin  De  Wolf  was  born  in  Braintrim,  Luzerne 
County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  i8th  of  February. 
1815,  and  was  one  of  the  family  of  fifteen  children 
of  Giles  M.  De  Wolf,  a  well-to-do  fanner.  His 
father  and  grandfather  were  born  in  Pomfret,  Con- 
necticut, and  his  more  remote  ancestors  were 
among  the  early  settlers  in  Lyme,  Connecticut, 
being  colonists  who  came  over  from  Holland,  to 
which  country  they  had  probably  been  driven  from 
France  (where  the  family  originated)  by  religious 


386 


CALVIN  DE  WOLF. 


persecution.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Anna  Spaulding,  was  born  in  Cavendish,  Ver- 
mont, and  was  a  descendant  of  Edward  Spaulding, 
who  settled  in  Chelmsford,  Massachusetts,  in 

1633- 

Soon  after  the  birth  of  Calvin  De  Wolf,  his  par- 
ents removed  to  his  mother's  native  place  and  re- 
mained there  until  he  was  five  years  of  age,  and 
then  returned  to  Braintrim,  Pennsylvania,  from 
whence,  four  years  later,  they  removed  to  the  ad- 
joining county  of  Bradford,  where  his  father  pur- 
chased a  farm  in  the  beech  woods  of  that  county. 
This  farm  was  covered  with  heavy  timber,  the 
clearing  of  which  was  a  task  of  a  different  kind 
and  of  much  greater  magnitude  than  falls  to  the 
lot  of  most  farmers  of  the  present  day.  Putting 
this  land  into  condition  to  be  sufficiently  produc- 
tive to  support  the  large  family  of  its  owner  fur- 
nished work  for  every  hand  for  years. 

Calvin  De  Wolf  was  the  eldest  of  his  father's 
sons  who  lived  beyond  the  infantile  period,  and 
converting  the  beech  forest  into  tillable  land  was 
a  task  in  which  he  was  required  to  practice,  and 
which,  with  the  tilling  of  the  soil,  required  all  his 
time  except  the  three  winter  months,  when  he  at- 
tended school  until  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  After  attaining  his  majority  he  made  up  his 
mind  to  obtain  an  education,  and,  under  the  in- 
struction of  his  father,  who  was  a  man  of  more 
than  ordinary  ability,  had  a  good  common-school 
education  and  was  well  versed  in  mathematics,  he 
obtained  a  good  knowledge  of  arithmetic,  algebra 
and  surveying.  He  was  also  assisted  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  elements  of  Latin  by  a  gentleman  of 
liberal  education  who  lived  in  the  neighborhood. 
When  he  had  progressed  to  this  point  in  educa- 
tion, he  left  home  and  entered  Grand  River  In- 
stitute, in  Ash  tabula  County,  Ohio,  in  1836.  That 
institution,  then  famous  throughout  eastern  Ohio 
and  western  Pennsylvania,  was  conducted  some- 
what on  the  plan  of  agricultural  colleges  of  the 
present  day,  in  that  students  who  desired  to  do  so 
could  partially  support  themselves  by  manual  la- 
bor and  pursue  a  course  of  study  at  the  same  time. 
For  a  year  and  a  half  young  De  Wolf  maintained 
himself  at  this  school  and  fitted  himself  for  teach- 
ing; he  also  presided  for  a  term  or  two  at  the  peda- 


gogue's desk.  At  all  times,  however,  when  op- 
portunity offered,  he  was  intent  on  study  and  made 
the  most  of  his  educational  opportunities. 

Then,  as  now,  the  West  was  looked  to  as  the 
land  of  opportunities  and  the  goal  of  the  ambition 
of  every  aspiring  young  man.  Calvin  De  Wolf, 
with  his  industrious  habits  and  ambitious  desires, 
was  not  content  to  spend  his  days  in  the  East,  but 
looked  westward  with  longing  eyes,  and  in  those 
days  the  West  was  not  so  far  away  as  now  and 
Chicago  was  included  in  the  term.  In  the  fall  of 
1837,  young  De  Wolf  arranged  with  a  trader  who 
was  making  a  shipment  of  fruit  by  boat  from  Ash- 
tabula  to  Chicago  to  pay  his  passage  between  the 
cities  by  assisting  to  load  and  unload  the  fruit  and 
take  charge  of  it  in  transit,  which  agreement  he 
faithfully  carried  out  and,  in  due  time,  found  him- 
self in  this  city,  then  covering  a  small  area  of  ter- 
ritory at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River  and  hav- 
ing but  one  four-story  brick  building — the  old 
Lake  House,  then  the  pride  of  the  West.  The 
first  thing  the  young  man  had  to  do  was  to  look 
for  employment,  for  he  had  come  West  with  very 
little  money.  He  hoped  to  obtain  a  situation  as 
teacher  in  the  city  schools,  and  passed  the  required 
examination  for  license  to  teach,  but  his  hopes 
were  disappointed  and  he  had  to  seek  elsewhere, 
as  there  were  others  whose  claims  had  to  be  first 
considered.  Disappointed  but  not  cast  down,  he 
set  out  on  foot  across  the  prairie  to  seek  like  em- 
ployment in  some  other  locality.  After  traveling 
thirty-five  or  forty  miles,  he  at  last  arrived  at 
Hadley,  Will  County,  Illinois,  with  only  a  York 
shilling  in  his  pocket.  He  was  more  fortunate  in 
his  quest  there,  and  obtained  the  position  of  vil- 
lage schoolmaster,  teaching  during  the  winter  of 
1837-38,  and  returning  the  following  spring  to 
Chicago.  Here  he  again  made  application  for  em- 
ployment as  teacher,  and  was  successful.  While 
teaching  school  he  also  engaged  in  various  other 
occupations  which  were  calculated  to  improve  his 
financial  condition. 

In  1838,  Mr.  De  Wolf  began  the  study  of  law 
in  the  office  of  Spring  &  Goodrich,  a  firm  com- 
posed of  Giles  Spring,  afterward  Judge  of  the  Su- 
perior Court  of  Chicago,  and  Grant  Goodrich,  for 
many  years  one  of  the  prominent  lawyers  of  the 


CALVIN  DE  WOLF. 


387 


city.  In  1843,  he  was  examined  and  admitted  to 
the  Bar  by  Judge  Richard  M.  Young,  and  The- 
ophilus  W.  Smith,  then  sitting  on  the  Supreme 
Bench,  and  immediately  after  began  practice  in 
this  city,  which  then  had  a  Bar  consisting  of  about 
thirty  lawyers,  a  large  number  of  whom  became 
prominent  as  jurists  in  later  years.  Up  to  1854, 
Mr.  De  Wolf  was  engaged  in  the  active  practice 
of  law.  He  was  then  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace, 
an  office  which  at  that  time  and  place  was  a  highly 
important  and  responsible  one,  as  the  city  was  de- 
veloping rapidly  and  the  amount  of  business  in- 
cident to  its  growth  gave  rise  to  a  great  deal  of 
friction,  which  had  to  be  adjusted  in  the  tribunal  of 
law.  Mr.  De  Wolf  held  this  office  six  successive 
terms,  four  by  popular  election  and  two  by  ap- 
pointment. The  whole  period  covered  was  more 
than  twenty-five  years,  and  more  than  ninety 
thousand  cases  were  disposed  of  by  him,  a  far 
greater  number  than  any  other  judicial  officer  in 
this  State  had  ever  decided.  Preliminary  exam- 
inations in  many  important  cases  which  afterward 
became  celebrated  in  the  higher  courts  were  heard 
in  the  earlier  years  of  his  magistracy  by  Judge 
De  Wolf,  as  he  was  then  known  to  the  profession 
and  the  public. 

Judge  De  Wolf  had  been  taught  from  childhood 
to  hate  slavery,  and  as  early  as  1839  became  Sec- 
retary of  an  anti-slavery  society,  of  which  Rev. 
Flavel  Bascom,  a  Presbyterian  minister,  was  the 
first  President,  and  Judge  Manierre,  Treasurer, 
and  of  which  many  of  the  prominent  business  and 
professional  men  of  the  city  were  earnest  and  ac- 
tive members.  In  1842,  the  Illinois  State  Anti- 
Slavery  Society  held  a  meeting  in  Chicago,  at 
which  an  organization  was  effected  to  raise  funds 
for  establishing  an  anti-slavery  newspaper  in  Chi- 
cago. Henry  L-  Fulton,  Charles  V.  Dyer,  Shu- 
bal  D.  Childs  and  Calvin  De  Wolf  were  appointed 
a  committee  to  collect  funds  and  set  the  enterprise 
on  foot,  Mr.  De  Wolf  being  made  Treasurer  of  the 
committee.  As  a  result  of  their  efforts,  the  West- 
ern Citizen  came  into  existence,  with  Z.  Eastman 
as  editor  and  publisher,  and  for  several  years  it 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  Abolition 
newspapers  in  the  country.  It  was  in  1858,  that 
Mr.  De  Wolf,  in  connection  with  other  Abolition- 


ists of  Chicago,  brought  down  upon  himself  the 
wrath  of  a  disappointed  slave-hunter  and  his  sym- 
pathizers, who  sought  to  inflict  upon  him  condign 
punishment  for  facilitating  the  escape  of  a  liberty- 
seeking  black  woman. 

Stephen  F.  Nuckolls  was  a  southern  man  who 
had  carried  his  slaves  with  him  into  Nebraska. 
One  of  these  slaves,  a  young  negro  woman,  Eliza, 
made  her  escape,  and  by  some  means  or  other 
found  her  way  to  Chicago,  to  which  place  she  was 
followed  by  her  master,  Nuckolls,  who  came  near 
effecting  her  capture.  His  scheme  was  frustrated 
by  the  parties  who  appeared  before  Judge  De 
Wolf,  charging  him  with  riotous  conduct.  Under 
the  warrant  issued  from  the  magistrate's  court, 
the  slave-owner  was  arrested  and  locked  up  for 
a  few  hours,  and  in  the  mean  time  the  colored  wo- 
man made  her  escape  from  the  city.  Nuckolls 
carried  the  matter  to  the  United  States  Courts,  and 
succeeded  in  having  the  magistrate,  Mr.  De  Wolf, 
George  Anderson,  A.  D.  Hayward  and  C.  L. 
Jenks  indicted  for  "aiding  a  negro  slave  called 
Eliza  to  escape  from  her  master,"  she  having 
been  '  'held  as  a  slave  in  Nebraska  and  escaped  to 
Illinois. ' '  This  involved  the  constitutional  ques- 
tions as  to  whether  or  not  slaves  could  be  held 
in  free  territory.  The  defendants  held  that  the 
negro  woman  was  not  lawfully  held  as  a  slave  in 
Nebraska,  and  moved  to  quash  the  indictment  on 
that  ground.  This  motion  was  never  passed  upon 
by  the  court,  but,  in  1861,  the  case  was  dismissed 
by  advice  of  the  Hon.  E.  C.  Lamed,  United  States 
District  Attorney. 

It  is  almost  superfluous  to  state  that  a  man  hold- 
ing the  radical  views  of  Calvin  De  Wolf  became 
identified  at  the  outset  of  its  existence  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  that  he  still  remains  in 
the  ranks  of  the  same  organization.  But  he  has 
never  been  an  active  politician.  He  served  two 
terms  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  ol 
Chicago,  and  from  1856  to  1858  served  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Committee  on  Revision  and  Publication 
ofOrdinances,where  he  rendered  important  service 
to  the  city  in  codifying  and  putting  the  ordinances 
in  form  to  be  easily  referred  to,  to  be  generally  un- 
derstood and  easily  and  systematically  enforced. 
He  retired  from  the  position  of  Magistrate  in  1879, 


C.  M.  FITCH. 


and  is  not  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  but 
devotes  his  time  mainly  to  the  management  of  his 
financial  affairs. 

Mr.  De  Wolf  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  is  now  one  of  the  Elders  of  the  Sixth 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago,  in  which  he  is 
an  influential  member,  and  in  the  work  of  which  he 
bears  a  prominent  part.  "Do  right"  is  a  motto 
which  he  has  made  the  rule  of  his  life.  In  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  public  official  he  was 


conscientious  and  upright;  as  a  law}rer,  watchful 
over  his  client's  interests  and  honorable  in  his 
dealings  with  both  court  and  client;  in  his  general 
business  dealings  he  has  been  a  man  of  his  word, 
upright  and  honest.  His  residence  in  Chicago 
from  pioneer  times  has  caused  him  to  be  well 
known,  and  he  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  land- 
marks of  a  generation  of  sagacious  business  men 
now  rapidly  passing  away. 


DR.  CALVIN  M.  FITCH. 


0R.  CALVIN  MAY  FITCH,  one  of  the  oldest 
physicians  now  in  active  practice  in  this  city, 
graduated  at  the  medical  department  of  the 
university  of  New  York  in  1852,  and  subse- 
quently studied  in  Europe.  He  came  to  Chicago 
in  1855,  and  is  therefore  in  the  fortieth  year  of 
his  practice  in  this  city.  Doctor  Fitch  was  born 
January  3,  1829,  in  Sheldon,  Franklin  County, 
Vermont.  His  grandfather,  Dr.  Chauncey  Fitch, 
married  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Sheldon,  for 
whom  the  town  of  Sheldon  was  named,  and  prac- 
ticed there  until  his  death.  Colonel  Sheldon  com- 
manded the  Connecticut  Cavalry  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  and  the  family  have  several  letters 
of  Washington's  still  in  their  possession.  Doctor 
Fitch's  father,  Rev.  John  Ashley  Fitch,  an  Epis- 
copal clergyman,  married  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Cal- 
vin May,  who  for  nearly  fifty  years  practiced 
medicine  in  St.  Armand,  Canada,  just  across  the 
Vermont  line.  Doctor  May  graduated  from  Yale 
about  the  close  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  he 
and  Dr.  Chauncey  Fitch  were  the  pioneer  physi- 
cians in  that  section,  and  although  eighteen  miles 
apart,  frequently  met  in  consultation. 

Doctor  Fitch  is  of  old  New  England  stock,  the 
sixth  in  descent  from  Rev.  James  Fitch,  who  came 
to  this  county  from  Booking,  England,  in  1638. 
Maj.  James  Fitch,  son  of  Rev.  James  Fitch,  served 


in  King  Philip's  War.  He  was  active  in  promot- 
ing the  founding  of  Yale  College,  donating  to  the 
college  in  October,  1731,  six  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  acres  of  land  in  the  town  of  Killingsly,  and 
all  the  glass  and  nails  which  should  be  necessary 
to  build  the  college  edifice.  Rev.  Ebenezer  Fitch, 
a  grandson  of  this  Maj.  James  Fitch,  and  brother 
of  Dr.  Chauncey  Fitch,  was  a  tutor  in  Yale  for 
several  years  prior  to  1791,  when  he  resigned  from 
Yale  to  take  charge  of  the  Academy  at  Williams- 
town,  Massachusetts,  and  when  that  academy  was 
chartered  as  a  college  (Williams  College)  in  1793, 
Mr.  Fitch  was  elected  its  first  President,  which 
position  he  held  for  twenty-two  years. 

In  1860  Doctor  Fitch  married  Susan  Ransom, 
daughter  of  Daniel  Ransom,  originally  from 
Woodstock,  Vermont,  and  for  many  years  in 
business  in  this  city.  In  1871  Mr.  Ransom  re- 
moved to  L,ongmont,  Colorado,  where  he  recently 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one.  Doctor  Fitch  has 
one  son,  Dr.  Walter  May  Fitch,  a  graduate  of 
Rush  Medical  College,  who  is  associated  with  his 
father  in  practice. 

Doctor  Fitch  is  or  has  been  a  member«of  several 
medical  societies,  the  Chicago  Medical,  the  South 
Avenue,  the  State  Medical  and  American  Medical 
Associations,  but  has  never  been  connected  with 
any  medical  school,  although  a  professorship  has 


CHARLES  HUNTINGTON. 


389 


been  twice  offered  him.  He  has  always  enjoyed 
the  study  of  languages,  and  speaks  several  fluently, 
and  it  is  partly  in  consequence  of  this  fact  that  no 
small  percentage  of  his  large  practice  is  among 


our  foreign-born  citizens.  A  practice  of  this  char- 
acter involves  much  hard  work,  but  carries  with  it 
the  chance  to  do  much  good. 


CHARLES  HUNTINGTON. 


C\  HARLES  HUNTINGTON,  a  veteran  of  the 
l(  railroad  service  in  Chicago  and  the  oldest 
V_J  general  baggage  agent,  in  point  of  service, 
in  the  United  States,  was  born  in  Hartford,  Con- 
necticut, May  29,  1824.  He  is  a  son  of  Christo- 
pher and  Mary  (Webb)  Huntington.  The  Hunt- 
ington  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Connecticut. 
All  persons  of  that  name  in  America  are  supposed 
to  be  descendants  of  Christopher  Huntington  and 
his  brothers,  who  came  from  England  in  the  early 
days  of  the  Connecticut  colony.  They  sprang 
from  an  ancient  English  family,  and  the  name  is 
supposed  to  have  originated  as  a  military  title. 
Their  posterity  is  numerous,  and  includes  many 
noted  American  citizens.  The  name  of  Christo- 
pher Huntington  was  perpetuated  through  seven 
successive  generations,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  being  the  last.  His  father,  Christo- 
pher Huntington,  was  a  physician  who  practiced 
in  Connecticut.  The  father  of  Charles  Hunting- 
ton  was  a  wholesale  manufacturer  of  shoes,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  Governor's  Foot  Guards,  a 
regiment  of  Connecticut  militia.  He  died  in  1832, 
at  the  premature  age  of  thirty-five  years. 

Mrs.  Mary  Huntington  was  a  daughter  of  Ab- 
ner  Webb,  a  Revolutionary  soldier,  who  also  rep- 
resented one  of  the  early  Connecticut  families. 
She  survived  her  husband  but  one  year,  dying  in 
1833,  and  leaving  three  orphaned  sons.  Charles 
is  the  eldest.  Henry  is  now  a  prominent  citizen 
of  Burnham,  Michigan,  and  George  died  in  1850, 
of  yellow  fever,  at  Mobile,  Alabama. 

Soon  after  his  father's  death,  on  the  3d  of  July, 
1832,  Charles  Huntington  left  his  boyhood  home 
and  took  passage  by  stage  to  Albany,  en  route  to 
the  home  of  an  uncle  at  Penn  Yan.  His  young 


heart  was  sorely  tried  by  this  separation  from 
natal  ties,  but  the  celebration  of  the  Nation's 
birthday  at  Albany  the  next  morning  after  his  ar- 
rival there  distracted  his  attention  from  his  child- 
ish sorrow  and  so  cheered  the  way  that  his  further 
stage  journey  to  Schenectady  was  made  in  com- 
parative comfort.  Here  he  took  passage  on  the 
Erie  Canal  as  far  as  Geneva,  whence  the  journey 
was  completed  by  stage.  At  Penn  Yan,  he  found 
a  comfortable  home  with  his  uncle,  Elisha  H. 
Huntington,  who  afterwards  became  a  banker  in 
Chicago. 

Charles  received  about  two  years'  schooling  in 
all,  spending  most  of  his  boyhood  in  working  at 
odd  jobs.  Being  a  robust  youth,  he  was  adapted 
to  many  useful  employments,  and  among  other 
things,  assisted  in  building  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Penn  Yan,  for  which  his  uncle  had  the 
contract,  handling  all  the  material  for  that  struc- 
ture. At  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  was  entrusted 
by  his  uncle  with  an  important  mission  to  Phila- 
delphia, where  he  was  sent  to  purchase  an  outfit 
for  bottling  mineral  waters,  and  subsequently  took 
charge  of  a  drug  store  at  Rochester,  owned  by 
Elisha  Huntington.  At  one  time,  he  was  em- 
ployed as  conductor  of  a  construction  train  on  the 
Canandaigua  &  Elmira  Railroad. 

At  an  early  age,  he  went  to  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  to  take  charge  of  the  machine  depart- 
ment of  the  Panama  Railroad,  at  Aspinwall.  He 
was  one  of  the  very  few  non-residents  who  escaped 
the  Chagres  fever,  and  at  the  end  of  his  one  year's 
engagement,  he  resigned  and  returned  to  New 
York.  Thence,  in  March,  1854,  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  soon  after  accepted  a  position  as  en- 
gineer on  the  Great  Western  Railroad — now  a 


390 


CHARLES  HUNTINGTON. 


part  of  the  Wabash  system — his  headquarters  be- 
ing at  Springfield,  Illinois.  On  the  loth  day  of 
January,  1855,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  with  which  he  has 
been  since  continuously  engaged.  He  was  pro- 
moted from  engineer  to  freight  conductor,  and 
soon  afterward  became  a  passenger  conductor. 
In  1858,  he  was  made  general  baggage  agent  with 
office  on  the  site  of  the  present  Chicago  Union 
Passenger  Station.  His  appointment  was  made 
by  a  receiver,  in  whose  hands  the  affairs  of  the 
company  were  then  placed,  and  as  the  duties  of 
the  office  were  comparatively  light,  he  continued 
to  run  a  passenger  train  between  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis  until  1865,  employing  only  one  assistant  in 
his  office  at  Chicago.  These  statements  show  a 
vast  difference  between  the  passenger  traffic  of 
those  days  and  the  present.  When  he  first  en- 
tered the  service  of  this  road,  the  eastern  terminus 
was  at  Joliet,  whence  all  freight  for  Chicago  was 
transferred  to  the  canal,  the  passenger  trains 
reaching  this  city  by  way  of  the  Chicago  &  Rock 
Island  tracks.  The  southern  terminus  was  at 
Alton,  where  all  passengers  and  freight  for  St. 
Louis  were  transferred  to  Mississippi  steamboats. 

In  1857,  Mr.'  Huntington  took  a  prominent 
part  in  a  strike  on  the  part  of  employees  of  this 
line,  which  suspended  all  business  thereon  for 
eighteen  days.  This  strike  was  caused  by  arrear- 
age of  salaries,  ranging  from  three  to  eighteen 
months.  Mr.  Huntington  was  a  member  of  a 
committee  which  settled  the  matter  with  ex-Gov. 
Joel  A.  Matteson,  who  was  lessee  of  the  road,  the 
trouble  being  compromised  by  payment  of  part  of 
the  arrearages  at  once  and  the  promise  of  double 
payments  each  month  until  all  were  paid  up  in 
full. 

The  scarcity  of  currency  at  that  time  is  illus- 
trated by  the  fact  that  the  conductor  rarely  col- 
lected sufficient  cash  on  a  trip  to  pay  the  board 
bills  of  his  crew  for  the  same  time.  The  rude 
appliances  and  equipments  of  railroads  in  those 
days  made  railroad  operation  a  very  difficult  mat- 
ter. Many  cars  were  without  sufficient  brakes, 
and  a  "down  grade"  had  terrors  for  the  men  on  a 
heavy  train .  It  was  often  necessary  to  set  out  cars 
with  defective  brakes  or,  as  was  not  infrequent, 


with  no  brake  at  all,  to  avoid  disaster.  On  one 
occasion,  while  approaching  Alton  on  a  steep 
down  grade,  Conductor  Huntington  was  horrified 
by  the  discovery  that  there  was  not  a  working 
brake  on  the  train.  The  labors  of  the  reversed 
engine,  however,  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
Alton  station  agent,  who  ran  out  and  so  placed 
the  switches  that  they  passed  the  station  without 
doing  any  damage  and  were  able  to  bring  the 
train  to  a  stop  after  running  a  mile  beyond  their 
destination. 

In  his  domestic  affairs,  Mr.  Huntington  has 
been  sorely  afflicted.  In  July,  1845,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Amelia,  daughter  of  Harvey  Tomlin- 
son,  of  Geneva,  New  York.  In  1856,  he  was 
called  upon  to  mourn  her  death.  Of  their  three 
children,  but  one  survives — Mary  Isabella,  who  is 
now  the  wife  of  Edward  L.  Higgins,  ex-Adjutant 
of  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Higgins  have  four  chil- 
dren, and  reside  at  Springfield,  Illinois.  Mr. 
Huntington's  two  sons,  Edwin  and  William,  died 
in  childhood,  of  scarlet  fever.  He  was  again  mar- 
ried, in  1866,  to  Mary  Goodrich,  of  Chicago,  whose 
death  occurred  on  the  i6th  of  April,  1890,  at  the 
age  of  sixty  years.  The  death  of  his  sons  and  of 
his  first  wife  occurred  during  his  absence  from 
home,  and  was  more  trying  on  this  account. 

Mr.  Huntington  has  been  for  many  years  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  being  connected  with 
Bloomington  Lodge.  He  is  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  Conductors'  Mutual  Aid  Association, 
which  he  helped  to  organize  in  1874.  In  early 
life,  he  was  a  Whig,  and  supported  the  candidacy 
of  William  H.  Harrison  in  1840,  though  not  old 
enough  to  vote  at  that  time.  Since  1860  he  has 
been  a  Republican.  Before  leaving  New  York, 
he  served  as  Deputy  Sheriff  of  Yates  County,  and 
the  State  still  owes  him  for  a  tedious  trip  which 
he  made  in  securing  a  requisition  from  the  gov- 
ernor of  New  Yoik  and  serving  the  same  on  the 
governor  of  Pennsylvania,  in  securing  and  bring- 
ing to  justice  a  notorious  thief.  While  a  boy, 
he  visited  Baltimore  and  witnessed  the  operation 
of  the  first  telegraph  line  in  the  world,  which 
had  just  been  completed.  He  is  now  the  oldest 
employee  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  in 
point  of  service. 


OF  THE 
I  ".VESSITY  OF  ILL'.' 


e?   t.^/L,    tjsL&?Zj; 


C.  M.  HENDERSON. 


CHARLES  M.  HENDERSON. 


EHARLES  MATHER  HENDERSON,  a  rep- 
resentative business  man  and  exemplary  citi- 
zen of  Chicago,  a  scion  of  the  old  Puritan 
stock,  was  born  in  New  Hartford,  Litchfield 
County,  Connecticut,  and  is  a  son  of  James  F. 
Henderson  and  Sabrina  (Marsh)  Henderson,  both 
natives  of  the  '  'Land  of  Steady  Habits. ' '  His 
paternal  grandmother,  in  maidenhood,  bore  the 
name  of  Mather,  being  a  lineal  descendant  of  Cot- 
ton Mather,  the  noted  Puritan  divine  and  author, 
of  Massachusetts  colony.  His  maternal  grand- 
father, Roswell  Marsh,  was  a  Revolutionary  sol- 
dier and  witnessed  the  execution  of  the  unfortu- 
nate Major  Andre. 

The  first  fifteen  years  of  C.  M.  Henderson's 
life  were  passed  in  the  usual  manner  of  urban 
New  England  boys  of  that  period,  during  which 
time  he  was  a  pupil  in  the  district  school  of  his 
native  village.  After  attending  the  Baptist  School 
at  Suffield  one  year,  he  went  out,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years,  to  teach  a  district  school,  in  which 
undertaking  he  acquitted  himself  with  credit,  re- 
turning at  the  end  of  one  term  to  his  studies  at 
Suffield,  where  he  continued  another  year.  His 
tastes  and  ambition  pointed  to  a  commercial  career, 
and  when,  in  1853,  an  uncle  in  Chicago  offered 
him  a  position  in  the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe 
house  of  C.  N.  Henderson  &  Co.,  he  promptly 
accepted.  He  was  then  eighteen  years  of  age, 
and  was  installed  as  general  clerk  and  salesman. 
Applying  himself  diligently  in  both  store  and  of- 
fice, wherever  his  services  were  most  needed,  he 
rapidly  acquired  a  general  knowledge  of  the  busi- 
ness, and  shortly  became  very  useful  to  his  em- 
ployers. So  rapid  was  his  advancement  that  in 
less  than  four  years  after  entering  the  establish- 
ment he  became  a  partner  in  it,  in  which  connec- 
tion he  continued  until  the  death  of  his  uncle  in 
1859. 


Mr.  Henderson  immediately  organized  a  new 
firm,  under  the  name  of  C.  M.  Henderson  &  Co., 
his  partner  being  Mr.  Elisha  Wadsworth,  for- 
merly the  head  of  the  great  dry  goods  house  of 
Wadsworth,  Farwell  &  Co.  Mr.  Wadsworth  was 
virtually  a  silent  partner,  as  the  entire  manage- 
ment of  the  business  was  left  to  Mr.  Henderson, 
who  carried  it  on  so  successfully  that,  at  the  end 
of  two  or  three  years,  he  was  enabled  to  purchase 
the  interest  of  his  partner.  He  now  associated 
with  himself  his  brother,  Wilbur  S.  Henderson, 
who  had  been  several  years  in  his  employ  as  clerk, 
and  also  gave  an  interest  to  his  bookkeeper,  Ed- 
mund Burke,  who  sold  his  share  to  Mr.  Hender- 
son some  years  later. 

The  firm  continued  to  do  a  jobbing  business 
until  1865,  when  a  small  factory  was  established 
for  the  production  of  the  heavy  goods  demanded 
by  the  western  trade.  This  was  the  nucleus  of 
what  has  become  one  of  the  largest  establishments 
of  its  kind  in  the  United  States.  The  original 
factory  is  still  in  operation,  surrounded  by  im- 
mense modern  buildings,  equipped  with  all  that 
genius  has  supplied  for  the  saving  of  labor  and  the 
improvement  of  the  quality  of  finished  products. 
In  1880  a  building  was  constructed,  devoted  to  the 
production  of  ladies'  fine  wear,  and  recently  an- 
other immense  structure  has  risen,  whose  mission 
is  the  construction  of  gentlemen's  fine  shoes. 
These  factories  are  located  at  Dixon,  Illinois,  and 
the  offices  and  shops  employ  over  one  thousand 
people  daily.  In  1888  the  firm  was  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  Illinois,  the  name  remaining 
unchanged,  and  several  of  the  old  and  faithful 
employes  became  stockholders. 

The  business  has  occupied  many  locations  in 
the  city,  the  first  being  on  South  Water  Street. 
Subsequently  three  different  stores  on  Lake  Street 
were  used  in  succession,  and  in  1868  the  building 


392 


ALEXANDER  BEAUBIEN. 


and  stock  at  the  corner  of  that  thoroughfare  and 
Michigan  Avenue  were  swept  away  by  fire.  The 
great  fire  of  1871  found  the  business  located  at 
Nos.  58  and  60  Wabash  Avenue,  and  in  common 
with  thousands  of  others  it  was  annihilated.  No 
time  was  wasted  in  repining,  and  inside  of  three 
weeks  after  this  disaster  business  was  resumed  in 
a  one-story  board  shanty  on  Michigan  Avenue. 
In  four  months  after  the  loss,  the  firm  was  estab- 
lished in  a  new  brick  building  on  Wabash  Avenue, 
the  plastering  being  completed  after  its  occupancy. 
In  the  fall  of  1872,  another  removal  was  made,  to 
the  corner  of  Madison  and  Franklin  Streets,  and 
five  years  later  it  was  moved  to  the  corner  of 
Monroe  Street,  one  block  south,  where  it  con- 
tinued until  the  firm  was  able  to  occupy  its  own 
fine  building.  This  is  located  at  the  northeast 
corner  of  Adams  and  Market  Streets,  and  was 
built  in  1884.  It  covers  a  ground  space  170x120 
feet,  is  six  stories  high,  and  is  devoted  exclusively 
to  the  purposes  of  an  office  and  distributing  depot. 
The  development  of  this  immense  and  successful 
business  is  the  result  of  Mr.  Henderson's  execu- 
tive ability,  industry  and  well-known  integrity. 
As  a  business  man,  he  commands  high  standing 
among  Chicago's  enterprising  and  superlatively 
aggressive  business  circles,  while  he  enjoys  the 
respect  and  friendship  of  a  wide  acquaintance  as 
a  man  and  gentleman. 

Mr.  Henderson  is  somewhat  socially  inclined, 
and  holds  membership  in  several  clubs,  among 
which  are  the  Union  League,  Chicago,  Calumet 
and  Commercial.  Of  strong  religious  nature,  he 
early  adopted  the  Christian  religion  as  his  rule  of 


practice,  and  has  been  a  communicant  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Chicago  since  1868.  He 
has  been  active  and  useful  in  church  and  mission 
work,  was  two  years  President  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  and  for  ten  years, 
until  failing  health  compelled  him  to  resign  some 
of  his  work,  acted  as  Superintendent  of  the  Rail- 
road Chapel  Mission. 

In  political  sentiment,  he  is  a  Republican  from 
principle,  and  has  always  been  active  in  every  ef- 
fort to  promote  good  government  for  the  city.  In 
the  reform  movement  of  1874,  which  secured  a 
re-organization  of  the  fire  department  and  numer- 
ous other  changes —  among  them  a  new  city  char- 
ter, the  present  one — he  was  especially  active, 
contributing  liberally  in  money  to  carry  on  the 
work,  and  giving  of  his  time  and  counsel.  In 
many  other  ways  he  has  shown  his  disposition  to 
discharge  his  whole  duty  and  shirk  no  responsi- 
bility as  a  citizen.  He  seeks  the  best  and  right 
thing  in  government,  regardless  of  partisan  preju- 
dices or  advantage.  As  a  part  of  his  duty  to  the 
public,  he  is  now  acting  as  Trustee  of  the  Home 
for  Incurables  and  the  Lake  Forest  University. 
He  is  devoted  to  his  home  and  family,  and  when 
duty  does  not  call  him  away,  he  is  found,  out  of 
business  hours,  at  his  pleasant  home  on  Prairie 
Avenue.  In  1858  he  was  married  to  Miss  Emily, 
daughter  of  James  Hollingsworth,  of  Chicago. 
A  son,  who  died  in  infancy,  and  three  daughters 
have  been  given  him.  Amid  kind  friends  and 
many  other  surroundings  that  conduce  to  peace 
and  happiness,  he  is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  busy 
and  useful  life. 


ALEXANDER  BEAUBIEN. 


,LEXANDER  BEAUBIEN  enjoys  the  dis- 
LJ  tinction  of  being  the  oldest  individual  born 
I  I  in  Cook  County.  The  date  of  his  birth  was 
January  28,  1822,  and  the  place  is  on  the  east 
side  of  Michigan  Avenue,  between  Randolph  and 


Washington  Streets.  The  house  in  which  he 
was  born  had  been  built  a  few  years  earlier  by 
John  Dean,  and  was  one  of  five  or  six  buildings, 
including  Fort  Dearborn,  which  then  stood  upon 
the  site  of  Chicago. 


ALEXANDER  BEAUBIEN. 


393 


Alexander  is  one  of  twelve  children  born  to 
John  B.  and  Rosette  (La  Frambois)  Beaubien. 
The  father  was  born  at  Detroit,  Michigan,  during 
the  closing  days  of  the  American  Revolution. 
His  father,  Antoine  Beaubien,  and  his  grand- 
father, who  also  bore  the  name  of  Antoine, 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Detroit,  and 
carried  on  an  extensive  farm  at  that  place.  An- 
toine Beaubien,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  France,  and 
doubtless  came  to  America  before  the  French  and 
Indian  War. 

John  B.  Beaubien  first  visited  Fort  Dearborn  in 
1809.  His  purpose  in  coming  hither  was  to 
trade  with  the  Indians,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  that 
object  he  was  quite  successful,  remaining  in  the 
vicinity  for  some  time.  At  the  time  of  the  mas- 
sacre, in  1812,  he  had  gone  to  Mackinaw,  but 
the  following  year  he  returned  as  agent  of 
John  Jacob  Astor  and  built  a  trading-post  near 
the  site  of  the  old  fort.  Branch  posts  were  also 
established  at  Milwaukee,  Pecatonica,  Hennepin 
and  Danville,  goods  being  transported  on  pack- 
horses  between  these  points  and  the  main  store- 
house at  Chicago.  Mr.  Beaubien  had  the  super- 
vision of  all  these  posts,  and  remained  in  charge 
of  them  for  some  years.  He  made  a  pre-emption 
claim  to  the  land  between  State  Street  and  the 
lake,  extending  as  far  south  as  Madison  Street, 
and  including  about  one  acre  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river;  but,  owing  to  some  technicality,  the 
government  refused  to  give  him  a  title  to  the 
same.  About  1840  he  settled  on  a  half-section 
of  land  near  the  Desplaines  Eiver,  in  Leyden 
Township,  with  his  family,  improving  the  same 
until  it  became  a  desirable  farm.  He  died  at 
Naperville,  Illinois,  in  1864,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four  years.  Had  all  white  men  manifested  the 
spirit  of  justice  and  fairness  exhibited  by  him  in 
dealing  with  the  Indians,  much  trouble  and  mis- 
ery might  have  been  averted. 

Mrs.  Rosette  Beaubien  was  born  in  Michigan. 
Her  father,  Joseph  La  Frambois,  was  a  French- 
man, and  her  mother  was  a  member  of  the  Potta- 
watomie  tribe.  In  1804,  while  still  a  young  girl, 
Mrs.  Beaubien  came  to  Chicago,  accompanying 
the  party  in  command  of  Major  Whistler,  which 
originally  built  Fort  Dearborn.  She  was  living 


with  the  Kinzie  family  when  the  fort  was  aban- 
doned in  1812,  and  with  her  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kin- 
zie, and  one  or  two  other  persons,  started  in  a 
canoe  to  follow  the  troops.  They  were  near 
shore  and  in  plain  sight  of  the  massacre  which 
took  place  near  the  foot  of  Eighteenth  Street,  and 
Mrs.  Beaubien  often  described  the  scene  to  her 
children  in  later  years.  After  the  battle  was 
over,  Mr.  Kinzie  and  party  continued  the  journey 
in  safety  to  St.  Joseph  and  thence  to  Detroit. 
Mrs.  Beaubien  died  at  River  Park,  Illinois,  in 
1845.  Following  are  the  names  of  her  children: 
George,  who  died  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years; 
Susan  and  Monique,  twins;  Julia;  Henry  and 
Philip,  twins;  Alexander;  Ellen  Maria,  wife  of 
Joseph  Robeson;  William  S. ;  Margaret  (Mrs. 
De  Witt  Robinson)  ;  Louise  (Mrs.  N.  D.  Wood); 
and  Caroline  (Mrs.  Stephen  Fields).  Alexander 
and  the  four  last  mentioned  are  the  only  members 
of  this  family  now  living,  but  they  probably  know 
more  of  the  early  history  of  Chicago  than  any 
other  family  in  existence. 

The  circumstances  attending  his  youth  gave 
Mr.  Beaubien  little  opportunity  for  education  save 
that  gained  in  the  school  of  experience,  but  ex- 
tensive reading  and  observation  have  given  him 
a  well-stored  mind.  He  was  eighteen  years  old 
when  the  family  removed  from  Chicago  to  Ley- 
den  Township,  where  he  became  one  of  the  leading 
farmers,  and  filled  all  the  township  offices  except 
that  of  Justice  of  the  Peace,  which  he  declined. 
In  1 862  he  returned  to  Chicago,  which  has  since 
been  his  home.  During  the  most  of  this  time  he 
has  been  connected  with  the  police  force  of  the 
city,  and  for  seven  years  past  has  been  in  charge 
of  the  lock-up  ^t  the  Harrison  Street  Station, 
discharging  the  duties  of  that  position  in  a  man- 
ner which  meets  the  approval  of  all  his  superior 
officers,  though  the  administration  of  the  city 
government  has  several  times  changed  during  this 
period. 

He  readily  recalls  the  time  when  every  house 
in  the  then  village  of  Chicago  could  be  counted 
from  the  roof  of  his  father's  home.  He  saw  the 
first  frame  house  built  by  his  uncle,  Mark  Beau- 
bien. The  latter  also  built  the  first  brick  resi- 
dence, a  one  and  one-half  story  structure,  on  the 


394 


J.  S.  TOPPAN. 


north  side  of  Lake  Street,  about  fifty  feet  west  of 
Fifth  Avenue.  Mr.  Beaubien  witnessed  the  first 
public  execution  in  Cook  County,  when  John 
Stone  was  hung  for  murder.  This  took  place  on 
the  prairie,  about  where  Thirty-first  Street  now 
is,  and  one-quarter  of  a  mile  west  of  the  lake. 

Mr.  Beaubien  was  married,  in  1850,  to  Miss 
Susan  Miles,  a  daughter  of  Stephen  Miles  of  Can- 
andaigua,  New  York.  Five  children  have  blessed 
their  union,  as  follows:  Julia  Caroline,  wife  of 
Eugene  Wait;  Ida  E.  (Mrs.  Albert  H.  Moulton, 
of  Alexander,  Genesee  County,  New  York) ; 
Fannie  G.,  wife  of  Richard  S.  Beaubien;  William 
S.,  Jr.;  and  Harry  Miles;  all  except  Mrs.  Moul- 
ton living  in  Chicago.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beaubien 
also  have  five  grandchildren,  in  whose  company 
they  find  great  comfort  and  delight. 


Mr.  Beaubien  was  the  first  child  baptised  by  a 
Catholic  priest  in  Chicago,  although  the  rite  was 
not  performed  until  he  was  six  years  of  age, 
when  Father  Badden  chanced  to  visit  this  place. 
It  is  needless  to  add  that  Mr.  Beaubien  has  con- 
sistently retained  that  faith  to  the  present  time. 
Since  1882  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Police- 
men's Benevolent  Association.  He  is  independ- 
ent in  political  action,  supporting  such  men  and 
measures  as  he  deems  best  suited  to  the  public 
interests,  irrespective  of  party  allegiance.  He 
leads  a  quiet,  unassuming  life,  and  takes  great 
pleasure  in  discussing  events  connected  with  the 
pioneer  days  of  Cook  County,  the  most  important 
of  which  either  came  under  his  own  observation 
or  that  of  his  parents. 


JAMES  S.  TOPPAN. 


(TAMES  SMITH  TOPPAN,  a  man  of  broad 
I  business  experience,  has  been  an  extensive 
O  traveler  and  has  resided  and  been  engaged 
in  business  in  nearly  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 
He  was  born  in  Newburyport,  Massachusetts, 
October  7,  1830,  of  good  old  New  England  stock, 
as  is  shown  by  the  following  resume  of  his  gene- 
alogy: 

The  name  Toppan  was  originally  Topham, 
taken  from  the  name  of  a  place  in  Yorkshire, 
England,  meaning  upper  hamlet  or  village.  The 
pedigree,  as  far  back  as  it  has  been  traced,  com- 
mences with  Robert  Topham,  who  resided  at 
l,inton,  near  Pately  Bridge,  which  is  supposed  to 
have  been  in  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire.  He 
made  his  will  in  1550.  His  second  son,  Thomas 
Topham,  was  of  Arnecliffe,  near  Linton.  He 
died  in  1589,  and  was  buried  in  the  church  at 
Arneclifie.  Edward  Topham,  alias  Toppan,  eld- 
est son  of  Thomas  Topham,  was  of  Aiglethorpe, 
near  Linton,  and  has  his  pedigree  recorded  in  the 


College  of  Arms,  with  armorial  bearings.  Will- 
iam Toppan,  fourth  son  of  Edward  Toppan,  of 
Aiglethorpe,  lived  for  some  time  at  Calbridge, 
where  his  son  Abraham  was  baptised  April  10, 
1606. 

The  family  still  exists  in  England,  and  is 
now  of  Middleham,  in  the  northwest  part  ot 
Yorkshire,  on  the  river  Ouse.  The  crest  is  a 
Maltese  cross  (croix  patee)  with  entwined  ser- 
pents. As  early  as  1637  Abraham  Toppan  re- 
sided at  Yarmouth.  His  wife  was  Susanna  Taylor. 

In  the  first  volume  of  the  fourth  series  of  the 
publications  of  the  Massachusetts  Historical  So- 
ciety, pp.  98-99,  is  the  following: 

'  'A  Register  of  the  names  of  such  persons  who 
are  21  years  and  upward  and  have  license  to 
passe  into  forraigne  parts  from  March,  1637,  to 
2gth  of  September,  by  virtu  of  a  Commission  of 
Mr.  Thomas  May  hew,  Gentleman." 

Among  these  persons  are  the  following: 

"Abraham  Toppan,  cooper,  aged  31,  Susanna, 


J.  S.  TOPPAN. 


395 


his  wife,  aged  31,  with  their  children  Peter  and 
Elizabeth,  and  one  mayd  servant,  Anne  Goodin, 
aged  18  years,  sailed  from  Yarmouth,  10  May, 
1637,  in  the  ship  'Rose,'  of  Yarmouth,  Wm. 
Andrews,  Master." 

In  October,  1637,  Abraham  Toppan  was  in 
Newbury,  Massachusetts,  as  appears  by  the  fol- 
lowing extract  from  the  town  records: 

"Abraham  Toppan  being  licensed  by  John  En- 
dicott  Esqr.  to  live  in  this  jurisdiction,  was  re- 
ceived into  the  town  of  Newberry  as  an  inhabi- 
tant thereof,  and  has  promised  under  his  hand  to 
be  subject  to  any  lawful  order  that  shall  be  made 
by  the  towne. 

"Oct.  1637.  ABRAHAM  TOPPAN." 

The  genealogy  from  this  time  on  is  as  follows: 

Jacob  (son  of  the  above) ,  b.  1645,  m.  Hannah 
Sewall  24th  August,  1670. 

Abraham,  b.  2gth  June,  1684,  m.  Esther 
Sewall  24th  October,  1713. 

Edward,  b.  7th  September,  1715,  m.  Sarah 
Bailey  7th  September,  1743. 

Enoch,  b.  7th  May,  1759,  m.  Mary  Coffin 
2nd  February,  1794. 

Edward,  b.  7th  April,  1796,  m.  Susan  L. 
Smith,  22nd  January,  1821. 

James  S.,  b.  7th  October,  1830,  m.  Juliet  A. 
Lunt,  1 3th  August,  1861. 

The  old  homestead  upon  Toppan  Street,  in 
Newburyport,  was  built  by  Jacob  Toppan  in  1670, 
and  was  first  occupied  by  himself  and  his  bride. 
The  house  has  been  lived  in  almost  continually 
since,  and  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  fam- 
ily, being,  even  now,  in  a  remarkably  well-pre- 
served condition. 

Edward  Toppan,  the  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  spent  his  entire  life  as  a  farmer  in  the 
neighborhood  of  his  native  town,  and  was  the  fa- 
ther of  the  following  children:  EdwardS.,  Charles, 
Hannah,  James  S.,  Margaret,  Susan  L.,  Serena 
D.  and  Roland  W. 

James  S.  left  school  at  twelve  years  of  age, 
and  remained  at  home  upon  the  farm  until  he  was 
fifteen,  when  he  entered  a  stationery  store  in  his 
native  town. 

In  May,  1849,  when  less  than  nineteen  years 
of  age,  he  left  Boston  for  California  in  the  barque 


'  'Helen  Augusta. ' '  A  stop  of  seven  days  was  made 
at  St.  Catherines,  Brazil,  where,  on  the  day  after 
their  arrival,  six  of  the  crew  deserted,  and  as  no 
others  could  be  had  to  fill  their  places,  four  pas- 
sengers, including  Mr.  Toppan,  volunteered  to 
fill  them,  and  did  sailors'  duties  for  the  remainder 
of  the  voyage.  After  rounding  Cape  Horn,  they 
spent  one  day  on  the  island  of  Juan  Fernandez, 
made  famous  as  the  home  of  Robinson  Crusoe. 
Another  stop  of  a  week's  duration  was  made  at 
the  Gallapagos  Islands  for  the  purpose  of  secur- 
ing supplies  of  water,  terrapin  and  fish,  and  on 
the  ist  of  October  they  arrived  in  San  Francisco. 

Mr.  Toppan 's  first  work  here  was  to  build 
a  fence  around  some  lots  on  the  Sand  Hills  for  a 
Mr.  David  Murphy,  and  also  to  cloth  and  paper 
two  houses  for  the  same  person.  When  this  was 
completed,  he,  in  company  with  another  young 
man,  bought  a  whale-boat,  which  they  ran  as  a 
ferry-boat  between  San  Francisco  and  what  is 
now  Oakland. 

Shortly  afterwards  this  was  sold  out  at  a  good 
profit,  and,  in  company  with  two  others,  Mr. 
Toppan  laid  claim  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  mission  land,  supposing  it  to  be  public  property. 
A  redwood  tree,  measuring  eight  feet  in  diameter 
at  the  butt,  was  cut  down,  and  from  one  length  of 
the  trunk  they  built  "a  house  some  thirty  by  eigh- 
teen or  twenty  feet  in  size.  Two  yoke  of  oxen 
and  an  old  prairie  wagon  were  purchased  for 
$1,200,  and  the  land  was  cleared,  plowed  and 
planted. 

While  waiting  for  their  crops  to  mature  they 
employed  their  leisure  time  in  cutting  wild  hay 
and  building  a  lever  press — a  young  sycamore 
tree  serving  as  the  lever.  Strips  of  green  raw- 
hide were  used  in  binding  the  bales,  and  in  this 
manner  six  tons  of  hay  were  baled.  They  then 
loaded  it  on  old  overland  wagons,  two  of  which 
were  borrowed,  drawn  by  oxen,  and  started  for 
San  Francisco,  a  distance  of  forty-eight  miles. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  Dolores  Mission,  they 
found  a  large  number  of  persons  waiting  to  pur- 
chase the  hay,  and  in  less  than  an  hour  they  had 
disposed  of  their  loads  for  $2,400.  This  was  the 
first  large  quantity  of  hay  that  had  ever  reached 
San  Francisco. 


396 


J.  S.  TOPPAN. 


On  their  return  they  gathered  their  crops  and 
purchased  a  sloop,  with  which  to  take  them  to 
market  at  San  Francisco.  Potatoes  brought  eigh- 
ty-five cents  per  pound,  and  other  products  were 
proportionately  high.  After  remaining  in  this 
business  for  a  year,  Mr.  Toppan  was  prostrated 
with  fever  and  ague,  and  was  obliged  to  sell  out 
and  return  to  San  Francisco.  Having  remained 
there  three  months  and  experienced  no  improve- 
ment, he  accepted  an  invitation  from  the  master 
of  the  ship  "Lowell,"  of  Newburyport,  to  take  a 
trip  with  him  to  Mazatlan,  Mexico.  From  there 
the  vessel  was  ordered  to  Ypala,  a  thousand  miles 
south,  where  it  was  loaded  with  a  cargo  of  dye- 
woods  for  Boston.  As  Mr.  Toppan  did  not  care 
to  return  home  by  the  way  of  Cape  Horn,  he  ac- 
cepted an  invitation  from  a  wealthy  Spanish  gen- 
tleman to  accompany  him  to  the  City  of  Mexico. 
They  made  their  way  to  Typic,  and  thence  to 
their  destination,  making  the  entire  trip  on  horse- 
back, stopping  at  the  principal  towns  along  their 
route.  Mr.  Toppan  remained  in  the  City  of 
Mexico  six  weeks,  and  was  then  appointed  a 
special  bearer  of  dispatches  to  Washington  by  the 
United  States  Minister. 

After  delivering  these  dispatches  and  visiting 
his  home  he  went  to  New  York  and  took  passage 
in  the  Vanderbilt  steamer  "Daniel  Webster"  for 
San  Francisco,  by  way  of  Nicaragua. 

They  reached  Nicaragua  during  the  rainy  sea- 
son, and  were  eighteen  days  in  crossing  the  Isth- 
mus, and  while  passing  up  the  Pacific  Coast  to 
San  Francisco  eleven  stops  were  made  for  the 
purpose  of  burying  people  who  had  died  of  fever 
contracted  on  the  Isthmus. 

On  reaching  the  Golden  Gate  City,  Mr.  Top- 
pan  formed  a  partnership  with  George  Mansfield, 
a  former  chief  steward  of  the  Massasoit  House,  of 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  and  they  opened  a 
hotel  on  Clay  Street,  which  they  called  the  Mas- 
sasoit House.  This  venture  proving  a  success, 
they  carried  on  the  hotel  until  it  was  destroyed  in 
the  second  big  fire.  They  then  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  a  stern-wheel  boat  called  '  'The  Fashion, ' ' 
which  the}'  ran  between  San  Francisco  and  Colusa, 
the  latter  place  being  on  the  Sacramento  River, 
one  hundred  miles  above  the  city  of  Sacramento. 


A  year  after  this  Mr.  Toppan,  being  ill  with 
bilious  fever,  sold  his  interest  in  the  boat  and 
took  passage  for  Honolulu,  Sandwich  Islands. 
After  a  stay  of  six  weeks  he  boarded  the  clipper 
ship  "Sovereign  of  the  Seas,"  bound  for  New 
York.  At  that  time  this  ship  was  the  largest 
sailing-vessel  afloat,  and  eighty  days  after  leaving 
Honolulu  they  reached  New  York,  having  made 
the  shortest  passage  ever  made  by  a  sailing-vessel. 

Two  months  were  now  passed  at  home,  and 
then,  the  family  physician  having  advised  a 
warmer  climate  for  him,  he  sailed  from  Boston  to 
Calcutta,  going  as  third  mate  of  the  vessel.  Be- 
fore starting  he  had  made  arrangements  with 
Frederick  Tudor,  a  large  dealer  in  and  shipper  of 
ice,  to  act  as  his  agent.  He  represented  Mr.  Tudor 
for  eight  years  in  Calcutta,  two  years  in  Ceylon, 
two  years  in  Singapore,  and  two  years  in  Java, 
opening  new  houses  in  the  last  three  places. 

During  his  residence  in  the  East,  Mr.  Toppan 
visited  Newburyport  three  times,  remaining  about 
three  months  on  each  occasion.  These  trips  were 
made  through  the  Red  Sea,  Suez  Canal,  the  Med- 
iterranean and  overland  across  Europe  to  Liver- 
pool. He  was  on  the  eve  of  going  to  Hong  Kong, 
to  open  an  ice-house  there  when  Mr.  Tudor's 
death  prevented. 

Mr.  Toppan  then  returned  home  and  accepted 
a  position  with  Addison,  Gage  &  Co.,  of  Boston, 
to  start  an  ice  business  in  Havana,  Cuba,  but  af- 
ter three  years  they  were  obliged  to  discontinue 
operations  on  account  of  the  internal  dissensions 
of  the  people  of  Cuba. 

He  then  returned  to  Boston  and  became  inter- 
ested in  petroleum  oil.  By  experimenting,  he 
discovered  a  new  way  of  filtering,  and  went  to 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  made  arrangements 
for  manufacturing  and  placing  his  oil  upon  the 
market.  This  business  venture  continued  until 
the  peculiar  grade  of  oil  which  was  used  as  a  base 
became  exhausted,  since  which  time  none  like  it 
has  been  found. 

Again,  he  went  to  Boston  and  purchased  a  one- 
third  interest  in  a  large  fish-oil  house,  taking 
possession  on  the  isth  of  September,  1872.  On 
the  loth  of  November  the  entire  plant  was  de- 
stroyed in  the  great  Boston  fire.  The  business, 


N.  S.  HAYNES. 


397 


however,  was  soon  resumed,  and  continued  until 
the  following  September,  when  the  Jay  Cook 
panic  caused  a  failure. 

Four  years  after  this,  or  in  May,  1877,  Mr. 
Toppan  became  identified  with  the  Galena,  and 
the  Signal  Oil  Works,  Limited,  of  Franklin,  Penn- 
sylvania, coming  to  Chicago  as  their  Resident 
Manager  for  this  territory. 

He  was  the  originator  of  the  contract  system 
of  supplying  railroads  with  their  lubricating  oils, 
these  contracts  being  based  upon  the  car  and  lo- 
comotive mileage  of  the  different  roads.  So  sat- 
isfactory and  successful  has  this  system  proved, 
that  to-day  upwards  of  seventy  per  cent,  of  the 
railway  mileage  of  the  United  States  and  Mexico 
is  supplied  in  this  manner  by  the  above-named 
concerns. 

Mr.  Toppan  was  married,  August  13,  1861,  in 
Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  to  Miss  Juliet  A. 
Lunt,  who  immediately  accompanied  him  to  Java. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  the  late  George  and  Caroline 
(Chase)  Lunt,  and  had  one  sister.  Both  her  parents 
died  in  Newburyport,  the  father  at  the  age  of 
seventy-six,  and  the  mother  at  seventy-five.  Mr. 
Lunt  was  a  ship-owner  and  master,  and  spent  the 
major  part  of  his  life  at  sea.  Mrs.  Toppan 
made  two  or  three  trips  with  him  around  the 
world,  and  first  met  her  husband  in  Calcutta. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Toppan  became  the  parents  of 
four  sons  and  two  daughters.  The  first  child, 
James  S.,  was  born  in  Batavia,  Java.  When  this 
child  was  ten  months  old,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Toppan 
left  Java  for  home,  sailing  from  Liverpool  on  the 
old  Cunarder  "Africa."  When  two  days  out, 
small-pox  broke  out  in  the  cabin,  the  child  took 
it  and  died  ten  days  after  reaching  home.  Frank 
W.  was  born  in  Cleveland,  and  lived  only  a  few 
weeks. 

Of  the  remaining  children,  George  L.,  who 
married  Grace  D.  Chapman,  of  Boston,  resides  in 
Evanston.  William  R.  married  Carrie  H.  Clark, 
01  this  city,  and  has  a  son  and  daughter.  Carrie 
L.  married  George  T.  Loker,  of  this  city;  and 
Fannie  C.  is  still  at  home. 

Mr.  Toppan  is  a  member  of  the  society  of  Cali- 
fornia Pioneers,  and  of  the  Sons  of  Massachusetts; 
is  domestic  in  his  tastes  and  fond  of  his  family. 
He  was  brought  up  in  the  Unitarian  faith,  and 
he  and  his  wife  attend  Prof.  Swing's  and  Bishop 
Cheney's  Churches. 

He  always  votes  the  Republican  ticket,  and  is 
a  stanch  supporter  of  his  party,  keeps  abreast  of 
the  times,  is  broad-gauged  and  well  informed, 
and  is  a  pleasant,  genial  man  and  an  entertain- 
ing companion. 


REV.  N.  S.  HAYNES. 


REV.  N.  S.  HAYNES,  pastor  of  the  Engle- 
wood  Church  of  Christ,  Chicago,  is  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Washington,  Mason  County,  on  the  7th  of  March, 
1844.     When  he  was  a  lad  of  eight  summers,  his 
parents  removed  to  Illinois,  settling  in  Woodford 
County,  on  a  farm  near  the  town  of  Eureka.    No 


event  of  special  importance  occurred  during  his 
youth,  which  was  passed  in  the  usual  manner  of 
farmer  lads.  During  the  summer  he  aided  in  the 
labors  of  the  field,  and  in  the  winter  months  be- 
came familiar  with  the  common  branches  of  learn- 
ing by  study  in  the  district  schools.  In  1859,  he 
became  a  student  in  Eureka  College,  where  he 


N.  S.   HAYNES. 


remained  until  after  the  breaking  out  of  the  War 
of  the  Rebellion,  when,  prompted  by  patriotic  im- 
pulses, he  joined  an  Illinois  regiment  and  went  to 
the  front.  On  his  return  from  the  South,  he  re- 
sumed his  study  in  college,  and  in  1867  was  grad- 
uated from  the  full  classical  course.  He  con- 
tinued his  studies  after  this,  however,  and  in 
1868  the  degree  of  Master  ot  Arts  was  conferred 
upon  him. 

In  the  fall  of  1867,  Mr.  Haynes  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  principal  of  the  public  schools  of  Kan- 
sas, Edgar  County,  Illinois,  and  for  a  year  filled 
that  position  in  a  creditable  and  acceptable  man- 
ner. In  May,  1868,  he  determined  to  enter  the 
ministry,  feeling  that  his  services  were  needed  in 
the  cause  of  Christianity,  and  in  June  of  that  year 
he  was  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  the  churches 
of  Kansas  and  Eureka.  In  July  he  became  the 
regular  pastor  of  the  churches  of  Kansas  and  Dud- 
ley, and  did  good  work  in  both.  During  that  time 
he  also  organized  the  church  in  Newman.  In  the 
fall  of  1869,  he  entered  the  Bible  College  of  Lex- 
ington, Kentucky,  where  he  remained  during  the 
school  year,  and  then  returned  to  his  former  field 
in  Edgar  County.  •  In  July,  1872,  he  went  to 
Prince  Edward  Island,  where  he  spent  one  hun- 
dred and  two  days,  during  which  time  he  delivered 
one  hundred  and  five  sermons  and  held  a  two-days 
public  discussion  with  Rev.  Mr.  Melville,  a  min- 
ister of  the  Kirk  and  a  graduate  of  Edinburgh  Uni- 
versity. As  a  result  several  prominent  members 
of  the  Kirk  were  converted  and  a  strong  and  influ- 
ential church  was  organized  at  Montague  Bridge, 
where  the  debate  was  held. 

After  his  return  from  abroad,  Mr.  Haynes,  in 
August,  1873,  became  pastor  of  the  church  in  De- 
catur,  Illinois,  where  he  remained  almost  uninter- 
ruptedly until  January,  1881.  He  found  there  a 
church  of  small  membership,  with  little  influence, 
and  the  services  were  held  in  a  very  dilapidated 
house.  Undaunted  by  the  obstacles  in  his  path, 
with  zeal  and  energy  he  began  his  labors  there, 
and  during  his  pastorate  a  commodious  chapel  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  over  $7,000,  the  membership 
of  both  the  Sunday-school  and  congregation  was 
more  than  doubled,  and  the  church  was  placed  on 


a  good  working  basis,  becoming  one  of  the  lead- 
ing religious  organizations  in  the  city. 

Soon  after  his  removal  to  Decatur,  Mr.  Haynes 
was  married.  On  the  2oth  of  November,  1873,  he 
was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Rose  Frazier,  the 
ceremony  being  performed  near  Paris,  Illinois. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  them,  but  Ruth, 
the  eldest,  died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months. 
Rose,  aged  fifteen,  and  Ethel,  ten  years  of  age,  are 
still  at  home. 

On  resigning  the  pastorate  of  the  Decatur 
Church,  Mr.  Haynes  entered  upon  his  duties  as 
State  Evangelist,  to  which  position  he  was  elected 
by  the  Illinois  Christian  Missionary  Convention 
on  the  ist  of  January,  1881.  He  thus  served  un- 
til September  i,  1886,  during  which  time  the 
Permanent  Fund  of  the  society  grew  from  less  than 
$2,000  to  $20,000,  and  it  is  now  a  source  of  constant 
income  for  the  evangelistic  work  in  the  State. 
He  traveled  extensively  all  over  Illinois,  laboring 
untiringly,  aiding  missions,  preaching  the  gospel, 
locating  pastors,  and  performing  all  the  labors  that 
came  to  his  hand  which  were  calculated  to  ad- 
vance the  cause  of  Christianity. 

On  the  ist  of  September,  1886,  Mr.  Haynes  be- 
came pastor  of  the  First  Christian  Church  in  Pe- 
oria,  Illinois,  where  he  continued  until  the  ist  of 
March,  1892.  There  again  his  labors  were  very 
successful  and  he  left  the  church  in  a  flourishing 
condition, its  work  being  carried  on  systematically, 
while  everything  was  in  a  harmonious  condition. 
On  the  ist  of  March,  1892,  he  accepted  a  call  from 
the  church  of  Englewood,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued, winning  the  love  and  respect  of  his  con- 
gregation and  the  esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has 
been  brought  in  contact,  of  whatever  denomina- 
tion. He  is  an  able  writer  and  has  long  been  a 
valued  contributor  to  the  Christian  Evangelist, 
one  of  the  leading  papers  of  the  denomination. 
His  writings  are  clear,  logical  and  to  the  point, 
and  in  every  department  of  church  work  he  has 
proven  almost  equally  successful.  As  a  teacher, 
evangelist,  pastor,  writer  and  superintendent  of 
missionary  operations,  he  has  indeed  shown  him- 
self to  be  "a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be 
ashamed." 


Or  THE 
I  ':VEnSITY  OF  ILL!' 


ABRAHAM  P.  KLINE. 


A.  P.  KUNE. 


399 


ABRAHAM  P.  KLINE. 


GJBRAHAM  PULLING  KLINE  was  born 
Lj  September  10,  1825,  at  Tribes  Hill,  near 
/  I  Amsterdam,  New  York,  and  died  in  Chi- 
cago on  March  8,  1898,  at  the  home  of  his  son- 
in-law,  Congressman  George  E.  White,  No.  381 
Washington  Boulevard.  He  was  the  son  of 
James  Kline  and  Jane  Quillhot,  both  of  Fulton 
County,  New  York,  who  settled  there  in  colonial 
days,  and  whose  descendants  are  still  prominent 
in  the  life  of  that  community.  Mr.  Kline  was  a 
citizen  of  Chicago  for  a  half  century,  having 
come  here  in  1849. 

When  a  young  man  he  learned  the  trade  of 
wheelwright,  and  followed  the  wagon-making 
business  until  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he 
became  a  pioneer  in  the  manufacture  of  thresh- 
ing machines,  and  was  long  prominently  identified 
with  the  business  and  railroad  interests  of  this 
city.  Endowed  with  good  intellect  and  energetic 
temperament,  he  kept  pace  with  the  rapid  devel- 
opment of  machinery  during  that  period  of  the 
century,  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  substitute 
machinerj'  for  laborious  work  of  the  hand  in  the 
making  of  vehicles.  The  inventing  of  the  thresh- 
ing machine  to  supersede  the  primeval  flail  opened 
a  new  and  profitable  field  of  industry-,  whose 
opportunities  he  was  quick  to  grasp. 

Upon  coming  to  Chicago,  in  1849,  he  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  a  new  and  then  wonderful 
machine  for  the  separation  of  grain,  as  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Wampole,  Kline  &  Company. 
Later  he  was  associated  with  the  firm  of  H.  A. 
Pitts  &  Company,  manufacturers  of  the  old 


"Buffalo"  thresher,  familiar  to  everybody  who 
lived  in  an  agricultural  community  in  those  days, 
and  which  was  hardly  as  great  an  improvement 
on  the  flail  as  the  modern  traction  machine  is  on 
the  first  thresher. 

After  some  years  Mr.  Kline  quit  the  manu- 
facturing business  to  engage  in  railroad  work, 
assuming  the  position  of  superintendent  of  car- 
building  and  repairs  for  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad,  subsequently  occupying  the 
same  position  on  the  old  Great  Eastern  Railroad, 
now  part  of  the  Fort  Wayne  system.  He  next 
took  supervision  of  the  woodwork  department  of 
Furst  &  Bradley,  founders  of  the  present  David 
Bradley  firm,  and  remained  in  that  position 
fifteen  years.  This  was  his  last  active  work,  and 
his  closing  years  were  passed  in  enjoyment  of  the 
quieter  walks  of  life. 

In  the  business  community  Mr.  Kline  was 
extensively  known,  and  in  the  West  Side  neigh- 
borhood where  he  lived  many  years  he  was  held 
in  peculiar  esteem  by  old  and  young,  whose  at- 
tachment he  won  by  his  kindly  nature  and  the 
simplicity  of  his  life.  He  was  an  attendant  of  the 
Ada  Street  Methodist  Church,  and  was  an  ardent 
Republican,  though  never  taking  an  active  part 
in  politics. 

Mr.  Kline  married  Phebe  Catherine  Peckham, 
December  23,  1848,  at  Fultonville,  New  York,  a 
few  mouths  before  they  came  to  Chicago  to  live. 
Her  parents  were  Benjamin  Peckham  and 
Magdalena  Moore,  of  Little  Compton,  Rhode 
Island,  and  Troy,  New  York,  respectively.  Ben- 


400 


C.  W.  A.  WILKE. 


jamin  Peckham  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  John 
Peckham, senior,  an  original  settler  of  Rhode  Island 
prior  to  May  20,  1638,  and  a  disciple  of  Roger 
Williams,  who  resided  in  that  part  of  Newport 
which  afterwards  became  Middletown.  The 
Peckham  family  took  a  very  prominent  part  in 
the  early  colonial  history  of  Rhode  Island. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kline  had  three  daughters  (Mrs. 
George  E.  White,  wife  of  Congressman  George 
E.  White;  Mrs.  D.  L.  Obordorf;  and  Mrs.  William 
J.  Moore,  whose  husband  is  a  partner  of  S.  E. 
Gross  in  the  real-estate  business)  and  one  son, 
James  D.  Kline,  of  the  firm  of  George  E.  White 
&  Company. 


CHARLES  W.  A.  WILKE. 


CJHARLES  WILLIAM  ADOLPH  WILKE, 
1 I  one  of  the  best  known  German-American 
U  settlers  of  Chicago,  is  a  worthy  pioneer  of 
the  city  and,  as  such,  deserves  more  than  passing 
notice  in  this  work.  He  was  born  in  the  village 
of  Taken,  in  the  province  of  Brandenburg, 
Germany,  March  1 1,  1836,  a  son  of  Christoph  and 
Caroline  Wilke,  both  of  whom  were  members  of 
very  prominent  families  in  the  Fatherland. 

Christoph  Wilke  was  prominent  as  a  speculator 
and  merchant.  Of  the  seven  children  born  to 
him  and  his  wife,  Caroline,  the  man  whose  name 
heads  this  article  is  the  only  one  now  living.  He 
was  deprived  of  a  father  at  the  age  of  seven 
years  and,  since  he  was  nine  years  old,  has  pro- 
vided for  himself,  and  deserves  much  credit  for 
the  success  and  respectability  he  has  maintained. 
In  early  life  his  educational  advantages  were  very 
meager,  but  he  attended  school  for  a  short  time. 
He  improved  every  opportunity  and  by  private 
study  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  good,  practical 
education,  which  was  largely  supplemented  in 
the  school  of  experience. 

He  came  to  America  in  1849  with  his  mother 
and  brothers  and  sisters.  His  mother  died  in 
Chicago  June  14,  1882. 

The  first  work  Mr.  Wilke  did  in  Chicago  was 
in  unloading  canal  boats  and,  being  obliged  to 
win  his  daily  bread,  he  willingly  accepted  any 
honorable  employment.  At  the  age  of  seventeen 


years  he  hired  out  to  Henry  Weber,  to  learn  the 
trade  of  blacksmith,  but  remained  only  a  year  and 
one-half.  He  was  next  employed  by  Whitbeck 
&  Bishop,  manufacturers  of  farm  wagons  and 
plows,  and  remained  with  them  about  four  years. 
In  1853  he  joined  the  old  Volunteer  Fire  Com- 
pany, and  remained  a  member  of  that  division 
until  he  became  connected  with  the  Island  Queen 
Company,  No.  4,  and  was  the  first  paid  fireman 
on  the  West  Side.  This  came  about  by  his  hav- 
ing performed  two  days  work  in  putting  up  the 
engine  house  prior  to  the  complete  organization 
of  the  company.  He  was  actively  engaged  with 
that  company  about  ten  years  and,  owing  to  fail- 
ing health,  was  advised  by  his  physician  to  take 
up  some  out-door  employment.  He  resigned  his 
position  and  operated  an  express  wagon  for  a 
couple  of  years,  and  then  opened  a  grocery  store 
and  farmers'  hotel  on  Milwaukee  Avenue,  be- 
tween Chicago  Avenue  and  Carpenter  Street, 
which  he  conducted  with  good  success  for  a  period 
of  two  years. 

He  again  entered  the  fire  department  and  re- 
mained until  the  death  of  his  mother.  It  was  in 
compliance  with  her  request,  made  two  hours  be- 
fore her  death,  that  he  quit  the  dangerous  business 
of  fireman.  When  the  office  of  fire  inspector  was 
created  he  was  offered  the  position,  but  declined. 
He  holds  a  certificate  of  life  membership  in  the 
Fireman's  Benevolent  Association.  He  rang  up 


FREDERICK  OESTERLE. 


401 


the  first  fire  alarm  turned  in  on  the  new  electric 
fire  alarm  system,  from  Box  No.  69.  When  he 
left  the  fire  department  he  delivered  his  badge  to 
the  proper  authority  and  the  next  day  Marshal 
Sweney  sent  Assistant  Marshal  Charles  Petrie 
with  his  badge,  who  told  him  that  by  order  of  the 
Chief  of  the  department  he  returned  to  him  his 
badge  to  retain  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

Since  withdrawing  from  active  service  under 
the  fire  department,  he  has  done  some  real  estate 
business  and  has  been  chiefly  occupied  in  specu- 
lating and  looking  after  his  property  interests. 
Mr.  Wilke  is  a  lover  of  fine  horses,  and  always 
keeps  a  few  fast  ones.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
West  Side  Driving  Association.  He  takes  an 
active  interest  in  politics,  and  has  supported 
the  Republican  party  and  voted  at  every 
election  held  in  Chicago  since  he  became  a  voter. 
He  has  also  attended  a  number  of  State  conven- 
tions, and  is  prominent  in  the  councils  of  his 


party.  He  helped  to  organize  the  Logan  Club 
in  the  Thirteenth  Ward,  and  was  one  of  the  dele- 
gates representing  the  club  at  a  convention 
held  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania. 

In  1893  he  helped  to  organize  the  first  McKin- 
ley  Club  in  the  United  States,  which  was  char- 
tered by  the  State  in  March,  1894,  and  has  held 
the  office  of  vice-president.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Teutonia  Maennerchor.  For  all  things  tend- 
ing toward  the  good  of  the  public,  of  city  or 
Nation,  he  has  given  his  support. 

March  i,  1858,  he  married  Miss  Christina 
Ehrhardt,  who  was  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  and 
came  to  America  in  1 849.  They  have  had  seven 
children,  but  only  the  following  are  living:  Lena, 
wife  of  Charles  Eils;  Adolph  J.,  who  is  a  letter 
carrier;  and  Edwin  Ferdinand.  The  members 
of  the  family  are  connected  with  St.  Peter's 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  and  influential 
and  substantial  supporters  of  the  organization. 


FREDERICK  OESTERLE. 


["REDBRICK  OESTERLE,  who  possesses 

ry  and  successfully  conducts  a  respectable  and 
|  strictly  high  grade  resort  at  the  corner  of 
Fifty-ninth  and  State  Streets,  can  with  all  truth 
be  called  an  old  settler.  He  has  resided  in  Chi- 
cago since  1866,  and  has  participated  in  all 
moves  for  the  city's  good  and  the  furthering  of 
all  improvements.  Frederick  Oesterle  was  born 
January  20,  1847,  'u  Hohenzollern,  Hechingen, 
German}-,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Anna 
(Spitz)  Oesterle. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Nicholas  Oesterle, 
was  ninety-six  years  old  when  he  died,  and  his 
wife  reached  the  age  of  ninety-seven  years. 
They  were  the  parents  of  two  children,  a  son, 
Jacob,  and  one  daughter.  Mrs.  Nicholas  Oes- 


terle's  maiden  name  was  Bachmann.  Jacob 
Oesterle  was  born  March  14,  1814,  and  lives  in 
the  city  of  his  nativity,  Hechingen,  Germany. 
He  was  a  gunsmith,  but  has  lived  retired  the 
past  few  years.  His  wife  was  born  in  1816,  and 
died  in  1883.  She  became  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  of  whom  brief  mention  will  be  made. 
Franz  is  the  oldest.  Josephine  married  Gottfried 
Metzger,  and  resided  in  Chicago  subsequent!}' 
until  her  death.  Rudolph  is  chief  engineer  for 
the  concern  with  which  he  is  employed,  and  re- 
sides on  Halsted  Street,  near  Forty-fifth  Street. 
Theresa  married  Leobold  Pfister,  and  never  emi- 
grated from  her  native  land.  She  is  now  a 
widow.  Frederick,  of  whom  this  article  treats, 
was  the  next  in  order  of  birth.  Mary,  now  re- 


402 


NICHOLAS  ECKHARDT. 


siding  in  Venice,  Italy,  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Waters.  Joseph  is  also  still  in  the  land  of  his 
nativity;  and  Charles  resides  in  Joliet,  Illinois. 

Frederick  Oesterle  reached  Chicago  in  July, 
1866,  and  as  he  had  served  as  apprentice  to  a 
machinist  in  his  native  land,  he  began  to  seek 
employment  at  this  trade.  He  established  a  ca- 
tering business  at  the  corner  of  Halsted  and 
Forty-fourth  Streets  in  1874,  which  he  conducted 
eight  years.  He  then  removed  to  the  corner  of 
Wentworth  Avenue  and  Fifty-ninth  Street,  later 
removing  to  Fifty-ninth  and  State  Streets,  where 
he  still  continues.  He  was  married  November 
23,  1873,  to  Miss  Josephine  Metzger,  daughter  of 
Sebastian  Metzger,  and  a  native  of  Germany. 

Conducive  to  the  success  and  happiness  of  a 
man  is  a  helpmate  like  Mr.  Oesterle  obtained,  to 
make  his  domestic  life  one  of  peace  and  quiet. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oesterle  became  the  parents  of  five 
promising  children,  of  whom  brief  mention  is 
made,  as  follows:  Annie  Sophia,  born  in  March, 
1875;  Frederick,  December  18,  1880;  Frank, 
February  28,  1882;  Edward,  December  28,  1883, 
and  Josie,  January  8,  1892. 

Mr.  Oesterle  was  reared  a  Roman  Catholic. 
He  is  a  member  of  Court  Conklin,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Foresters,  and  is  connected  with  the 
German  Order  of  Harugari.  He  is  not  confined 
to  any  party  in  politics,  but  votes  for  the  man  he 
believes  best  fitted  for  the  office.  He  is  a  man 
of  refined  tastes,  as  is  shown  by  the  general  ap- 
pearance and  furnishing  of  his  comfortable  home 
and  surroundings.  His  family  of  children  is  an 
interesting  one,  and  it  is  subjected  to  the  best  of 
rearing,  as  Mr.  Oesterle  realizes  that  his  children 
are  going  to  help  make  up  the  coming  generation. 


NICHOLAS  ECKHARDT. 


U)ICHOLAS  ECKHARDT  is  a  prominent 
I  /  German-American  pioneer  of  Chicago,  who 
|  /9  has  resided  continuously  in  the  city  since 
1855  and  has  been  active  in  promoting  the 
best  interests  of  the  city.  He  was  born  in 
Hessen-Kurhessel,  Germany,  September  9,  1832, 
a  son  of  Jacob  and  Katherine  Eckhardt. 

His  father  died  before  Nicholas  was  born,  and 
his  mother  subsequently  married  Henry  Hamel. 
Mr.  Eckhardt  came  to  the  United  States  in  1849, 
and  in  1854  the  family  followed,  and  all  remained 
in  New  York  until  1855,  when  they  removed  to 
Chicago.  Here  Mrs.  Hamel  died  in  1892, 
mourned  by  many  friends  and  relatives.  The 
eldest  son,  Louis,  died  in  1872. 

Nicholas  Eckhardt  was  educated  in  the  parish 
school  of  his  native  village  and,  on  leaving 
school,  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet-maker.  He 
worked  at  this  trade  in  New  York  and,  after 


coming  to  Chicago,  followed  the  occupation  of 
carpenter  about  ten  years.  From  the  first  he 
took  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted 
country  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  in  1860.  He  has  supported 
the  Republican  party  since  then,  and  has  been  an 
important  factor  in  promoting  its  success. 

In  1872  he  was  elected  alderman  from  the  old 
Fourteenth  Ward  and  was  re-elected  in  1874, 
serving  capably  four  years.  In  1856  he  joined 
the  old  volunteer  fire  company,  serving  until 
1859,  when  the  companies  were  put  under  pay  by 
the  city,  and  remained  a  member  of  Island 
Queen  Company  No.  4  until  1866,  when  he  re- 
signed. He  then  engaged  in  the  saloon  business 
on  Erie  Street  for  a  few  months,  and  removed  to 
No.  448  West  Chicago  Avenue.  In  1871  he 
purchased  the  ground,  and  built  his  present 
large  and  commodious  quarters  in  1885.  In  1879 


G.  A.  HIMLER. 


403 


he  was  appointed  assistant  county  agent  by  the 
Board  of  County  Commissioners,  and  held  the 
office  eight  years.  He  is  a  member  of  Goethe 
Lodge  No.  329,  and  Humboldt  Encampment  No. 
101,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows'  and  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  has  belonged  to  the 
Firemen's  Benevolent  Association  since  it  was 
first  organized.  He  is  public-spirited  and  has 
always  favored  everything  for  the  best  interests 
of  the  city. 


In  1858  he  married  Sophia  Kramer,  a  native 
of  Germany.  They  have  six  children,  namely: 
Louis  W.,  deputy  county  clerk  in  the  county 
comptroller's  office;  AnnaM.;  Caroline,  wife  of 
Tony  Mann,  of  Chicago;  Matilda,  now  Mrs. 
Marshall;  Fred  W.  and  Nicholas  A.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  family  are  connected  with  St. 
Peter's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  and  are 
highly  respected,  as  influential  in  all  things  for 
the  promotion  of  the  church. 


GEORGE  A.  HIMLER. 


OEORGE  ANDREW  HIMLER,  who  is  one 

bof  the  most  energetic  citizens  of  Chicago  in 
his  line  of  business,  comes  of  that  nation 
whose  men  have  ever  been  known  for  their  per- 
severance and  sturdiness  of  character.  He  was 
born  December  7, 1860,  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
a  son  of  Henry  and  Katharine  (Spriegel)  Himler. 

Henry  Himler  met  a  very  sad  death  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1 86 1 .  He  was  a  mail  carrier  for  the  Ger- 
man Government,  and  was  interested  in  an  ex- 
press business  besides  the  above-mentioned  occu- 
pation. A  freight  wagon  fell  on  him  and  caused 
his  untimely  death.  He  was  in  the  prime  of  life, 
having  reached  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  His 
widow  is  still  living  in  Germany,  having  reached 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Himler  had  four  children, 
of  whom  brief  mention  is  here  made:  Sophia 
came  to  America  in  1869,  and  married  Frederick 
W.  Rackow,  who  is  now  retired,  and  resides  at 
No.  4440  Wabash  Avenue.  John  is  employed  in 
the  Stock  Yards,  and  resides  at  No.  2908  Fifth 
Avenue.  Henry  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
years,  and  George  Andrew,  the  youngest  of  the 
family,  is  the  subject  of  this  article. 

He  reached  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1872,  and 
was  employed  by  his  brother-in-law,  Frederick 


W.  Rackow,  located  at  the  corner  of  Thirty-first 
Street  and  Wentworth  Avenue,  in  the  milk  busi- 
ness. In  1876  he  left  this  employ  and  was  occu- 
pied in  different  ways  for  a  period  of  three  years. 
He  spent  two  and  one-half  years  in  the  service  of 
the  North  Chicago  Street  Railway  Company,  and 
subsequently  a  like  term  with  the  Chicago  City 
Railway  Company,  being  a  conductor  the  last  two 
years. 

Mr.  Himler  then  started  business  in  his  own 
interest,  dealing  in  milk,  and  located  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Fortieth  Street  and  Armour  Avenue.  He 
had  a  partner  for  a  short  time,  and  continued 
alone  at  this  location  three  years.  He  then  re- 
moved to  the  corner  of  Forty-fifth  and  State 
Streets,  where  he  remained  but  a  short  time,  and 
later  conducted  a  grocery  and  milk  depot  at  the 
corner  of  Forty-fifth  Street  and  Wentworth  Ave- 
nue a  short  time.  For  five  years  he  dealt  in  milk 
alone  at  the  corner  of  Forty-fifth  Street  and  Wa- 
bash Avenue.  Since  May  i,  1895,  he  has  been 
at  No.  5522  Dearborn  Street,  which  place  he 
purchased. 

Mr.  Himler  was  married  May  6,  1883,  to  Miss 
Mary,  daughter  of  Frederick  and  Katharine 
(Gimble)  Muench.  Mrs.  Himler  was  born  July 
12,  1862,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  State  Street 


404 


PETER  LAWRENCE. 


and  Eldridge  Court.  Her  father  died  in  April,  1893, 
and  his  remains  were  interred  in  Oakwoods  Cem- 
etery. He  was  bom  July  2 1 ,  1836,  in  Wurtem- 
berg,  Germany,  and  came  to  America  in  1857, 
locating  in  Chicago.  He  was  employed  by  the 
Mahla  &  Chappel  Chemical  Company  twenty-five 
years,  and  was  later  employed  in  the  interests  of 
the  Seipp  Brewing  Company  until  1891,  when  he 
retired. 

Frederick  Muench  bought  property  at  No.  2822 
State  Street,  in  1866.  In  1874  he  erected  the  build- 
ing that  now  stands  at  that  place.  He  married 
Katharine  Girnble,  who  was  born  March  12,  1845, 
and  died  May  17,  1863.  She  lived  in  Chicago  her 
entire  life  and  was  the  mother  of  one  child,  wife 
of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article.  Fred- 
erick Muench  married  for  his  second  wife,  Mary 
Egner,  December  25,  1866.  She  now  resides  at 
No.  4556  Indiana  Avenue  with  her  children. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Himler  have  one  child,  Carrie, 
who  was  born  July  25,  1884.  The  widow  of  Mrs. 


Himler's  paternal  grandfather,  Sophia  Muench, 
came  to  America  and  died  here  April  18,  1893,  at 
the  age  of  eighty-three  years.  Frederick  was  her 
eldest  child.  Christine,  the  second,  married  Mar- 
tin Bermele,  and  resides  at  No.  2969  Archer 
Avenue.  Mr.  Bermele  is  retired  from  active  life. 
Katherine  married  Philip  Grede,  a  carpenter, 
and  resides  at  No.  845  Forty- fifth  Street.  Adam 
and  Christian  reside  in  Waukesha,  Wisconsin. 

G.  A.  Himler  is  connected  with  Court  Imperial 
No.  173,  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  and 
Jackson  Council  No.  38,  North  American  Union. 
He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  is  a  man  of  upright 
character  and  unquestionable  principles.  He 
ever  advocates  the  side  of  right  and  is  in  favor  of 
all  movements  that  will  tend  to  uplift  the  minds 
of  the  people  in  general.  He  was  reared  a  Protest- 
ant and  is  true  to  the  teachings  of  his  fathers. 
His  fireside  is  one  of  harmony  and  comfort,  and 
his  genial  companion  is  a  lady  of  refinement  and 
good  taste. 


PETER  LAWRENCE. 


LAWRENCE,  a  well-known  citizen 
LX  of  the  northwestern  part  of  Chicago,  was 
[3  born  in  Denmark  August  2,  1845.  He 
secured  his  education  in  the  seaport  town  of 
Copenhagen  and  being  brought  into  contact  with 
many  who  either  followed  the  sea  or  gained  their 
living  by  ocean  trade,  he  began  to  look  forward 
to  a  sailor's  life  at  an  early  age.  When  but  fif- 
teen years  old  he  became  cabin  boy  on  a  Danish 
vessel  which  carried  him  to  England,  where  he 
changed  to  an  American  ship  bound  for  New 
York.  He  continued  on  the  sea  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-five  years,  and  by  strict  atten- 
tion to  his  work,  coupled  with  a  desire  to  excel, 
he  rose  to  the  rank  of  mate. 

In   1870  he  resolved  to  quit  a  sea-faring  life, 


and  having  a  natural  liking  for  machinery,  he 
apprenticed  himself  to  learn  the  machinist's 
trade.  He  applied  himself  faithfully  to  the  busi- 
ness for  a  period  of  three  and  one-half  years,  and 
then  secured  employment  in  a  hat  factory.  He 
became  very  efficient  in  this  line  of  work,  and 
decided  to  make  the  machinery  of  hat  factories  his 
specialty.  He  worked  in  various  like  establish- 
ments in  New  York  City  ten  years. 

In  1884  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
secured  employment  in  the  hat  factory  of  A.  A. 
Turner,  where  he  remained  until  1895.  Mr. 
Lawrence  became  one  of  the  most  skillful  men  in 
his  line  of  work  and  was  able,  by  due  care,  to 
accumulate  quite  a  capital  from  his  earnings.  He 
therefore  concluded  to  enter  business  on  his  own 


JACOB  NELLES. 


405 


account,  where  his  ability  in  that  direction  could 
have  greater  scope.  With  this  end  in  view  he 
opened  a  liquor  store  in  1895,  and  has  continued 
the  enterprise  since.  The  venture  has  proved 
satisfactory  from  a  financial  point  of  view  and 
has  considerably  bettered  his  fortune.  He  con- 
ducts a  neat  and  business-like  establishment  and 
enjoys  the  patronage  of  the  best  people  of  his 
locality. 

While  residing  in  New  York,  in  1872,  the  sub- 


ject of  this  notice  was  married  to  Anna  Jane 
Lucy,  who  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  New 
York  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  They  have 
been  the  parents  of  six  children,  only  two  of 
whom  are  living:  Peter,  junior,  and  Agnes.  The 
latter  is  the  wife  of  Ezra  Gedultig,  of  No.  558 
North  Hoyne  Avenue,  Chicago.  Mr.  Lawrence 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor.  In  politics 
he  uses  his  vote  and  influence  in  support  of  the 
Republican  party. 


JACOB  NELLES. 


(JACOB  NELLES,  who  is  engaged  in  the 
I  undertaking  business  at  No.  596  Milwaukee 
Q)  Avenue,  has  been  a  resident  of  Chicago 
many  years.  He  was  born  December  10,  1836, 
in  the  village  of  Stommlen,  in  Rhenish  Prussia, 
Germany,  a  son  of  Heinrich  and  Anna  Nelles. 
The  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  His 
wife  died  in  Germany  when  Jacob  was  eleven 
years  of  age.  The  family  of  children  numbered 
seven,  but  one  daughter,  Gertrude,  sixteen  years 
of  age,  was  killed  by  the  cars  while  on  the  way 
to  the  West,  at  Dunkirk,  New  York. 

Isabella,  of  this  family,  is  now  deceased.  Ade- 
laide, now  Mrs.  Dufrenne,  resides  at  Middleton, 
Wisconsin.  Jacob  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth, 
Wynand  and  Mathias  reside  in  Chicago,  and  So- 
phia is  the  wife  of  Charles  Reich,  of  North  Wood 
Street,  same  city.  The  father  died  in  Chicago 
January  23,  1874,  while  on  a  visit  to  his  sons. 

Jacob  was  the  first  of  his  father's  family  to 
come  to  America,  and  arrived  in  1856.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  family  came  in  the  spring  of  1857, 
and  settled  in  Dane  County,  Wisconsin,  where 
the  father  purchased  a  farm  and  cultivated  it  un- 
til his  death.  Jacob  Nelles  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  educated  in  the  parish  schools  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  was  con- 


fined by  work  at  home  until  he  emigrated,  with 
his  uncle.  They  sailed  from  Antwerp,  on  the 
"Richard  Mosay, "  arriving  in  New  York  after  a 
journey  of  forty-six  da3'S. 

On  their  arrival  he  went  to  Monroe  County, 
Wisconsin,  where  the  uncle  purchased  a  farm. 
He  relates  that  the  following  winter  was  severe, 
and  feed,  as  well  as  provisions,  was  high  in  price. 
He  paid  sixty  dollars  for  a  ton  of  hay.  In  1857 
his  father's  family  arrived  in  America  and  went 
to  Dane  County,  Wisconsin,  where  his  father  lo- 
cated on  a  farm,  and  Jacob  was  in  his  employ  un- 
til 1862,  when  he  came  to  Chicago.  He  was  first 
employed  in  this  city  by  John  Phillips,  in  a  chair 
factory,  and  later  by  Furst  &  Bradley,  who 
were  manufacturing  farm  implements.  In  1872 
Mr.  Nelles  entered  the  wholesale  grocery  of 
Boyce,  Fay  &  Conkey,  as  porter.  He  was  in  the 
service  of  this  concern  ten  years,  and  subse- 
quently purchased  a  milk  route  and  followed  that 
business  for  a  period  of  eight  years,  and  was  quite 
successful. 

In  1891  he  established  an  undertaking  busi- 
ness, in  company  with  C.  H.  Sigmund,  at  No. 
440  Noble  Street.  This  connection  continued 
but  one  year,  when  Mr.  Nelles  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  Hilgers,  and  the  name  became 


406 


OSCAR  MEISTER. 


Nelles  &  Hilgers.  They  purchased  the  business 
at  his  present  location  of  Peter  Miller.  In  1895 
Mr.  Nelles  purchased  his  partner's  interest,  and 
has  since  conducted  the  enterprise  alone. 

It  can  be  said,  to  the  credit  of  Mr.  Nelles,  that 
he  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
adopted  country.  He  votes  in  favor  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and,  while  in  Wisconsin,  was  con- 
stable and  town  treasurer  in  Cross  Plains,  Dane 
County.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  Order 


of  Foresters.  November  2,  1869,  he  married 
Miss  Margaret  Moll,  a  native  of  Germany,  and  a 
pleasant  and  congenial  life  companion  she  has 
proven  to  Mr.  Nelles.  Five  children  have  blessed 
this  union,  namely:  Frederick,  William,  Wyand, 
Anna  and  Katharine,  the  last  named  being  the 
wife  of  George  Du  Plain.  Mr.  Nelles  and  family 
are  members  of  St.  Boniface  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  enjoy  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
a  large  circle  of  acquaintances. 


OSCAR  MEISTER. 


0SCAR  MEISTER,  who  is  engaged  in  an 
undertaking  and  embalming  business  at  No. 
357  West  Division  Street,  is  a  member  of  an 
old  pioneer  family  and  has  spent  almost  his  entire 
life  in  Chicago.  He  is  the  eldest  son  of  Charles 
and  Augusta  (Doll)  Meister.  For  further  men- 
tion of  his  ancestors  refer  to  biography  of  Charles 
Meister,  on  another  page  of  this  work.  He  was 
born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  April  24,  1854,  and 
was  only  a  few  weeks  old  when  his  parents  began 
their  journey  to  the  United  States. 

Oscar  Meister  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  city  and  attended  Dyren- 
furth's  Business  College  three  terms.  After 
leaving  school  he  learned  the  trade  of  up- 
holsterer and  worked  at  the  business  eight  years. 
In  1877  he  went  to  Bemeut,  Illinois,  and  estab- 
lished a  furniture  and  undertaking  business,  but 
returned  to  Chicago  after  two  years.  He  subse- 
quently opened  an  undertaking  and  livery  busi- 
ness at  Milwaukee  Avenue  and  Division  Street, 
and  conducted  a  successful  trade  ten  years  at 
that  location.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  re- 
moved to  his  present  place  of  business.  He  has 
always  taken  an  active  interest  in  the  political 
questions  of  the  times.  He  was  formerly  a  Re- 


publican, but  left  that  party  in  1896,  with  many 
others,  being  a  strong  advocate  for  the  free  and 
unlimited  coinage  of  both  gold  and  silver. 

Mr.  Meister  is  a  member  of  Lessing  Lodge  No. 
557,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
Northwestern  Lodge  No.  338,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  besides  these,  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the 
Knights  of  Honor  and  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of 
Honor,  having  served  as  Grand  Treasurer  in 
1894  in  the  last  mentioned  order. 

Besides  being  successful  in  many  undertakings 
of  business,  Mr.  Meister  was  very  fortunate  in 
securing  for  a  wife,  a  pleasant,  congenial  lady  of 
refinement,  Matilda,  daughter  of  Charles  Ort- 
mann,  who  became  Mrs.  Meister  September  26, 
1878.  Two  children  blessed  this  union,  and 
have  been  named  Viola  and  Chester.  Mr.  Meis- 
ter is  endeavoring  to  do  his  best  for  his  children 
and  make  them  a  credit  to  mankind  in  general 
and  to  the  name  they  bear.  They  are  both  inter- 
esting and  of  pleasant  dispositions. 

Though  not  connected  with  any  religious  de- 
nomination, Mr.  Meister  was  reared  in  the  faith 
of  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  encourages  any 
move  made  for  the  benefit  of  the  people. 


ADAM  BLACKBURN. 


407 


ADAM  BLACKBURN. 


61  DAM  BLACKBURN,  who  is  a  descendant 
J  I  of  a  very  old  English  family,  was  born  Feb- 
l\  ruary  10,  1833,  in  Burnley,  Lancashire, 
England.  He  is  a  son  of  John  and  Ellen  Black- 
burn, and  is  one  of  Chicago's  most  worthy  and 
respected  citizens.  His  grandfather,  John  Black- 
burn, was  a  florist  and  gardener,  whose  children 
were:  John,  Robert  and  ThoJias.  John  Black- 
burn, father  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this 
article,  was  a  blast-tender  in  Moslam's  foundry  in 
Burnley.  His  children  were  Margaret,  Alice  and 
Adam.  The  first  daughter  was  born  in  1827,  is 
married  and  lives  in  Burnley.  Her  sister,  born 
in  1829,  is  also  married,  and  living  in  the  city  of 
her  birth. 

Adam  Blackburn  learned  the  trade  of  cotton - 
spinner  in  Burnley,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  entered  upon  the  struggle  of  life,  immedi- 
ately drawing  journeyman's  wages.  He  was  oc- 
cupied as  spinner  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out 
in  the  United  States,  and  emigrated  to  America 
in  1863,  arriving  in  Chicago  July  23.  He  left 
Liverpool  July  i,  on  the  "Edinboro."  With  his 
wife  and  four  children,  he  entered  life  in  America 
with  a  persevering  spirit  and  energy  that  was  ad- 
mirable. 

He  began  shoveling  grain  for  the  Illinois  Cen- 
tral Railroad  Company,  and  after  a  short  time  re- 
solved to  learn  the  occupation  of  a  coffee  roaster. 
He  therefore  entered  the  employ  of  A.  N.  Thomp- 
son, on  Canal  Street,  since  which  time  he  has 
been  in  his  service.  The  firm  name  later  became 


Thompson  &  Taylor,  and  is  now  the  Thompson 
&  Taylor  Spice  Company.  The  concern  moved 
to  No.  40  South  Water  Street,  and  was  burned 
out  at  the  time  of  the  great  fire  of  1871.  They 
returned  to  the  old  building  on  Canal  Street  and 
later  were  to  be  found  at  No.  40  South  Water 
Street,  in  their  former  quarters.  The  concern 
built  at  the  corner  of  Michigan  Avenue  and  Lake 
Street  and  is  now  located  at  that  point. 

For  twenty  years  Mr.  Blackburn  had  charge  of 
the  coffee  roaster  and  later  took  charge  of  the 
night  watch,  in  which  capacity  he  is  now  serving. 
He  has  held  this  position  the  past  eleven  years 
and  is  one  of  the  best  and  most  diligent  men  in 
the  firm's  employ.  Twenty  years  ago  he  pur- 
chased his  present  property,  at  No.  244  Bissell 
Street,  and  has  since  resided  at  this  number.  He 
has  always  lived  on  the  North  Side  since  locating 
in  Chicago,  and  was  at  one  time  at  the  corner  of 
Michigan  Avenue  and  Cass  Street.  He  lost  all 
his  buildings  in  the  great  fire  and  was  later  lo- 
cated on  Towusend  Avenue  near  Chicago  Avenue. 

October  9,  1854,  Mr.  Blackburn  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Astin,  daughter  of  John  Astin. 
She  was  born  July  14,  1836,  in  the  town  of 
Leeds,  Lancashire,  England,  and  died  April  13, 
1887.  Her  remains  were  interred  in  Rosehill 
Cemetery.  Of  her  sons,  William  M.  and  John 
Edward,  further  notice  appears  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  Thomas  Astin,  the  youngest  son,  was 
born  March  17,  1860,  in  Burnley,  England.  He 
attended  school  at  the  Newberry  School  until  fif- 


408 


HERMAN  BRAUN. 


teen  years  of  age,  and  then  took  a  business  course 
at  the  old  Metropolitan  Business  College,  which 
lasted  six  months.  He  was  some  time  at  the 
Kinzie  School,  also.  In  the  summer  of  1871  he 
entered  the  store  of  Marshall  Field  &  Company, 
as  cash  boy,  and  lost  his  position  at  the  time  of 
the  fire.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Thompson  &  Taylor  Spice  Company,  and  for  a 
time  was  in  the  mill.  He  has  been  doing  clerical 
work  for  the  concern  since  1892. 

Thomas  Astin  Blackburn  was  married  October 
10,  1887,  to  Corrinne  Dugas,  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Nicholas  and  Vitiline  (Proulx)  Dugas.  Mrs. 
T.  A.  Blackburn  was  born  in  Kankakee,  Illinois, 
January  12,  1870.  For  her  ancestry  refer  to 
article  on  the  life  of  B.  N.  Dugas,  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  T.  A.  Blackburn  are  as  follows:  June  Eliza- 
beth, born  June  9,  1891;  James  Clarence,  October 
30,  1892;  and  Percival  Thomas,  July  3,  1890, 
died  November  16,  1890.  Elizabeth  Ellen  is  the 


youngest  child  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this 
article,  and  was  born  January  9,  1862.  She  mar- 
ried Frank  Spamer,  and  resides  at  No.  303  Shef- 
field Avenue. 

Adam  Blackburn  married,  for  his  second  wife, 
Mary,  daughter  of  James  Franklin  and  Bridget 
(Barry)  Robinson.  She  was  born  April  22,  1864, 
on  a  farm  three  miles  from  Thorn  Hill,  Ontario, 
Canada,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1868.  Her  chil- 
dren are  as  follows:  Oliver,  born  February  7, 
1890;  George  Evans,  July  6,  1892;  Wendell,  July 
24,  1895;  Dwight  Moody,  who  was  born  May  24, 
1897,  an<i  died  November  7,  1897;  and  Eugene 
Field,  born  Sepember  14,  1898. 

Adam  Blackburn  is  a  Republican,  and  votes  in 
favor  of  the  candidates  of  this  party  at  all  oppor- 
tunities. He  was  active  in  the  Odd  Fellows  in 
England,  and  belonged  to  the  I.  N.  G.  Lodge  of 
Burnley.  It  is  one  of  the  oldest  lodges  in  that 
country,  and  in  the  year  he  left  for  America  he 
was  Past  Provincial  Grand  Master. 


HERMAN  BRAUN. 


HERMAN  BRAUN,  JUNIOR.  The  most 
skilful  and  noted  musicians  have  been  Ger- 
mans, or  descended  from  this  sturdy  and 
cultured  race,  and  the  following  article  on  the 
life  of  one  of  the  finest  musicians  Chicago  boasts, 
proves  the  rule.  Herman  Braun,  junior,  is  the 
son  of  a  well-known  musician  and  has  for  many 
years  been  connected  with  the  Thomas  Orchestra. 
He  was  born  April  3,  1863,  in  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin, a  son  of  Herman  and  Dorothea  Braun. 
For  further  mention  of  his  ancestry,  refer  to  arti- 
cle on  Herman  Braun,  senior,  on  another  page 
of  this  volume. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  attended  the  Kinzie 
School  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  be- 
gan the  study  of  music  at  twelve  years  of  age. 


His  first  lessons  were  given  by  William  Fehl,  now 
leading  violinist  of  the  orchestra  at  McVicker's 
theater,  all  his  study  being  on  the  violin.  After 
a  short  time  under  the  instruction  of  Adolph  Ro- 
senbecker,  he  took  lessons  of  Samuel  Jacobson , 
professor  at  the  Chicago  Musical  College.  He 
studied  music  six  years,  making  a  specialty  of 
the  violin,  under  instructors,  and  has  never  ceased 
to  keep  his  attention  on  the  progress  of  the  World 
of  Music.  For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  with  the 
Chicago  Orchestra,  his  first  work  being  at  Mc- 
Vicker's Theater,  when  he  was  but  fourteen  years 
of  age.  He  gives  lessons  to  pupils  at  their  homes 
or  his  own  residence,  and  is  pronounced  a  pro- 
ficient and  altogether  profitable  instructor. 

Since  1893  Mr.  Braun    has  possessed  the  house 


G.  H.  WELBOURN. 


409 


which  he  occupies,  at  No.  5614  Dearborn  Street, 
a  comfortable  and  desirable  home.  Nothing  is 
more  conducive  to  the  success  and  happiness  of  a 
man,  no  matter  what  his  vocation,  than  a  pleas- 
ant, helpful  life  companion,  such  as  Mr.  Braun 
was  able  to  obtain.  He  was  married  April  5, 
1885,  to  Mary  Magdalena,  daughter  of  Christian 
and  Elizabeth  (Lippert)  Nurnberger.  Mrs. 
Braun  was  born  June  28,  1862,  at  the  corner  of 
Clark  and  Ontario  Streets.  For  further  mention 
of  her  ancestry  refer  to  biography  of  Christian 
Henry  Nurnberger,  on  another  page  of  this 
work. 


Herman  Braun  is  connected  with  Lincoln  Coun- 
cil No.  9,  Royal  League.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Musical  Society  and  Chicago  Aschen- 
brodel-Verein.  He  is  independent  in  political 
views,  voting  in  favor  of  the  man,  who,  in  his 
opinion,  is  best  fitted  to  fill  public  office.  Mr. 
Braun's  talents  cannot  be  overrated,  and  by  pa- 
tient application  he  has  attained  a  degree  of  skill  in 
violin-playing  that  is  seldom  equaled,  and  sur- 
passed by  but  few  in  Chicago.  The  above-men- 
tioned fact  is  proved  by  his  long  service  with  the 
Chicago  Orchestra,  the  famous  Thomas  organiza- 
tion. 


GEORGE  H.  WELBOURN. 


(gjEORGE  HENRY  WELBOURN,  one  of  the 

b  native  sons  of  Cook  County,  is  now  engaged 
in  business  in  his  native  place.  His  grand- 
father, Thomas  Welbourn,  was  an  early  resident 
of  the  county,  and  is  mentioned  at  some  length 
in  this  volume,  in  connection  with  the  biography 
ofW.  T.  Welbourn. 

John  Welbourn,  father  of  the. subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  April  10,  1839,  in  Lund,  York- 
shire, England,  and  came  to  America  with  his 
father's  family  in  1845,  arriving  at  Chicago  and 
Summit  on  the  fourth  day  of  July.  He  was  early 
accustomed  to  assist  his  father,  as  far  as  he  was 
able,  in  the  conduct  of  his  daily  labors,  and 
never  enjoyed  any  educational  advantages  ex- 
cept such  as  the  broad  American  civilization  af- 
fords to  every  intelligent  citizen.  At  the  time 
when  the  family  settled  at  "The  Summit,"  there 
were  no  schools  within  his  reach,  t  and  he  soon 
set  out  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  The 
early  death  of  his  father  increased  his  responsi- 
bilities, and  at  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  began 
as  a  farm  laborer.  Of  his  monthly  stipend  of 
seven  dollars,  six-sevenths  were  regularly  turned 
over  to  his  mother,  to  assist  her  in  caring  for  the 


younger  children.  These  early  experiences  taught 
him  to  be  frugal,  and  his  natural  industry  in- 
sured his  advancement  in  the  world.  After  a 
time  he  was  enabled  to  fill  a  man's  place  on  the 
canal,  in  railroad  labor  and  elsewhere.  For  a 
period  of  two  and  one-half  years  he  tilled  forty 
acres  of  land  which  he  rented,  and  at  the  end  of 
this  period  he  purchased  a  house  in  the  village  of 
Summit  and  turned  his  attention  to  teaming. 
This  occupied  him  twenty  years  or  more,  and  his 
diligence  and  good  management  enabled  him  to 
purchase  land  which  he  tilled.  This  ground  was 
sold  to  the  Sanitary  District  of  Chicago  for  the 
use  of  the  drainage  canal,  and  Mr.  Welbourn  re- 
tired from  active  labor.  At  this  time  he  pur- 
chased the  hotel  which  is  operated  by  his  son, 
with  whom  he  continues  to  reside.  His  first 
house  in  Summit  was  burned  after  the  war  (as 
afterwards  discovered,  by  an  incendiary,  who 
took  this  means  to  hide  the  theft  of  a  sum  of 
money  from  the  house).  This  was  a  hard  blow 
to  Mr.  Welbourn,  as  all  his  savings  were  lost,  but 
he  did  not  repine,  and  set  to  work  to  repair  his 
fortunes. 

In   1858    Mr.   Welbourn   married    Mrs.    Mary 


410 


J.  C.  CHRISTENSEN. 


Connors  (born  Smith),  widow  of  Ned  Connors. 
She  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  died  at  Summit 
in  1891.  During  the  absence  of  her  husband  in 
the  Union  army,  she  conducted  the  hotel  now 
managed  by  her  son,  and  thus  supported  her 
family.  She  had  two  sons,  John  and  James 
Connors,  the  latter  being  now  deceased,  and  the 
other  a  resident  of  Chicago.  She  gave  three 
sons  to  Mr.  Welbourn,  namely:  Thomas,  Will- 
iam and  George.  The  first  is  the  owner  of  a 
store  at  Summit,  which  is  now  rented,  and  was 
until  recently  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at 
l,a  Grange.  The  second  is  a  farmer  at  Effing- 
ham,  Illinois,  and  the  third  is  he  whose  name 
heads  this  notice.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Wel- 
bourn wedded  Mrs.  Julia,  widow  of  William 
Corbett,  who  was  born  Tobin,  in  this  country,  of 
Irish  parents.  Mr.  Welbourn  and  family  are 
affiliated  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and 
he  and  his  sons  are  faithful  supporters  of  the 
Democratic  party  in  political  matters. 

Early  in  1864,  Mr.  Welbourn  enlisted  as  a 
recruit  in  Company  I,  Forty-fourth  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
Civil  war.  He  experienced  the  hardships  of  the 
veteran  soldier,  taking  part  in  the  Tennessee 
campaign  under  General  Thomas,  and  participat- 
ing in  the  hard-fought  battles  of  Franklin,  Spring 
Hill  and  the  two  battles  of  Nashville.  At  Frank- 
lin his  head  was  grazed  by  a  bullet  which  inflicted 
a  scalp  wound,  and  at  the  same  contest  another 


bullet  bent  his  belt-buckle  double,  the  buckle 
alone  saving  his  life.  Out  of  the  full  regiment 
of  one  thousand  and  one  men,  only  one  hundred 
and  sixty  came  back  to  Nashville  at  the  close  of 
this  terrible  service. 

George  Henry  Welbourn  was  born  in  the  year 
1866,  in  the  house  where  he  now  conducts  a  hotel, 
and  has  passed  his  entire  life  in  and  near  the 
village  of  Summit.  His  education  was  supplied 
by  the  public  schools  of  this  place.  When  he  ap- 
proached man's  estate  he  became  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  management  of  his  affairs,  and 
took  active  charge  in  the  spring  of  1893,  when 
they  became  proprietors  of  the  hotel.  In  con- 
nection with  this  he  maintains  a  weighing  scale, 
which  is  a  great  convenience  to  the  farmers  and 
business  men  of  the  vicinity. 

May  i,  1895,  Mr.  Welbourn  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna  Corbett,  who  was  born  in  Chicago, 
and  is  a  daughter  of  the  late  William  Corbett  and 
of  John  Welbourn' s  second  wife,  as  above  shown. 
The  other  children  of  Mr.  Corbett,  Lida  and 
John  Corbett,  are  residents  of  Chicago.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  George  Welbourn  have  a  son,  born  Au- 
gust 6,  1897,  and  christened  George  Francis,  a 
very  bright  and  promising  child. 

Mr.  Welbouru  is  widely  known  in  the  southern 
part  of  Cook  County,  and  is  a  genial  and  sound- 
minded  gentleman.  The  confidence  of  his  neigh- 
bors is  shown  in  the  fact  that  he  has  served  them 
six  years  as  a  trustee  of  the  village  of  Summit. 


JENS  C.  CHRISTENSEN. 


(TENS  CHRISTIAN  CHRISTENSEN.who  is 
I  a  skilled  and  competent  watchmaker  and 
(2/  jeweler,  belongs  to  the  class  of  men  who  have 
learned  the  art  of  their  profession  in  a  foreign 
land,  where  instructors  are  severe  and  the  term 
of  apprenticeship  long,  and  traveled  to  the  United 


States  to  practice  where  services  are  better  re- 
warded. He  is  well  known  in  the  vicinity  where 
his  business  is  located  and  his  ability  in  his  line 
is  recognized. 

Mr.  Christensen  was  born   April  26,  1841,  in 
Denmark,  and  is  the  only  child  of  Christian  John- 


H.  L.  HUGUELET. 


411 


son  and  his  beloved  wife.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  and  learned  the  trade  which  he  has 
followed  since  in  the  region  of  his  birthplace.  He 
passed  through  the  long  apprenticeship  of  five 
years,  bravely  and  successfully,  and  emerged  a 
watchmaker  and  repairer  of  the  first  class.  After 
being  employed  in  Copenhagen  two  years,  he  loca- 
ted in  the  western  part  of  Denmark,  where  he 
established  a  business  in  manufacturing  time- 
pieces. He  remained  in  the  vicinity  and  in  the 
same  business  twenty  years. 

In  1884  Mr.  Christensen  decided  to  come  to 
America  and  embarked  for  this  country.  He 
traveled  directly  to  Chicago  and  opened  business 
at  No.  96  Ohio  Street,  remaining  at  this  number 
three  years,  conducting  a  repair  shop.  He  re- 
moved to  No.  57  Huron  Street,  where  he  re- 


mained until  1896,  at  which  time  he  went  to  his 
present  location,  No.  765  West  North  Avenue. 
He  is  a  first  class  business  man  and  turns  out 
some  very  fine  work. 

Mr.  Christensen  was  married  before  he  left  the 
land  of  his  nativity,  in  1870,  to  Miss  Christiana 
Anderson.  They  became  the  parents  of  two  sons, 
who  are  a  credit  to  the  rearing  they  have  received 
and  to  their  parents'  name.  Christ,  the  older,  is 
a  jeweler,  living  in  the  State  of  Missouri.  John 
resides  in  Chicago,  on  the  North  Side.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Christensen  are  refined  and  intelligent  peo- 
ple and  move  in  very  good  society.  They  are 
influential  members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
Church,  in  which  they  are  useful  in  many  ways. 
They  are  possessed  of  quiet  and  kindly  minds,  and 
their  home  is  one  of  harmony  and  happiness. 


HENRY  L,   HUGUELET. 


HENRY  LOUIS  HUGUELET,  who  comes 
of  an  old  and  highly  respected  family,  has 
spent  his  entire  life  in  the  land  of  his  birth. 
He  was  born  March  6,  1852,  in  Milwaukee,  Wis- 
consin, which  city  was  at  that  time  a  mere 
country  town.  For  his  ancestry  see  article  on 
the  life  of  Louis  Huguelet,  on  another  page  of 
this  work.  The  rudiments  of  his  education  were 
obtained  in  the  Ogden  School,  in  Chicago,  but 
his  practical  knowledge  has  been  gained  in  the 
vast  school  of  experience,  which  has  turned  out 
so  many  successful,  useful  men.  On  reaching 
the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  left  school  and  was 
employed  one  year  in  the  tin  shop  of  the  Adams 
&  Westlake  Company.  He  also  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  Mr.  Clusher  the  same  length  of  time,  and 
six  subsequent  months  worked  in  the  interests  of 
T.  Alemdinger. 

He  was  for  a  term  of  sixteen  years  in  the  serv- 
ice of  Burley  &  Company,  wholesale  dealers  in 


crockery,  which  length  of  time  in  the  employ  of 
one  concern  proves  his  integrity  and  power  to 
satisfy  the  demands  of  an  employer.  He  was 
seven  years  in  Marshall  Field  &  Company's  re- 
tail store  and  since  that  time  was  two  years 
caging  on  the  Lake  tunnel.  This  position  was 
only  temporary  and  has  since  become  extinct, 
as  the  tunnel  was  finished.  At  whatever  Mr. 
Huguelet  becomes  occupied,  he  is  sure  to  succeed, 
as  he  is  naturally  energetic  and  ambitious,  and 
his  fine  characteristics  are  recognized,  without 
fail. 

Being  economical  and  wishing  to  thrive,  Mr. 
Huguelet  became  able,  in  1887,  to  build  a  resi- 
dence at  No.  1493  Roscoe  Street,  which  was  the 
first  residence  built  on  that  street.  He  resides 
here  with  his  family,  the  house  furnishing  a  very 
comfortable  home.  He  was  very  fortunate  in 
securing  a  helpmate  whose  influence  is  conducive 
to  his  success  and  who  is  an  aid  in  all  matters  of 


4I2 


WILLIAM  MOGENSEN. 


business  or  social  importance.  He  was  married 
August  2,  1881,  to  Miss  Nellie,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Jane  (Hamilton)  Orr.  Mrs.  Hugue- 
let  was  born  in  Chicago,  and  has  two  children, 
Robert  Edward,  who  was  born  July,  3,  1882,  and 
Henry  David,  November  26,  1883.  Mrs.  Jane 
Orr  and  her  sou,  James,  reside  at  No.  12  Water- 
loo Place,  Chicago. 


Mr.  Huguelet  is  identified  with  Press  Council 
No.  71,  National  Union,  in  which  he  is  promi- 
nent and  well  known.  He  is  a  staunch  Republi- 
can and  lends  his  influence  in  favor  of  his  party 
at  all  times.  He  is  a  good,  honorable  citizen  of 
Chicago,  does  all  in  his  power  toward  the  uplift- 
ing of  mankind  in  general,  and  tries  to  rear  his 
children  in  the  way  which  they  should  go. 


WILLIAM  MOGENSEN. 


MOGENSEN,  though  a  native 
of  a  foreign  country,  is  a  notable  example 
of  what  may  be  accomplished  by  that  un- 
tiring energy  and  thrift  for  which  Americans  are 
justly  noted.  He  was  born  in  the  city  of  Copen- 
hagen, Denmark,  June  26,  1864,  and  is  the  son 
of  a  butcher  of  that  place.  He  received  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  common  school  education,  supple- 
mented by  a  course  in  a  high  school.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  years  he  entered  his  father's  shop  to 
learn  the  trade,  and  put  forth  every  effort  to  be- 
come a  practical  workman.  He  continued  in  his 
father's  employ  until  1886,  when  he  married  and 
opened  a  shop  of  his  own,  which  he  conducted 
successfully  about  four  years.  He  had  already 
shown  an  aptitude  for  business,  and  in  1890  left 
his  native  town,  traveling  directly  to  Chicago, 
where  he  knew  many  of  his  fellow-countrymen 
had  found  comfortable  homes  and  good  business 
advantages.  Having  acquired  but  little  knowl- 
edge of  the  language  and  business  methods  of  the 
city  of  his  adoption,  Mr.  Mogensen  was  not  able 
to  take  up  the  business  for  which  he  had  already 
fitted  himself,  but  was  obliged  to  seek  some  form 
of  manual  labor.  His  determination  to  succeed, 
however,  made  him  welcome  any  form  of  honest 
employment,  his  first  attempt  being  as  a  hod  car- 
rier. He  subsequently  worked  five  months  for 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  and  six 


months  for  Marshall  Field.  He  saved  his  money 
carefully,  at  the  same  time  doing  his  best  to 
master  the  English  language,  and  in  1892  was 
enabled  to  open  a  meat  market  in  Armitage  Av- 
enue. His  capital  at  that  time  amounted  to  but 
sixty -five  dollars,  and  some  idea  of  the  success  of 
his  business  may  be  obtained  from  the  fact  that 
his  present  stock  is  valued  at  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars. To  his  skill  as  a  practical  butcher  is  due 
no  small  amount  of  his  success,  but  the  greater 
part  must  be  attributed  to  his  rare  business  saga- 
city and  persevering  energy.  Though  at  first 
his  business  was  necessarily  small,  he  soon  won 
the  trade  of  the  best  people  in  his  locality,  his 
judgment  in  the  selection  of  goods  being  of  the 
first  order.  He  had  served  an  apprenticeship  in 
all  branches  of  his  trade  and,  as  his  business  in- 
creased, he  began  packing  meats  and  manufac- 
turing various  meat  products.  He  found  a  ready 
sale  for  these  and  has  a  good  trade  among  other 
retailers  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  city.  In 
1898  he  bought  the  building  at  No.  759  Armitage 
Avenue,  so  that  his  establishment  includes  three 
buildings,  Nos.  755,  757  and  759,  in  that  street. 
As  Mr.  Mogensen  is  still  comparatively  a  young 
man,  it  is  easy  to  predict  for  him  continued 
success,  and  the  accumulation  of  a  considerable 
fortune. 

Despite  the  fact  that  business  cares  take  a  large 


HENRY  MEINHEIT. 


part  of  his  attention,  the  subject  of  this  notice 
finds  ample  time  for  various  social  obligations. 
He  is  a  member  of  Denmark  Lodge  No.  112, 
Knights  of  Pythias;  Commonwealth  Council,  No. 
72,  of  the  Royal  League;  Jefferson  Lodge  No. 
20,  Order  of  Columbian  Knights;  and  Chicago 
Lodge,  No.  17,  of  the  Danish  Brotherhood.  Po- 


litically he  is  a  Republican.  His  business  con- 
nections have  given  him  a  wide  acquaintance  and 
he  has  many  friends  among  all  classes.  Mrs. 
Mogensen  is  also  a  native  of  Copenhagen,  and 
has  been  a  true  helpmeet,  assisting  her  husband 
very  materially  in  the  conduct  of  his  business. 
They  have  one  son,  William. 


HENRY  MEINHEIT. 


HENRY  MEINHEIT  is  a  worthy  representa- 
tive of  the  German- American  citizen,  a  pio- 
neer, and  a  resident  of  Chicago  for  more 
than  fifty  years.     He  was  born  in   Marklendorf, 
Hanover,  Germany,  July  25,  1825,  and  is  a  son 
of  J.  H.   and   Marie    (Brown)    Meinheit,  both  of 
whom  died  in  the  Fatherland. 

The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  H.  Meinheit  consis- 
ted of  three  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely :  Hein- 
rich,  who  died  in  Cook  County;  Frederick,  also 
deceased;  Mary,  who  became  the  wife  of  Diedrick 
Kruse,  and  died  in  Cook  County.  Henry  is  the 
only  one  now  living. 

He  was  educated  in  the  parish  schools  and 
after  leaving  school  learned  the  trade  of  shoe- 
maker, serving  four  years,  after  which  he  trav- 
eled from  city  to  city,  working  at  his  trade.  May 
15,  1847,  ne  sailed  from  Bremen  Harbor,  in  a 
sailing  ship,  bound  for  Quebec,  where  he  landed 
after  a  sail  of  nine  weeks  and  two  days.  He 
came  directly  to  Chicago  by  water,  the  trip  from 
Quebec  to  Chicago  occupying  two  weeks  and 
one  day. 

On  his  arrival  in  America  he  was  poor  in  fi- 
nances, and  was  some  fifty  dollars  in  debt.  For 
a  few  mouths  after  landing  he  worked  for  a 
dollar  per  week  and  board,  and  then  was  com- 
pensated by  twelve  dollars  per  month.  For  six 
years  he  was  in  the  sen-ice  of  one  concern  and 
then  started  in  business  for  himself,  at  No.  336 


Milwaukee  Avenue.  He  purchased  his  lot  for 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  dollars,  and  erected 
the  fourth  house  on  the  street.  At  this  location 
he  conducted  business  eight  years.  Four  years 
after  locating  there  he  built  another  house  in  the 
same  block,  on  Green  Street,  and  at  the  end  of 
eight  years  he  removed  to  Salt  Creek,  Du  Page 
County,  and  there  carried  on  a  shoe  shop  nine 
years,  with  good  success.  He  subsequently  sold 
out  and  returned  to  Chicago,  locating  at  No.  256 
West  Chicago  Avenue,  on  property  he  purchased 
while  living  in  the  country,  and  has  lived  here 
continuously  since.  He  built  the  house  in  1871, 
and  has  since  lived  in  retirement.  By  careful 
attention  to  business,  and  judiciously  investing 
his  savings  in  real  estate,  he  has  become  wealthy. 
Besides  his  property  on  Chicago  Avenue  and  on 
Ayers  Court,  he  owns  a  section  of  land  in  Jackson 
County,  Minnesota. 

Mr.  Meinheit  has  supported  the  Republican 
party  since  Lincoln  was  first  elected  President, 
but  never  sought  public  office  of  any  kind.  He 
has  supported  every  movement  for  the  benefit  of 
the  city.  He  was  married  in  Chicago,  September 
15,  1849,  to  Mary  Diercks,  a  native  of  Germany, 
who  came  to  Chicago  in  1845.  They  had  seven 
children,  namely:  Carrie,  now  deceased;  Sophia, 
wife  of  Otto  Meinheit,  of  Matteson,  Cook  County; 
Henry,  deceased;  Augusta;  Mary,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Christ  Brinckman  and  died  in  Sep- 


414 


CHRISTIAN  SINK. 


tetnber,  1898;  Melinda,  wife  of  John  Peter  Gon- 
dolf,  of  Chicago;  and  Rosa,  who  died  in  child- 
hood. The  mother  died  April  i,  1892.  The 
family  is  connected  with  St.  Peter's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.    Meinheit   has   been  a  member  of  Goethe 
Lodge  No.  329,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 


lows, for  over  thirty  years.  During  his  residence 
of  more  than  half  a  century  in  Cook  County,  he 
has  proved  himself  an  honest,  industrious,  capa- 
ble man  of  affairs,  a  loyal  citizen  and  true  friend, 
and  has  endeared  himself  to  a  host  of  friends,  who 
honor  him  for  his  sterling  integrity  and  upright- 
ness of  character. 


CHRISTIAN  SINK. 


CHRISTIAN  SINK,  who  has  been  a  loyal 
1 1  and  worthy  citizen  of  the  United  States 
U  since  the  day  of  his  birth,  is  an  employe  of 
the  Chicago  City  Railway  Company  and  a  mem- 
ber of  an  old  and  highly  respected  family.  He 
was  born  February  8,  1861,  in  Michigan.  For 
his  ancestry  refer  to  the  article  on  the  life  of 
Bernhardt  Sink,  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
Like  many  another  successful  man,  he  has  ob- 
tained the  bulk  of  his  education  in  the  vast 
school  of  experience,  and  has  a  practical  knowl- 
edge of  the  world,  which  stands  him  in  good 
stead  at  all  times. 

His  first  employment  was  in  running  errands, 
and  after  one  year  was  occupied  as  driver,  and 
subsequently  removed  to  Wisconsin.  He  was  by 
this  time  old  enough  to  assist  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  in  the  summer  was  employed  on  river 
boats.  His  work  took  him  to  the  woods  near 
Winona,  Minnesota.  This  is  a  lumber  district  of 
wide  renown,  and  a  strong  man  can  find  plenty 
of  employment  at  almost  any  time  in  this  region. 
Mr.  Sink  was  in  the  service  of  the  Lossig  Bridge 
Company  one  year,  after  which  he  concluded  to 
change  his  location  and  mode  of  living. 

Mr.  Sink  came  to  Chicago  in  the  summer  of 
1886,  and  was  employed  in  iron  works  for  a  few 
months.  He  then  entered  the  service  of  the  com- 
pany that  now  employs  him,  the  Chicago  City 
Railway  Company,  as  grip  lifter.  He  occupied 


this  position  six  years  and  was  then  made  barn 
man,  and  is  thus  occupied  at  the  present  time. 
He  is  a  valued  employe,  and  is  admired  and  hon- 
ored by  all  who  come  in  contact  with  his  genial, 
generous  nature. 

Conducive  to  the  success  and  good  character  of 
a  man  is  a  pleasant,  helpful  life  companion.  It 
was  Mr.  Sink's  good  fortune  to  obtain  a  lady 
meeting  these  requirements  and  those  of  refine- 
ment and  culture.  Miss  Mary  Agnes  Crane, 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Hoare)  Crane,  be- 
came Mrs.  Christian  Sink  December  n,  1881. 
Mrs.  Sink  was  born  in  Lowell,  Massachusetts, 
about  the  year  1861.  She  came  West  with  her 
parents  when  she  was  three  years  of  age,  and 
lived  in  La  Salle,  Illinois. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sink  are  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Frank  Elmer,  born  June  20, 
1884;  Flora  Marie,  November  22,  1886;  Benjamin 
Bernard,  November  5,  1891;  William,  February 
n,  1893;  Christian,  June  27,  1896;  and  Joseph, 
July  17,  1897.  They  compose  a  very  bright  and 
interesting  family,  and  are  a  credit  to  their 
parents. 

Christian  Sink  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  follows  the  teach- 
ings of  his  fathers.  He  is  a  staunch  Democrat  in 
political  matters.  He  is  a  well-known  man,  and 
his  excellent  qualities  of  heart  are  recognized  and 
win  him  many  lasting  friends. 


A.  C.  DUCAT. 


415 


GEN.  ARTHUR  C.  DUCAT. 


/2JEN.  ARTHUR  CHARLES  DUCAT  was 
|_  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  on  the  24th  of  Feb- 
\.J  ruary,  1830.  His  father,  Mungo  Moray 
Ducat,  was  a  gentleman  who  traced  his  lineage 
from  a  very  ancient  Highland  family,  renowned 
in  the  annals  of  Scotland.  He  was  a  native  of 
Cupar  Angus,  but  in  early  life  removed  to  New 
Lawn,  County  Dublin,  Ireland,  where  he  also 
possessed  large  estates.  His  wife,  Dorcas  Julia 
Atkinson,  was  born  in  County  Armagh,  Ireland, 
and  died  in  Downer's  Grove,  Illinois,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1889,  aged  eighty-six  years.  Her  father 
was  an  Englishman,  of  Cambridgeshire. 

Arthur  C.  Ducat  was  educated  at  private 
schools  in  his  native  city,  and  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years  came  to  America  with  the  inten- 
tion of  becoming  a  civil  engineer.  He  pursued 
that  profession  for  some  years  on  important  rail- 
road lines  and  other  public  works.  This  occupa- 
tion was  abandoned  when  he  was  tendered  the 
position  of  Secretary  and  General  Surveyor  of  the 
Board  of  Underwriters  of  Chicago,  which  position 
he  accepted  and  occupied  until  the  opening  of  the 
Civil  War.  In  the  mean  time  he  began  to  mani- 
fest a  keen  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  city,  and 
organized,  drilled  and  disciplined  the  Citizens' 
Fire  Brigade,  a  semi-military  and  armed  body  of 
citizens.  Their  duties  were  to  attend  fires  and  save 
and  guard  property  and  life.  This  action  also 
had  a  deeper  meaning,  for  Ducat  had  resolved  to 
abolish  the  old  '  'volunteer' '  fire  department  and 


introduce  a  new  one  in  its  place  on  a  paid  and 
disciplined  basis,  employing  steam  fire-engines. 
He  was  obliged  to  protect  the  first  engines 
brought  to  Chicago  from  the  demonstrations  and 
attacks  of  mobs,  incited  by  the  bad  element  of  the 
volunteer  department,  which  he  did  by  the  aid  of 
his  fire  brigade.  He  wrote  the  ordinances  estab- 
lishing and  substituting  steam  engines  for  the  old 
hand  machines,  and  enlisted  the  vote  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  to  adopt  it. 

Upon  the  beginning  of  hostilities  between  the 
North  and  the  South,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to 
offer  substantial  aid  in  support  ot  the  Government. 
His  taste  had  led  him  to  the  study  of  military 
history  and  science,  and  he  knew  as  much  of  the 
art  of  war  as  a  lieutenant  fresh  from  West  Point. 
The  roar  of  the  first  guns  had  scarcely  ceased 
before  he  had  raised  and  offered — first  to  the  State 
of  Illinois  and  then  to  the  National  Government 
— a  corps  of  three  hundred  engineers,  sappers  and 
miners.  Many  of  these  men  were  professionals 
who  had  seen  service  and  understood  the  details 
of  field  and  permanent  fortifications,  and  works 
connected  therewith,  the  rapid  construction  of 
bridges,  roads,  etc.  The  Government  was  not 
aware,  however,  of  the  struggle  before  it  and  per- 
haps thought  that  engineers  would  not  be  neces- 
sary. So  Ducat  was  chagrined  and  disappointed 
by  the  rejection  of  what  he  foresaw  would  be  a 
much-needed  service:  Notwithstanding  this  re- 
fusal, he  immediately  enlisted  as  a  private,  and 


416 


A.  C.  DUCAT. 


in  April,  1861,  became  a  member  of  the  Twelfth 
Illinois  Infantry.  He  was  without  political,  gov- 
ernmental or  family  influence,  and  resolved  to  do 
his  duty  and  depend  upon  his  merits  for  promo- 
tion. Although  a  good  horseman,  he  selected 
the  infantry  arm  of  the  service,  as  he  believed  it 
would  do  most  of  the  fighting.  His  regiment 
was  among  the  first  that  seized  the  important 
strategic  point  of  Cairo  and  supported  General 
Lyon  in  taking  possession  of  the  arsenal  at  St. 
Louis.  It  was  not  long  before  Ducat's  military 
acquirements  and  capabilities  were  appreciated. 
Within  a  month  he  was  commissioned  Second 
Lieutenant,  and  afterwards  appointed  Adjutant  of 
the  regiment.  Upon  the  expiration  of  the  three 
months  for  which  he  had  enlisted,  he  was  again 
enrolled  for  three  years  in  the  same  regiment,  and 
appointed  Captain  of  Company  A.  The  Twelfth 
formed  a  part  of  the  brigade  that  first  occupied 
the  sacred  soil  of  Kentucky,  taking  possession  of 
Paducah  in  August,  1861.  Here  he  was  pro- 
moted to  be  Major  of  his  regiment,  and  in  the 
month  of  April  following,  at  Fort  Donelson, 
he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  In  August,  1862,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  command  of  the  grand  guards,  pickets  and 
outposts  for  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  When 
Major-General  Ord  was  appointed  to  the  com- 
mand, Ducat  was  ordered  to  his  staff,  and  when 
Major-General  Rosecrans  relieved  General  Ord, 
Ducat  was  attached  to  the  staff  of  the  former.  At 
Rosecrans'  great  battle  of  Corinth  and  the  subse- 
quent pursuit  of  the  enemy,  he  served  as  acting 
Chief  of  Staff  and  Inspector-General,  and  so  con- 
ducted himself  as  to  receive  the  warmest  con- 
gratulations of  his  superior  officers,  not  only  for 
bravery,  but  for  efficiency,  making  most  important 
suggestions  as  to  movements,  and  carrying  them 
out  with  great  success. 

Subsequently  he  was  directed  by  the  general  in 
command  to  conduct  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  enemy 
at  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  a  distance  of  over 
seventy-five  miles,  through  a  country  infested 
with  a  superior  force  of  guerrillas  and  the  enemy's 
cavalry,  who  were  not  to  be  depended  upon  to 
recognize  a  flag  of  truce.  He  succeeded,  and  dis- 
played as  much  tact  and  discretion  in  the  im- 


portant negotiations  entrusted  to  him  as  in  the 
field.  He  was  afterward  detailed  to  arrange  with 
General  Burnside  the  Knoxville  campaign,  rep- 
resenting General  Rosecrans  on  that  occasion. 

When  Major-General  Rosecrans  took  command 
of  the  forces  known  as  the  Army  of  the  Ohio 
(which  subsequently  became  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland),  Colonel  Ducat  was  ordered  to  ac- 
company General  Rosecrans  and  named  as  acting 
Chief  of  Staff  and  acting  Inspector-General.  In 
this  important  and  responsible  position  he  ren- 
dered the  most  efficient  service  in  re-organizing, 
equipping,  disciplining  and  drilling  the  army, 
in  raising  the  siege  of  Nashville,  and  in  opening 
the  railway  from  that  city  to  Louisville.  He  was 
afterward  appointed  by  the  War  Department  In- 
spector-General of  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps, 
and  after  the  battle  of  Stone  River  and  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Army  and  Department  of  the 
Cumberland,  he  was  appointed  Inspector-General 
of  that  army  and  department  (the  most  military 
of  the  staff  positions),  in  addition  to  which  he  had 
charge  of  the  grand  guards,  pickets  and  out- 
posts, and  the  organization  of  the  signal  corps 
of  the  army.  When  it  is  recollected  that  Ducat 
was  a  self-educated  soldier,  his  selection  from 
among  the  many  able  and  experienced  men  who 
had  made  war  their  profession  is  a  distinc- 
tion indicating  a  high  degree  of  merit.  He  or- 
ganized the  Bureau  of  the  Inspector- General  on  a 
system  substantially  new,  but  adapted  to  secure 
the  greatest  efficiency  and  discipline  of  a  great 
army  in  the  field.  At  first  his  strict  and  rigid 
exactions  rendered  him  unpopular,  but  as  soon 
as  results  began  to  manifest  themselves  in  the 
greater  efficiency  of  the  troops,  their  sanitary 
condition  and  military  spirit,  he  became,  among 
officers  and  men,  one  of  the  most  popular  officers 
of  that  army.  He  formulated  and  put  in  practice 
a  system  of  picketing  and  outposting  an  army 
which  highly  distinguished  him.  When  General 
Rosecrans  was  relieved  and  Maj.-Gen.  George  H. 
Thomas  took  command,  Ducat  was  ordered  to 
the  staff  of  the  latter,  in  which  capacity  he  served 
until  he  left  the  service  at  the  close  of  the  war, 
respected  and  beloved  by  all. 

Many  of  these  facts  are  obtained  from  an  arti- 


A.  C.  DUCAT. 


cle  written  by  General  Rosecrans,  who  also  said 
of  him:  "I  regard  him  as  an  extraordinary  man, 
*  *  *  an  excellent  tactician,  *  *  a  soldier 
by  nature;  so  much  so,  that  he  never  exacted 
the  credit  he  easily  merited,  nor  the  promotion 
given  to  less  able  and  more  plodding  men. ' ' 

The  following  is  from  the  pen  oi'  General 
Grant:  "His  services  have  been  very  valuable 
and  have  been  highly  appreciated."  General 
Thomas  wrote:  "One  of  the  most  able  and  use- 
ful of  the  army  staff  and  cannot  well  be  spared." 
General  Sheridan  characterized  him  as  "an 
officer  of  high  standing  and  distinguished  merit. ' ' 
Another  writer  on  the  war  says:  "Ducat  was 
early  distinguished  for  his  thorongh  knowledge 
of  military  details,  his  organizing  powers  and  his 
executive  ability;  but  especially  for  his  sleepless 
vigilance  and  activity,  that  mastered  all  details  of 
topography  and  the  movement  of  hostile  armies. ' ' 

The  late  President  Garfield,  Quartermaster 
General  Meigs,  Major  Generals  Ord,  Palmer,  and 
others,  addressed  the  war  department,  recom- 
mending the  higher  promotion  of  Ducat,  but  the 
lack  of  influence  at  headquarters,  together  with 
his  own  indifference  regarding  promotion,  seemed 
to  prevent  him  from  receiving  appointments  to 
higher  commands.  He  was  always  fully  con- 
tented in  any  capacity  in  the  army  to  which  he 
was  appointed. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  hostilities,  the  Home  In- 
surance Company,  of  New  York,  appointed  him 
to  superintend  its  business  in  Ohio,  Indiana  and 
Kentucky,  and  shortly  afterward  he  became  its 
general  agent  in  Chicago.  His  career  as  an  act- 
ive underwriter  was  eminently  successful,  his 
popularity  and  acquaintance  throughout  the  West 
being  of  great  advantage  to  his  employers.  The 
firm  of  Ducat  &  Lyon,  of  which  he  was  the 
head,  carries  on  a  general  fire-insurance  business. 
The  business  under  his  control  has  always  been 
successful  and  profitable.  One  of  the  standard 
works  of  America  is  "Ducat's  Practice  of  Fire 
Underwriting,"  which  he  brought  out  in  1857. 

Before  the  great  fire  he  was  chairman  of  the 
committee  that  organized  the  celebrated  Fire 
Insurance  Patrol  of  Chicago.  He  remained 


chairman  of  the  Patrol  Committee  five  years  after 
the  fire,  and  infused  into  it  the  esprit  dtt  corps 
and  military  spirit  that  have  characterized  it 
and  brought  about  the  extension  of  the  fire 
limits  to  be  co-extensive  with  the  city  limits 
— an  important  work,  adroitly  managed  in  the 
face  of  great  opposition.  He  was  chairman  of 
the  committee  which  framed  the  new  building 
law  after  the  great  fire,  and,  in  conjunction  with 
Frederick  Baumann,  wrote  the  most  elaborate 
and  well-digested  building  law  in  this  or  any 
other  country.  The  Board  of  Local  Fire  Under- 
writers was  organized  on  the  basis  of  his  recom- 
mendation, in  the  capacity  of  committee  for  that 
purpose,  to  which  position  he  was  appointed  soon 
after  the  great  fire. 

In  1873  there  was  a  movement  in  Illinois  to  re- 
organize the  National  Guard  of  the  State.  The 
advice  of  General  Ducat  on  this  subject  was 
sought,  and  the  military  code  upon  which  the 
present  efficient  Guard  was  organized  is  the  prod- 
uct of  his  brain  and  pen,  for  which  he  was  made 
major  general  and  its  commander.  In  1886  he 
was  elected  commander  of  the  Illinois  Comman- 
dery  of  the  military  order  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  of  the  Masonic  order,  being  identified 
with  Apollo  Commandery,  Knights  Templar; 
and  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Club.  He  was 
always  a  staunch  Republican,  though  never  a 
candidate  for  civil  office.  He  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  Lyon,  daughter  of  William  Lyon,  Esq.,  of 
Bedford,  Pennsylvania.  Her  death  occurred  in 
Chicago,  October  26,  1890,  at  the  age  of  forty - 
three  years.  In  1892  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Alice  Jane  Soutar,  daughter  of  P.  J.  Soutar,  an 
eminent  lawyer  of  Dunfermline,  Scotland.  Six 
of  General  Ducat's  children  survive.  Arthur  C., 
Jr.,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  is  a  lieutenant  in 
the  United  States  Army;  Kate,  the  second  child, 
is  the  wife  of  C.  P.  Stivers,  of  Chicago;  and 
Mary,  Reginald,  Elizabeth  and  Alice  complete 
the  family,  whose  members  are  communicants  of 
the  Episcopal  Church,  in  which  General  Ducat 
was  reared.  The  latter  died  January  29,  1896,  at 
his  home  in  Downer's  Grove. 


DANIEL  WARREN. 


DANIEL  WARREN. 


0ANIEL  WARREN,  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Illinois,  deserves  more  than  passing  notice 
in  this  record.  He  was  the  representative 
of  one  of  the  oldest  American  families,  which 
will  always  live  in  history  because  of  the  brave 
general  who  lost  his  life  at  the  battle  of  Bun- 
ker Hill.  Daniel  Warren  was  a  successful  busi- 
ness man,  who  came  West  to  embrace  the  op- 
portunity to  secure  a  large  landed  estate  at  small 
original  outlay.  He  was  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts, born  about  1780,  near  Concord,  the  scene  of 
the  first  conflict  of  arms  in  behalf  of  colonial  in- 
dependence and  American  liberty. 

In  early  life,  Mr.  Warren  went  to  western  New 
York,  and  opened  the  first  store  in  Fredonia, 
Chautauqua  County,  that  State.  He  aftenvard 
lived  about  fourteen  years  in  Westfield,  same 
county.  While  a  resident  of  New  York,  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  the  Naper  brothers,  who 
settled  the  present  prosperous  town  of  Naperville, 
in  DuPage  County,  Illinois.  Naturally,  when 
he  decided  to  locate  in  the  West,  he  called  upon 
them,  at  their  Illinois  home,  and  at  once  found  a 
satisfactory  location  about  halfway  between  Na- 
perville and  the  present  town  of  Warrenville. 
This  was  in  the  spring  of  1833,  while  Chicago 
was  scarcely  thought  of  as  a  city,  and  certainly, 
its  present  marvelous  development  undreamed-of 
by  the  wildest  speculator  on  human  destiny.  In 
a  few  years,  Mr.  Warren  sold  out  his  claim  and 
moved  to  the  present  site  of  Warrenville,  where 
he  built  a  sawmill  and  laid  out  a  town.  He  also 
secured  nearly  a  section  of  land,  and  made  farm- 
ing his  principal  industry  until  advancing  years 
caused  his  retirement  from  active  life.  In  all  his 
undertakings,  he  was  assisted  by  his  only  son, 
Col.  J.  M.  Warren,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  father 


passed  away  at  his  home  in  Warrenville  in  1866, 
aged  eighty-six  years. 

Nancy  Morton,  who  became  the  wife  of  Daniel 
Warren,  and  the  mother  of  a  son  and  seven 
daughters,  was  born  in  Orange,  Worcester  Coun- 
ty, Massachusetts,  on  the  ninth  day  of  February, 
1785.  When  nine  years  old,  she  went  with  her 
parents  to  Madison  County,  New  York,  and  was 
the  favorite  companion  of  her  brother,  Rev.  Sal- 
mon Morton,  a  well-known  pioneer  clergyman  of 
western  New  York.  That  she  was  a  woman  of 
refinement  and  graces  of  mind  is  shown  by  the 
character  of  her  daughters,  several  of  whom  be- 
came ornaments  of  Chicago  society.  The  pio- 
neers were  largely  dependent  upon  their  own  re- 
sources for  amusement  and  culture,  and  the  youth 
of  the  time  were  fortunate  whose  parents  brought 
educated  and  refining  influences  with  them.  Mrs. 
Warren  took  a  -keen  delight  in  the  lives  of  her 
offspring,  and  lived  to  a  great  age,  retaining  her 
faculties  to  the  end,  which  came  February  4, 
1873,  and  she  was  buried  on  the  eighty-eighth 
anniversary  of  her  birth. 

Following  are  the  names  of  the  children  of 
Daniel  and  Nancy  (Morton)  Warren:  Philinda, 
widow  of  P.  H.  Fowler,  now  in  her-  ninety-first 
year,  residing  at  Warrenville;  Louisa,  married 
Frederick  Bird,  and  died  at  Rockton,  Illinois; 
Julius  Morton  (see  biography  elsewhere  in  this 
volume) ;  Sarah,  wife  of  Abel  Carpenter,  died  in 
Chicago;  she  was  one  of  the  first  teachers  in  this 
city,  in  a  select  school;  Harriet,  Mrs.  C.  B.  Dod- 
son,  lived  at  Geneva,  Illinois,  where  she  died; 
Mary  and  Maria  were  twins,  the  former  now  re- 
siding in  Chicago,  being  the  widow  of  Jerome 
Beecher,  and  the  latter  died  in  the  same  city, 
while  wife  of  Silas  B.  Cobb;  Jane  married  N.  B. 
Curtiss,  a  prominent  business  man  of  Peoria. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  I!  ! 


CHARLES  C.  P.  HOLDEN. 


MRS.  C.  C.  P.  HOLDEN. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


C.  C.  P.  HOLDEN. 


419 


CHARLES  C    P.  HOLDEN. 


EHARLES  C.  P.  HOLDEN  was  born  at  Gro- 
ton,  New  Hampshire,  August  9,  1827.  His 
father's  name  was  Phineas  H.,  and  his 
mother,  prior  to  her  marriage,  was  Miss  Betsey 
Parker.  His  genealogical  record  shows  his  earliest 
American  ancestor  to  have  been  one  Richard 
Holden,  who,  in  1634,  with  his  brother  Justinian, 
came  from  Ipswich,  England,  in  the  sailing-ves- 
sel "Francis,"  settling  in  the  locality  which  after- 
ward became  Watertown,  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
Holden' s  maternal  grandfather  was  Lieutenant 
Levi  Parker,  a  patriot  who  served  in  the  army  of 
the  Revolution,  taking  part  in  the  battle  of  Bun- 
ker Hill  and  not  returning  to  his  fireside  until 
after  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  He  chanced  to 
be  with  Washington  at  the  time  of  Arnold's  trea- 
son and  Andre's  capture,  and  served  as  one  ot 
the  guards  at  the  execution  of  the  gallant  British 
officer  who  was  punished  as  a  spy,  and  whose 
conspicuous  bravery  Lieutenant  Parker  sincerely 
admired. 

Mr.  Holden' s  father,  with  his  family  of  nine 
children,  came  West  in  1836,  reaching  Chicago 
June  30.  With  hired  ox-teams  he  at  once  set  out 
for  the  prairie,  where  he  pre-empted  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  Government  land,  selecting  as 
a  location  Skunk's  Grove,  on  the  "Sauk  Trail," 
in  the  edge  of  Will  County,  thirty  miles  south  of 
the  future  city.  He  was  the  first  settler  in  that 
region,  his  nearest  neighbor  being  two  miles  and 
a-half  distant,  and  his  children  being  compelled 
to  walk  three  miles  across  the  trackless  prairie  to 
receive  instruction  in  the  rude  log  hut  which 
served  as  a  schoolhouse. 

Among  such  surroundings  Charles  rapidly  de- 

*This  sketch  is  taken  from  the  "History  of  Chicago,"  by  per- 
mission of  the  publishers  Munsell  &  Co. 


veloped  great  physical  strength.  When  not  more 
than  ten  years  old  he  drove  a  breaking  team  of 
five  yoke  of  oxen,  his  father  holding  the  plow, 
and  was  able  to  do  all  that  usually  fell  to  the  lot 
of  farmers'  boys  in  those  early  days.  When  he 
was  fifteen,  his  father  placed  him  in  Sweet's  gro- 
cery store,  on  North  Water  Street,  near  Wolcott, 
now  North  State  Street,  where  for  six  months  he 
worked  hard  for  his  board.  At  the  end  of  that 
time,  however,  his  employer  presented  him  with 
a  pair  of  cassimere  pantaloons,  which  the  young 
clerk  highly  prized. 

In  the  spring  of  1847  his  patriotic  ardor,  no  less 
than  his  love  of  adventure,  prompted  him  to  en- 
list in  Company  F,  of  the  Fifth  Regiment  of  Illi- 
nois Volunteers,  and  after  serving  until  the  end 
of  the  Mexican  War  he  was  mustered  out  of  serv- 
ice at  Alton,  Illinois,  October  16,  1848.  He 
immediately  secured  employment  in  the  book 
otore  of  A.  H.  &  C.  Burley,  where  he  remained 
until  March,  1850.  On  the  igth  of  that  month 
he  joined  a  party  which  set  out  from  Old  Fort 
Kearney,  Missouri,  for  California.  The  route 
was  overland,  and  the  pilgrims  took  up  their 
weary  journey  with  two  teams.  They  reached 
Hangtown  July  1 2  and  at  once  began  mining  on 
the  Middle  Fork  of  the  American  River.  Young 
Holden  spent  two  seasons  on  this  stream,  pass- 
ing the  second  at  Coloma  Bar.  In  the  fall  ot 
1851  he  began  farming  and  stock-raising  at  Napa 
Valley,  which  pursuits  he  followed  until  Decem- 
ber i,  1853,  when  he  turned  his  face  eastward. 
He  took  passage  on  the  steamship  "Winfield 
Scott,"  bound  from  San  Francisco  for  Panama, 
but  the  vessel  was  wrecked  in  a  fog  on  the  reef 
of  Anna  Capa  Island,  at  midnight,  December  2. 
As  soon  as  the  grinding  of  the  ship's  bottom  on 


420 


C.  C.  P.  HOLDEN. 


the  rocks  aroused  the  three  hundred  or  more  pas- 
sengers to  a  comprehension  of  their  danger,  they 
buckled  on  life  preservers,  promptly  given  them 
by  the  officers,  and  anxiously  awaited  their  sup- 
posed fate.  They  recalled  the  doom  of  the  ill- 
fated  "Independence,"  which  had  gone  to  the 
bottom  a  few  months  before  with  four  hundred 
souls  on  board.  The  officers  of  the  "Winfield 
Scott"  did  their  duty  nobly,  the  furnace  fires 
were  promptly  extinguished  and  the  first  boat- 
loads of  impatient,  terror-stricken  voyagers  were 
landed  on  the  shelving  rocks,  which,  however, 
seemed  a  veritable  haven  of  refuge.  The  pass- 
age to  these  rocks  was  perilous,  but  every  one 
was  safely  transported.  The  stranded  passengers 
and  crew,  however,  underwent  torments  of  hun- 
ger and  thirst  upon  a  barren  ledge  until  rescued, 
seven  days  after  the  wreck,  by  the  steamship 
"California,"  which  carried  them  to  Panama. 
The  '  'Scott' '  was  abandoned  to  the  pitiless  buffet- 
ing of  the  elements  and  ultimately  went  to  pieces. 
Neither  cargo,  express  matter  (except  the  money  ) , 
mail  nor  baggage  was  rescued.  The  destitute 
passengers  made  the  best  of  their  way  across  the 
isthmus  and  were  taken  to  New  York  by  the 
Pacific  Mail  steamer  '  'Illinois, ' '  landing  January 
3,  1854.  Mr.  Holden  returned  to  Chicago,  reach- 
ing this  city  March  18,  1854,  precisely  four  years 
(lacking  one  day)  from  the  date  of  his  departure. 

The  next  important  event  in  his  life  was  his 
entry  into  the  service  of  the  land  department  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  which 
occurred  February  20,  1855. 

Seven  months  later — on  September  17,  1855 
— he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  J.  Reynolds, 
daughter  of  Isaac  N.  and  Rue  Ann  Reynolds,  of 
New  Lenox,  Will  County,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Hol- 
den was  the  granddaughter  of  Abraham  Holder- 
man,  of  Holderman's  Grove,  Illinois,  where  he 
settled  in  1830. 

Mr.  Holden  has  been  a  prominent  figure  in 
Illinois  politics  since  1858,  when  he  went  as  a 
delegate  from  Chicago  to  Springfield  to  the  Re- 
publican State  Convention.  The  train  that  car- 
ried the  delegation  was  decorated  with  a  banner 
bearing  the  legend,  "For  United  States  Senator, 
Abraham  Lincoln."  It  was  after  the  adjourn- 


ment of  this  convention  that  the  great  commoner 
uttered  those  memorable  words: 

"A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand. 
I  believe  this  Government  cannot  endure  per- 
manently, half  slave,  half  free.  I  do  not  expect 
the  Union  to  be  dissolved.  I  do  not  expect  the 
house  to  fall,  but  I  do  expect  it  will  cease  to  be 
divided.  It  will  become  all  one  thing,  or  all  the 
other." 

Mr.  Holden  was  elected  a  member  of  the  city 
council  in  April  1861,  he  representing  the  old 
"fifth  ward,"  and  continued  a  member  of  the 
municipal  legislature  until  December,  1872.  Dur- 
ing his  protracted  term  of  service  he  had  an  eye 
single  to  the  city's  good.  He  worked  as  did  few  of 
his  confreres,  '  'public  office' '  being,  in  his  esti- 
mation, a  "public  trust."  Measures  of  genuine 
improvement — not  for  his  own  ward,  but  looking 
to  the  benefit  of  all  Chicago — found  in  him  an 
ardent  champion.  The  improvement  of  streets 
was  one  of  his  cherished  hobbies,  of  which  he 
never  lost  sight.  In  this  connection  due  credit 
should  be  given  to  Mr.  Holden' s  labors.  The 
water  supply  received  his  thoughtful  considera- 
tion, and  it  was  largely  through  his  efforts  that  the 
present  system  of  abundant  distribution  through- 
out the  city  took  its  inception  and  received  its  im- 
pulsive force.  While  a  member  of  the  council  he 
was  constantly  agitating  this  question.  He  was 
the  advocate  of  pure  water,  and  plenty  of  it,  for 
every  man,  woman  and  child  within  the  corporate 
limits.  Indeed  had  it  not  been  for  him  and  others 
like  him,  Chicago  would  have  been,  to-day,  as 
poorly  supplied  with  water  as  some  of  her  sister 
western  cities.  It  was  through  his  persistent  la- 
bor that  the  city  authorized  the  building  of  the 
second  tunnel  under  the  lake,  with  its  extension, 
besides  the  construction  of  the  waterway  ending 
at  Ashland  Avenue  and  Twenty-second  Street. 

As  to  Mr.  Holden's  influence  in  this  regard, 
see  proceedings  of  the  common  council  for  1869 
and  1870,  pp.  87,  91,  in,  and  page  690,  Pro- 
ceedings 1868-9. 

During  the  dark  hours  of  the  nation's  history, 
Mr.  Holden  was  conspicuously  loyal.  His  vote, 
his  voice  and  his  efforts  were  always  in  support 
of  the  Union.  His  vote  as  a  municipal  legislator 


C.  C.  P.  HOLDEN. 


421 


was  always  in  behalf  of  aiding  the  National  Gov- 
ernment with  men  and  money.  In  1862  he 
raised  a  company  for  the  Eighty-eighth  regiment 
of  Illinois  Volunteers,  his  brother,  Levi  P.,  being 
elected  its  captain.  In  1864,  when  a  draft  was 
ordered  in  case  the  quota  of  troops  allotted  to 
Chicago  was  not  furnished  through  voluntary  en- 
listment, he  determined  that  there  should  be  no 
draft  in  his  ward — the  Tenth.  He  organized  a 
"Ward  Draft  Association"  and  was  chosen  its 
president.  The  members  worked  with  a  will,  and 
the  sum  of  $51,912  was  raised  wherewith  to  pay 
bounties  to  volunteers,  thus  warding  off  what 
Mr.  Holden  was  inclined  to  regard  as  a  threat- 
ened disgrace.  Mr.  Holden  furnished  three  rep- 
resentatives for  his  family  for  the  army — Harris 
Durkee,  for  his  wife;  Frederick  A.  Hausmann, 
for  his  sister-in-law,  Rowena  P.  Reynolds;  and 
Alonzo  C.  Ide  for  himself. 

His  part  in  civic  affairs  has  always  been  a  prom- 
inent one.  He  was  marshal  of  the  city  council 
on  the  occasion  of  the  reception  of  the  remains  of 
President  Lincoln  on  their  way  to  their  final  rest- 
ing place  at  Springfield,  and  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee named  to  secure  the  attendance  of  General 
Grant  at  the  great  fair  held  at  Dearborn  Park, 
July,  1865.  It  was  he  who  introduced  the  reso- 
lutions which  were  adopted  by  the  council  relative 
to  Lincoln's  funeral.* 

At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  of  1871,  he  was 
president  of  the  council,  and  rendered  valuable 
service  in  bringing  order  out  of  chaos  and  secur- 
ing succor  for  the  destitute.  A  detailed  account 
of  his  efficient  work  at  that  trying  period  may  be 
found  in  Andreas'  History  of  Chicago,  Vol.  II, 
pp.  761-772.!  At  the  next  municipal  election 
both  the  great  political  parties — Republican  and 
Democratic — placed  Mr.  Holden  in  nomination 
for  the  mayoralty,  each  also  nominating  a  full 
ticket  for  the  other  city  offices.  But  there  was  an 
element  in  the  community  which  was  of  opinion 
that  political  considerations  ought  not  to  be  re- 
garded at  such  a  time,  and  in  consequence  a  com- 
plete "citizens'  "  ticket,  known  as  the  "fire- 
proof," was  nominated,  containing  the  names  of 

*See  Council  Proceeding!  for  1866,   p.  8. 

tSee  also  Council  Proceedings  for  1871,  pp.  346,  347. 


Joseph  Medill  for  Mayor  and  David  A.  Gage  foi 
Treasurer.  The  "fire-proof "  ticket  was  elected. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Holden  was  an  elector  on  the 
Greeley  ticket,  but,  with  his  associates,  went 
down  in  the  political  cyclone  which  swept  the 
country  in  November  of  that  year. 

Previous  to  this — in  March,  1869 — Governor 
Palmer  had  appointed  him  a  West  Chicago  Park 
Commissioner,  and  re-appointed  him  in  1871.  He 
accepted  the  trust,  and  with  his  brother  commis- 
sioners laid  out  the  magnificent  system  of  parks 
and  boulevards  which  has  so  largely  aided  in 
building  up  the  great  West  Side.  He  resigned 
from  the  board  in  1878. 

In  1873,  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  his  wife,  who  for  a  lifetime  had  been  his  coun- 
sellor, his  helpmeet,  and  the  honored  mistress  of 
his  happy  home.  She  passed  away  July  26,  after 
a  lingering  illness,  and  was  laid  to  rest  at  Rosehill. 
It  was  a  source  of  regret  to  both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Holden  that  the  latter 's  youngest  sister,  Rowena 
(who  had  been  a  member  of  the  family  since 
1858),  was  not  at  home  during  this  protracted 
sickness,  she  being  absent  on  an  extended  tour 
through  Europe  and  the  Orient.  An  adopted 
daughter,  Sarah  J.,  remained  to  sustain  him  in 
his  bereavement. 

In  February,  1873,  Mr.  Holden  left  the  employ 
of  the  Illinois  Central  railway,  after  eighteen 
years'  consecutive  service,  during  which  period 
he  had  aided  in  selling  two  million  acres  of  the 
corporation's  lands.  He  then  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  construction  of  the  Chicago  &  Illi- 
nois River  Railroad,  running  from  Joliet  to  Coal 
City,  the  charter  and  organization  of  which  he 
virtually  controlled;  he  disposed  of  his  interest  in 
this  company,  whose  line  ultimately  became  a 
part  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton  system. 

In  1874,  he  was  elected  a  County  Commissioner, 
and  July  4,  1877,  as  president  of  the  board,  laid 
the  corner  stone  of  the  county  court  house.  His 
investments  in  real  estate  proved  fortunate,  and 
he  has  erected  several  blocks,  among  them  one 
at  the  corner  of  Monroe  and  Aberdeen  Streets 
and  another  at  Nos.  298  to  302  West  Madison 
Street. 

Mr.  Holden's  adopted  daughter,  Sarah  J.,  was 


422 


W.  B.  PARSONS. 


married,  February  17,  1885,  to  Mr.  George  M. 
Sayre.  and  now  resides  at  Elmira,  New  York. 
They  have  two  children,  Charles  Holden  and 
Gracie.  Some  three  years  later,  July  n,  1888, 
he  was  married  for  a  second  time,  his  bride  being 
Miss  Thelena  N.  McCoy,  daughter  of  Henry  M. 
and  Mary  (Lakin)  McCoy.  She  was  born  at 
Port  Perry,  Canada,  where  she  received  her 
schooling  and  musical  education.  Her  mother 
died  in  1879,  and  she  being  the  eldest  daughter, 
much  fell  to  her  lot  in  caring  for  the  family,  which 
consisted  of  her  father,  two  brothers  and  three 
sisters.  She  bravely  assumed  the  responsibility. 
The  children  were  educated,  and  while  caring  for 
her  household  she  was  pursuing  her  musical  and 
other  studies.  The  western  fever  having  seized 
her  father,  he  removed  with  his  family  to  South 
Dakota,  where,  in  the  winter  of  1888,  they  passed 
through  the  terrible  blizzard  that  scourged  the 
Dakotas,  and  where  he  is  now  living  a  quiet  life 
with  his  second  wife,  in  Mitchell,  of  that  State. 

Thelena,  who  had  in  previous  years  met  Mr. 
Holden,  was  married  to  him  July  n,  1888,  and 
accompanied  him  to  their  cozy  home  in  Chicago. 
Her  brother  Charles,  with  his  wife  and  three 
children,  lives  in  Rapid  City,  South  Dakota.  Her 
brother  George  and  wife  reside  in  Hart,  Michi- 
gan. Her  eldest  sister,  Addie,  married  Dr.  J.  H. 
Reed,  of  Lansing,  Michigan.  Her  sister  Nettie 


married  Dr.  T.  Allen,  of  Garnett,  Kansas;  and 
Emma,  her  baby  sister,  who  was  always  Mrs. 
Holden's  favorite  and  especial  charge,  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Lu  Newman,  of  Chicago,  in  1888. 
She  died  December  i,  1893.  Mrs.  Holden  is  of 
a  very  domestic  nature,  and  strives  to  make  their 
home  pleasant.  It  is  adorned  with  much  of  her 
own  work,  she  being  handy  both  with  the  brush 
and  needle,  as  is  clearly  shown  in  their  domestic 
home,  which  is  on  the  great  West  Side  in  this  city. 

Mr.  Holden's  mother  passed  away  September 
23,  1869,  and  his  father  February  23,  1872. 
They  died  on  the  farm  they  had  located  in  1836. 
His  sister  Mary  E.  (Mrs.  J.  W.  Freer)  died 
November  28,  1845,  and  his  sister  Sarah  Ann 
C.  February  13,  1847. 

In  his  social  relations  he  is  a  member  of  sev- 
eral well-known  organizations,  among  them  the 
Illinois  State  Association  of  Veterans  of  the 
Mexican  War,  the  Sons  of  the  American  Revolu- 
tion, the  California  Pioneers'  Association  of  Chica- 
go, the  Old  Settlers'  Society  of  Cook  County  and 
the  German  Old  Settlers' Association.  By  the  latter 
organization  he  was  presented  with  a  gold  medal 
in  1888.  At  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  Mr.  Holden 
still  retains  his  mental  and  physical  faculties  un- 
impaired, hale  and  hearty  in  his  declining  years, 
one  of  the  distinguished  products  of  Chicago's 
cosmopolitan  influence. 


WILLIAM  B.  PARSONS. 


ft>G)lLUAM  BOSTWICK  PARSONS,  a  for- 
\  A  /  mer  citizen  of  Chicago,  now  deceased,  is 
Y  Y  well  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  columns  of 
this  work,  on  account  of  his  family  connections, 
his  precocity  as  a  child,  his  ability  as  a  student, 
and  the  part  which  he  took  in  the  legal  profession 
and  in  business.  He  was  born  at  Burlington, 
Vermont,  on  the  last  day  of  the  year  1833,  and 
was  the  son  of  Judge  Sylvanus  Parsons,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  and  scion  of  one  of  the  old  families  of 
New  England. 


As  a  youth  he  was  quiet  and  studious,  much 
preferring  the  company  of  books  to  the  society  of 
other  children,  and  so  rapid  was  his  progress  in 
the  acquisition  of  an  education  that  he  not  only 
completed  the  primary  studies  incident  to  prepa- 
ration for  college,  but  mastered  Latin  and  Greek, 
which  he  taught  in  Spalding's  School  at  Barre, 
Vermont,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  Entering 
Dartmouth  College  when  a  mere  lad,  he  made  a 
brilliant  record  as  a  student  in  that  institution, 
and  graduated  third  in  his  class,  the  most  of 


WILLARD  SCOTT,  SR. 


423 


whose  members  were  several  years  older  than  he. 
His  subsequent  career  showed  that  the  teachings 
of  this  old  and  honored  institution — the  alma 
mater  of  Daniel  Webster  and  a  host  of  other  emi-  • 
nent  statesmen,  lawyers,  orators  and  men  of  other 
professions — were  not  lost  upon  him. 

At  the  completion  of  his  college  course,  stirred 
by  the  same  spirit  which  has  caused  the  migration 
from  New  England  of  thousands  of  her  worthy 
sons,  who  have  contributed  in  a  great  measure  to 
people  the  West,  build  up  our  interests  and  shape 
the  destiny  of  the  Nation,  and  full  of  love  for  the 
free  institutions  for  which  his  ancestors  had  per- 
iled their  lives  in  the  great  struggle  for  freedom, 
he  decided  to  cast  his  lot  with  the  liberty-loving 
people  of  Kansas,  who  were  then  in  the  throes  of 
that  mighty  moral  struggle  which  preceded  the 
War  of  the  Rebellion.  Settling  in  Coffee  Coun- 
ty, the  young  lawyer  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  and  soon  rose  to  a  prominent 
place  at  the  bar,  and  was  honored  by  being 
elected  County  Attorney.  The  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War  interfered  with  the  practice  of  the  law 
and  stirred  his  patriotism.  He  volunteered  at  an 
early  date,  as  a  private  in  a  Kansas  regiment, 
and  served  out  the  term  of  his  enlistment,  after 


which  he  re-enlisted  and  was  appointed  to  a  place 
in  the  Paymaster's  department,  where  he  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  Returning  to  Kansas, 
he  was  again  elected  attorney  of  his  county.  > 

After  spending  several  years  in  the  profession 
and  acquiring  prominence  as  a  lawyer,  declining 
health  compelled  him  to  abandon  the  practice, 
and  he  sought  a  higher  altitude  and  new  em- 
ployment in  the  mountain  districts  of  Colorado, 
where  he  was  engaged  in  mining  enterprises 
until  the  year  1882.  At  the  latter  date  he  came 
to  Chicago  and  retired  from  active  life.  He  died 
here  January  31,  1885. 

On  the  1 2th  of  November,  1861,  William  B. 
Parsons  and  Julia  W.  Kinzie  were  united  in  wed- 
lock at  Burlington,  Kansas,  the  home  of  Robert 
A.  Kinzie,  the  pioneer  of  Chicago,  whose  biogra- 
phy appears  in  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parsons 
were  the  parents  of  three  children,  namely:  Rob- 
ert Wilkins,  now  a  resident  of  Chicago;  William 
Guy,  cashier  of  the  United  States  Rubber  Com- 
pany, of  New  York;  and  Frank  Kinzie  Parsons, 
who  is  a  stock-raiser  in  Montana.  Mrs.  Parsons 
survives  her  husband,  and  occupies  a  responsible 
position  in  the  Chicago  postoffice,  which  she  has 
held  for  twenty  years. 


WILLARD  SCOTT,  SR. 


PQlLLARD  SCOTT,  SR.,  deceased,  who  for 
\  A I  many  >-ears  was  connected  with  the  leading 
V  V  business  interests  of  Naperville,  and  for 
half  a  century  made  his  home  in  this  section  of 
the  great  commonwealth  of  Illinois,  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  born  in  Unadilla,  Otsego  County, 
April  20,  1808.  His  parents  were  Stephen  J.  and 
Hadassah  (Trask)  Scott.  The  father  followed 
the  sea  in  his  early  years  and  became  the  owner 
and  master  of  a  schooner,  which  bore  his  name 
and  was  engaged  in  the  coast  trade  along  the  At- 


lantic shore.  In  Connecticut  he  wedded  Miss 
Trask,  who  was  a  relative  of  Gen.  Israel  Putnam, 
one  of  the  heroes  of  Revolutionary  fame.  On 
leaving  Hartford,  Conn.,  they  went  to  Unadilla, 
and  the  year  1816  witnessed  their  removal  to 
Maryland,  where  they  spent  the  next  decade. 

During  this  time  our  subject  was  acquiring  an 
education  in  the  common  schools,  and  also  took  a 
short  course  in  mathematics.  It  was  his  desire 
to  become  a  sailor,  but  his  mother  urged  him  not 
to  do  this,  for  the  life  was  too  fraught  with  daa  • 


424 


C.  J.  MAGILL. 


gers.  In  1825  the  family  made  a  visit  to  New 
York,  and  then  started  for  St.  Joseph,  Mich.,  go- 
ing through  Canada  to  Detroit,  and  thence  by 
water.  The  goods  were  shipped  by  sailing-vessel 
to  Detroit,  and  thence  Willard  took  them  to  their 
destination.  He  went  to  Detroit  with  a  man 
from  Ohio,  and  the  journey  thither  was  a  perilous 
one  through  the  unbroken  forest,  there  being  no 
road  except  the  Indian  trails.  They  reached  De- 
troit ten  days  before  the  arrival  of  their  goods, 
during  which  time  they  lived  on  corn  and  pota- 
toes. The  family  were  not  pleased  with  their 
home  in  Michigan,  and,  crossing  the  Lake,  located 
in  Evanston. 

On  the  i6th  of  July,  1829,  Willard  Scott  wed- 
ded Caroline  Hawley,  in  Holderman's  Grove.  In 
1818,  her  father,  Pierce  Hawley,  went  from  Ver- 
mont to  Vincennes,  Ind. ,  and  afterwards  came  to 
Illinois,  locating  in  Holderman's  Grove  in  1825. 
In  the  fall  of  1830,  he  and  his  family,  accompa- 
nied by  Mr.  Scott  and  his  family,  located  three 
miles  south  of  Naperville,  in  what  is  now  DuPage 
County,  but  was  then  a  part  of  Cook  County. 
Cook  County  at  that  time  also  comprised  Lake, 
McHenry  and  Will  Counties.  There  were  thirty- 
two  votes  polled  in  Chicago  that  year,  Mr.  Scott's 
father  depositing  the  first  one.  During  the  War 
of  1832,  our  subject  proved  a  valued  citizen  in 
the  settlement,  on  account  of  his  knowledge  of 
the  Indians  and  their  methods  of  warfare. 

In  1838  Mr.  Scott  became  a  resident  of  Naper- 


ville, built  the  Naperville  Hotel,  and  conducted  it 
for  eighteen  years,  after  which  he  carried  on  mer- 
chandising for  twenty  years,  most  of  the  time  be- 
ing associated  with  his  son  Thaddeus.  The  firm 
of  Willard  Scott  &  Co.  controlled  the  leading  bus- 
iness in  this  place,  and  operations  are  still  carried 
on  under  that  name,  Willard  Scott,  Jr.,  succeed- 
ing his  father  and  brother  Thaddeus  in  the  busi- 
ness. Retiring  from  merchandising  after  the 
Civil  War,  Mr.  Scott  was  President  of  the  Du- 
Page County  Bank,  subsequently  of  the  Bank  of 
Naperville,  and  was  a  private  banker  until  his 
death,  September  13,  1892.  He  possessed  busi- 
ness ability  of  a  high  order,  was  sagacious  and  far- 
sighted,  and  his  enterprise  was  tempered  by  a 
commendable  conservatism.  He  won  success,  and 
his  prosperity  was  the  reward  of  his  own  labors. 
In  political  belief  our  subject  was  a  Democrat, 
and  his  first  vote  was  cast  for  Andrew  Jackson 
in  1828.  He  was  a  resident  of  Naperville  for 
more  than  half  a  century,  and  was  ever  found  in 
the  front  rank  of  those  enterprises  calculated  to 
advance  the  best  interests  of  the  community. 
Throughout  DuPage  and  Cook  Counties  he  was 
widely  known,  and  was  held  in  the  highest  re- 
gard by  young  and  old,  rich  and  poor.  The 
name  of  Willard  Scott  is  inseparably  connected 
with  the  history  of  this  community,  and  the  rec- 
ord of  the  county  would  be  incomplete  without  his 
sketch. 


CHARLES  J.  MAGILL. 


OHARLES  JAMES  MAGILL,  whose  name  William  Magill,  wasanative  of  Middletown,  Con- 
\C  has  for  years  been  a  synonym  for  unbiased  necticut,  born  June  30,  1792.  The  Magill  family 
\J  integrity  and  honesty  of  purpose  among  the  is  of  Irish  extraction,  and  was  founded  in  Con- 
early  residents  of  Chicago,  was  born  at  St.  John's,  necticut  b)'  two  brothers,  named  Robert  and  Will- 
Newfoundland,  in  November,  1818.  His  father,  iam  Magill,  who  came  from  Belfast  and  were 


C.  J.  MAGILL. 


425 


among  the  first  settlers  of  the  Connecticut  Colony. 
The  old  family  homestead,  which  has  sheltered 
many  successive  generations,  is  still  standing  at 
Middletown. 

While  a  young  man,  William  Magill  moved  to 
Newfoundland.  For  many  years  he  was  in  the 
service  of  the  British  Government,  first  as  the 
Collector  of  the  port  of  St.  John's,  and  later  as 
Governor  of  the  provincial  prison  at  that  place. 
Retiring  from  public  life,  he  removed  to  Char- 
lottetown,  in  Prince  Edward  Island,  where  his 
death  occurred  on  the  fourteenth  of  August,  1878. 
He  was  a  man  of  exemplary  character  and  note- 
worthy ability,  as  is  evidenced  by  his  long  contin- 
uance in  public  life.  His  wife,  Ann  Morris,  who 
was  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ireland,  died  at  St.  John's, 
Newfoundland,  about  the  year  1 850.  Of  their  three 
children,  Charles  J.  is  the  eldest.  John  was  for 
many  years  a  prominent  citizen  and  public  official 
of  Chicago;  and  Sarah,  Mrs.  Henry  I/.  Messieur- 
er,  now  deceased,  was  well  known  to  the  early 
residents  of  Chicago. 

William  Magill  was  one  of  a  family  of  six 
children,  all  of  whom,  with  their  posterity,  have 
been  conspicuous  for  longevity,  intelligence  and 
refinement.  His  sister,  Mrs.  Ann  Campbell,  who 
was  at  that  time  a  widow,  came  to  Chicago  soon 
after  1850.  For  some  years  she  taught  a  private 
school  on  the  North  Side,  and  many  of  her  pupils 
are  prominent  in  the  business  and  social  life  of 
Chicago  to-day.  She  was  a  lady  of  rare  intelli- 
gence, tact  and  benevolence,  and  was  regarded  by 
her  pupils  as  a  model  of  wisdom  and  strength  of 
character.  Mrs.  Juliette  Kinzie,  who  was  well 
known  throughout  America  as  the  author  of 
"Wau-bun,  "  was  a  niece  of  William  Magill. 

At  the  age  of  eleven  years  Charles  Magill  left 
home  and  went  to  sea,  and  followed  a  marine  life 
until  the  autumn  of  1852.  A  portion  of  that  pe- 
riod was  spent  in  navigating  the  Great  Lakes.  In 
the  year  last  named  he  located  permanently  in 
Chicago,  though  he  had  frequently  visited  this 
port  previous  to  that  date.  He  engaged  in  the 
forwarding  and  commission  business,  becoming 
the  owner  of  vessel  property,  and  simultaneously 
acting  as  agent  of  vessel-owners  at  other  points  on 
the  lakes.  Among  other  corporations  which  he 


represented  was  the  Ohio,  Superior  &  Huron 
Railroad  Company,  which  was  operating  a  line  of 
boats  on  the  middle  lakes.  He  dealt  in  salt  and 
other  merchandise,  and  was  one  of  the  first  mem- 
bers of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  joining  that 
body  in  1853,  and  still  retaining  his  membership, 
though  he  retired  from  active  business  operations 
in  1893. 

While  on  a  voyage  to  the  Bermuda  Islands,  Mr. 
Magill,  who  was  then  a  young  man,  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  Miss  Esther  S.  Chalker.  This 
gifted  lady  became  his  wife,  the  marriage  taking 
place  at  Guilford,  Connecticut.  The  couple  first 
located  at  Buffalo,  but  in  July,  1854,  removed  to 
Chicago,  where  Mrs.  Magill  died  in  October, 
1886.  She  was  born  at  Hamilton,  Bermuda,  Feb- 
ruary 7,  1819.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Stowe,  was  descended  from  one  of  the  oldest 
families  in  that  colony,  her  ancestors  receiving  a 
grant  of  land  from  the  British  crown  upon  locat- 
ing there.  The  old  Stowe  residence,  now  the 
property  of  the  Government,  is  still  standing  at 
Hamilton. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Magill  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children.  Jacob  C.,  the  eldest,  is  a  well-known 
business  man  of  Chicage.  Anna  C.,  Mrs.  Hugh 
Alexander,  is  a  resident  of  Brooklyn,  New  York. 
William  C.  is  also  well  known  in  Chicago.  Ed- 
ward S.  is  a  commercial  traveler  residing  in  Wich- 
ita, Kansas.  Mary  E.  is  the  wife  of  E.  C.  Ward, 
of  Chicago,  in  which  city  Arthur  W.  also  resides. 
Sarah  L.,  now  deceased,  was  the  wife  of  C.  S. 
Spencer,  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana;  and  Charles  A. 
is  engaged  in  mercantile  business  at  Kingman, 
Kansas. 

Though  he  has  a  host  of  friends,  Captain  Ma- 
gill has  formed  but  few  social  connections.  For 
many  years  he  has  held  membership  with  the 
Church  of  the  Epiphany,  of  which  he  is  a  Senior 
Warden.  He  has  always  enjoyed  the  confidence 
of  his  associates  to  a  remarkable  degree.  As  an 
illustration  of  this  fact  may  be  cited  the  case  of 
one  of  his  early  friends  in  Chicago,  who,  upon  his 
demise  a  few  years  since,  made  Mr.  Magill  the 
sole  administrator  of  his  large  estate,  providing  in 
his  will  that  if  any  of  the  heirs  should  question 
any  act  of  the  executor  they  should  be  disinher- 


426 


J.  A.  SWEET. 


ited.     After  a  long,  eventful  and  useful  life,  Cap- 
tain Magill  is  spending  his  declining  years  in  well- 


merited  peace  and  tranquility,  which  it  is  the  wish 
of  his  many  friends  may  be  long  continued. 


JOHN  A.  SWEET. 


(JOHN  ALLEN  SWEET,  a  member  of  one  of 
I  the  leading  mercantile  firms  of  Chicago,  was 
O  born  March  20,  1846,  at  Farmington,  Frank- 
lin County,  Maine,  and  comes  from  the  genuine 
Puritanic  New  England  stock.  His  ancestors 
were  of  those  long-lived,  hardy,  industrious,  fru- 
gal, as  well  as  moral  people,  who,  notwithstand- 
ing all  the  hardships  and  privations  consequent 
upon  the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  did  not 
forget  to  devote  themselves  to  laying  the  founda- 
tion for,  and  the  shaping  and  rounding  out  of  a 
moral  character  as  an  example  for  their  posterity. 
His  great-grandfather,  whose  name  was  Eben- 
ezer  Sweet,  was  born  at  Attleboro,  Massachu- 
setts, January  1 8,  1741.  In  1782,  he  went  to  that 
portion  of  Maine  which  was  then  uninhabited  ex- 
cept by  Indians,  save  perhaps,  half  a  dozen  white 
families.  He  cleared  off  a  little  patch  of  timber 
land,  as  the  beginning  of  the  settlement  after- 
wards known  as  Farmington,  one  of  Nature's 
most  beautiful  spots  to  be  found  anywhere.  Here 
he  resided  during  his  long  life,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 4,  1838,  at  the  age  of  ninety-seven  years  and 
ten  months.  He  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  in 
the  year  1785  built  the  first  tannery  in  that 
township.  He  was  a  man  of  the  strictest  integ- 
rity, and  lived  an  exemplary,  moral  life,  industri- 
ous in  his  habits,  and  accumulated  a  pecuniary 
independence.  He  married  Desire  Daggett,  who 
was  also  a  native  of  Attleboro,  Massachusetts, 
born  September  17,  1745,  and  died  at  Farming- 
ton,  Maine,  October  4,  1839,  at  the  age  of  ninety- 


four  years.  They  had  five  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters. The  third  son,  Ellis  Sweet,  who  was  born 
November  20,  1770,  died  May  7,  1848,  at  the  age 
of  seventy -eight  years.  He  married  Mary  Fuller, 
who  was  born  in  1775,  and  died  January  2,  1854, 
at  the  age  of  seventy- nine  years.  He  became  the 
owner  of  his  father's  farm,  in  the  year  1822. 
During  the  War  of  1812,  he  entered  the  United 
States  service,  and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Colonel,  commanding  a  regiment  during  that 
struggle.  He  and  his  wife  became  the  parents  of 
five  children,  two  sons  and  three  daughters.  The 
eldest  son,  Loring  Sweet,  was  born  August  7, 
1796,  and  died  July  6,  1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years  and  eleven  months.  He  was  married, 
June  7,  1828,  to  Elizabeth  Berry  Allen,  who  was 
born  in  1809,  at  Canton,  Oxford  County,  Maine, 
and  died  in  Farmington,  March  28,  1875,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-six  years.  Her  father  was  a  Revolu- 
tionary soldier,  and  lived  to  the  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  three  years.  Five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loring  Sweet, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  being  the  fifth  son  and 
seventh  child. 

John  Allen  Sweet  laid  the  foundation  of  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  public  schools  and  academy  of  his 
native  town,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  years 
graduated  from  the  State  University.  It  was  his 
intention  in  early  life  to  qualify  himself  for  the 
practice  of  law.  Coming  West  in  1868,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-two  years,  he  studied  law  for  about 
two  years,  and  for  several  years  following  applied 


E.  W.  CASE. 


427 


himself  at  intervals  to  legal  study,  giving  his  at- 
tention chiefly  to  its  bearing  upon  trade  and 
commerce. 

In  1872,  Mr.  Sweet  became  connected  with  the 
wholesale  dry  goods  firm  of  Carson,  Pirie,  Scott 
&  Company,  of  Chicago,  assuming  charge  of  their 
collection  and  legal  departments,  and  after  six 
years'  service,  or  in  1878,  he  was  promoted  to  the 
exclusive  charge  of  the  credit,  legal  and  collection 
departments  of  this  firm,  and  has  occupied  that 
position  up  to  the  present  time,  having  retained 
his  present  connection  for  nearly  a  fourth  of  a 
century,  and  in  his  particular  line  of  business  he 
has  earned  the  reputation  of  being  the  most  suc- 
cessful man  in  the  trade,  being  admittedly  with- 
out a  peer  as  a  credit  manager. 

In  appreciation  of  his  ability,  integrity  and 
long  and  faithful  service,  the  firm  rewarded  him 
with  a  general  partnership,  to  which  he  was  ad- 
mitted on  the  first  of  January,  1892.  Mr.  Sweet 
is  thoroughly  known  among  bankers  and  business 
men  of  Chicago,  the  seat  of  the  keenest  commercial 
competition,  where  only  the  fittest  can  survive, 
and  enjoys  a  most  enviable  reputation  as  a  manly, 
straightforward  and  safe  business  manager.  In 
speaking  of  him,  the  Inter  Ocean  recently  said: 
"In  appearance,  Mr.  Sweet  is  tall  and  symmet- 


rically proportioned.  He  is  genial,  affable  and 
courteous,  and  has  a  faculty  of  making  and  re- 
taining friends.  He  is  a  natural  physiognomist, 
and  has  rarely  been  known  to  make  a  mistake  in 
reading  men's  characters.  It  is  to  these  qualities 
that  his  success  in  a  most  important  department 
must  be  largely  attributed.  He  is  an  indefatigable 
worker,  and  is  as  well  known  as  a  man  of  grand 
business  capacities  among  the  commercial  circles 
of  New  York,  as  he  is  here  in  Chicago,  where 
he  has  lived  and  labored. ' ' 

Mr.  Sweet  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Athletic 
Club  and  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  being  a 
member  of  Chicago  Commandery  and  Oriental 
Consistory,  having  taken  the  thirty-second  degree. 
On  the  1 8th  of  June,  1878,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Stevenson,  daughter  of  John  \V.  and 
Caroline  C.  Stevenson,  of  Sandusky,  Ohio,  where 
Mrs.  Sweet  was  born,  October  2,  1855.  They 
have  had  two  children:  Fred  Kent  Sweet,  born 
September  26,  1879,  and  died  December  i  of  the 
same  year;  and  John  Allen  Sweet,  Junior,  who 
was  born  April  27,  1881  The  family  is  in  com- 
munion with  St.  Andrew's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  and  holds  a  desirable  position  in  social 
circles. 


ELISHA  W.  CASE. 


FT  L  IS  HA  W.  CASE.  The  New  England 
1^  Yankee  never  forgets  the  home  of  his  child- 
|__  hood.  Wherever  he  may  wander,  and  in 
whatever  situation  he  may  be  placed,  visions  of 
his  native  hills  and  dells  are  retained  in  his  mind, 
and  these  scenes  always  recall  many  little  acces- 
sories which  contributed  their  share  towards  the 


comfort  and  delight  of  the  youthful  mind  or  body. 
The  typical  New  England  homestead  is  no  less 
famous  for  its  Christian  principles,  and  the  sturdy 
characters  which  it  has  trained  and  sent  forth  to 
leave  their  impress  upon  every  important  institu- 
tion of  the  great  West,  than  for  its  culinary  tri- 
umphs and  the  superior  quality  of  the  pastry 


428 


E.  W.  CASE. 


found  upon  its  hospitable  boards.  And  who 
knows  to  what  extent  the  memory  of  the  latter 
has  served  to  keep  alive  the  recollection  of  precepts 
and  teachings  which  have  helped  to  mould  the 
characters  of  many  of  the  best  men  and  women  of 
the  present  day? 

Elisha  \V.  Case,  whose  name  is  identified  in 
the  minds  of  hungry  people  with  one  of  the  most 
popular  articles  of  daily  consumption,  was  born 
in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  in  January,  1833.  He 
is  the  youngest  son  and  ninth  in  a  family  of  ten 
children  born  to  John  Case  and  Diana  Congdon. 
The  Case  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  Connect- 
icut. Their  first  American  ancestor  came,  while 
a  young  man,  from  England,  and  was  married  in 
Connecticut,  about  1657,  to  Sarah,  daughter  of 
William  Spencer.  Several  successive  generations 
of  their  posterity  have  lived  in  the  same  locality, 
and  the  name  is  still  one  of  the  most  common  ones 
to  be  found  in  that  state. 

John,  father  of  Elisha  W.  Case,  was  a  son  of 
Samuel  and  Susannah  Case.  During  his  youth 
he  became  a  sailor,  and  while  on  board  a  whal- 
ing vessel  was  taken  prisoner  by  a  British  man-of- 
war,  whose  officers  claimed  him  as  a  subject  of 
the  Crown,  and  he  was  pressed  into  the  naval 
service.  He  made  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  es- 
cape, for  which  he  was  severely  flogged.  He 
finally  succeeded  in  eluding  his  captors,  and  re- 
turned to  the  United  States  in  time  to  enlist  in 
the  War  of  1812,  and  rendered  valuable  service 
at  the  battle  of  New  London.  After  the  war  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  machinist  and  was  em- 
ployed for  many  years  in  the  railroad  shops  at 
Norwich.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  years 
spent  in  Washtenaw  County,  Michigan,  this 
place  continued  to  be  his  home  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  April,  1847,  at  the  age  of  six- 
ty-two years.  His  wife's  death  took  place  about 
eight  years  earlier. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  his  father  having 
died,  Elisha  W.  Case  left  home  and  went  to  New 
York  City,  where  he  learned  his  trade  in  the  or- 
iginal Connecticut  pie  bakery.  In  1854  he  came 
to  Chicago  and,  taking  advantage  of  the  wide- 
spread reputation  which  everywhere  existed  for 
New  England  cookery,  he  began  the  manufacture 


of  "Connecticut  pies"  on  Milwaukee  Avenue, 
near  Halsted  Street.  This  was  the  first  exclu- 
sive pie  bakery  in  the  city.  The  people  employed 
were  all  natives  of  the  Nutmeg  State,  well  versed 
in  the  culinary  art,  and  the  superior  quality  of 
their  wares,  which  far  surpassed  anything  previ- 
ously offered  in  this  market,  created  a  demand 
for  them  which  has  been  continuously  increasing 
to  the  present  time. 

About  1859  the  "Mechanical  Bakery"  began 
doing  business  on  Clinton  Street.  Mr.  Case  be- 
came the  foreman  of  the  pie  department  of  the 
concern,  which  filled  large  contracts  for  supplies 
for  the  Union  army.  In  1869  he  severed  his 
connection  with  this  establishment  and  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Case  &  Martin,  which  built 
a  large  bakery  at  the  corner  of  Wood  and  Wal- 
nut Streets,  where  the  business  of  exclusive  pie- 
baking  was  resumed  and  has  ever  since  been  con- 
ducted. Upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Martin  in  1890, 
Mr  Case  became  the  sole  proprietor,  and  contin- 
ued to  conduct  the  enterprise  until  June  i,  1894, 
when  the  Case  &  Martin  Company  was  incorpor- 
ated. 

The  fame  of  their  Connecticut  pies  is  well 
known  to  everybody  in  Chicago  and  many  adja- 
cent cities  and  towns,  and  there  are  few  people 
who  cannot  testify  to  their  excellence  as  appeas- 
ers  of  appetite.  Their  goods,  which  are  for  the 
most  part  hand-made,  are  prepared  from  formulas 
used  by  the  best  Connecticut  cooks,  and  such  is 
the  demand  for  this  particular  article  of  dessert 
that  about  one  hundred  people  are  employed  in 
its  production,  and  they  turn  out  from  ten  thou- 
sand to  eighteen  thousand  nine-inch  pies  per 
day. 

Mr.  Case  is  the  inventor  of  the  pie  wagon 
which  is  now  used  by  nearly  all  bakers  and  which 
he  began  to  employ  in  1872.  He  has  contrived 
a  number  of  articles  and  appliances  which  are 
useful  in  his  business,  and,  though  he  has  spent 
considerable  time  and  money  in  experiments,  has 
never  patented  any  of  his  ideas,  some  of  which 
have  been  adopted  and  patented  by  others. 

June  i,  1851,  Mr.  Case  was  married  to  Eliza 
Jane  Baldwin,  daughter  of  William  and  Char- 
lotte Baldwin,  of  Braufort,  Connecticut.  Of 


C.  T.  NICHOLS. 


429 


their  five  children,  one  died  in  infancy,  and  Ever- 
ett passed  away  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years. 
The  names  of  the  survivors  are  John  M.,  Elmer  G. 
and  Edna  J.,  the  latter  the  wife  of  P.  M.  Vermass, 
all  of  Chicago.  The  family  is  connected  with  the 
Western  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  in  which  soci- 
ety Mr.  Case  has  been  a  Deacon  for  twenty -five 
years.  He  has  voted  for  every  presidential  can- 
didate nominated  by  the  Republican  party,  and 


though  he  refrains  from  political  agitation  he 
always  endeavors  to  fulfill  his  duty  as  a  citizen. 
In  private  and  social  circles  as  well  as  in  business 
affairs,  he  has  maintained  a  reputation  for  stabil- 
ity and  integrity,  which  causes  him  to  be  among 
the  best  known  and  most  highly  esteemed  citi- 
zens of  this  great  city,  the  growth  of  which  has 
been  almost  identical  with  that  of  his  business. 


CLIFFORD  L.  NICHOLS. 


CLIFFORD  L.  NICHOLS,  of  Blue  Island, 
I C  the  efficient  and  well-known  Superintendent 
U  of  the  Illinois  Division  of  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  Railroad,  was  born  in  Wyanet, 
111.,  on  the  3<Dth  of  November,  1856,  and  is  a  son 
of  David  T.  and  Hulda  G.  (Barry)  Nichols.  The 
father  came  to  this  State  in  1839,  taking  up  his 
residence  in  the  then  town  of  Chicago,  where  he 
carried  on  a  harness-shop  for  several  years.  In  1 846 
he  removed  to  Kane  County,  111.,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  the  same  line  of  business  for  some 
time.  In  1850  he  crossed  the  plains  to  California, 
attracted  by  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific 
Slope,  but  returned  to  Illinois  the  following  year, 
as  he  did  not  find  that  wealth  was  as  easily  ob- 
tained in  the  West  as  reports  had  indicated.  In 
1853  he  removed  to  Wyanet,  Bureau  County, 
where  he  opened  a  harness-shop,  and  in  1854  he 
became  agent  for  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad  at  that  place,  continuing  with 
that  company  in  the  same  capacity,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  years,  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  loth  of  December,  1893, 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-one  years.  He  was 
born  in  Broadalbin,  N.  Y.  His  wife,  who  is  a 
native  of  Madison,  N.  Y.,  still  resides  in  Wyanet. 
The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  record 
attended  the  public  schools  until  fourteen  years  of 


age,  when  he  began  to  learn  the  art  of  telegraphy 
in  his  father's  office.  In  1876,  having  mastered 
the  business,  he  left  Wyanet  and  secured  a  posi- 
tion as  operator,  train  dispatcher  and  ticket  agent 
elsewhere.  He  was  employed  at  various  points 
on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad 
until  1880,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  as  train 
dispatcher.  From  time  to  time  he  won  promo- 
tion as  the  result  of  his  faithful  and  meritorious 
service,  until  he  had  become  Superintendent  of 
the  Eastern  Division.  Later  he  was  made  Super- 
intendent of  the  Kansas  City  Division,  and  with 
the  exception  of  a  short  period  remained  with 
that  company  until  1890,  as  Superintendent  of 
the  Elgin,  Joliet  &  Eastern  Road.  He  then  be- 
came connected  with  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio,  and 
the  Missouri,  Kansas  &  Texas  Railroads.  In 
1892  he  engaged  with  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific  Railroad  Company  as  chief  train  dis- 
patcher at  Horton,  Kan.,  and  in  August,  1893, 
he  came  to  Blue  Island  as  Superintendent  of  the 
Illinois  Division  of  that. road,  which  position  he 
now  fills. 

Mr.  Nichols  was  married  in  1878  to  Miss  Mabel 
E.  Frans,  daughter  of  Harry  B.  Frans,  of  Gales- 
burg,  111.,  and  a  native  of  California.  They  now 
have  four  children,  Earl,  Jessie,  Ethel  and  Allan. 


43° 


ALONZO  HUNTINGTON. 


ALONZO  HUNTINGTON. 


aLONZO  HUNTINGTON,  who  was  born  at 
Shaftesbury,  Vermont,  September  i,  1805, 
and  died  in  Chicago,  November  17,  1881, 
was  a  Vermonter  of  good  old  stock.  Capt.  Amos 
Huntington,  of  the  Revolutionary  army,  was  his 
grandfather,  and,  like  Samuel  Huntington,  one 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
was  a  great-grandson  of  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America.  Samuel  was  also  President  of  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  Chief  Justice  of  Connecticut, 
Governor  of  Connecticut,  and  (1789)  recipient  of 
two  electoral  votes  at  the  first  Presidential  elec- 
tion. Alonzo  was  also  grand-nephew  of  Gov- 
ernor Galusha,  of  Vermont.  His  father  owned 
and  operated  a  marble  quarry,  in  which  business 
young  Alonzo  took  his  share  of  work  and  respon- 
sibility, even  while  laying  the  foundation  of  his 
education;  his  higher  teaching  being  deferred  to 
that  of  an  elder  brother,  whom  his  service  at  home 
helped  through  Union  College. 

In  spite  of  this  sacrifice,  he  managed  to  secure 
a  fair  degree  of  good  practical  culture,  and,  so 
grounded,  he  studied  law  in  Buffalo  under  the 
Hon.  I.  T.  Hatch,  and  was  there  admitted  to  the 
Bar.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1835,  became  State's 
Attorney  in  1837,  and  administered  his  office  so 
well  as  to  be  re-elected  in  1839,  serving  until 
1841.  His  most  noteworthy  case  in  this  connec- 
tion was  the  prosecution  of  John  Stone  for 
the  murder  of  Lucretia  Thompson,  which  ex- 
cited great  interest,  and  elicited  from  the  Ameri- 
can remarks  which  the  presiding  judge  (Pearson) 
thought  demanded  prosecution  for  contempt  of 
court.  A  suit  was  accordingly  instituted  by  the 
State's  Attorney  under  the  orders  of  the  court. 
It  had  no  result,  except  the  usual  one  of  calling 
down  the  united  voice  of  the  press  on  the  head 


of  the  prosecutor,  who  had  simply  done  his  of- 
ficial duty  and  obeyed  orders. 

His  term  of  office  ended,  Mr.  Huntington  re- 
sumed practice,  wherein  (as  in  his  official  life)  his 
qualities  and  attainments  assured  success.  His 
manners  were  dignified,  yet  cordial;  his  standing 
as  a  man  and  citizen  flawless;  his  relations  in 
private  and  family  life  kind,  generous  and  de- 
voted. Many  know  that  by  his  energy,  ability, 
foresight  and  self-denial  he  gained  a  handsome 
fortune;  few  have  any  idea  of  the  burden  of  duty 
he  was  taking  so  voluntarily  on  his  strong  shoul- 
ders. During  much  of  his  later  life  he  was  the 
stay  and  support  of  his  father,  mother,  two  broth- 
ers and  a  widowed  sister,  besides  his  own  con- 
siderable family;  the  whole  load  sustained  with 
an  heroic  cheerfulness  that  either  felt  no  weari- 
ness, or  concealed  what  it  felt.  Three  genera- 
tions carried  wholly  by  one  inflexible  conscience 
and  faithful  heart! 

Mrs.  Huntington  was  also  of  distinguished 
descent,  being  granddaughter  of  Gideon  Olin, 
one  of  the  founders  of  Vermont  and  a  member  of 
Congress  (1803-7);  a  niece  of  the  late  Abraham 
Olin,  a  member  of  the  Thirty-fifth,  Thirty-sixth 
and  Thirty-seventh  United  States  Congresses,  and 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of 
Columbia,  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Quaker- 
ess, Mary  Dyer,  who  suffered  religious  martyr- 
dom on  Boston  Common  in  1660.  She  was  a  sis- 
tor  of  Dr.  Charles  V.  Dyer,  the  celebrated  wit 
and  humorist  of  the  early  days  of  Chicago,  whose 
engaging  qualities  she  shared  and  transmitted  to 
her  children,  of  whom  two  survive  their  parents: 
Frances,  Mrs.  Benjamin  M.  Wilson,  and  Henry 
Alonzo,  late  Brevet  Major  in  the  United  States 
army,  a  brave  soldier  in  the  Union  War,  and  still 
distinguished  in  literary  and  social  life. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  !" 


FRANK  DIESEL. 


(From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT). 


FRANK  DIESEL. 


431 


FRANK  DIESEL. 


[~  RANK  DIESEL,  president  and  treasurer  of 
rrt  the  Frank  Diesel  Can  Company,  is  a  fine 
|  type  of  the  progressive  and  successful  Ger- 
man-American citizens,  among  those  who  have 
contributed  an  important  portion  of  Chicago's 
population.  He  was  born  April  9,  1838,  in 
Rhenish  Bavaria,  being  the  second  in  a  family  of 
five  children  born  to  Michael  and  Theresa  (Deris) 
Diesel.  The  parents  were  natives  of  Buechel- 
berg,  on  the  border  of  Alsace.  They  came  to 
America  in  1842  and  settled  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
Michael  Diesel  was  a  poor  man,  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  the  hope  of  bettering  his 
financial  condition  and  to  rear  his  family  where 
they  could  have  greater  opportunities  for  ad- 
vancement and  broader  fields  of  usefulness.  On 
his  arrival  in  Cincinnati  his  cash  capital  consisted 
of  three  five- franc  pieces.  He  bought  an  axe 
and  spent  the  first  winter  in  chopping  wood,  after 
which  he  worked  for  a  time  in  a  packing  house. 
Two  years  later  he  engaged  in  digging  wells, 
and  soon  began  taking  contracts  for  this  line  of 
work  on  his  own  account,  meeting  with  gratify- 
ing success.  This  avocation  he  industriously  pur- 
sued until  his  death,  in  1854.  The  following  year 
his  widow  sold  her  effects  and  brought  her  fam- 
ily to  Chicago,  where  she  had  relatives.  The 
first  two  children,  Frank  and  Peter,  were  born  in 
Germany,  and  the  latter  died  in  Cincinnati  about 
1867.  Charles,  the  third,  was  born  upon  the 
ocean  and  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years.  Eliza- 
beth and  Mary,  who  were  born  in  Cincinnati,  are 
deceased.  The  mother  survived  her  husband 


many  years,  and  died  in  Chicago,  at  the  home  of 
her  son  Frank,  in  April,  1895,  in  the  eighty- 
second  year  of  her  age. 

Frank  Diesel,  the  only  surviving  member  of 
the  family,  was  instructed  in  the  common  branches 
of  learning  in  St.  John's  Parish  School  at  Cin- 
cinnati, in  addition  to  which  he  attended  night 
school  one  winter.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he 
was  bound  out  for  a  period  of  five  years  to  learn 
the  barber's  trade,  but  he  was  not  satisfied  with 
the  business,  nor  contented  to  remain  away  from 
home,  and  was  soon  released.  He  was  then  em- 
ployed in  a  tin  and  hardware  store  for  a  year. 
At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  began  learning 
the  tinsmith's  trade,  and  by  working  in  different 
places  he  followed  the  trade  nearly  three  years  in 
Cincinnati. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Michael  Greenebaum,  as  a  journey- 
man, and  remained  with  him  until  1860.  He 
was  then  induced  by  a  friend  to  go  to  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  and  remained  in  that  city  about 
six  months.  He  was  urged  to  enlist  in  the  Con- 
federate service  after  the  Civil  War  began,  but 
this  was  not  to  his  liking.  On  the  26th  of  April, 
1861,  he  took  passage  for  Cincinnati  on  the  last 
passenger  steamer  which  came  North  before  the 
realities  of  war  were  inaugurated.  He  arrived  in 
Cincinnati  on  the  first  day  of  May,  and  spent  a 
few  days  there  in  visiting  his  old  home  and  re- 
newing the  acquaintances  of  his  youthful  days. 
He  found  that  most  of  his  old  associates  had 
joined  the  Union  army,  and  he  immediately  came 


432 


FRANK  DIESEL. 


to  Chicago  and  again  entered  the  employ  of  Mr. 
Greenebaum. 

August  26,  1862,  he  enlisted  for  three  years  in 
the  Union  army,  and  became  a  member  of  Com- 
pany K,  Eighty-ninth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infan-. 
try,  entering  at  once  upon  active  duty.  On  the 
last  day  of  that  year  he  was  wounded  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Stone  River,  near  Murfreesboro,  Tennessee, 
and  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  Nashville,  go- 
ing from  there  to  Louisville,  and  thence  to 
Quincy,  Illinois.  He  was  discharged  at  the  last- 
named  point  on  account  of  disability,  April  10, 
1863.  He  now  returned  to  Chicago,  and  was 
soon  established  with  his  old  employer,  with 
whom  he  continued  until  June  i,  1864.  He  then 
accepted  a  position  with  Cross  &  Dane,  manu- 
facturers of  tinware,  at  No.  50  State  Street,  and 
for  some  time  was  employed  in  cutting  out  piece 
work  for  their  men.  He  was  promoted  to  fore- 
man in  the  pressing  and  stamping  department, 
and  remained  with  this  establishment  during 
various  changes  of  ownership.  He  became  su- 
perintendent for  the  Dane,  Westlake  &  Covert 
Company,  under  Mr.  Westlake,  who  was  general 
manager.  After  the  great  fire  this  concern  was 
consolidated  with  Crerar  &  Adams,  and  Adams 
&  Westlake  Manufacturing  Company  was  estab- 
lished, with  whom  Mr.  Diesel  continued  to  fill 
the  position  of  superintendent  until  March,  1877. 

About  this  time  he  formed  a  partnership  with 
Conrad  Folz,  who  was  at  that  time  county  jailer, 
under  the  firm  name  of  Diesel  &  Folz,  and  in  a 
small  way  they  began  business  at  No.  425  Larra- 
bee  Street.  Most  of  their  capital  was  borrowed, 
but  they  did  a  successful  business,  and  this  con- 
nection lasted  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
Mr.  Diesel  bought  out  his  partner's  interest  and 
continued  the  business  alone.  In  1885  he  bought 
two  lots  on  North  Halsted  Street,  on  which  he 
built  a  large  factory,  which  he  later  enlarged  to 
meet  the  growing  demands  of  his  trade.  In  1887 
he  bought  additional  ground  and  erected  his 
present  commodious  residence,  at  No.  701  North 
Halsted  Street.  Under  Mr.  Diesel's  able  manage- 
ment the  business  continued  to  grow,  and  as- 
sumed such  proportions  that  the  capacity  of  the 
plant  had  to  be  enlarged,  and  in  order  to  enjoy 


better  shipping  facilities,  in  1894,  at  a  cost  of 
twenty-four  thousand  dollars,  Mr.  Diesel  pur- 
chased lots  on  the  corner  of  Stewart  Avenue  and 
Fortieth  Street,  on  which  he  erected  the  present 
large  factory,  and  it  was  occupied  in  October  of 
that  year.  In  the  previous  year  the  present  cor- 
poration, known  as  the  Frank  Diesel  Can  Com- 
pany, was  formed,  the  stock  being  held  by  Mr. 
Diesel  and  his  sons.  They  bought  out  the  can  de- 
partment of  the  Chicago  Stamping  Company, 
which  was  added  to  their  already  large  plant.  This 
is  the  most  important  industry  of  its  kind  in  the 
West,  if  not  in  the  United  States.  In  it  is  carried 
on  the  manufacture  of  fruit,  meat  and  oyster  cans, 
sheet-metal  specialties  and  decorative  ware.  In 
connection  is  maintained  a  lithographing  depart- 
ment. An  average  of  five  hundred  people  are 
employed,  and  the  goods  are  marketed  in  various 
parts  of  the  United  States,  the  annual  output 
amounting  to  nearly  one  million  dollars. 

Mr.  Diesel  is  an  earnest  supporter  of  Repub- 
lican principles  in  politics,  but  has  no  time  for 
office  seeking,  and  has  declined  the  urgent  request 
of  friends  to  become  a  candidate  for  alderman  in 
his  ward.  He  is  a  member  of  American  Post 
No.  708,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

In  1864  he  was  married  to  Miss  Barbara  Roos, 
a  native  of  Rhenish  Bavaria,  and  daughter  of 
Louis  Roos,  who  came  to  Chicago  in  1851.  His 
family  includes  five  sons  and  two  daughters, 
namely:  Louis,  Conrad,  John  A. ,  Lambert,  Rosa, 
Charles  and  Lena.  Two  daughters  and  one  son 
besides  these  died  in  childhood.  All  are  com- 
municants of  St.  Michael's  Roman  Catholic 
Church. 

Mr.  Diesel  is  essentially  a  self-made  man. 
Without  wealth  or  influential  friends  to  start  him 
in  life,  by  his  own  industry  and  the  care  of  his 
earnings  he  was  enabled  to  begin  business  in  a 
small  way.  He  did  not  relinquish  his  industry 
and  thrift,  but  continued  to  give  close  attention 
to  his  business  and  was  thus  enabled  to  enlarge 
and  extend  it  until  it  became  one  of  the  greatest 
industries  of  Chicago.  To  such  men  the  city 
owes  its  commercial  supremacy,  and  the  example 
afforded  by  the  story  of  his  life  is  earnestly  com- 
mended to  the  emulation  of  our  youth. 


WILLIAM  BRANDT. 


433 


WILLIAM  BRANDT. 


fDQlLLIAM  BRANDT,  who  is  among  the 
I  A  I  most  substantial  and  esteemed  citizens  of 
V  V  Chicago,  is  an  immigrant  from  the  Father- 
land, from  whence  come  so  many  of  the  most 
loyal  citizens  of  America.  He  is  one  of  the  vast 
army  who  seek  fortune  and  standing  in  bountiful 
America,  where  all  men  are  free  and  equal,  with 
the  same  chance  of  developing  their  tastes  and 
abilities.  Born  April  13,  1843,  William  Brandt 
is  a  son  of  John  and  Christina  (Rahm)  Brandt, 
who  resided  in  Elmenhorst,  Holstein,  Germany, 
at  the  time  of  his  birth. 

He  was  still  a  very  young  man  when  he  arrived 
in  New  York,  August  8,  1866,  having  sailed  in 
an  English  vessel.  He  left  Germany  June  17, 
1866,  and  spent  two  weeks  in  England,  before 
embarking  for  America.  Subsequent  to  his  ar- 
rival in  the  United  States  he  visited  Philadelphia, 
later  traveling  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  remained 
one  year,  working  at  his  trade,  that  of  cigar- 
maker.  After  spending  three  months  in  Balti- 
more he  was  a  short  time  in  Philadelphia,  and 
during  the  subsequent  time,  until  May  2,  1868, 
remained  in  New  York.  At  the  last- mentioned 
date  he  entered  the  employ  of  Robert  H.  Gardi- 
ner, at  the  corner  of  Sixteenth  and  State  Streets, 
in  Chicago.  After  one  year  he  went  to  Aurora, 
where  he  stayed  five  months. 

Until  September,  1871,  Mr.  Brandt  occupied 
himself  with  his  trade  and  at  that  date  opened  a 
business  of  his  own  on  Cottage  Grove  Avenue, 
near  Twenty-seventh  Street,  with  John  Shettel 


for  a  partner.  After  one  month  Mr.  Brandt  pur- 
chased his  partner's  interest,  and  continued  the 
business  alone  three  years  at  this  location.  He 
then  removed  north  to  a  location  near  Twenty- 
sixth  Street,  remaining  on  Cottage  Grove  Ave- 
nue. In  May,  1889,  he  removed  to  No.  309 
Sixty-third  Street.  His  factory  is  No.  92,  and 
wherever  Mr.  Brandt  was  his  business  has  been 
carried  on  under  this  factory  number. 

January  4,  1872,  Mr.  Brandt  was  married  to 
Miss  Emily  Amelia  Louisa,  daughter  of  Ernst 
Franz  Diedrich  and  Caroline  Henrietta  Wendt. 
Mrs.  Brandt  was  born  June  25,  1847,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Fehrbellin,  near  Berlin,  Germany.  Her 
grandfather  was  Diedrich  Wendt,  a  miller  of 
Mecklenburg,  Germany,  and  a  well-known  man 
and  possessor  of  much  property.  Her  maternal 
grandfather  bore  the  name  of  Warbick,  and  mar- 
ried Henrietta  Barsekow.  Their  children  were: 
Caroline,  Amalie,  Matilda,  Wilhelm  and  Henry. 
Mr.  Warbick  was  an  inn-keeper,  butcher  and 
stockdealer. 

Mrs.  Brandt's  father  died  in  1868.  He  was 
born  July  30,  1796,  in  Mecklenburg,  aud  went  to 
Prussia.  He  was  a  miller,  conducting  his  own 
mill.  Mrs.  Wendt  was  born  January  30,  1804, 
and  died  in  1866.  She  was  born  in  Fehrbellin, 
and  her  children  are  accounted  for  as  follows: 
Ernst  died  at  the  age  of  thirty  years;  Wilhelm 
died  in  Texas;  Caroline  came  to  America  in  1892, 
and  died  here  in  1894;  Henry  has  resided  at  the 
corner  of  Polk  and  Jefferson  Streets,  Chicago,  for 


434 


J.  J.  OVRESAT. 


the  past  forty-five  years;  Otto  is  living  in  the  old 
country;  Paulina  died  when  two  years  of  age; 
Herman  resides  in  Chicago,  at  No.  1940  Fuller- 
ton  Avenue;  Rudolph  inherited  his  father's  resi- 
dence, and  died  in  1894;  Anna  still  resides  in 
her  native  land;  Amelia  and  Matilda  died  when 
young;  Mrs.  Brandt  is  the  youngest  of  her  father's 
family. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brandt  are  an  admirable  and 
harmonious  couple,  each  being  a  helpmate  to  the 
other.  Mr.  Brandt  has  very  domestic  tastes,  ap- 
preciating Mrs.  Brandt's  efforts  to  make  the  home 
as  pleasant  and  enjoyable  as  it  is  in  her  power  to 
do.  All  who  visit  them  say  her  efforts  are  re- 
warded, and  that  the  home  circle  is  everything 
that  could  be  desired  by  the  most  fastidious. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brandt  have  been  blessed  with  a 
family  of  children  that  have  proved  a  credit  to 


them  and  their  rearing.  William  Rudolph,  the 
eldest,  was  born  October  24,  1872,  and  married 
Jennie  Fritschel,  November  28,  1896.  Martha 
Emily  was  born  September  3,  1874;  Robert  was 
born  Augusts,  1876;  Edward  Alfred,  August  4, 
1878;  Henry  Arthur,  August  2,  1880,  and  Clara 
Louise,  May  6,  1882. 

Being  naturally  of  an  economical  and  thrifty 
nature,  Mr.  Brandt  has  been  enabled  to  build  a 
residence  for  his  family  at  No.  6745  Lafayette 
Avenue.  He  has  filled  all  chairs  in  Douglass 
Lodge  No.  232,  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  is  connected  with  Parkside  Lodge 
No.  492,  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was  reared  a 
Protestant  and  remains  true  to  the  teachings  of 
his  fathers.  Altogether  a  worthy  and  respected 
gentleman,  he  enjoys  the  confidence  of  all  people 
of  his  acquaintance. 


JACOB  J.  OVRESAT. 


(JACOB  JOHNSON  OVRESAT,  who  is  promi- 
nent  in    business   and   social  circles  in  the 


northwestern  part  of  Chicago,  was  born  April 
17,  1857,  in  Norway,  where  he  received  his  edu- 
cation and  spent  his  boyhood  and  youth.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  resolved  to  try  his  fortune 
on  the  western  continent,  where  opportunities  of 
advancement  were  more  numerous,  and  accord- 
ingly emigrated  to  Crawford  County,  Wisconsin, 
where  for  about  four  years  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. 

In  1 88 1  he  concluded  to  remove  to  Chicago, 
where  he  was  employed  for  one  year  in  the 
freight  depot  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway.  For  the  next  seven  months  he  worked 
at  house  moving  for  Harris,  Abrahamsen  &  Com- 
pany. By  this  time  he  had  acquired  consider- 
able knowledge  of  the  English  language  and  of 
American  bitsiness  customs  and  secured  a  posi- 


tion as  conductor  on  the  cars  of  the  West  Chi- 
cago Street  Railway  Company.  In  this  work  he 
became  very  efficient  and  was  so  well  liked  by 
both  officers  and  patrons  that  he  continued  in  the 
service  for  over  ten  and  one-half  years. 

Having  followed  a  temperate  and  economical 
mode  of  life  he  had  during  his  long  term  of  steady 
work  acquired  a  sufficient  sum  of  money  to  enter 
business  for  himself  and  resolved  to  apply  his 
energy  in  a  way  that  would  bring  greater 
remuneration  to  himself.  After  due  considera- 
tion he  opened  an  undertaking  establishment  at 
No.  1654  Milwaukee  Avenue  and  also  took  up 
the  study  of  embalming.  In  May,  1894  he  re- 
ceived a  certificate  of  graduation  from  Clark's 
School  of  Embalming.  This  venture  proved  a 
most  fortunate  one  for  Mr.  Ovresat  and  he  has 
continued  at  the  same  location  ever  since.  The 
proprietor  is  favorably  known  in  his  line  of  busi- 


C.  C.  ARNHOLD. 


435 


ness  and  also  conducts  a  livery  which  is  a  suc- 
cessful enterprise. 

In  1886  Mr.  Ovresat  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Marie  Negaard,  who  is  also  a  native  of 
Norway.  Their  union  has  been  blessed  by  the 
birth  of  five  children,  Magdalene,  Carrie,  Jennie, 
Jens  and  Jacob  Raymond.  The  family  is  con- 
nected with  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church,  of  which  the  father  is  one  of  the  most 
valued  and  influential  members. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  possesses  a  genial, 
companionable  nature  and  his  society  is  enjoyed 
by  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  It  is  natural  then 
that  he  should  become  connected  with  various 
fraternal  orders.  He  is  a  member  of  Ben  Hur 
Lodge  No.  8 1 8,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 


sons; is  past  commander  of  Godiva  Lodge  No. 
512,  Knights  of  Pythias;  is  Sir  Knight  Com- 
mander of  Maplewood  Tent  126,  Knights  of  the 
Maccabees;  and  is  a  member  of  Maplewood  Court 
No.  71,  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.  He  is 
past  Drot  in  the  Norwegian  Order  Knights  of 
the  White  Cross  and  is  connected  with  the  follow 
ing  other  Norwegian  societies:  Bjorgvin,  the  Nor- 
wegian Glee  Club,  the  Kjeeralf  Singing  Society, 
and  the  Ampbion  Singing  Society.  He  has  taken 
a  deep  interest  in  the  building  up  of  his  section 
of  the  city  and  is  vice  president  of  the  Maplewood 
Loan,  Building  and  Homestead  Association.  In 
politics  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  enjoys  the  distinction  of  being  the 
only  man  of  his  name  in  Chicago. 


CHARLES  C   ARNHOLD. 


HARLES  CHRISTIAN  ARNHOLD  is  not 
only  a  member  of  an  old  German  family, 
\,J  but  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War.  He  was 
born  November  6,  1845,  in  the  village  of  Gross 
Bernden,  province  of  Saxon  y,  Germany,  and  is  the 
eldest  son  of  Henry  Christian  and  Justina  Arn- 
hold,  mention  of  whom  is  made  in  the  biography 
of  Christoph  Beck,  in  this  volume. 

C.  C.  Arnhold  came  to  America  with  his  par- 
ents in  1853,  and  was  educated,  first  in  a  Ger- 
man, and  later  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city. 
After  leaving  school  he  worked  for  a  time  at  the 
butcher's  trade  in  the  employ  of  Christoph  Beck 
and  Nelson  Morris.  October  i,  1861,  when  a 
mere  lad  not  yet  sixteen  years  of  age,  he  enlisted 
in  the  Union  army  for  the  term  of  three  years  or 
during  the  war.  He  was  assigned  to  Company  E, 
Fifty-eighth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson  and  Shiloh. 
At  the  last-named  place  he  was  wounded  in  the 
side,  and  was  sent  home  for  a  short  time.  After 


he  recovered  he  re-enlisted  and  was  attached  to 
the  Sixteenth  Cavalry  and  served  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  cavalry  June  5,  1865,  and  during  all  that 
time  he  was  in  active  service,  and  was  never  in 
the  hospital  at  any  time. 

After  the  war  closed  he  returned  to  Chicago. 
He  entered  the  employ  of  Stanley,  Smale  &  Com- 
pany, butchers,  and  remained  with  this  concern 
one  year,  when  he  became  one  of  the  employes 
of  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Company,  his  length  of  serv- 
ice with  these  two  firms  being  four  years  in  all. 
April  19,  1869,  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
United  States  Express  Company,  as  porter,  and 
a  year  later  was  promoted  to  weigher,  which  po- 
sition he  filled  seven  years.  He  was  then  ap- 
pointed a  dispatcher  and  has  continuously  filled 
that  position  since,  being  a  trusted  and  valued 
employe  of  the  company,  as  his  length  of  service 
would  indicate. 

He   is  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican 


436 


JOHN  DAHM. 


party  and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  in  1864. 
He  has  never  aspired  to  any  public  official  posi- 
tion, preferring  to  devote  his  attention  to  more 
substantial  affairs.  Mr.  Arnhold  is  a  member 
of  the  Expressmen's  Mutual  Benefit  Association, 
in  which  he  is  well  known  and  respected. 

July  19,  1866,  he  married  Miss  Mary  McCann, 
who  bore  him  seven  children,  only  four  of  whom 
are  living,  namely:  Allie,  wife  of  George  Consor; 


Augusta,  now  Mrs.  Samuel  Jones;  Charles  Chris- 
tian and  Edna.  The  mother  died  August  3,  1881. 
June  5,  1882,  Mr.  Arnhold  was  united  to  Miss 
Helen  Leist,  a  native  of  Chicago,  and  a  daughter 
of  John  J.  and  Susan  (Schoefer)  Leist,  who  are 
natives  of  Germany  and  old  settlers  in  Cook 
County.  By  this  union  Mr.  Arnhold  has  three 
children,  Mary,  Rosa  and  George.  The  family 
circle  is  harmonious  and  its  fireside  is  a  peaceful 
and  happy  spot. 


JOHN   DAHM. 


HOHN  DAHM.  Among  the  chief  character- 
I  istics  of  the  German  nation,  is  that  of  perse- 
O  verance.  The  people  of  Germany  are  a 
sturdy,  healthy  folk,  and  have  energy  and 
strength  of  purpose  possessed  by  few  other  na- 
tionalities. They  are  the  ones  who  strive  to 
reach  the  summit  of  wealth  and  position,  and  are 
successful  where  many  others  fail.  John  Dahm 
was  born  January  i,  1844,  in  Prussia,  Germany,  a 
son  of  Michael  and  Anna  (Meyer) Dahm.  He 
has  been  the  trusted  and  valued  employe  of  the 
same  concern  for  a  period  of  more  than  thirty 
years,  which  fact  proves  that  he  is  a  true  repre- 
sentative of  his  country. 

His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil 
and,  in  this  and  also  in  the  fact  of  his  having 
four  children,  he  resembled  the  maternal  grand- 
father. Michael  Dahm  was  born  in  1799,  and 
died  in  March,  1868.  He  was  a  tailor.  His 
wife,  born  in  1805,  died  in  1884.  Theirchildren 
were:  John  and  Baptiste,  who  reside  in  Chicago 
at  the  present  time;  Angeline,  who  is  mentioned 
below;  Henry,  who  died  at  the  age  of  forty- 
one  years;  and  five  others  who  died  when  quite 
young. 

Angeline  came  to  America,  being  the  first  of 
her  father's  family  to  emigrate  from  her  native 


land,  in  1862.  She  married  Johft  Hemmer  and 
died  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years. 
John,  whose  name  heads  this  article,  was  the 
next  to  emigrate  to  America,  arriving  in  Chicago 
April  26,  1868.  He  had  learned  his  trade  in  his 
native  land,  starting  at  it  when  fifteen  years  of 
age  and  practicing  it  for  a  time  before  emigrating. 
He  has  been  a  finisher  of  iron  since  that  time, 
and  has  become  skillful  and  proficient  in  his  line. 
Shortly  after  coming  to  America  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Schillo  &  Cossman,  in  their  foundry, 
at  the  corner  of  Polk  and  Canal  Streets. 

Nothing  is  more  conducive  to  the  success  and 
well-being  of  a  man  than  a  helpful,  congenial 
life  companion,  such  as  Mrs.  Dahm  has  proved. 
John  Dahm  was  married  January  13,  1872,  to 
Miss  Marion  Wolf,  daughter  of  Theodore  and 
Eva  (Gillen)  Wolf.  She  was  born  October  26, 
1848,  in  Prussia,  and  came  to  America  in  1870, 
with  her  brother,  Michael  Wolf.  The  latter 
married  Johanna  Becker,  and  followed  the  occu- 
pation of  brewer.  He  died  when  forty  years 
of  age. 

Theodore  Wolf  is  still  living,  in  the  land  of 
his  birth,  and  owns  and  conducts  a  farm.  He 
was  born  in  1820.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
in  November,  1822,  died  in  1887.  Her  children 


WILLIAM  BARTELT. 


437 


were  as  follows:  Michael,  of  whom  mention  is 
made  above;  Marion,  wife  of  John  Dahm;  Peter, 
who  came  to  America  and  died  here  one  year 
later;  Matthew,  who  came  to  America  and  re- 
mained but  four  years;  Margaret;  Elizabeth,  who 
spent  two  years  in  America;  John  and  Nicholas. 
Mrs.  Dahm's  paternal  grandfather  died  very 
young  and  left  no  record  of  his  ancestry.  Her 
maternal  grandfather,  Michael  Gillen,  had  the 
following  children :  Clemens,  Elizabeth,  Theo- 
dore, Margarette,  Katharine,  Marion,  Nicholas, 
Eva  and  Michael. 

John  Dahm  and  his  wife  became  the  parents  of 
eight  children,  of  whom  brief  mention  is  here 
made:  Angeline  Clare,  born  March  14,  1873, 
married  Benjamin  Voorhees,  September  28,  1895, 
and  resides  at  No.  408  Mecca  Flats,  corner  Thirty- 
fourth  and  State  Streets.  Mr.  Voorhees  is  a 


bookkeeper.  His  one  child,  Estella  Irene,  was 
born  September  14,  1896.  The  other  children 
of  John  Dahm  are:  Matthew  John,  born  Sep- 
tember 19,  1874;  Eva  Marie  Agnes,  April  10, 
1876;  Marie  Alouise,  March  4,  1878;  Rosa  Elnorc, 
January  29,  1881;  Clara  Theresa  Dorothy,  De- 
cember 19,  1883;  Lena  Lulu,  born  February  20, 
1885,  died  January  16  of  the  next  year;  John 
Nicholas  George,  born  on  the  i2th  of  February, 
1887. 

Mr.  Dahm  is  a  staunch  and  faithful  member  of 
St.  Martin's  German  Catholic  Church,  to  which 
he  lends  his  aid  at  all  times.  He  votes  in  favor  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  a  large  and  in- 
teresting family,  all  of  whom  do  credit  to  their 
rearing  and  name.  His  home  is  pleasantly  lo- 
cated at  No.  5552  Dearborn  Street,  near  Garfield 
Boulevard. 


WILLIAM  BARTELT. 


fi)QlLLIAM  BARTELT,  a  retired  business 
\Al  man,  is  a  prominent  representative  of  the 
V  V  German-American  element  which  has  con- 
tributed so  much  toward  the  upbuilding  of 
Chicago.  He  was  born  in  Prussia,  November 
15,  1843,  son  of  John  and  Charlotte  Bartelt.  Of 
this  family  three  sons  came  to  America. 

William  Bartelt  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  village,  after  which  he  learned  the 
brewer's  art.  At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  en- 
tered the  standing  army  of  Germany,  and  served 
four  years.  In  1867  he  came  to  America,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  daughter,  and  located 
in  Chicago.  He  at  once  interested  himself  in 
machinery  and  entered  the  machine  shop  of  the 
Vulcan  Iron  Works,  conducted  by  Atkinson  & 
Burgess,  and  learned  the  trade  of  machinist.  He 
remained  in  their  employ  nine  years  and  became 
proficient  in  the  line  he  had  chosen. 


Mr.  Bartelt  subsequently  started  a  boarding 
house  and  general  catering  establishment  at  No. 
54  West  Kinzie  Street,  later  moving  to  No.  63 
same  street.  In  1884  he  removed  to  No.  768 
Diana  Avenue,  now  called  Artesian  Avenue,  and 
established  a  grocery  business,  with  a  saloon  in 
connection.  He  carried  on  a  successful  trade 
until  1894,  when  he  retired  from  the  cares  of  an 
active  business  life. 

Since  the  time  he  became  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States  Mr.  Bartelt  has  taken  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  political  affairs  of  his  adopted 
country  and  has  ever  acted  independently,  sup- 
porting the  man  he  thought  best  fitted  to  fill  an 
office.  He  never  sought  public  position  for  him- 
self, but  served  as  judge  of  election  for  a  period 
of  two  years. 

He  was  for  some  time  a  member  of  Couit  Au- 
rora No.  58,  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  and 


43» 


J.  M.  PETTERSEN. 


was  treasurer  of  the  lodge  while  a  member  of  it. 
He  was  also  for  a  time  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Red  Men,  and  held  the  office 
of  treasurer.  He  is  a  member  of  the  German 
Orpheus  Maennerchor,  with  which  he  has  been 
connected  nineteen  years,  and  had  charge  of  all 
the  music  of  the  order.  Among  other  musical 
societies  he  is  connected  with  the  Schiller  Lieder- 
tafel.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  and  stock- 
holders of  the  Schiller  Building,  on  Randolph 
Street. 


Conducive  to  the  happiness  and  general  wel- 
fare of  a  man  is  a  pleasant,  helpful  life  companion, 
as  Mrs.  Bartelt  has  proven.  She  is  a  native  of 
the  same  county  as  her  husband,  and  was  named 
Amelia  Kluge  They  were  married  March  30, 
1867.  Of  their  four  living  children,  the  eldest 
was  born  in  Prussia,  and  the  others  in  Chicago, 
namely:  Augusta,  now  Mrs.  Philip  Roth;  Ma- 
tilda, wife  of  Herman  Reische;  Frank  and  Amelia. 
All  are  members  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church. 


JOHAN  M.  PETTERSEN. 


(lOHAN  MARTIN  BERTEL  MOERCH 
I  DE  EICH  PETTERSEN,  a  druggist  at  No. 
(*/  439  West  Fullerton  Avenue,  was  born  April 
23,  1844,  in  the  village  of  Saeby,  peninsula  of 
Jutland,  Denmark.  He  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  public  school  of  his  native  village. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  entered  upon  a 
five  years'  apprenticeship  to  learn  the  business 
of  druggist.  On  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
service  he  received  a  diploma  for  the  practice  of 
pharmacy.  He  then  went  to  Schleswig  and  filled 
a  position  as  prescription  clerk  in  a  drug  store 
two  years.  The  two  succeeding  years  he  was 
employed  in  the  same  capacity  at  Frysenberg. 

In  1869  Mr.  Pettersen  came  to  the  United 
States,  locating  first  at  Jamestown,  New  York, 
where  he  was  employed  two  years  as  clerk  in  a 
drug  store.  He  then  went  to  Foxburg,  in  the 
oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  and  followed  his 
profession  about  nine  months. 

Mr.  Pettersen  arrived  in  Chicago  in  1872,  and 
was  first  employed  in  a  drug  store  at  the  corner 
of  Division  Street  and  Milwaukee  Avenue,  and 
after  a  short  time  was  in  the  service  of  Hunton 
&  Hall,  at  their  store  at  the  corner  of  Leavitt 
and  Lake  Streets.  From  there  he  went  to  the 


employ  of  N.  Bruun,  who  was  located  at  the 
corner  of  West  Indiana  Street  (which  street  is 
now  Grand  Avenue  at  this  point)  and  Center 
Avenue.  He  was  a  clerk  at  this  store  seven 
years,  proving  himself  a  worthy  and  valued  man 
of  tact  and  perseverance. 

In  1881  he  decided  to  establish  a  business  of 
his  own  and  purchased  a  business  at  the  corner 
of  Cottage  Grove  Avenue  and  Twenty-ninth 
Street,  which  proved  to  be  a  poor  location,  and 
moved  the  store,  in  a  short  time,  to  Twenty-fifth 
Street  and  the  same  avenue.  A  few  months  later 
he  removed  to  the  corner  of  Milwaukee  Avenue 
and  Carpenter  Street.  After  one  year  of  unsatis- 
factory trade  he  moved  to  No.  1702  Milwaukee 
Avenue,  where  he  soon  built  up  a  profitable  busi- 
ness. 

In  1890  he  purchased  a  business  at  the  corner 
of  Rockwell  Street  and  West  Fullerton  Avenue, 
and  conducted  both  stores  eight  years.  In  1898, 
however,  he  disposed  of  the  former  and  success- 
fully continues  the  one  where  he  resides.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Foresters,  also  being  identified 
with  the  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security.  He 
was  made  a  Mason  in  Jamestown,  New  York,  but 


ERIK  PEDERSEN. 


439 


has  not  affiliated  with  any  lodge  since  he  left  that 
city.  For  thirty-eight  consecutive  years  he  has 
been  a  druggist,  and  has  had  a  long  and  varied 
experience  which  is  invaluable  to  him. 

Mr.  Pettersen  was  married  in  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1871,  to  Miss  Augusta  Gad,  a 
native  of  Denmark.  They  became  the  parents 
of  six  children,  three  of  whom  died  in  childhood. 
Annie,  the  eldest  now  living,  is  the  wife  of  L.  J. 


Lunoe,  judge  of  the  criminal  court  at  Copen- 
hagen. Ella,  the  next  in  order  of  birth,  is  at 
home,  as  is  also  Holger,  who  is  attending  school. 
Mr.  Pettersen  has  always  taken  a  keen  interest 
in  the  affairs  of  his  adopted  country  and  home 
city.  He  is  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party, 
but  has  always  refused  to  accept  a  nomination 
for  office  of  any  kind.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Danish  Lutheran  Church. 


ERIK  PEDERSEN. 


ITRIK  PEDERSEN.  The  subject  of  this 
fy  sketch  is  a  native  of  the  village  of  Hund- 
L_  tofte  on  the  island  of  Fyen,  Denmark,  and 
is  the  youngest  of  the  seven  children  of  Peter 
Knudsen  and  Maria  Christophersen,  both  natives 
of  Fyen.  Both  parents  spent  their  lives  in  Fyen, 
his  father  dying  in  1861,  and  his  mother  in  1876. 
Mr.  Pedersen  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native  village,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
fourteen  years  of  age,  and  was  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  a  time;  then,  becoming  desirous  of  follow- 
ing the  sea,  he  shipped  as  a  cabin  boy,  and  for 
many  years  was  employed  on  board  a  ship  in 
various  capacities.  From  his  native  land  he 
sailed  to  Scotland  and  Prussia,  then  to  Liver- 
pool, and  there  shipped  aboard  a  Dutch  vessel 
and  sailed  to  Riga,  Russia.  From  there  he  went 
to  Holland,  then  took  a  position  on  a  South 
American  vessel  and  went  to  New  Orleans,  land- 
ing in  America  for  the  first  time  in  1860.  After 
a  short  visit  in  New  Orleans  he  was  employed  on 
the  American  vessel  "Scranton,"  on  a  trip  to 
Liverpool.  He  then  shipped  on  board  a  Swedish 
ship,  which  was  bound  for  Shields,  England;  here 
he  changed  to  the  American  ship  "Globe,"  com- 
manded by  Captain  Baker,  and  went  to  Rio 
Janeiro,  Brazil.  The  ship  being  southern  prop- 
erty, could  not  get  a  clearance,  so  the  captain 


represented  that  they  were  going  to  Cork,  Ire- 
land, for  orders.  Instead  he  went  into  St. 
Thomas,  in  the  West  Indies,  to  learn  how  the 
Rebellion  was  progressing.  Then  they  found 
three  Northern  men  of  war,  and  the  "Globe" 
was  held  there  eleven  months.  Mr.  Pedersen  re- 
mained on  board  the  "Globe"  eight  months  and 
then  got  a  berth  on  board  a  Danish  vessel  and 
went  to  San  Domingo,  from  there  to  Hamburg, 
Germany,  thence  to  his  native  village  and  found 
that  his  father  had  died.  He  then  went  to  Ham- 
burg and  shipped  in  an  American  vessel  bound 
for  Shields,  England.  Later  he  embarked  on  a 
Prussian  vessel,  came  to  New  York  and  cruised 
along  the  eastern  coast,  visiting  Baltimore,  Jack- 
sonville and  Galveston,  and  then  went  on  a  trip 
to  Newfoundland  and  Nova  Scotia. 

Returning  to  New  York  he  shipped  on  a  Ger- 
man vessel  for  France,  touching  at  Marseilles.  On 
going  back  to  New  York,  they  were  detained  in 
the  harbor  at  Gibraltar  by  a  head  wind  for  about 
twenty-four  hours.  The  captain  did  not  know 
that  the  law  required  every  ship  that  had  been 
lying  at  anchor  in  the  bay  to  hoist  its  flag  while 
passing  the  Spanish  fort.  Neglecting  to  comply 
with  this  regulation,  his  ship  was  fired  at  from 
the  forts  and  the  twenty-four  pound  shot  struck 
the  railing,  passing  through  the  side  of  the  ship, 


440 


FREDERICK  VOLTZ. 


broke  the  cook's  leg,  knocked  off  a  leg  of  the 
stove  and  lodged  in  a  sail  locker.  The  Govern- 
ment sent  a  tug  to  take  them  back  into  the  har- 
bor at  Gibraltar,  where  they  had  to  report  to  the 
Consul  how  the  trouble  happened,  after  which 
they  returned  to  New  York.  Mr.  Pedersen  then 
shipped  on  a  Nova  Scotian  vessel,  called '  'Lillian, ' ' 
and  went  to  Buenos  Ayres,  Brazil,  with  lumber, 
and  from  there  returned  to  Boston.  After  getting 
his  pay  he  took  passage  on  a  steamboat  to  New 
York,  where  he  made  his  home.  He  then  went 
to  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  continued  his  journey 
as  far  West  as  Omaha,  intending  to  go  into  the 
mining  regions  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Instead 
he  took  a  trip  down  the  Mississippi  River  and 
spent  the  winter  in  New  Orleans.  While  on  the 
levee  in  that  city  looking  for  work,  he  heard  a 
man  ask  a  negro  to  go  to  work  for  him,  and  at 
once  recognized  the  voice  as  that  of  a  Mr.  Bruen, 
who  had  been  second  mate  of  the  ship  "Globe." 
He  made  himself  known,  renewed  the  old  ac- 
quaintance and  friendship  and  got  profitable  em- 
ployment with  his  old  friend.  In  the  spring  of 


1871  he  came  to  Chicago,  sailing  on  the  lakes 
during  the  following  summer.  In  the  fall  of 
1871  he  went  to  New  York  and  made  two  trips  to 
Santiago,  and  on  his  return  visited  his  brother  in 
Racine,  Wisconsin. 

In  the  spring  of  1873  Mr.  Pedersen  came  to 
Chicago  and  engaged  in  the  sale  of  sewing  ma- 
chines. Five  years  later  he  started  in  that  busi- 
ness for  himself,  and  first  located  at  No.  332  West 
Chicago  Avenue,  where  he  remained  about  four 
years;  at  the  end  of  that  time  removing  to  his 
present  place  of  business  No.  278  West  Chicago 
Avenue. 

Mr.  Pedersen  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss 
Ella  Johnsen,  a  native  of  Norway,  who  came  to 
Chicago  in  1870.  She  died  in  1879,  leaving  one 
child,  Mary  Pedersen,  who  is  a  most  efficient  as- 
sistant to  her  father  in  his  business. 

Mr.  Pedersen  is  a  valued  member  of  the  Danish 
Benevolent  Society,  and  is  independent  in  his 
political  opinion.  He  is  essentially  one  of  the 
self-made  men  of  Chicago,  having  established 
himself  in  business  wholly  by  his  own  efforts. 


FREDERICK  VOLTZ. 


REDBRICK  VOLTZ  is  a  representative  of 
the  thrifty  and  successful  German- American 

*  citizens  who  have  done  so  much  for  the  pro- 
gression of  the  city  of  Chicago.  He  was  born  in 
Hesse- Darmstadt,  near  Franklin,  Germany,  April 
17,  1831,  a  son  of  Ludwig  and  Elizabeth  Voltz. 
Both  parents  died  in  Germany  and  of  their  chil- 
dren, who  were  five  in  number,  three  came  to 
America.  Frederick,  of  this  article  came  first; 
Louis  came  in  1855,  and  lives  in  Northfield, 
Cook  County;  and  Katharine,  now  Mrs.  Louis 
Frederick,  came  in  1865,  and  lives  in  Chicago. 

Frederick  Voltz  was  well  educated,  first  in  the 
parish  school,  where  he  received  his  primary 


.education,  and  he  then  attended  the  technical 
school  in  Darmstadt  and  was  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1849.  He  was  reared  to  farm  life, 
and  after  leaving  school  lived  at  home  until  1851. 
In  that  year  he  went  to  London  and  attended  the 
exhibition,  and  on  September  12  sailed  for  New 
York,  arriving  in  that  city  October  18. 

Mr.  Voltz  went  to  New  Jersey  and  worked  on 
a  farm  until  the  following  year,  when  he  came 
west,  his  objective  point  being  Milwaukee.  On 
arrival  in  Chicago  he  found  employment,  and 
decided  to  remain.  He  was  clerk  in  a  hardware 
store  one  year.  He  then  rented  a  dairy  farm  and 
engaged  in  the  milk  business  until  1856.  His 


JULIUS  ZISKA. 


441 


next  venture  was  keeping  a  grocery  store,  at  the 
corner  of  Wells  and  Ontario  Streets,  where  he 
continued  two  years. 

In  1857  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Europe  and 
was  married,  returning  to  engage  in  the  grocery 
business  on  Milwaukee  Avenue,  near  North 
Avenue,  where  he  purchased  property.  Later  he 
bought  property  at  No.  678  to  686  Milwaukee 
Avenue,  and  moved  his  buildings  to  this  point 
and  continued  the  same  business.  In  1868  he 
built  a  flour  mill,  which  he  conducted  ten  or 
fifteen  years.  He  afterwards  added  a  bakery  and 
continued  the  same  until  1890,  when  he  turned 
the  business  over  to  his  son  and  moved  to  Han- 
cock County,  Iowa,  near  Clear  Lake,  where  he 
owns  a  fine  farm  of  four  hundred  acres.  He 
made  this  move  to  recuperate  his  failing  health, 
and  remained  five  years  in  Iowa.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Chicago,  but  spends  a  few  of  the  sum- 


mer months  there  each  year.  Mr.  Voltz  has 
been  too  busy  with  his  business  affairs  to  devote 
much  time  to  politics,  but  has  always  kept  him- 
self well  informed  on  public  questions  of  the  day. 
He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  John  C. 
Fremont  and  has  voted  for  every  Republican 
presidential  candidate  since  that  time. 

September  16,  1857,  Mr.  Voltz  was  married  to 
Miss  Barbara  Frederick,  of  Germany.  They  had 
five  children,  three  of  whom  are  now  living, 
namely:  Frederick  L. ;  Mina,  who  is  in  Germany; 
and  Lydia,  at  home  with  her  father.  The  mother 
died  in  1895.  Mr.  Voltz  is  a  member  of  St. 
Peter's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  and  is  a 
man  of  exceptional  natural  ability.  He  has 
made  the  most  of  his  opportunities,  is  well  in- 
formed and  has  always  used  his  influence  in  favor 
of  the  promotion  of  all  measures  he  believes  to 
be  for  the  public  welfare. 


JULIUS  ZISKA. 


(TULIUS  ZISKA,  who  became  a  resident  of 
I  Chicago  in  1844,  had  opportunity  to  view 
(*/  the  great  metropolis  of  the  West  under  many 
different  phases  of  its  history.  He  saw  it  de- 
troyed  by  fire  and  built  up  out  of  a  marsh.  He 
saw  great  and  immense  buildings  erected  where 
once  a  man  could  not  safely  stand.  It  has  grown 
from  a  village  to  be  a  city  known  all  over  the 
world  with  commercial  value  almost  beyond 
reckoning. 

Julius  Ziska  was  born  in  Schleswig,  Germany, 
on  the  line  of  Bohemia,  December  6,  1826,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  Chicago  February  15,  1899. 
He  learned  the  butcher's  trade  and  served  in  the 
standing  army  five  years,  having  volunteered  his 
services.  In  1844  he  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  and  located  in  Chicago.  For  a  few  years 
he  was  occupied  at  his  trade  in  the  employ  of 


other  people,  but  in  1849  ^e  started  a  business 
for  his  own  interest  on  the  corner  of  what  is  now 
Center  and  Milwaukee  Avenues,  this  being  the 
first  meat  market  on  Milwaukee  Avenue  north  of 
Sangamon  Street. 

Mr.  Ziska  continued  doing  a  profitable  and 
rising  trade  until  the  fire  of  1871.  He  had  pur- 
chased property  at  No.  613  Milwaukee  Avenue 
and  had  built  a  large  store  which  was  accepted 
by  him  from  the  contractor  the  same  day  the  fire 
started.  He  then  rented  his  meat  market  and 
has  since  lived  retired.  He  successfully  invested 
in  real  estate  and  became  wealthy.  In  1876  he 
married  Fredericka  Rosenbaum,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, who  came  to  America  the  same  year  as 
her  husband.  Three  children  blessed  this  union, 
Julius;  Augusta,  wife  of  Edward  Steinbrecher,  a 
grocer  of  Chicago;  and  Ida,  wife  of  William  Haus- 


442 


A.  J.  LARSON. 


sen.  Mr.  Ziska  was  a  Republican  and  a  promi- 
nent worker  in  the  interests  of  his  party.  He 
was  one  of  the  charter  members  of  Goethe  Lodge 
No.  329,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
was  a  consistent  and  influential  member  of  St. 
Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

Julius,  only  son  of  Julius  Ziska,  senior,  the 
man  whose  name  heads  this  article,  was  born  in 
Chicago,  October  6,  1857,  an^  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  city.  He  learned  the 
trade  with  his  father  and  continued  at  the  same 
until  1893.  He  carried  on  a  meat  dealing  busi- 


ness nine  years,  but  from  1893  until  1895  was 
not  in  business.  Subsequent  to  this  period  of 
retirement  he  purchased  a  grocery  stock,  and  has 
since  been  occupied  with  his  present  business. 

Mr.  Ziska,  junior,  never  aspires  to  hold  political 
office,  but  casts  his  vote  in  favor  of  the  Republi- 
can party.  He  is  connected  with  Wicker  Park 
Lodge  No.  281,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  with  the  Royal  League.  In  1891  he 
married  Miss  Mollie  Hora,  a  native  of  Austria 
and  daughter  of  John  Hora.  Their  children  are: 
Ida,  Julius  and  William. 


ANDREW  J.  LARSON. 


Gl  NDREW  J.  LARSON,  who  is  well  known 
f  |  among  the  Danish-American  citizens  of 
/  |  Chicago,  was  born  in  Mon,  Denmark,  No- 
vember 4,  1852.  He  is  the  youngest  of  the  three 
children  of  Lars  Jensen  and  Gertrude  Petersen, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Denmark.  The  former 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and  died  when  the 
son  was  but  eighteen  months  old.  His  widow  is 
still  living  in  her  native  land,  at  the  advanced 
age  of  seventy-eight  years. 

Andrew  J.  Larson  remained  with  his  mother 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  attend- 
ing the  common  school.  Thus  his  mother  did  all 
in  her  power  to  give  him  a  training  which  would 
assist  him  in  the  battle  of  life.  But  her  means 
were  limited  and  he  was  obliged  to  seek  employ- 
ment and  earn  his  own  living.  He  worked  for  a 
time  as  a  farm  hand,  but  soon  decided  to  emigrate 
to  America.  He  therefore  separated  himself  from 
all  relatives  and  friends  and  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  seek  friends  and  fortune  among  strangers.  He 
first  traveled  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  where  his 
first  employment  was  in  sawing  four  cords  of 
wood,  which  he  did  in  payment  for  a  week's 


board.  He  next  worked  in  a  spoke  factory  in 
Indianapolis,  remaining  about  six  months.  For 
the  next  two  years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  a 
railroad,  first  in  grading  and  later  as  a  section 
hand. 

In  1872  Mr.  Larson  came  to  Chicago,  which 
was  then  rising  from  the  ashes  of  the  great  fire. 
Without  waiting  to  choose  his  work  he  took  the 
first  opening  offered  and  engaged  with  the  force 
which  was  excavating  for  the  artificial  ponds  in 
Douglas  Park.  With  the  few  dollars  he  was  able 
to  save  from  his  earnings  he  soon  started  as  a 
junk  dealer,  and  found  the  enterprise  quite 
lucrative.  Later  he  commenced  on  a  small  scale 
the  business  in  which  he  is  still  engaged,  con- 
fectionery and  school  supplies,  and  has  found  the 
work  more  to  his  liking.  He  has  followed  the 
habits  of  industry  and  frugality  which  were  ne- 
cessary in  his  early  life  and  has  been  able  to  save 
a  fair  portion  of  his  income.  Besides  enlarging 
and  building  up  his  business  as  the  growth  of 
his  trade  required,  he  has  invested  considerable 
in  real  estate.  He  has  erected  a  fine  two-story 
brick  building,  the  lower  portion  of  which  is  his 


FREDERICK  FROSCH. 


443 


own  home,  the  upper  floor  being  rented.  In 
considering  the  success  which  has  crowned  his 
efforts,  Mr.  Larson  can  point  with  pride  to  the 
fact  that  all  his  worldly  wealth  is  the  product  of 
the  labor  of  his  own  hands  and  mind. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  in  Chi- 
cago in  1882  to  Miss  Kersten  Olson,  who  was 
born  in  Sweden,  June  19,  1861.  She  came  to 
Chicago  in  1876  and  has  since  resided  in  that 
city.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Larson  have  been  the  par- 
ents of  four  children,  Clara  and  Lillie,  who  died 
at  the  ages  of  three  years  and  two  years,  re- 
spectively, Gertrude  aged  twelve  years,  and 


Arthur  aged  nine  years.     All  were  born  in  Chi- 
cago. 

In  spite  of  many  business  cares,  Mr.  Larson 
finds  time  for  various  social  duties,  and  is  known 
as  a  man  of  genial  and  pleasant  disposition.  He 
is  a  member  of  Norden  Lodge  No.  699,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  has  filled 
all  the  official  chairs.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  encampment  branch  of  that  order,  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  connected  with  Chicago  Lodge 
No.  130,  Daughters  of  Rebekah.  He  is  a  firm 
Republican  in  political  views  and  does  all  in  his 
power  to  further  the  inteiests  of  the  party. 


FREDERICK  FROSCH. 


|~REDERICK  FROSCH,  one  of  the  loyal 

Yy  German-born  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  born 
|  September  24,  1842,  in  Bavaria,  Germany. 
His  parents  were  Adam  and  Margaret  Frosch, 
and  came  from  very  old  and  respected  German 
families. 

Barbara,  sister  of  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1849, 
and  located  in  New  York  City.  She  married 
Robert  Zabel  and  still  resides  in  that  city. 
Frederick  Frosch  and  his  sister  Margaret  landed 
in  New  York  in  1860.  He  was  a  tailor  by  trade, 
and  continued  to  follow  this  occupation  after 
arriving  in  America. 

In  April,  1860,  when  the  Civil  War  broke  out, 
Mr.  Frosch  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Fifth  New 
York  State  Militia.  After  three  months'  service, 
he  returned  to  New  York  and  resumed  his  labors 
until  September,  1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
Twenty-second  New  York  Infantry.  He  was  en- 
listed for  nine  months,  and  participated  in  the 
first  and  second  Fredericksburg  battles,  and  that 
of  Chancellorsville.  At  the  end  of  nine  months 
he  returned  again  to  New  York,  but  in  Septem- 


ber, 1864,  enlisted  for  one  year  in  the  Second 
New  Jersey  Cavalry.  He  was  mustered  out  July 
16,  1865.  He  was  wounded  in  a  skirmish  at 
Huntsville,  Alabama,  and  spent  two  weeks  in  the 
hospital. 

Mr.  Frosch  made  his  home  in  Carlstadt,  New 
Jersey,  where  his  sisters  resided,  and  was  em- 
ployed in  New  York  City.  When  the  war  was 
over  he  was  cutter  for  Peck,  Randolph  &  Smith, 
who  were  located  on  Broadway.  When  he  had 
been  with  this  concern  eighteen  months,  he 
changed  to  the  interest  of  Metz,  Nathan  &  Com- 
pany, at  the  corner  of  Houston  and  Canal  Streets, 
and  continued  there  until  he  removed  to  Chicago. 

He  arrived  in  the  last  named  city  October  15, 
1867,  and  opened  a  tailor  shop  at  No.  71  Wash- 
ington Street,  employing  as  many  as  twelve  men, 
at  times.  He  had  a  fine  trade  and  a  growing 
business,  when  the  fire  of  1871  burned  his 
store  and  made  a  total  wreck  of  his  finances.  He 
lost  about  eighteen  thousand  dollars  in  money 
and  much  more  in  other  sources. 

He  returned  to  New  York  and  was  again  em- 
ployed by  Metz,  Nathan  &  Company,  until 


444 


P.  O.  LINDQUIST. 


March,  1874.  He  came  to  Chicago  again,  and 
was  made  head  cutter  for  Leopold,  Kuh  &  Com- 
pany, at  the  corner  of  Wabash  Avenue  and 
Washington  Street.  He  was  subsequently  in 
the  same  capacity  with  Kuh,  Nathan  &  Fischer 
until  September,  1874.  He  was  appointed 
United  States  Gaugerin  the  revenue  office,  which 
position  he  occupied  until  June,  1875.  He  re- 
turned to  the  service  of  Kuh,  Nathan  &  Fischer, 
with  whom  he  remained  until  November,  1876. 
From  that  time  until  November,  1879,  he  was 
employed  by  B.  Kuppenheimer  &  Company,  on 
Wabash  Avenue,  near  Washington  Street.  He 
was  head  cutter  for  all  firms  he  was  with  in  Chi- 
cago. He  was  later  four  years  with  Barbee 
Brothers,  and  four  years  with  Straus,  Yondorf  & 
Rose.  Since  November,  1894,  he  has  been  trav- 
eling salesman  and  collector  for  M.  H.  Wager  & 
Company. 

December  7,  1865,  Mr.  Frosch  was  married  to 
Miss  Eliza,  daughter  of  William  and  Sophia 
(Altman)  Hope.  Mrs.  Frosch  was  born  in 
Hessen-Cassel,  Germany.  With  her  parents  and 
three  other  children,  she  came  to  America  in 
1851.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frosch  became  the  parents 
of  ten  children,  brief  mention  of  each  of  whom 
follows: 

Frederick  Anton,  born  December  30,  1866, 
married  Anna  Koch,  and  resides  at  No.  3130 
Union  Avenue.  He  is  a  tailor  in  the  service  of 
the  International  Tailoring  Company.  George 
William,  the  next,  was  born  November  28,  1868, 


and  is  not  married.  He  is  a  salesman  for 
Schimpferman  &  Company.  Henry  Frank,  also 
residing  with  his  parents,  was  born  November  18, 
1870.  He  is  employed  by  the  Edison  Company. 
Wilhelmina,  born  August  18,  1872,  died  Febru- 
ary 18,  1874.  Amelia,  born  September  27,  1874, 
is  at  home,  as  are  also  the  following:  Clara  Lou- 
isa, born  October  14,  1876;  Elizabeth,  November 
22,  1878,  and  Franklin  Edward,  March  29,  1886. 
William,  the  eighth,  lived  from  October  17,  1880, 
to  June,  1884,  and  Arthur,  from  November,  1882, 
to  be  six  months  of  age. 

Mr.  Frosch  is  a  Free  Mason,  raised  in  1884,  in 
Lessing  Lodge.  He  is  now  connected  with 
Englewood  Lodge  No.  670.  He  is  connected 
with  Germania  Lodge  No.  2,  Knights  of  Pythias; 
has  belonged  to  this  order  since  1869,  and  is 
Past  Grand  Chancellor.  He  is  a  member  of 
Columbia  Post  No.  706,  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic.  Mr.  Frosch  is  a  strong  sympathizer 
with  and  upholder  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
was  reared  a  Roman  Catholic,  but  is  not  now 
connected  with  any  church. 

In  1888  Mr.  Frosch  erected  a  residence  at  No. 
6516  Lafayette  Avenue,  and  has  since  resided  at 
this  location.  Though  not  a  wealthy  man,  he 
has  all  that  goes  to  make  up  a  comfortable  home, 
and  is  very  domestic  in  his  tastes.  Mr.  Frosch 
has  mastered  the  English  language  perfectly,  and 
is  a  fluent  speaker  of  the  same.  He  is  an  enter- 
taining and  interesting  conversationalist,  and  has 
all  the  qualities  of  a  true  gentleman. 


PETER  O.  LINDQUIST. 


QETER  OLOF  LINDQUIST,  a  native  of 

yf  Sweden,  and  a  true  representative  of  a  sturdy 
K-)  and  hardy  race,  is  a  contractor  and  well- 
known  citizen  in  the  portion  of  Chicago  where  he 
resides.  He  was  born  April  12,  1840,  and  is  a 


son  of  John  and  Charlotta  (Olstrorn)  Lindquist. 
His  father  died  in  1858,  at  the  age  of  seventy 
years.  He  was  employed  on  a  large  estate  in  his 
native  land.  His  wife  survived  him  until  1876, 
being  seventy-two  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 


SAMUEL  CLAUSEN. 


445 


death.  Her  children  are  accounted  for  as  follows: 
Christine,  wife  of  Nels  Watson,  never  emigrated 
from  her  native  land.  Caroline  married  Nels 
Anderson,  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  still  resides  in 
Sweden.  Peter  Olof  is  the  youngest  of  his 
father's  children. 

He  is  the  only  one  of  his  family  who  left  the 
native  soil,  and  reached  Chicago  May  9,1869, 
having  traveled  direct  to  that  city.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  he  commenced  a  six-years'  ap- 
prenticeship at  the  trade  of  decorator  and  frescoer. 
Before  emigrating  to  America  he  spent  some  time 
in  Berlin,  Germany,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Sweden,  and  later  left  for  America. 

Mr.  Lindquist  first  found  employment  on  Chi- 
cago Avenue,  but  in  three  months'  time  left  for 
the  South,  traveling  to  Water  Valley,  Missis- 
sippi, and  remained  nine  months.  He  spent 
three  months  in  New  York  City  and  subse- 
quently returned  to  Chicago.  He  was  three 
years  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  Stubbings,  located  at 
the  corner  of  Elizabeth  and  Randolph  Streets, 


later  entering  the  employ  of  Sullivan  Brothers, 
at  No.  266  North  Clark  Street.  Mr.  Lindquist 
occupied  himself  the  same  length  of  time  with  this 
concern,  and  was  foreman  of  the  decorators  in  the 
establishment  of  Grossman  &  Lee,  at  the  corner 
of  Michigan  Avenue  and  Van  Buren  Streets. 

In -March,  1885,  Mr.  Lindquist  was  enabled  to 
erect  a  residence  at  No.  132  West  Sixty-fifth 
Street,  where  he  has  since  resided.  He  was  mar- 
ried June  4,  1871,  to  Miss  Bertha  Christina  Rec- 
tor, daughter  of  Christian  and  Betty  (Bargerson) 
Rector.  Mrs.  Lindquist  was  born  December  8, 
1847,  in  Gottenburg,  Sweden,  and  came  to 
America  in  1870.  Her  children  are:  Henry 
Leonard,  employed  by  the  Standard  Oil  Company, 
and  Alma  Elvera,  at  home. 

Mr.  Lindquist  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
of  Honor,  being  identified  with  North  Star  Lodge 
No.  2293,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Painters' 
Union.  He  is  a  Republican  and  does  all  in  his 
power  for  the  benefit  of  all  candidates  of  the 
party,  being  in  all  very  loyal. 


SAMUEL  CLAUSEN. 


ftp  AMUEL  CLAUSEN,  who  does  a  wholesale 
^\  and  retail  dairy  business  in  the  northwestern 
li/  part  of  Chicago,  was  born  in  Denmark  Sep- 
tember 13,  1869.  His  parents,  Lawrence  and 
Cecilia  (Madsen)  Clausen,  were  also  natives  of 
Denmark  and  emigrated  in  1872  to  Hartford, 
Connecticut.  Five  years  later  they  removed  to 
Chicago,  where  the  father  conducted  a  milk  busi- 
ness many  years,  selling  his  business  and  property 
to  the  son  whose  name  heads  this  article  in  1896. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  Clausen  are  now  living, 
in  well-earned  retirement  in  North  Evanston. 

Samuel  Clausen  was  but   two   years  old  when 
he  was  carried  by  his  parents  across  the  Atlantic. 


He  first  attended  school  in  Hartford,  and  after 
the  removal  of  the  family  to  Chicago  spent  some 
years  in  the  common  schools  of  that  city.  His 
adventurous  spirit  then  led  him  to  the  prairies  of 
northwestern  Iowa,  where  he  assisted  in  herding 
cattle  two  years.  He  then  returned  to  Chicago 
and  during  the  next  twelve  months  was  employed 
by  J.  S.  Ford,  Johnson  &  Company,  furniture 
dealers. 

By  this  time  his  father  had  embarked  in  the 
dairy  business  and  was  able  to  give  the  son  em- 
ployment. When  the  latter  had  reached  the  age 
of  twenty  years  he  was  admitted  as  a  partner, 
and  this  arrangement  continued  until  1893.  In 


446 


FREDERICK  SCHULTZ. 


that  year  the  son  entered  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  and  three  years  later,  as 
has  been  before  stated,  bought  out  his  father's 
business,  and  also  his  real  estate.  Samuel  Clau- 
sen is  at  present  conducting  a  constantly  increas- 
ing business,  and  not  only  supplies  a  large  retail 
trade  with  milk  and  cream,  but  also  sells  at 
wholesale  to  other  dealers.  He  has  four  wagons, 
one  of  which  is  used  in  handling  the  wholesale 
department  of  his  business.  Coming  as  he  does 
from  a  country  that  is  proud  of  its  dairies,  it  is 
no  wonder  that  he  takes  pride  in  procuring  for 
his  customers  the  purest  and  freshest  of  products; 
and  in  this  he  has  been  invariably  successful,  as 


is  shown  by   his   growing  patronage  among  the 
best  people  of  his  portion  of   the  city. 

In  [October,  1893,  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
was  married  to  Miss  Alice  Wallace,  who  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  is  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Isabel  (Heatly)  Wallace,  both  natives  of 
Scotland.  Mrs.  Clausen  came  to  Chicago  in 
1892.  She  and  her  husband  are  the  parents  of 
two  sons,  Lawrence  N.  and  R.  Wallace  Clausen. 
Mr.  Clausen  is  connected  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  National  Union. 
He  was  president  of  the  Chicago  Milk  Dealers 
Association  three  years,  and  is  still  a  member  of 
that  organization. 


FREDERICK  SCHULTZ. 


I""  REDBRICK  SCHULTZ,  one  of  Cook  Coun- 
ry  ty's  self-made  men,  the  well-known  quarry- 
I  man  of  Lyons,  was  born  in  Saltzwedel, 
Prussia,  November  28,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of 
August  Schultz.  He  was  left  fatherless  at  the 
age  of  eleven  years,  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  with- 
out that  guiding  hand  which  is  always  the  com- 
pass of  a  young  man's  character  in  later  life. 
He  was  not  daunted  by  the  fact  that  he  was 
thrown  on  his  own  resources,  but  began  bravely 
and  unflinchingly.  He  was  first  employed  on  a 
farm  and  later  at  any  honest  work  that  he  could 
find.  He  was  his  mother's  right  hand  helper  un- 
til he  reached  his  majority,  when,  in  1857,  he 
came  to  America.  He  located  in  Lyons,  Cook 
County,  where  he  was  employed  in  lime  and  stone 
quarries  until  1861.  June  24  of  that  year  he  en- 
listed in  Company  H,  Fourth  Illinois  Cavalry, 
for  three  years.  Owing  to  excessive  losses  in 
battle,  and  other  causes,  the  regiment  was  reduced 
to  three  companies,  and  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged, July  5,  1862. 

He  returned  to  Lyons  and  resumed  work  in 


the  quarries.  In  1870  he  embarked  in  business 
for  himself,  having  purchased  his  former  em- 
ployer's quarry,  which  he  has  since  successfully 
operated.  He  has  taken  out  millions  of  cords  of 
stone  for  use  in  building,  lime,  macadamizing, 
and  other  purposes.  In  1868  Mr.  Schultz  was 
married  to  Emelie,  daughter  of  George  Vorass,  of 
Proviso  Township.  She  became  the  mother  of  six 
children:  Ida  (now  deceased),  Edward  H., George 
(deceased),  Fred  C.  (who  served  in  Company  H, 
Second  Illinois  Regiment,  during  the  war  with 
Spain),  Emil  A.  and  William  G. 

Mr.  Schultz  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Riverside.  He  has  been 
a  trustee  of  Lyons  Village  most  of  the  time  since 
1888,  and  highway  commissioner  since  1890. 
Since  the  year  1891  he  has  acted  in  the  capacity 
of  school  director.  He  is  an  advocate  of  the 
principles  and  interests  of  the  Republican  party 
and  uses  his  influence  in  favor  of  the  party  at  all 
opportunities.  Mr.  Schultz  is  a  refined,  social 
gentleman,  with  an  education  in  the  ways  of  the 
world  and  its  people. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINO'S 


j.  G.  SHORTALL. 


447 


JOHN  G.  SHORTALL. 


(I  OHN  G.  SHORTALL  has  been  prominently 
I  connected  with  the  history  of  Chicago  for 
(*/  almost  forty  years.  Especially  has  he  been  a 
leader  in  benevolent  work  and  ap  influential 
patron  of  those  arts  which  tend  to  elevate  man- 
kind. Literature  has  found  in  him  a  friend,  and 
along  these  various  lines  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Short- 
all  have  greatly  promoted  the  best  interests  of 
this  western  metropolis. 

Mr.  Shortall  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1838,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Char- 
lotte (Towson)  Shortall.  When  the  son  was  be- 
tween two  and  three  years  old,  his  parents  emi- 
grated with  their  family  to  America,  joining  an 
elder  branch  long  settled  in  New  York.  The 
only  brother  of  our  subject,  Pierce  S.  Shortall, 
served  continuously  throughout  the  entire  War 
of  the  Rebellion,  as  a  member  of  a  regiment  of 
New  York  volunteers,  until  killed  at  the  battle  of 
Averasboro,  North  Carolina,  in  April,  1865. 

After  the  death  of  his  parents  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  employed  by  the  late  Horace 
Greeley,  and  the  two  or  three  years,  1852,  1853 
and  1854,  passed  in  the  editorial  rooms  of  the 
New  York  Tribune  proved  to  be  a  period  of  ed- 
ucation that  he  feels  he  could  in  no  way  have 
dispensed  with,  for  he  was  there  brought  in  con- 
tact with  the  men  who  molded  public  opinion  in 
those  days,  and  the  master  minds  of  the  age  were 
often  there  present.  In  the  summer  of  1854, 
following  the  advice  of  Mr.  Greeley,  he  came 
to  the  West,  locating  first  in  Galena,  where  he 
was  engaged  for  a  short  time  with  the  Illinois 
Central  Railroad  Company  in  the  completion  of 
the  construction  and  survey  work  between  Scales 
Mound  and  Galena.  Going  thence  to  Chicago, 


in  the  late  autumn  of  1854,  he  was  engaged  for 
a  few  months  upon  the  Chicago  Tribune,  and 
then  withdrew  to  enter  the  office  of  J.  Mason 
Parker,  and  incidentally  the  study  of  real-estate 
law  and  titles,  which  profession  he  has  followed 
to  the  present  time.  At  the  time  Mr.  Shortall 
entered  the  office,  Mr.  Parker  was  engaged  in 
the  work  of  preparing  the  real-estate  abstract 
books  afterwards  known  as  the  Shortall  & 
Hoard  Abstracts,  and  which  are  now  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust  Company, 
of  which  Mr.  Shortall  is  a  Director.  Upon  the 
completion  of  the  books  in  1856,  he  leased  them 
and  began  the  business  of  making  abstracts  and 
examining  titles  of  real  estate,  which  was  then 
assuming  great  importance.  He  was  among  the 
first  to  reduce  the  details  of  that  business  down 
to  the  perfect  and  simple  system  of  to-day,  so 
that  security  in  transferring  real  estate  could  be 
guaranteed.  In  October,  1871,  the  Great  Fire 
swept  over  the  city,  and  the  county  records  were 
entirely  destroyed.  The  volume  of  the  abstract 
business  had  largely  increased.  At  that  time 
there  were  three  abstract  firms  in  Chicago,  each 
of  which  saved  a  large  part  of  its  valuable  records. 
It  was  soon  found  that  while  the  most  valuable 
portion  of  the  abstract  records  were  saved,  not  one 
set  was  entirely  complete;  and  as  it  seemed  very 
probable  that  difficulties  and  involvements  would 
in  consequence  arise,  the  three  firms  decided 
that  the  public  interests  would  be  best  served  by 
a  consolidation  of  all  the  evidences  of  title  extant. 
This  was  done.  Moneyed  men  relied  upon  the 
accuracy  of  the  books  and  the  skill  and  integrity 
of  the  owners,  and,  thus  confident,  loaned  the 
hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars  necessary  to  the 


448 


J.  G.  SHORTALL. 


rebuilding  of  the  city.  Mr.  Shortall  continued 
with  his  associates  in  the  conduct  of  the  business 
until  1873,  when  the  property  was  leased  to 
Messrs.  Handy  &  Company,  and  Mr.  Shortall 
retired  from  active  participation  in  it,  though 
still  retaining  his  holdings  and  interest. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  1861,  Mr.  Shortall 
married  Miss  Mary  Dunham  Staples.  They  be- 
came the  parents  of  one  son,  John  L.  Mrs. 
Shortall  died  in  August,  1880.  There  are  two 
grandchildren,  Katherine  and  Helen. 

Although  he  retired  from  private  business, 
Mr.  Shortall  has  been  none  the  less  active,  for  he 
has  devoted  his  time  and  energies  untiringly  to 
matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  city,  be- 
lieving a  man's  duty  to  his  fellow-citizens  to  be 
continuous.  For  twenty-five  years  he  has  been 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  townsmen,  doing  all 
in  his  power  to  aid  in  the  promotion  of  the  city's 
welfare,  and  imbued  with  an  exalted  pride  in  its 
progress.  He  is  a  constant  patron  of  the  fine  arts, 
and  was  one  of  the  Directors  of  the  old  Philhar- 
monic Society,  and  afterwards  was  President  of 
the  Beethoven  Society,  during  almost  its  entire 
existence.  He  is  also  one  of  the  honorary  mem- 
bers of  the  Amateur  Musical  Club  of  this  city. 
A  writer  of  intelligence  and  force,  he  has  made 
valuable  contributions  to  papers  and  periodicals. 
His  keen  appreciation  of  the  thoughts  of  master 
minds  through  all  ages  has  led  him  to  do  much 
for  literature.  As  a  member  of  many  organiza- 
tions, he  has  sought  through  them  to  influence 
public  opinion  in  high  and  honorable  channels. 
In  1880  he  was  appointed  by  the  School  Board 
one  of  the  appraisers  of  the  school  property,  and 
in  1886  was  appointed  Appraiser  of  School  Lands 
by  Mayor  Harrison.  In  the  appraisement  of 
1880,  the  application  of  the  rental  value  to  ma- 
terially aid  in  determining  the  value  of  realty  was, 
it  is  believed,  first  introduced  and  applied  as  a 
system.  It  has  since  become  almost  universal. 
In  1883  Mr.  Shortall  was  appointed  a  Director 
of  the  Chicago  Public  Library,  served  three  terms 
as  President,  and  conducted  negotiations  on  be- 
half of  the  board  which  resulted  in  securing 
Dearborn  Park  as  the  site  of  the  public  library 
building  and  in  the  successful  adjustment  of  all 


opposing  claims.  Under  his  administration  the 
plans  of  the  superb  new  library  building  were  se- 
lected under  large  competition,  and  the  necessary 
appropriation  of  moneys  made  by  the  city.  He  was 
originally  made  a  Director  by  Mayor  Harrison  and 
re- appointed  by  Mayors  Harrison,  Cregier  and 
Washburn,  successively,  and  still  serves  in  that 
position.  In  politics  he  is  independent.  He  has 
been  connected  with  various  reform  movements 
in  the  city  government,  and  the  Municipal  Re- 
form Club,  which  did  such  valuable  service,  and 
the  Citizens'  Association  attest  in  their  records 
his  service  and  labors. 

Of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  Mr.  Shortall  is  an 
old,  though  no  longer  an  active,  member.  In  re- 
ligious belief  he  is  an  Episcopalian  and  formerly 
was  a  member  of  Trinity  and  Grace  Episcopal 
Churches;  but  since  the  withdrawal  of  Professor 
Swing  from  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  his 
organization  of  the  "Central  Church,"  he  has 
been  a  regular  attendant  on  its  sendees. 

Along  few  lines  of  work,  however,  has  the 
name  of  Mr.  Shortall  become  so  widely  known 
as  through  his  connection  with  the  Illinois  Hu- 
mane Society.  In  1869,  one  of  its  original  or- 
ganizers, he  became  one  of  its  Directors,  and  in 
May,  1877,  was  chosen  President  of  that  most 
commendable  organization,  to  which  position  he 
has  ever  since  been  annually  elected.  He  has 
earned  the  recognition  and  gratitude  of  the 
benevolent  people  of  the  city  and  State,  for  it  is 
largely  through  his  instrumentality,  his  business 
ability  and  legal  acumen,  as  well  as  his  industry 
and  devotion,  that  the  success  of  what  is  now  one 
of  the  strongest  forces  of  our  social  system  was 
assured.  Its  beneficial  results  cannot  be  over- 
estimated. It  was  through  his  efforts  that  the 
society  joined  the  protection  of  children  to  its 
work.  Mr.  Shortall  called  the  American  and 
Canadian  societies  for  the  prevention  of  cruelty 
together  in  1877,  and  the  American  Humane  As- 
sociation was  thereupon  organized  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  in  that  year.  In  1884  Mr.  Shortall  was 
elected  its  President,  and  again  in  1892  and  1893. 
He  is  also  an  honorary  member  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals.  During  the  World's  Columbian  Ex- 


J.  A.   MALTBY. 


449 


position,  Mr.  Shortall,  as  the  Chairman  of  the 
Men's  Committee  on  Moral  and  Social  Reform  of 
the  Auxiliary  Congresses,  assisted  in  the  noted 
work  of  that  committee,  and  organized  and  con- 
ducted the  Humane  Congress  in  October,  1893, 
which  was  so  successful.  He  also  arranged  the 
Humane  exhibit  of  the  American  Humane  As- 
sociation in  the  Liberal  Arts  Building,  for  which 
it  obtained  a  reward,  medal  and  diploma.  Of 
social  organizations  not  above  mentioned,  Mr. 
Shortall  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Club,  the 
Chicago  Literary  Club  and  the  Algonquin  Club 


of  Boston.  If  asked  what  is  the  controlling  ele- 
ment in  the  life  of  Mr.  Shortall,  his  many  friends 
would  undoubtedly  respond,"  A  sense  of  justice 
and  kindness."  A  warm  and  sympathetic  heart, 
which  reaches  out  in  charity  and  love  to  the 
worthy  helpless,  the  suffering  and  the  needy,  has 
made  his  name  synonymous  with  good  works, 
yet  it  is  but  just  to  him  to  say  that  he  does  not 
seek  the  admiration  of  the  public,  and,  were  it  pos- 
sible to  do  so,  his  works  would  be  concealed  from 
all  save  himself. 


JASPER  A.  MALTBY. 


[EN.  JASPER  ADALMORN  MALTBY, 
one  of  the  distinguished  officers  of  the  great 
Civil  War,  was  born  November  4,  1832,  in 
Ashtabula,  Ohio,  and  died  December  12,  1867,  in 
Vicksburg,  Mississippi.  The  Maltby  family  comes 
from  England.  The  great-grandfather  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  settled  in  Ohio,  being  one 
of  three  brothers  who  came  from  England,  the 
others  settling,  respectively,  in  New  York  and 
Baltimore.  The  Ohio  and  New  York  brothers 
left  many  descendants.  David  Maltby,  a  grand- 
son of  one  of  these,  was  the  father  of  Gen.  Jasper 
A.  Maltby. 

David  Maltby  was  an  able  attorney,  and  also 
a  clergyman  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  an  ardent  churchman.  He  was  a  man  of 
considerable  local  prominence  in  Ohio.  He  finally 
removed  with  a  younger  son  to  Texas,  and  died 
in  Corpus  Christi,  in  that  State,  at  the  age  of 
seventy -eight  years.  His  wife,  Lucy  Marsh,  was 
a  daughter  of  Dr.  -Marsh,  a  prominent  physician 
of  Ohio.  She  died  at  Plymouth,  in  that  State, 
and  left  three  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely: 


Jasper  A.,  Elizabeth,  Henry  A.,  Matilda  and 
William.  The  last-named  died  in  Corpus  Christi, 
Texas,  where  he  had  been  a  noted  editor,  and 
was  at  one  time  publisher  for  the  Emperor  Maxi- 
milian. He  was  the  author  of  a  sketch  entitled 
"Poor  Carlotta,"  which  was  published  immedi- 
ately after  the  death  of  the  unfortunate  Maxi- 
milian, and  was  received  with  much  favor  and 
widely  copied.  He  was  a  Captain  of  Confederate 
artillery  in  the  Civil  War,  and  was  captured  dur- 
ing General  Banks'  expedition  up  the  Red  River. 
He  was  paroled,  and  a  year  later  returned  to 
Texas.  His  brother,  Henry  A.,  also  a  prominent 
newspaper  man,  now  resides  in  Brownsville,  that 
State.  Elizabeth  Maltby  married  Albert  Barber, 
and  is  the  mother  of  two  sons,  one  of  whom  is  a 
teacher  in  a  college  at  Oberlin,  Ohio.  Matilda 
Maltby  married  Allen  Barber,  a  brother  of  her 
sister's  husband,  and  is  now  deceased,  having 
left  five  children. 

David  Maltby  and  Sarepta  Marsh,  a  sister  of 
the  wife  of  the  former,  were  among  the  founders  of 
Oberlin  College,  in  which  the  latter  taught  many 


450 


J.  A.  MALTBY. 


years.  Mrs.  Lucy  (Marsh)  Maltby  was  also  a 
teacher,  as  was  her  husband.  She  was  a  woman 
of  rare  character,  and  was  highly  reverenced  by 
all  who  knew  her,  especially  by  her  husband's 
family. 

Jasper  A.  Maltby  enlisted  in  the  Mexican  War 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  served  gallantly, 
receiving  a  wound  at  the  battle  of  Chapultepec. 
He  came  to  Chicago  in  1850,  and  a  year  later 
went  to  Galena,  where  he  at  once  assumed  promi- 
nence through  his  energy,  ability  and  sterling 
character.  Soon  after  taking  up  his  residence 
there,  he  perfected  the  telescope  sight  for  the  rifle, 
which  made  his  name  famous.  He  was  an  ex- 
tensive dealer  there  in  sporting  goods. 

He  was  associated  with  Gen.  John  E.  Smith, 
now  a  resident  of  Chicago,  in  raising  the  famous 
' '  Washburne  Lead  Mine  Regiment' '  for  the 
Union  army,  which  became  the  Forty-fifth  Illi- 
nois, and  within  a  short  time  after  the  fall  of 
Fort  Sumter  it  was  in  the  field.  Mr.  Smith  was 
elected  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  and  Mr.  Maltby 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  on  the  organization  at  Camp 
Douglas,  in  Chicago.  The  first  action  was  at 
Fort  Henry.  At  Fort  Donelson,  Colonel  Maltby 
received  a  bad  wound,  and  was  carried  to  the 
hospital  in  the  same  ambulance  with  General 
Logan,  who  was  struck  about  the  same  time. 
Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, Colonel  Maltby  was  able  to  rejoin  his  regi- 
ment, which,  as  a  part  of  Logan's  division, 
participated  in  the  marches,  engagements  and 
siege  which  led  to  the  fall  of  Vicksburg. 

Col.  John  E.  Smith  having  been  promoted  for 
gallant  conduct  in  battle,  he  was  succeeded  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Maltby,  who  led  the  charge 
at  Fort  Hill  on  the  bloody  25th  of  June,  1863, 
receiving  three  wounds  before  gaining  the  coveted 
position.  This  was  accomplished  with  great  loss, 
and  temporary  breastworks  were  immediately 
thrown  up  to  hold  the  ground.  While  Colonel 
Maltby  was  personally  adjusting  a  heavy  piece  of 
timber  for  the  protection  of  his  sharpshooters,  it 
was  struck  by  a  cannon  ball.  The  shot  passed 
close  to  his  person,  and  the  timber  was  shivered, 
hurling  splinters  in  every  direction.  Three  of 
these  penetrated  his  body,  making  six  wounds 


which  he  suffered  in  that  costly,  but  victorious, 
action.  For  his  fearless  and  effective  bravery, 
Generals  Sherman  and  Logan  sent  a  recommen- 
dation from  the  field  that  he  be  made  a  Brigadier- 
General,  and  President  Lincoln  forwarded  his 
commission  as  such  at  once. 

When  the  final  entry  was  made  into  Vicksburg, 
the  Forty-fifth  Illinois  led  the  way,  with  General 
Maltby's  horse  and  trappings  at  its  head.  The 
General  was  also  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  but 
rode  in  an  ambulance.  The  fight  at  Fort  Hill  was 
hand-to-hand,  and  the  colors  of  the  Forty-fifth 
were  literally  torn  to  tatters.  General  Maltby 
was  mustered  out  January  16,  1866,  and  was 
soon  thereafter  made  Military  Mayor  of  Vicks- 
burg. He  never  recovered  from  his  wounds, 
and  died  from  their  effects  December  12,  1867, 
while  still  administering  the  ofiice  of  Mayor.  He 
was  also  operating  a  plantation,  and  kept  a  com- 
mission store  in  Vicksburg.  He  was  held  in  the 
highest  regard  by  the  people  of  the  conquered 
city,  and  was  the  idol  of  the  colored  people. 

General  Maltby  was  married  at  Galena,  March 
25,  1852,  to  Miss  Malvina  A.  James,  who  sur- 
vives him,  and  now  resides  in  Chicago.  Besides 
his  widow,  he  left  a  son,  Henry  Maltby,  a  journal- 
ist. Mrs.  Maltby  is  a  daughter  of  David  James, 
a  Sergeant  under  General  Scott,  who  fought  at 
Lundy's  Lane  in  the  War  of  1812.  Her  mother, 
Catherine  Jamieson,  was  the  daughter  of  an  Irish- 
man who  was  a  famous  distiller.  He  owned  the 
ground  in  Canada  where  Tecumseh  was  killed. 
David  James  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and 
his  wife  of  Canada. 

Many  of  the  most  noted  military  men  of  the  war 
testified  to  General  Maltby's  great  courage  and 
moral  worth,  and  the  following  extract  from  the 
Vicksburg  Republican  shows  the  estimation  in 
which  he  was  held  by  his  erstwhile  enemies: 

'  'With  an  unfeigned  regret,  we  announce  the 
death  of  Gen.  J.  A.  Maltby,  the  recently  ap- 
pointed Mayor  of  this  city.  No  northern  man 
who  has  cast  his  fortunes  with  our  people  has 
commanded  more  respect  from  our  citizens  than 
General  Maltby.  As  an  officer  of  the  United 
States  army,  he  was  humane  to  our  people;  as  a 
citizen  of  Mississippi,  he  was  kind  in  his  social 


A.  B.  CAPRON. 


451 


life  and  impartial  in  his  official  action.  We  sin- 
cerely sympathize  with  his  bereaved  family,  and 
we  believe  they  have  the  sympathy  of  the  entire 
community. 

"He  met  us  upon  the  field  of  battle  in  aid  of  a 


cause  which  he  felt  sacred,  but,  like  a  true  soldier, 
he  recognized  the  valor  and  honor  of  his  enemy, 
and,  when  Peace  spread  her  white  wings  over  the 
land,  all  animosity  was  sheathed  with  his  sword. 
Peace  to  the  gallant  soldier. ' ' 


ALBERT  B.  CAPRON. 


EOL.  ALBERT  BANFIELD  CAPRON,  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  and 
a  brave  soldier  of  the  Civil  War,  was  born 
at  Laurel,  Prince  George's  County,  Maryland, 
June  12,  1844.  His  father  was  Gen.  Horace 
Capron,  who  went  to  Maryland  when  a  young 
man  and  erected  the  Laurel  Cotton  Mills,  whose 
product,  the  famous  Laurel  Cotton,  was  shipped  to 
all  parts  of  the  world.  His  mother  was  Louise 
Snowden  daughter  of  General  Snowden,  whose 
grandfather  received  a  patent  from  the  king  for 
twenty  thousand  acres.  His  estate  joined  that 
of  Charles  Carroll,  of  Carroll  ton.  Louise  Snow- 
den was  born  July  3,  1811,  and  married  Horace 
Capron  June  5,  1834.  She  was  a  devout  church- 
woman,  and  built  the  Episcopal  Church  of  Laurel, 
which  she  gave  to  the  people.  Her  life  was  full  of 
kind  deeds.  She  died  March  27,  1849,  mourned  by 
the  entire  community.  She  left  five  children.  Ad- 
aline,  Horace,  junior,  Albert  Banfield,  Elizabeth 
Snowden,  and  Osmond  Tiffany  (the  eldest  child, 
Nicholas  Snowden,  died  in  infancy).  The  planta- 
tion on  which  their  childhood  was  passed  was 
known  as  the  "Model  Farm  of  Maryland,"  it 
being  a  pet  scheme  of  General  Capron  to  see  to 
what  a  state  of  perfection  that  soil  could  be  brought. 
The  genealogy  of  the  family  points  to  Ban- 
field  Capron  as  the  progenitor  of  those  bearing 
the  name  in  America.  He  was  born  in  England, 
but  was  of  French-Huguenot  descent,  and  derived 
his  Christian  name  from  Lord  Banfield  of  Eng- 
land. He  came  to  America  near  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century  and  settled  in  Attleboro, 
Massachusetts,  where  he  became  the  possessor  of 
large  estates.  He  was  a  man  of  marked  ability, 


both  mental  and  physical,  having  great  muscular 
development  and  wonderful' powers  of  endurance. 
He  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-two  years,  dying  in 
1752.  He  was  twice  married.  His  first  wife 
was  a  Miss  Callender,  of  Rehoboth,  Massa- 
chusetts, daughter  of  a  former  neighbor  in  Eng- 
land. The  second  wife  was  Sarah  Daggett.  He 
was  the  father  of  twelve  children.  Jonathan,  sixth 
child  of  Banfield  Capron,  married  Rebecca  Morse, 
and  was  the  ancestor  of  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy. His  son,  Jonathan,  junior,  married  Alice 
Alden,  a  great-granddaughter  of  John  Alden,  of 
the  Plymouth  Colony.  Elisha,  another  son  of 
Jonathan  Capron,  married  Abigail  Makepeace, 
and  they  had  nine  children.  The  eldest  son,  Dr. 
Seth  Capron,  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  September  23, 
1762,  and  married  Eunice,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Bezaleel  Mann,  of  Attleboro,  Massachusetts,  a  man 
of  prominence  as  a  physician  and  educator.  Dr. 
Seth  Capron  served  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
He  enlisted  March  31,  1781,  and  was  first  at- 
tached to  General  La  Fayette's  corps  of  light  in- 
fantry. In  1782  he  was  transferred,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war  as  aide-de-camp  on  Gen- 
eral Washington' s  staff.  He  was  a  personal  friend 
of  General  Washington,  and  commanded  the 
barge  which  conveyed  him  to  Elizabethtown 
Point,  after  he  had  taken  leave  of  his  army  at 
New  York  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Immediately 
on  returning  home  Dr.  Seth  Capron  began  the 
study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Bezaleel  Mann,  an 
eminent  physician  of  that  period.  In  1806  he 
settled  in  Whitesboro,  Oneida  County,  New 
York,  where  he  practiced  his  profession. 


452 


A.  B.   CAPRON. 


Doctor  Capron  was  a  man  of  great  enterprise  and 
industry,  and  was  possessed  of  large  resources 
and  fertility  of  commercial  ideas.  His  name  is 
identified  with  the  history  of  the  manufactures 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  was  the  originator 
of  the  enterprise  which,  in  1807,  resulted  in  the 
establishment  of  the  "Oneida  Factory,"  the  first 
cotton-mill  erected  in  the  State  of  New  York, 
followed  shortly  by  the  "Capron  Factory,"  of 
New  Hartford.  In  1809  he  organized  a  com- 
pany and  established  the  "Oriskany  Woolen 
Factory,"  the  first  woolen  factory  ever  erected  in 
the  United  States.  Another  enterprise  of  which  he 
was  the  originator  was  the  importation  from  Spain 
of  the  first  Merino  sheep  ever  introduced  into 
Oneida  County. 

In  1825  he  removed  to  Orange  County,  and 
with  his  son,  Capt.  Seth  Capron,  established 
the  beautiful  manufacturing  town  of  Walden,  on 
the  Walkill,  where  he  died  September  8,  1835. 
Dr.  Seth  Capron  had  six  children.  Gen.  Hor- 
ace Capron,  father  of  Albert  B.  Capron,  was  the 
fourth  son.  He  was  born  August  31,  1804, 
in  Attleboro,  Massachusetts,  and  died  at  the  Na- 
tional Capital  on  Washington's  birthday,  1885. 
His  death  was  caused  by  exposure  at  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  Washington  Monument  the  day  before, 
on  which  occasion  he  and  the  orator  of  the  day, 
Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  were  among  the  few 
survivors  of  those  who  officiated  at  the  laying  of 
the  corner-stone,  forty  years  before,  when  he 
commanded  the  cavalry  which  took  part  in  the 
ceremony. 

General  Capron  was  connected  with  the  army 
many  years  beiore  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War. 
For  seven  years  he  was  stationed  in  Texas,  hav- 
ing charge  of  the  Indians  under  the  War  Depart- 
ment. After  the  removal  of  these  Government 
wards  to  the  Indian  Territory  he  came  to  his  farm 
in  Alden,  Me  Henry  County,  Illinois,  to  which,  a 
few  years  previously,  he  had  moved  his  family 
and  valuable  stock  from  Maryland.  He  married 
Miss  Margaret  Baker,  of  New  York  City,  and 
now  settled  down  to  the  agricultural  pursuits 
of  which  he  was  so  fond.  His  beautiful  farm  of 
a  thousand  acres  was  conducted  on  principles  so 
superior  to  anything  then  dreamed  of  in  this  part 


of  the  country,  that  it  soon  became  famous,  and 
visitors  wondered  and  admired.  The  latest  inven- 
tions and  improvements  in  machinery  and  farm 
implements  were  always  at  hand,  and  his  noble 
herds  were  his  pride.  His  home  was  beautiful 
in  all  its  appointments  and  pervaded  by  an 
atmosphere  of  culture  and  refinement.  His  large 
library  was  ever  at  the  disposal  of  his  neighbors 
and  friends. 

General  Capron  was  in  every  sense  a  pro- 
gressive man,  and  was  always  foremost  in 
advancing  better  methods.  He  was,  at  this  time, 
much  interested  in  the  State  Fairs,  feeling  that 
they  should  have  the  influence  of  the  best  agri- 
culturists of  the  land.  In  1858  he  was  appointed 
by  the  United  States  Government  as  General 
Superintendent  of  the  United  States  Fair,  which 
was  held  in  Chicago  in  September  of  that  year. 
The  fair  was  at  that  time  considered  a  great 
event,  and  to  this  day  is  spoken  of  as  a  notable 
success.  He  had  on  exhibition  his  famous  herd 
of  forty-two  Devons  and  a  large  number  of  his 
blooded  horses,  many  of  which  won  first  premiums. 
About  this  time  he  decided  to  make  a  change  of 
home,  and  moved  to  another  farm  near  Peoria, 
Illinois. 

Soon  the  war  broke  out,  and  his  two  eldest  sons 
quickly  enlisted.  Governor  Yates  requested  Gen- 
eral Capron  to  drill  and  prepare  cavalry  troops  for 
the  field,  as  that  branch  of  the  service  was  much 
needed.  He  therefore  raised  and  drilled  three 
cavalry  regiments,  and  in  1862  went  out  him- 
self in  charge  of  the  last  one,  the  Fourteenth 
Illinois  Cavalry.  He  was  soon  promoted  to  the 
command  of  a  brigade. 

After  the  war  General  Capron  was  appointed 
Commissioner  of  Agriculture  by  President  Grant. 
At  this  time  the  department  was  located  in  dark, 
dingy  quarters  in  the  Interior  Department.  Gen- 
eral Capron  felt  that  it  was  a  disgrace  to  the 
great  interests  it  represented,  and  spared  no  efforts 
until  he  had  secured  appropriations  for  a  building. 
He  was  given  full  charge  of  plans,  and  in  due 
time  the  stately  Agricultural  Building,  with  its 
beautiful  grounds,  gave  to  the  department  a  home 
befitting  its  dignity.  In  General  Capron 's  cor- 
respondence is  found  a  letter  from  Secretary  and 


A.  B.   CAPRON. 


453 


Adjutant-General  Dent,  in  which  he  says: 
"When  Sheridan  met  his  beaten,  demoralized 
army  near  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  turned  it 
right  about  and  on  to  victory,  he  did  what  you 
have  done  with  the  Agricultural  Department  of 
the  United  States." 

In  April,  1871,  while  still  at  the  head  of  this 
department,  he  was  waited  upon  by  certain  high 
officials  of  the  Japanese  Government,  who  pre- 
sented to  him  their  plans  and  wishes  in  regard  to 
the  development  of  the  agricultural  and  mineral 
resources  of  the  island  of  Yesso,  a  very  important 
possession  of  Japan,  and  invited  him  to  accept  a 
position  as  Commissioner  and  Adviser  under  their 
Government.  This  he  decided  to  do,  and  his 
resignation  being  accepted  by  the  President,  he 
sailed  in  September,  1871,  for  Japan,  where  he 
entered  upon  this  great  work  with  his  usual 
energy  and  earnestness.  The  island  of  Yesso, 
about  two-thirds  the  size  of  the  State  of  Illinois, 
was  turned  over  to  him  as  the  site  of  his  ex- 
perimental farms,  mills  and  railroads.  He  de- 
veloped the  gold  and  coal  mines,  and  did  such  re- 
markable work  and  showed  such  grand  results, 
as  to  win  the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  Emperor 
and  his  people.  When  General  Capron  took 
leave  of  the  Emperor  at  his  castle  in  Tokio, 
Japan,  in  1875,  the  Emperor  made  use  of  the  fol- 
lowing language  in  his  parting  address:  "In- 
deed your  services  were  valuable  and  deserve  my 
highest  appreciation,  and  it  is  hardly  a  matter  of 
doubt  that  the  future  progress  of  the  island,  the 
fruit  of  your  labor,  will  much  advance  the  hap- 
piness of  my  whole  empire." 

A  year  after  his  return  to  this  country  the 
Hon.  John  A.  Bingham,  American  Minister 
Plenipotentiary  to  Japan,  in  a  letter  to  General 
Capron  says:  "Kuroda,  Kido  and  others  of  the 
Ministers  of  State  have  spoken  most  kindly  of  you 
and  said  your  name  would  live  in  the  grateful 
remembrance  of  their  people.  Rely  upon  it,  you 
may  well  commit  your  name  to  the  present  and 
future  generations  of  Japan.  Long  after  you 
shall  have  joined  those  who  have  gone  before 
you,  when  Yesso  shall  be  covered  with  cattle  and 
sheep  and  fields  of  golden  wheat  and  corn,  and 
its  mountains  clothed  to  their  summits  with  the 


purple  vine,  will  it  be  said  of  you,  'This  was  the 
work  of  General  Capron.' ' 

On  January  16,  1884,  General  Capron  was  in- 
formed by  the  Charge  d'  Affairs  that  His  Majesty, 
the  Emperor  of  Japan,  had  been  pleased  to  confer 
upon  him  the  decoration  of  the  Second  Order  of 
the  Rising  Sun.  This  was  the  first  time  the 
order  had  ever  been  conferred  upon  a  foreigner. 
The  lacquer  box  in  which  the  decoration  is  en- 
closed is  said  to  be  eight  hundred  years  old.  By 
right  of  inheritance  his  son,  Col.  A.  B.  Capron,  is 
now  in  possession  of  the  decoration . 

The  latter,  as  purchasing  agent  of  his  father, 
shipped  to  Japan  machinery,  horses,  cattle,  sheep 
and  seed-grains.  He  sent  over  a  great  variety  of 
fruit  trees,  and  the  Japanese  were  trained  in  the 
art  of  pruning  and  grafting.  The  shipments  in- 
cluded the  best  strains  of  Morgan,  Hambletonian, 
and  Kentucky  thorough-bred  horses  and  all  the 
choicest  varieties  of  domestic  animals.  Every- 
thing nourished  even  beyond  the  most  sanguine 
expectations. 

General  Capron  remained  four  and  one-half 
years  in  Japan,  and  then  took  up  his  residence 
in  Washington,  where  he  enjoyed  nearly  ten  years 
of  peaceful  retirement  from  the  activities  which 
had  engaged  him  beyond  the  allotted  years  of 
man. 

His  son,  Col.  Albert  B.  Capron,  has  a  military 
record  both  unique  and  brilliant.  The  firing  of 
the  first  gun  roused  the  patriotic  blood  of  this 
boy  in  his  quiet  home  on  the  Illinois  farm,  and 
quickly  he  responded  to  the  first  call  of  his  coun- 
try. He  was  soon  after  stationed  at  Benton  Bar- 
racks, Missouri.  His  first  taste  of  battle  was  when 
General  Lyon  ordered  five  hundred  to  cross  over 
and  seize  the  guns  just  unloaded  on  the  opposite 
side  and  intended  for  the  rebels  at  Camp  Jackson, 
numbering  three  thousand  infantry.  It  was  a 
sharp  contest,  but  the  guns  were  secured  and 
General  Lyon's  prompt  and  masterly  action  saved 
St.  Louis  to  the  Government. 

Under  Siegel's  command  he  participated  in  the 
severe  battle  of  Wilson  Creek,  August  8,  9  and 
10,  1861,  when  they  were  under  almost  contin- 
uous fire  during  the  three  days. 


454 


A.  B.   CAERON. 


The  death  of  the  brave  General  Lyon  at  the 
head  of  his  command  made  a  deep  impression  on 
this  young  soldier.  At  this  time  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Thirty-third  Infantry,  where  for 
eighteen  months  he  was  Color-Bearer. 

When,  in  1862,  his  father  went  into  the  field,  it 
was  his  wish  to  be  transferred  to  his  father's  com- 
mand. His  older  brother,  Horace,  was  also 
transferred  from  the  Eighth  Illinois  Cavalry. 
Soon,  too,  his  youngest  brother,  Osmond,  a  mere 
lad,  joined  them,  and  now  father  and  sons  were 
together  united  in  the  one  grand  effort  to  protect 
their  country's  honor. 

His  brother,  Capt.  Horace  Capron,  was  killed 
in  an  engagement  with  the  Cherokee  Indians  at 
Cedar  Cove,  in  North  Carolina,  February  2,  1864. 
He  was  a  gallant  soldier,  and  his  untimely  tak- 
ing-off  was  a  loss  to  the  service  and  to  his  many 
friends.  He  was  buried  at  Peoria,  Illinois,  and 
a  monument  was  erected  to  his  memory  by  his  de- 
voted company.  While  a  Sergeant,  he  received 
a  bronze  medal  for  capturing  a  rebel  flag,  with 
this  inscription: 

THE  CONGRESS 
To  FIRST  SERGEANT  HORACE  CAPRON,    JR., 

COMPANY  G,  EIGHTH  ILLINOIS  CAVALRY, 

FOR  GALLANT  CONDUCT    AT    CHICKAHOMINY 

AND  ASHLAND,  JUNE,  1862. 

Albert  B.  Capron  rode  beside  his  brother  in 
the  last  charge,  and  took  command  of  the 
company  at  his  death.  One  of  the  most  thrill- 
ing of  his  army  experiences  was  his  night 
ride  of  one  hundred  miles  through  the 
enemy's  line,  bearing  dispatches  from  General 
Burnside  in  Knoxville  to  General  Wilcox  at 
Cumberland  Gap.  It  was  a  hazardous  under- 
taking. Twenty  brave  men  had  already  failed 
in  the  attempt.  When  he  returned  General 
Burnside,  overcome  with  emotion,  said,  "You 
have  won  your  spurs, ' '  and  presented  him  with  a 
pair  of  his  own  spurs.  Colonel  Capron  still  guards 
them  sacredly.  He  was  also  one  of  the  cavalry 
brigade,  led  by  his  father,  which  helped  to 
capture  Gen.  John  Morgan  and  his  entire  com- 
mand, after  a  ride  of  nineteen  hundred  miles  in 
thirty-one  days.  He  participated  in  twenty-three 
general  battles,  beside  a  great  many  skirmishes 


and  sharp  cavalry  actions.  Two  horses  were 
shot  under  him  while  in  action.  He  and  his 
command  were  under  fire  for  one  hundred  days 
on  the  march  to  and  siege  of  Atlanta,  Georgia,  at 
which  place  he  was  taken  prisoner. 

His  last  service  of  the  war  was  under  General 
Sheridan  on  the  Texas  frontier,  where  he  was 
in  expectation  of  proceeding  to  Mexico  to  help 
in  relieving  the  people  of  that  country  of  the 
pretended  sovereignty  of  Maximilian.  Happily, 
the  Mexicans  were  able  to  drive  out  the  invader, 
and  the  Monroe  Doctrine  continued  to  rule  in 
the  Americas.  Colonel  Capron  was  three  times 
made  a  prisoner,  and  received  three  severe 
wounds  in  the  service  of  his  country. 

He  was  brevetted  Major  at  the  close  of  the 
Civil  War.  A  few  years  since  he  was  appointed 
aide-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  General  Lawler,  Com- 
mander-in- Chief  of  the  Grand  Army,  with  the 
rank  of  Colonel. 

Before  his  employment  as  purchasing  agent 
for  the  Japanese  Government,  he  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  business  at  Kenosha,  Wisconsin.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1872,  and  has  since  resided 
in  this  city,  on  the  North  Shore.  For  more  than 
twenty  years  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade,  and  carries  on  a  general  grain  commis- 
sion business.  In  business  he  pursues  the  same 
energetic  and  straightforward  course  which  won 
him  distinction  in  military  circles,  and  he  is  held 
in  the  highest  regard  by  his  social  and  commercial 
associates. 

Colonel  Capron  was  married  at  Kenosha,  Wis- 
consin, October  20,  1869,  to  Miss  Amelia  Doo- 
little,  daughter  of  Alfred  W.  and  Ann  Urania 
(Hannahs)  Doolittle,  natives  of  Oneida  County, 
New  York. 

Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  three  chil- 
dren: Horace  Mann,  born  in  Kenosha,  Wiscon- 
sin, August  27,  1872;  Florence,  born  in  Evanston, 
Illinois,  November  18,  1873;  Albert  Snowden, 
born  in  Winnetka,  Illinois,  February  8,  1877. 
Their  home  is  now  in  Winnetka,  Illinois. 

The  head  of  the  family  has  always  been  a 
loyal  and  earnest  supporter  of  Republican  prin- 
ciples, and  he  is  now  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
Commandery  of  the  Loyal  Legion. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

[MIVERSTTY  OF  III  INfilS 


HENRY  WEBER. 


455 


HENRY  WEBER. 


HENRY  WEBER,  one  of  the  most  successful 
manufacturers  of  Chicago,  a  thoroughly 
self-made  man,  is  among  the  large  number 
of  industrious  and  prosperous  citizens  given  to 
Chicago  by  German  ancestors.  His  birth  took 
place  in  that  unfortunate  disputed  territory  which 
has  alternately  belonged  to  France  and  Germany 
— being  now  in  possession  of  the  latter  country. 
September  15,  1822,  when  Mr.  Weber  was  born 
in  the  village  of  Hochweiler,  Canton  Soultz, 
Elsass,  the  locality  was  in  possession  of  the 
French,  and  he  was,  therefore,  by  birth  a  French- 
man, though  his  ancestors  were  among  the  most 
sturdy  Germans.  They  had  long  resided  in  Al- 
sace, and  several  members  of  the  family  were 
soldiers  under  the  first  Napoleon.  Michael  Weber, 
father  of  Henry,  was  a  farmer  of  Hochweiler, 
where  he  reached  the  age  of  seventy-eight  years. 
His  second  wife,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Helena  Langenbrunn  (Studi)  Weber,  died 
at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years.  Both  she  and 
her  husband  had  reared  good-sized  families  by 
former  marriages. 

Henry  Weber  received  a  scanty  education  un- 
der the  French  system.  He  was  made  of  the  am- 
bitious stuff  which  peoples  and  develops  nations, 
and  he  early  resolved  to  join  his  fortunes  with 
those  of  the  free  land  across  the  seas,  of  which  he 
had  heard  through  a  friend  who  had  visited  the 
United  States.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  joined  a 
party  of  five  young  men,  including  the  one  before 
referred  to,  who  had  been  in  America,  and  together 
they  came  to  New  York.  They  sailed  from 
Havre,  France,  on  an  English  sailing-vessel 
commanded  by  Captain  Thompson,  and  after  a 
voyage  of  thirty-three  days  they  arrived  in  the 
harbor  of  New  York,  a  very  speedy  voyage  for 


that  day.  On  the  way  they  maintained  them- 
selves, and  took  turn  about  in  cooking. 

In  New  York  they  separated,  and  Mr.  Weber 
went  to  Lyons,  New  York,  where  he  served  a 
three-years  apprenticeship  at  wagon-making,  be- 
coming a  skillful  workman,  and  able  to  compete 
with  any  man  in  his  line  of  work.  Having  com- 
pleted his  term  of  indenture,  Mr.  Weber  went  to 
Detroit,  Michigan,  and  found  employment.  But 
he  did  not  long  remain  there.  He  determined  to 
locate  in  the  growing  and  enterprising  town  of 
Chicago,  then  beginning  to  attract  notice  through 
its  favorable  location  and  the  enterprising  char- 
acter of  its  citizens.  On  the  26th  of  June,  1844, 
Mr.  Weber  arrived  in  Chicago,  where  he  has 
ever  since  made  his  home,  and  in  the  develop- 
ment of  whose  commercial,  social  and  moral  in- 
terests he  has  borne  no  unimportant  part. 

Like  another  distinguished  German  citizen, 
who  is  now  deceased  (Andrew  Ortmayer,  whose 
biography  appears  in  this  volume) ,  he  at  once 
found  employment  with  the  pioneer  wagonmaker 
of  Chicago,  Mr.  Joseph  O.  Humphrey.  Here  he 
continued  one  and  one-half  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  period,  being  then  twenty-three  years  of 
age,  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  having 
as  a  partner  Mr.  Jacob  Gauch.  .  With  a  capital 
of  $250,  they  built  a  small  shop  on  Randolph 
Street,  near  La  Salle,  and  began  working  up  a 
business,  boarding  themselves  in  the  building 
in  the  mean  time.  Later,  they  boarded  at  the 
New  York  Hotel,  an  hostelry  well  known  to  the 
old  residents  of  the  city.  In  1849  Mr.  Gauch 
was  seized  with  the  gold  fever  and  went  to  Cali- 
fornia. His  partner,  who  was  satisfied  with  the 
slow  but  certain  gains  of  business  in  Chicago, 
purchased  Mr.  Gauch1  s  interest,  and  continued 


456 


HENRY  WEBER. 


to  manage  the  growing  industry  alone  until  1883, 
when  a  company  was  incorporated  to  continue 
it,  with  his  sons  as  partners.  This  is  known  as 
the  Weber  Wagon  Company,  and  turns  out  an- 
nually twelve  thousand  wagons  and  four  thou- 
sand bob  sleds,  and  employs  a  large  number  of 
men.  Mr.  Weber  was  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  old  "Number  Two"  volunteer  fire  com- 
pany, which  did  good  service  in  the  early  days, 
when  steam  was  unknown  in  Chicago  as  a  power 
to  be  used  in  subduing  fires. 

In  1852  Mr.  Weber  was  enabled  to  purchase 
land  for  the  location  of  his  works.  At  the  north- 
west corner  of  Lake  and  Union  Streets  he  se- 
cured ground,  ninety  by  one  hundred  and  forty  feet 
in  area,  on  which  he  built  three  frame  buildings. 
These  were  all  two  stories  in  height,  one  being 
occupied  as  a  dwelling  and  the  others  for  a  fac- 
tory. He  was  among  the  first  manufacturers  on 
West  Lake  Street,  and  was  uniformly  success- 
ful, laying  the  foundation  for  a  large  business, 
which  furnished  a  livelihood  to  many  families. 
In  the  spring  of  1871  he  erected  a  fine  four- story 
brick  building  on  this  site,  which  escaped  the 
fury  of  the  great  fire  in  the  autumn  of  the  same 
year,  and  was  at  once  occupied  by  profitable 
tenants. 

In  1886  the  factory  was  removed  to  Eighty- 
first  and  Wallace  Streets,  where  superior  railway 
facilities  were  secured,  and  here  it  is  now  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  Weber's  sons,  who  have  taken 
from  his  hands  and  mind  much  of  the  labor  re- 
quired in  its  management.  The  founder  very 
appropriately  occupies  the  position  of  President 
of  the  company,  with  W.  H.  Weber  as  Secre- 
tary and  Treasurer,  and  George  A.  Weber  as 
Superintendent.  The  product  is  shipped  to  nearly 
every  State  of  the  Union,  and  enjoys  a  reputa- 
tion for  reliability  such  as  has  always  been  at- 
tached to  the  name  of  its  worthy  maker  from  the 
beginning. 

On  the  loth  of  August,  1887,  a  fire  destroyed 
nearly  all  the  plant  except  the  lumber-yard,  but 
no  time  was  lost  in  repining,  and,  with  the  in- 
surance which  careful  foresight  had  previously 
provided  as  an  assistance,  its  owners  were  en- 
enabled  to  start  with  an  entirely  new  outfit  of 


machinery,  and  the  business  was  soon  a  greater 
success  than  ever  before.  The  plant  is  now  one 
of  the  largest  and  most  complete  of  its  kind  in 
the  United  States. 

With  the  arrival  of  the  year  1849,  Mr.  Weber 
felt  that  he  was  warranted  in  assuming  the  re- 
sponsibility of  a  householder,  and  on  the  4th  of 
November  in  that  year  he  married  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Schoeneck,  a  German  girl,  who  arrived  in 
Chicago  with  her  parents  the  same  year  as  him- 
self. She  is  a  daughter  of  Adam  and  Elizabeth 
Schoeneck, all  natives  of  Mainz,  Germany,  who  set- 
tled on  a  farm  on  the  North  Branch  of  the  Chicago 
River,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  city.  Mrs. 
Weber  was  in  every  way  fitted  to  be  the  wife  of 
the  sturdy  young  mechanic,  and  proved  a  worthy 
helpmeet  to  her  enterprising  husband.  The  little 
home  on  Fifth  Avenue  was  kept  scrupulously 
neat  and  tidy,  and  Mr.  Weber's  success  is  in  part 
due  to  her  good  management  and  many  good 
traits  of  character.  Six  children  came  to  bless 
their  home,  namely:  Elizabeth,  now  the  wife  of 
T.  Wasserstrass;  Louise,  Mrs.  Albert  Kaempfer; 
William  H.  and  George  A.,  before  mentioned; 
Mary  M.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-nine 
years;  and  Emma,  wife  of  Henry  Rietz,  all  of 
Chicago. 

The  family  is  connected  with  the  German  Lu- 
theran Church,  and  in  political  action  its  head  is 
thoroughly  independent,  affiliating  with  the  best 
elements  in  both  parties  in  national  and  local  af- 
fairs. He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity, being  one  of  the  oldest  living  members  of 
Germania  Lodge  No.  182,  and  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber of  Harmonia  Lodge  No.  221,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Weber  has  richly  earned  his  success  in 
life,  and  enjoys  his  well-earned  competence  in 
the  comforts  of  home  life  and  the  society  of  his 
many  friends.  His  example  may  afford  a  good 
lesson  to  the  young  man  of  to-day,  who  needs  to 
be  impressed  with  the  value  in  business  of  indus- 
try and  unswerving  integrity. 

In  this  connection,  a  brief  mention  of  the  pres- 
ent managers  of  the  Weber  Wagon  Company  is 
appropriate  and  desirable.  To  them  is  due,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  marvelous  growth  and  pros- 


W.  W.  FARWELL. 


457 


perity  of  the  business.  It  requires  more  than 
ordinary  talent  to  conduct  successfully  a  business 
involving  a  capital  of  nearly  half  a  million  dollars, 
and  yearly  increasing  in  volume.  All  the  de- 
tails are  carefully  watched  by  the  superintendent 
in  the  construction  department,  and  by  the  busi- 
ness manager  in  the  office.  The  continued  sub- 
stantial development  of  the  concern  in  the  face  of 
the  financial  stringency  of  1894  and  1895  is  es~ 
pecially  worthy  of  note,  and  the  year  1 895  is  re- 
corded as  the  most  prosperous  in  its  history. 

The  factory  gives  employment  to  a  large 
number  of  men,  many  of  whom  have  grown 
gray  in  the  service  of  Mr.  Weber  and  his 
sons,  some  of  them  having  been  in  the  con- 
tinuous employ  of  Mr.  Weber  more  than  forty 
years.  The  high  esteem  in  which  the  founder 
and  present  managers  are  held  by  their  employes 
is  a  strong  testimonial  to  their  executive  ability 
and  upright  character,  and  their  course  is  worthy 
the  emulation  of  every  employer  of  labor.  A 
personal  interest  is  shown  in  every  man  on  the 
pay  roll  and  in  those  dependent  upon  him,  and 
no  man  is  ever  discharged  except  for  indolence  or 
inefficiency.  Consequently  a  strike,  with  its  train 
of  misfortune  for  all  concerned,  was  never  known 
in  the  establishment.  The  members  of  the  com- 
pany do  not  enter  into  any  outside  speculations, 
but  confine  themselves  to  their  legitimate  field  of 
operations,  which  fact  is  entitled  to  credit  for 
much  of  their  prosperity. 

George  A.  Weber,  the  superintendent  of  the 
works  of  the  Weber  Wagon  Company,  was  born 


in  Chicago,  and  completed  his  education  in  the 
West  Side  High  School  of  that  city.  He  is  gifted 
with  a  taste  and  talent  for  mechanics,  and  at 
the  early  age  of  sixteen  years  he  entered  the  fac- 
tory of  his  father  to  master  its  mechanical  details. 
Here  he  made  quite  as  rapid  progress  as  he  had 
previously  shown  in  his  studies,  and  he  steadily 
rose  to  the  position  of  superintendent,  which  he 
has  filled  since. 

William  Henry  Weber,  business  manager  of 
the  Weber  Wagon  Company,  was  born  April  21, 
1855,  in  the  city  which  now  numbers  him  among 
its  most  substantial  and  respected  citizens.  He 
was  educated  in  the  Chicago  West  Side  High 
School,  and  took  a  thorough  course  of  business 
training  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College. 
After  one  year's  connection  with  the  wholesale 
dry-goods  firm  of  Stettauer  &  Weiman,  in  1879, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  he  entered  the 
service  of  his  father,  with  whose  business  he  has 
ever  since  been  identified.  With  his  natural  apt- 
itude, and  as  a  result  of  his  careful  training,  he 
readily  fitted  in  with  the  office  management  ot 
the  concern,  and  soon  came  to  be  its  responsible 
head.  He  attends  strictly  to  business,  his  only 
recreation  being  an  occasional  hunting  trip  of  a 
few  days'  duration,  and  to  him  is  due  much  of 
the  credit  for  the  high  commercial  standing  of 
the  house.  Being  of  a  genial  nature,  he  comes 
naturally  to  possess  the  respect  and  cordial  good- 
will of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  social  or  busi- 
ness relations. 


WILLIAM  W.  FARWELL. 


WASHINGTON  FARWELL, 
£racec*  ^e  Bench  of  Cook  County  for 
nine  years,  and  was  an  honored  member  of 
the  Chicago  Bar  forty  years,  was  descended  from 
good  old  English  stock.  His  ancestors  were 
among  the  early  pioneers  in  the  settlement  and 


civilization  of  the  New  World.  Henry  Farwell 
came  from  Somersetshire,  England,  and  located 
in  Connecticut  with  the  founders  of  that  colony, 
and  bore  his  part  in  sweeping  away  the  wilder- 
ness which  then  occupied  all  New  England  and 
in  developing  a  Christian  community.  He  had  a 


458 


W.  W.  FARWELL. 


son  and  grandson  named  Isaac.  Thomas,  son  of 
the  last-named,  was  born  in  Mansfield,  Connecti- 
cut, and  practiced  agriculture  in  that  State.  His 
son,  John  Farwell,  also  born  in  Mansfield,  was 
the  father  of  Judge  William  W.  Farwell. 

John  Farwell  was  possessed  of  the  same  spirit 
which  led  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  to  seek  a  home 
under  new  conditions,  in  an  untried  world,  and, 
moved  by  this  pioneer  instinct,  he  went  to  Mor- 
risville,  New  York,  in  his  young  manhood  and 
opened  up  a  farm  in  that  then  new  region.  He 
was  a  highly  respected  citizen,  and  served  as 
Postmaster  at  Morrisville  for  many  years.  His 
wife,  Elmira  Williams,  was,  like  himself,  a  na- 
tive of  Mansfield,  Connecticut,  and  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Amariah  Williams,  supposed  to  have  been 
of  English  lineage.  The  marriage  of  this  couple 
took  place  in  their  native  town,  and  they  began 
housekeeping  at  the  new  home  of  Mr.  Farwell 
in  Morrisville.  Their  children,  five  in  number, 
were  named  as  follows:  John  William,  Benjamin 
Franklin,  William  Washington,  Thomas  Lyle 
and  Elmira  Jane. 

William  W.  Farwell,  third  child  of  his  parents, 
was  born  in  Morrisville,  New  York,  January  5, 
1817.  His  early  life  did  not  differ  much  from 
that  of  other  farmers'  sons  in  that  day  and  region. 
He  made  the  most,  however,  of  his  educational 
opportunities,  passing  through  the  primary  schools 
and  academy  of  his  native  town,  and  entered 
Hamilton  College,  at  Clinton,  New  York,  in 
1833.  Before  attaining  his  majority,  in  1837,  he 
was  graduated  from  that  old  and  solid  institution 
of  learning  with  credit  to  himself  and  his  Alma 
Mater. 

He  at  once  began  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Hon.  Otis  P.  Granger,  of  Morrisville, 
whose  daughter  he  subsequently  married.  He 
finished  his  legal  studies  at  Buffalo,  New  York, 
and  was  admitted  to  practice  by  the  Superior 
Court  at  Rochester,  in  that  State,  in  1841.  After 
practicing  law  with  success  for  seven  years  in  his 
native  village,  he  felt  the  promptings  of  the  an- 
cestral enterprise,  and  determined  to  cast  in  his 
lot  with  those  fearless  and  energetic  spirits  who 
were  just  then  developing  the  nucleus  of  the 
wonderful  city  on  Lake  Michigan,  whose  future 


greatness  was  beyond  the  predictions  of  their 
wildest  fancies.  Arriving  in  Chicago  in  1848, 
he  set  out  the  next  year  for  California,  and  re- 
mained in  that  modern  El  Dorado  one  year,  re- 
turning to  the  East  by  way  of  Panama  and  New 
York  City. 

At  Morrisville,  New  York,  on  the  i2th  of 
February,  1851,  Mr.  Farwell  led  to  the  marriage 
altar  Miss  Mary  Eliza  Granger,  who  was 
born  in  Morrisville,  November  8,  1829.  Hon. 
Otis  P.  Granger,  father  of  Mrs.  Farwell,  was  a 
native  of  Suffield,  Connecticut,  his  birth  occur- 
ring February  21,  1796,  and  bore  in  his  veins 
the  blood  of  the  early  English  settlers  of  that 
State.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Williams  College, 
Class  of  1816,  and  became  a  noted  lawyer  in  cen- 
tral New  York.  He  studied  for  his  profession  in 
the  office  of  Talcott  &  Maynard,  and  later  with 
John  Bradish,  of  Utica,  New  York,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Bar  July  21,  1821.  He  practiced  his 
profession  in  Morrisville,  New  York,  until  1827, 
when  he  was  appointed  Surrogate  of  Madison 
County,  New  York,  and  filled  that  position  thir- 
teen years.  He  passed  away  at  Morrisville  at 
the  venerable  age  of  eighty-seven  years.  His 
first  ancestor  in  this  country  was  Launcelot 
Granger,  who  was  born  in  the  West  of  England 
and  was  brought  to  America  when  fourteen  years 
old.  Mr.  Granger's  wife,  Elvira  Gates,  was  a 
native  of  Morrisville,  daughter  of  Abiather  and 
Lois  (Holt)  Gates,  who  were  natives  of  Massa- 
chusetts. Mrs.  Gates  was  a  descendant  of  Nich- 
olas Holt,  who  came  from  England  to  Connecti- 
cut in  the  early  days  of  that  colony. 

Mrs.  Farwell  is  the  eldest  of  the  four  children 
of  her  parents.  Only  one  beside  herself,  Mrs. 
Agnes  Elvira  Groves,  is  now  living.  She  was 
educated  at  a  female  seminary  at  Utica,  New 
York,  and  was  fitted  by  birth  and  breeding  to  be 
the  companion  of  her  husband  during  his  long 
and  useful  career  in  Chicago.  She  is  a  well-pre- 
served lady,  of  much  natural  refinement,  and  her 
charitable  and  kindly  character  has  made  her  dear 
to  all  who  have  been  privileged  to  come  within  her 
influence.  Two  sons  born  to  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Farwell,  Granger  and  John  Williams  Farwell,  are 
well-known  brokers  of  Chicago.  The  elder,  born 


C.  G.  AVARS. 


459 


in  Chicago,  May  25,  1857,  married  Sarah  C. 
Goodrich,  daughter  of  James  G.  Goodrich,  of 
Chicago,  and  has  five  children:  Leslie,  Ruth 
Goodrich,  Olive,  Sarah  Granger  and  Helen.  The 
younger  son  was  born  in  Chicago,  March  30, 
1862,  and  is  the  stay  and  companion  of  his 
mother. 

It  was  in  1854  that  Mr.  Farwell  settled  perma- 
nently in  Chicago.  He  had  been  admitted  to 
the  Bar  of  Illinois  in  1848,  and  he  now  devoted 
himself  assiduously  to  the  labors  of  his  profes- 
sion, rapidly  winning  for  himself  a  reputation  for 
soundness  and  ability.  In  the  spring  of  1855  the 
firm  of  Goodrich,  Farwell  &  Scovell  was  formed, 
the  senior  member  being  Grant  Goodrich,  who 
was  subsequently  an  honored  occupant  of  the 
Bench  in  Chicago.  A  year  later  Mr.  Scovell 
withdrew,  and  Mr.  Sidney  Smith  joined  the  firm, 
which  became  Goodrich,  Farwell  &  Smith. 

Mr.  Farwell  was  elected  to  the  Circuit  Bench 
in  1870,  and  was  twice  re-elected,  serving  in  a 


most  impartial  and  efficient  manner  nine  years. 
Upon  his  retirement  from  the  Bench,  he  was  en- 
gaged, in  1880,  as  Lecturer  in  the  Union  College 
of  Law,  which  position  he  continuously  filled  un- 
til failing  health  compelled  his  resignation  in 
1893.  His  practical  experience,  his  ripe  scholar- 
ship and  sound  judgment  made  him  especially 
useful  in  preparing  young  men  for  the  practice  of 
law,  and  his  resignation  was  received  with  regret 
by  faculty  and  students.  He  died  April  30, 
1894. 

Judge  Farwell  was  a  faithful  member  of  the 
Congregational  Church,  in  which  he  appropri- 
ately and  consistently  filled  the  office  of  Deacon 
for  some  time.  In  every  relation  of  life  he  was 
true,  and  the  history  of  his  life  stands  as  an  in- 
spiration and  encouragement  to  young  men  every- 
where. Especially  are  his  upright  life  and  official 
course  commended  to  the  emulation  of  all  who 
wish  to  win  friends  and  enjoy  the  good  opinion 
and  blessing  of  their  fellows. 


CHARLES  G.  AtARS. 


EHARLES  GERRY  AVARS,  a  capable  busi- 
ness man  of  Chicago,  and  at  one  time  one  of 
the  most  widely-known  public  officials  of 
Cook  County,  was  born  at  Newton,  New  Jersey, 
December  28,  1831.  His  parents  were  Rev. 
James  Ayars  and  Harriet  Amelia  Reed,  both  na- 
tives of  Bridgeton,  New  Jersey.  The  family  is  of 
Scotch,  Welsh  and  German  ancestry,  and  fur- 
nished some  of  the  Colonial  emigrants  to  the 
present  United  States.  Noah  Ayars,  grandfather 
of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attained  the  age  of 
ninety-three  years,  dying  at  Bridgeton,  New 
Jersey,  about  1858. 

Rev.  James  Ayars  was  educated  at  Bridgeton, 
and  entered  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  in  1827.  He  continued  actively  in 


the  work  of  that  church  for  fifty  years,  holding 
pastorates  in  the  principal  towns  of  New  Jersey. 
In  1856  he  became  Secretary  of  the  American 
Sunday-school  Union.  He  lived  at  Covington, 
Kentucky,  three  years,  and  at  Evanston,  Illinois, 
two  years.  Returning  to  New  Jersey,  he  re- 
entered  the  regular  ministry,  and  died  at  Summit, 
New  Jersey,  in  1880,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  He  was  a  man  of  great  public  spirit,  and 
did  much  work  in  the  temperance  cause  and 
in  the  management  of  municipal  affairs  in  the 
towns  where  he  was  located. 

Mrs.  Harriet  A.  Ayars  died  at  Trenton,  New 
Jersey,  in  1870,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  years. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  John  Reed,  who  was 
born  in  New  Jersey,  where  he  practiced  medi- 


460 


C.  G.  AVARS. 


cine  most  of  his  life.  He  was  also  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  woolen  goods  at  Deerfield, 
New  Jersey.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Ireland. 

Rev.  and  Mrs.  James  Ayars  had  five  sons. 
Enoch  Reed,  the  eldest,  was  a  dentist  in  New 
Jersey,  and  went  to  California  in  1849.  While 
there,  he  joined  Walker's  expedition  to  Nica- 
ragua, was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Rivos, 
and  died  in  hospital.  Charles  G.  Ayars  is  the 
second.  James  was  for  many  years  a  prominent 
citizen  of  Cook  County,  and  is  now  deceased. 
William  Henry  Ayars  was  a  student  of  the  North- 
western University  of  Evanston  when  the  Civil 
War  began,  and  enlisted  and  served  eighteen 
months  in  the  Union  army.  He  became  a  Lieu- 
tenant in  a  colored  regiment,  and  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Petersburgh,  Virginia.  Howard  B., 
the  youngest,  died  at  the  age  of  five  years. 

Charles  G.  Ayars,  whose  name  heads  this 
article,  gained  his  primary  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  various  points  where  his  father  was 
stationed  in  the  ministry,  and  finished  at  Rutgers 
College,  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen  years  he  entered  mercantile  life, 
being  employed  as  a  clerk  in  stores  at  various 
places.  He  spent  one  year  with  a*  wholesale 
paper  house  in  New  York  City,  and  in  1857 
went  to  Covington,  Kentucky,  where  he  entered 
the  general  western  agency  of  the  Phcenix  Fire 
Insurance  Company,  of  Hartford,  Connecticut. 

In  1859  he  became  a  resident  of  Cook  County, 
and  engaged  in  farming  at  Evanston.  Two  years 
later  he  removed  to  the  vicinity  of  what  is  now 
known  as  Forest  Hill,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Wa- 
bash  and  Pan  Handle  Railroads,  where  he  oper- 
ated a  large  farm,  producing  annually  large 
quantities  of  hay  for  the  Chicago  market.  While 
residing  here,  he  served  six  years  as  Clerk  of 
Lake  Township. 

In  1867  he  was  appointed  a  Deputy  Sheriff  of 
Cook  County,  and  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
filled  this  position  under  successive  Sheriffs  for 
eight  }-ears.  His  duties  brought  him  in  contact 
with  people  of  all  avocations,  and  he  gained  an 
acquaintance  exceeded  by  few  men.  Probably,  not 
a  half-dozen  persons  know  personally  more  people 


in  Cook  County  than  were  included  in  his  list  of 
friends.  About  this  time  there  was  much  litiga- 
tion over  land  titles.  Many  squatters  had  to  be 
dispossessed,  and  Mr.  Ayars'  duties  as  Deputy 
Sheriff  sometimes  brought  him  exciting  experi- 
ences. His  impartiality,  coupled  with  firmness, 
and  his  uniform  kindness  to  the  unfortunate  in- 
spired the  public  with  confidence  in  him,  and 
gained  for  him  a  host  of  true  friends.  In  1874  he 
was  elected  County  Commissioner  for  the  Evans- 
ton  District,  and  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  he 
was  re-elected,  serving  six  years  continuously, 
during  which  period  the  present  court  house 
was  built. 

In  1883  Mr.  Ayars  formed  a  connection  with 
the  Phcenix  Fire  Insurance  Company,  of  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  as  State  Agent  for  Illinois, 
having  general  charge  of  all  its  business  outside 
of  Chicago,  which  relation  still  continues.  In 
this  connection  he  travels  all  over  the  State,  giv- 
ing careful  and  diligent  attention  to  his  duties, 
and,  as  a  result,  the  volume  of  business  trans- 
acted by  the  company  in  his  jurisdiction  has  very 
largely  increased. 

Mr.  Ayars  was  married,  April  25,  1859,  to 
Miss  Margaret,  daughter  of  William  Fredenberg, 
of  New  York  City,  where  her  Knickerbocker  an- 
cestors located  in  the  early  Colonial  period.  Many 
of  the  name  now  reside  there,  and  Mrs.  Ayars  is 
the  first  who  left  that  city.  For  twenty-five  years 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ayars  have  been  connected  with 
the  First  Methodist  Church  of  Evanston.  The 
former  is  a  member  of  Evans  Lodge,  Evanston 
Chapter  and  Commandery  of  the  Masonic  order, 
and  of  the  Evanston  Club  and  Evanston  Boat 
Club,  being  among  the  organizers  of  the  last- 
named  organization. 

Mr.  Ayars  was  among  the  supporters  of  John 
C.  Fremont  for  the  United  States  Presidency  in 
1856,  and  since  that  time  has  consistently  ad- 
hered to  the  Republican  party  from  principle. 
His  varied  business  experience  has  given  him 
a  wide  knowledge  of  many  subjects  and  made 
him  a  capable  judge  of  human  nature,  enabling 
him  to  give  to  his  business  and  social  duties  the 
benefit  of  a  mind  ripened  by  years  of  practical 
training. 


E.  S.  LACEY. 


461 


EDWARD  S.  LACEY. 


[TOWARD  SAMUEL,  LACEY,  President  of 
|^  the  Bankers'  National  Bank  of  Chicago, 
Li  enjoys  a  national  reputation  as  an  able 
financier,  and  has  won  his  way  to  his  present 
honored  position  in  the  business,  social  and  pol- 
itical world  through  his  pre-eminent  perseverance, 
foresight  and  integrity.  He  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Chili,  Monroe  County,  New  York,  November 
26,  1835,  and  is  a  son  of  Edward  DeWitt  and 
Martha  C.  (Pixley)  Lacey. 

Edward  D.  Lacey  was  born  at  Bennington, 
Vermont,  and  died  at  Charlotte,  Michigan, 
November  6,  1862,  aged  nearly  fifty- three  years. 
He  possessed  in  a  notable  degree  those  qualities 
of  integrity,  intelligence  and  tenacity  of  purpose 
for  which  the  people  of  the  Green  Mountain 
State  are  notable.  He  removed,  with  his  par- 
ents to  Monroe  County,  New  York,  when  but 
ten  years  of  age,  and  was  educated  at  Henrietta, 
in  that  State.  He  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
at  Chili,  New  York,  and  in  1842  removed  to 
Michigan,  locating  the  next  year  at  Kalamo, 
Eaton  County,  then  a  comparative  wilderness. 
He  was  a  man  of  prominence  in  that  locality, 
filling  many  positions  of  public  trust  and  respon- 
sibility, and  was  a  leading  spirit  in  the  develop- 
ment and  improvement  of  that  section  of  the  State. 

He  was  a  son  of  Maj.  Samuel  Lacey  and 
grandson  of  Ebenezer  Lacey,  natives  of  Wood- 
bury,  Connecticut.  The  latter  served  in  the 
Connecticut  Line  through  the  Virginia  and  Penn- 
sylvania campaigns  of  the  Revolutionary  War, 
under  Generals  Washington  and  La  Fayette,  be- 
coming an  Orderly-Sergeant  in  the  latter's  com- 
mand. He  was  a  son  of  Thaddeus  Lacey,  who 
moved  to  Connecticut  from  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts. The  first  ancestor  in  America  came  from 


the  vicinity  of  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  located  at 
Boston  in  1704. 

Samuel  Lacey  was  born  at  Woodbury,  Con- 
necticut, and  went  with  his  parents — Ebenezer 
and  Mary  (Hurd)  Lacey — to  Vermont  in  1784. 
He  established  the  second  cloth-dressing  works 
in  the  State  at  Bennington,  and  in  1818  removed 
to  Monroe  County,  New  York,  where  he  was  a 
prosperous  and  influential  citizen.  During  the 
War  of  1812  he  was  Major  of  the  First  Regiment 
of  Vermont  Militia,  which  was  called  into  service 
on  the  northern  frontier.  He  assisted  in  the  first 
organization  of  the  Whig  party  at  Syracuse, 
New  York,  in  1835,  and  was  for  many  years  one 
of  its  ablest  supporters.  He  died  at  Marshall, 
Michigan,  May  9,  1863,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year 
of  his  age.  He  married  Ruth,  eldest  daughter 
of  Anthony  Sigourney,  of  Oxford,  Massachusetts, 
a  Revolutionary  veteran,  who  took  part  in  the 
disastrous  campaign  of  1776,  on  Long  Island  and 
about  New  York  City,  being  twice  wounded  in 
battle  during  that  service.  He  was  the  fourth  in 
line  of  descent  from  Andrew  Sigourney,  a  prom- 
inent Huguenot,  who,  with  his  wife,  escaped 
from  Rochelle,  France,  after  the  revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes  in  1685,  and  became  one  of 
the  founders  of  Oxford,  Massachusetts.  Mrs. 
L-  H.  Sigourney,  the  famous  writer  and  poet, 
married  a  descendant  of  the  same  family. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  about  seven 
years  old  when  the  family  settled  in  Eaton 
County,  Michigan,  where  he  continued  to  reside 
until  1889.  He  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  and  Olivet  College.  At  the  age  of  eight- 
een years  he  began  his  business  career  as  clerk 
in  a  general  store  at  Kalamazoo,  Michigan. 

In  1857  he  returned  to  his  home  at  Charlotte,  • 


462 


E.  S.  LACEY. 


Michigan,  and  in  1862,  in  partnership  with 
Hon.  Joseph  Musgrave,  established  a  private 
bank,  which  became,  in  1871,  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Charlotte.  He  was  the  active  manager 
of  this  institution  from  its  organization,  officiat- 
ing as  Director  and  Cashier,  and  upon  the  death 
of  Mr.  Musgrave  became  its  President.  He  was 
distinguished  for  ability  and  thoroughness  in  his 
methods,  and  became  identified  with  many  im- 
portant business  interests.  He  was  a  Director, 
and  for  many  years  Treasurer,  of  the  Grand  River 
Valley  Railroad  Company,  which  he  helped  to 
organize. 

Early  in  his  career  his  fellow-citizens  began  to 
recognize  his  fitness  for  the  discharge  of  public 
duties,  and  his  opinion  on  financial  questions  has 
always  been  accorded  great  consideration.  His 
first  official  position  was  that  of  Register  of 
Deeds  of  Eaton  County,  which  he  held  four  years, 
beginning  in  1860.  In  1874  the  Governor  of 
Michigan  appointed  him  a  Trustee  of  the  State 
Asylum  for  the  Insane,  and  he  continued  to  fill 
this  position  for  six  years.  In  1876  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
at  Cincinnati,  and  from  1882  to  1884  was  Chair- 
man of  the  Republican  State  Central  Committee 
of  Michigan.  He  also  served  as  the  first  Mayor 
of  the  city  of  Charlotte,  and  assisted  in  inaugu- 
rating its  excellent  system  of  public  improve- 
ments. In  1880  he  was  elected  to  Congress  from 
the  Third  Michigan  District,  and  served  two 
terms.  He  was  nominated  by  acclamation  and 
elected  by  a  vote  far  ahead  of  his  ticket  in  each 
instance.  He  declined  to  accept  the  candidacy 
for  a  third  term,  but  in  1886  became  a  candidate 
for  the  United  States  Senate,  in  which  he  was 
unsuccessful,  though  he  showed  great  strength 
and  popularity. 

In  Congress  he  served  on  the  Committees  on 
Postoffices  and  Post  Roads  and  Coinage,  Weights 
and  Measures.  But  he  was  distinguished  chiefly 
through  the  ability  displayed  in  the  consideration 
of  financial  questions.  In  the  Forty-eighth 
Congress  he  attracted  wide  attention  by  a  mas- 
terly speech  on  the  silver  question.  His  address 
on  the  use  of  silver  as  money,  delivered  before 
the  American  Bankers'  Association  in  Chicago  in 


1885,  was  received  with  marked  attention  and 
increased  his  popularity  among  financiers.  His 
prominence  in  monetary  circles  caused  him  to 
be  recommended  by  friends  in  Michigan,  New 
York,  Boston  and  Chicago  for  the  position  of 
Comptroller  of  the  Currency,  to  which  he  was 
appointed  in  1889. 

This  office,  so  far  as  regards  national  finance,  is 
second  only  to  that  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 
His  administration,  extending  from  1889  to  1892, 
covered  one  of  the  most  critical  periods  in  the 
history  of  the  national  banking  system.  He 
pursued  a  vigorous  and  yet  conservative  policy, 
keeping  in  view  the  protection  of  depositors  and 
creditors,  and  his  conduct  of  the  office  was 
endorsed  by  the  ablest  financiers.  His  integrity 
and  ability  have  always  been  recognized,  and  his 
national  reputation  caused  his  services  to  be 
sought  by  many  of  the  leading  financial  institu- 
tions of  the  country.  Believing  in  the  resources 
and  future  of  Chicago,  he  resigned  in  June,  1892, 
to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Bankers'  Na- 
tional Bank  of  that  city. 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1861,  Mr.  Lacey  married 
Miss  Annette  C.  Musgrave,  daughter  of  his  busi- 
ness partner,  Hon.  Joseph  Musgrave,  of  Char- 
lotte, Michigan.  Two  daughters  and  a  son, 
named,  respectively,  Jessie  P.,  Edith  M.  and 
Edward  Musgrave,  complete  the  family.  Since 
coming  to  Cook  County,  the  family  has  resided 
at  Evanston,  where  it  is  identified  with  the  First 
Congregational  Church.  Mr.  Lacey  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  the  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution,  the  Union  League  Club,  Bankers' 
Club  (of  which  he  has  been  President),  Bankers' 
Athletic  Association,  Evanston  Club  and  Evans- 
ton  Country  Club.  He  has  always  been  an 
enthusiastic  Republican,  and  wields  a  strong 
influence  in  the  party  councils. 

Personally,  Mr.  Lacey  is  a  man  of  fine  phys- 
ique, ready  discernment,  and  pleasing  manners. 
All  who  have  occasion  to  approach  him  in  regard 
to  social  or  business  matters  are  certain  of 
receiving  courteous  attention,  notwithstanding 
the  attention  necessarily  bestowed  upon  the 
financial  and  business  matters  of  great  magni- 
tude entrusted  to  bis  management. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

DIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


LOUIS  F.  HAAS. 


L.  F.  HAAS. 


463 


LOUIS  F.  HAAS. 


I  GUIS  FREDERICK  HAAS.  The  fascina- 
I  C  tions  of  the  condition  of  the  Government 
I  J  and  the  people  in  general  of  this  United 
States  appeal  to  the  minds  of  many  natives  of 
foreign  lands  in  such  a  way  as  to  draw  many  of 
them  to  become  inhabitants  of  our  Land  of  the 
Free  and  adopt  a  place  among  the  famous 
American  free  and  equal  associates.  Of  these 
many  become  successful  in  the  marts  of  trade, 
through  the  advantages  offered  those  loyal  to  our 
flag.  Louis  Frederick  Haas  figures  among  the 
men  of  the  last  fifty  years  who  have  emigrated 
from  their  native  land  and  become  followers  of 
our  fortunes. 

He  was  born  in  Otweiler,  Prussia,  October  24, 
1821,  and  came  to  America  with  his  brother  in 
1837.  He  previously  attended  school  in  the  land 
of  his  nativity  and  became  confirmed  in  the 
church,  whose  creed  had  been  followed  and 
whose  laws  had  been  adhered  to  by  his  ancestors 
for  many  generations.  His  first  work  in  America 
was  on  the  old  canal,  but  failing  health  forced 
him  to  abandon  this  occupation.  When  he  had 
recovered  somewhat  his  usual  condition  he 
learned  the  trade  of  a  horse  shoer  with  Frank 
Bush,  and  about  the  year  1842  opened  a  shop  in 
his  own  interest  on  Randolph  Street,  near  Wells 
Street.  He  conducted  a  business  at  this  location 
forty  years  and  was  for  some  time  personally 
known  to  every  citizen  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Haas  was  in  no  sense  of  the  word  a 
politician,  being  independent  of  party  and  voting 
at  proper  times  for  the  man  who  in  his  estimation 


was  best  fitted  to  fill  the  offices  for  the  interest  of 
the  people  at  large.  He  was,  however,  interested 
in  every  enterprise  tending  to  the  uplifting  of  the 
minds  of  his  fellow-men,  and  sanctioned  all  good 
and  noble  work.  He  was  a  prominent,  in- 
fluential citizen,  and  was  honored  and  respected 
by  all  who  knew  him  in  business,  and  beloved  by 
all  friends  and  acquaintances,  as  well  as  his  near 
relatives. 

Mr.  Haas  was  a  member  of  the  old  volunteer 
fire  department,  belonged  to  the  Fireman's 
Benefit  Association,  and  was  also  connected  with 
the  Sharpshooters'  Club.  He  was  a  very  broad- 
minded  and  liberal  man.  Mr.  Haas  was  one  of 
the  first  directors  of  the  Ulich  Orphans'  Asylum 
and  for  many  years  was  treasurer  of  the  in- 
stitution, being  at  all  times  very  much  interested 
in  it.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
old  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
having  helped  to  carry  the  boards  on  his  back 
from  the  river  to  the  side  of  the  church,  for  the 
first  structure,  which  was  a  frame  building.  He 
was  prominently  connected  with  the  work  of  the 
church  and  contributed  to  its  support  very 
liberally,  in  a  practical  as  well  as  spiritual 
manner. 

In  1843  he  married  Miss  Sarah  Wolfe,  who 
was  also  born  in  a  foreign  land,  the  place  of  her 
birth  being  near  Strasburg,  France.  She  came 
to  Chicago  in  1839.  This  couple  became  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  six  of  whom  are  living 
at  the  present  writing.  Louis  is  a  captain  in  the 
police  department.  Carrie  married  Charles 


464 


C.  G.  UBELLAR. 


Leupold,  of  Chicago,  and  resides  at  No.  1295 
North  Halsted  Street.  Charles,  Philip,  Herman 
and  William  are  the  names  of  those  living. 

Louis  F.  Haas  died  July  23,  1888,  mourned  by 
many  friends  and  leaving  a  vacancy  in  the  family 


circle  which  cannot  be  filled.  Mrs.  Haas  is  still 
living,  surrounded  by  a  host  of  true  and  worthy 
friends  and  residing  near  her  children,  who  have 
turned  out  to  be  of  great  comfort  to  her,  as  well 
as  a  source  of  just  pride. 


CHARLES  G.  UBELLAR. 


EHARLES  GEORGE  UBELLAR.  Among 
those  who  have  adopted  for  their  home  this 
Land  of  the  Free,  but  who  have  passed  much 
of  their  lives  on  a  foreign  shore,  none  can  relate 
a  more  startling  and  exciting  history  than  Charles 
George  Ubellar.  He  was  born  January  28,  1832, 
in  Buda  Pesth,  Hungary,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles 
George  and  Mary  Ubellar.  He  and  one  brother, 
Otto  Ubellar,  were  the  only  children  of  his  par- 
ents, and  the  latter  remained  in  his  native  land. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  spent  two  years  in  a 
military  school,  entering  at  the  extremely  youth- 
ful age  of  fourteen  years.  He  subsequently 
joined  the  Hungarian  militia,  and  during  the 
Revolution,  with  eighteen  hundred  other  cadets, 
served  in  the  patriot  army.  Though  entering  as 
a  cadet,  he  was  made  first  lieutenant,  and  served 
under  General  Ben  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  a  participator  in  thirty  battles,  and  the  only 
injuries  received  were  two  sabre  wounds,  on  the 
face  and  in  the  left  hand,  and  one  hip  wound 
made  by  a  ball.  He  was  in  the  service  two 
years,  his  military  term  of  service  ending  in  Sep- 
tember, 1849,  and  was  never  in  the  hospital. 

When  the  Russians  took  up  arms  against  the 
Hungarians,  the  patriots  were  forced  to  surrender 
and  Mr.  Ubellar  was  held  prisoner  in  Buda  Pesth 
and  his  treatment  was  most  severe.  He  was 
thrown  in  a  damp,  dark  dungeon,  and  fed  once 
in  twenty-four  hours.  After  three  months  he  be- 
came so  thin  that  his  bones  stood  out  and  he  was 
so  weak  that  he  thought  he  was  going  to  die. 


The  law  of  the  land  allows  the  prisoners  to  be 
returned  to  their  people  when  it  is  found  that 
they  cannot  live  longer,  and  at  his  request  he  was 
carried  to  his  father's  house.  Though  his  par- 
ents and  relatives  were  pained  very  much  at  the 
stand  he  took  in  the  Revolution  he  was  taken 
into  the  home  and  given  the  greatest  care.  His 
father  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  Buda 
Pesth  and  a  general  in  the  regular  army,  and 
his  brother  was  also  loyal,  and  they  could  not 
sanction  his  previous  course.  He  was  carried 
to  his  palatial  childhood  home,  under  strict 
guard,  the  house  being  kept  under  guard  while 
he  was  in  it,  though  he  had  been  pronounced  be- 
yond recovery.  A  few  days  in  his  father's  house, 
under  the  tender  care  of  his  people,  served  to  aid 
his  recovery  greatly. 

A  Hungarian  warship  was  at  anchor  in  the 
harbor  and  word  was  sent  to  the  brother  of  Mr. 
Ubellar  that  if  he  could  be  gotten  to  the  ship  he 
would  be  carried  out  of  the  country.  A  half 
hour  before  the  ship  sailed  he  left  his  room  by  a 
back  window,  and  though  he  had  to  make  his 
way  through  one  of  the  principal  streets,  he  got 
on  board  safely.  He  went  heavily  armed,  and 
as  it  was  a  terrible  risk  to  take,  he  was  very  des- 
perate and  decided  to  kill  any  one  who  should 
intercept  him.  Of  course  the  risk  was  worth 
taking,  as  he  would  undoubtedly  have  been  taken 
again  to  languish  in  a  dungeon.  He  was  soon  on 
Turkish  soil  and  with  twenty-five  others  joined 
Kossuth.  They  joined  the  Turkish  army  and 


URBAN  BALKE. 


465 


served  one  year  in  Asia  Minor.  They  then  made 
their  way  to  France  and  thence  to  England  on 
board  a  United  States  ship  sent  to  bring  them  to 
America,  and  landed  in  New  York  in  1851. 

This  band  had  many  hardships  to  go  through 
in  the  strange  land,  whose  language  was  un- 
known to  them,  but  the  people  were  kind  to 
them,  and  they  could  not  complain  of  their  con- 
dition. Mr.  Ubellar,  with  twelve  other  patriots, 
joined  with  General  Lopus  in  a  filibustering  ex- 
pedition to  Cuba,  but  at  Cape  May  they  were 
overhauled  by  a  revenue  cutter  and  thrown  into 
jail,  remaining  three  weeks  confined.  Ten  of 
them  went  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  ex- 
pecting to  get  work,  but  were  disappointed. 
They  now  made  use  of  their  education  and  opened 
a  military  riding  school.  After  six  months  they 
returned  to  New  York. 

Mr.  Ubellar  obtained  employment  inLovejoy's 
hotel,  and  after  six  months  went  to  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  and  took  a  course  in  a  commer- 
cial college.  He  subsequently  removed  to  Chi- 
cago, locating  in  this  city  in  March,  1857,  and 


entered  the  service  of  C.  M.  Henderson  &  Com- 
panj',  as  a  traveling  salesman,  and  made  trips 
through  Illinois,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa.  In  1870 
he  opened  a  commercial  hotel  in  Kankakee,  Illi- 
nois, which  he  conducted  eight  years.  He  then 
entered  the  real-estate  business,  with  an  office 
at  the  corner  of  Seventy-third  Street  and  Cot- 
tage Grove  Avenue.  He  is  a  man  of  great  busi- 
ness ability,  and  is  bound  to  make  a  success  of 
whatever  he  takes  up. 

Mr.  Ubellar  was  married  in  September,  1863, 
to  Miss  Mary  Matilda  McGrath,  who  comes  of 
one  of  the  oldest  of  the  early  families  in  Chicago. 
Their  only  child  is  Dr.  James  Lincoln  Ubellar, 
whose  biography  appears  in  this  work.  Though 
never  very  active  in  political  matters,  Mr.  Ubel- 
lar votes  for  the  interests  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  a  valued  and  highly  respected  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  is  never  found  want- 
ing in  interest  in  its  affairs.  He  is  a  Mason,  af- 
filiating with  Garden  City  Lodge  No.  49,  being 
also  connected  with  Washington  Chapter  and 
Washington  Council. 


URBAN  BALKE. 


HRBAN    BALKE,     now    retired,    was   born 
May  29,  1826,  in  Brunswick,  Germany,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  and  Dora  Balke,  natives  of 
that  section,  where  both  died.     His  father  was  a 
tiller  of  the  soil,  and  Urban  was  reared  on  a  farm 
and  educated  in  the  village  school. 

In  1848  he  came  to  the  United  States,  sailing 
from  Bremen  to  New  York,  being  seven  weeks 
on  the  ocean.  On  his  arrival  here  he  worked  for 
some  time  on  a  farm.  He  was  fond  of  hunting 
and  in  the  early  days  found  plenty  of  sport  with 
his  gun,  as  game  was  abundant.  After  two  years 
in  America  he  returned  to  the  Fatherland  and  re- 
mained one  year,  subsequently  returning  to  this 


country  and  locating  in  Chicago.  With  a  friend 
he  cut  prairie  hay  for  a  while  and  then  entered 
the  service  of  John  Kinzie  and  was  employed  by 
him  one  year.  He  then  purchased  a  team  and 
the  necessary  facilities  and  drove  a  grocery 
wagon  for  H.  Beckwith,  on  South  Water  Street. 
He  has  always  been  employed  by  other  people 
and  for  a  number  of  years  did  the  painting  in 
Lincoln  Park. 

In  the  great  fire  of  1871  he  was  burned  out, 
sustaining  a  heavy  loss,  after  which  he  sold  his 
real  estate.  In  1849  he  married  Amelia  Noezlich 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  three  sons  and 
one  daughter.  The  eldest,  Oscar,  is  a  barber  on 


466 


JAMES  PETTIGREW. 


Van  Buren  Street.  Henry  is  a  machinist.  Emil 
is  the  next  in  order  of  birth,  and  Emma  is  the 
widow  of  Bernard  Meisner,  by  whom  she  has  a 
son,  Robert.  Mrs.  Balke  died  in  1877. 

Mr.  Balke  has  always  been  a  quiet,  industrious 
citizen,  generous  to  an  extreme  to  those  in  need 


of  assistance.  He  votes  for  the  interest  of  the 
Republican  party  and  is  connected  with  the 
German  Lutheran  Church.  While  he  has  not 
accumulated  great  wealth,  he  is  conscious  of  hav- 
ing lived  an  honorable  life  and  of  making  himself 
useful  to  many  of  his  fellow-citizens. 


JAMES  PETTIGREW. 


(TAMES  PETTIGREW,  who  is  president  of  the 
I  board  of  education  and  of  the  Enterprise 
O  Foundry,  Harvey,  Illinois,  was  born  in 
Ayrshire,  Scotland,  July  21,  1856.  His  boyhood 
was  passed  like  that  of  him  who  made  Ayrshire 
famous  by  his  sweet  song,  receiving  such  educa- 
tion as  the  common  schools  of  Scotland  offered. 
He  was  for  some  years  connected  with  the  Gov- 
ernment constabulary,  his  duties  taking  him  into 
the  same  valleys  and  scenes  as  Burns'  own  of- 
ficial life  as  an  exciseman.  Starting  in  the  lower 
grades  of  the  service,  he  won  promotion  until  he 
reached  the  seventh,  or  highest  grade. 

He,  however,  decided  to  cast  his  fortunes  in 
the  United  States  and  in  1882  came  to  America, 
going  direct  to  Grinnell,  Iowa,  where  he  learned 
the  trade  of  a  moulder,  a  work  that  he  has  fol- 
lowed to  the  present.  In  1890  he  came  to  Har- 
vey, as  a  moulder  in  the  employ  of  the  Harvester 
King  Company  and,  in  1894,  in  company  with 
William  and  Henry  Labhart  and  Daniel  Brad- 
ley, started  the  Enterprise  Foundry.  The  business 
was  prosperous  from  the  start,  the  output  being 
all  lines  of  gray  castings,  heavy  work  predom- 
inating. Employment  is  given  to  from  twenty 
to  thirty  men  and  the  present  season  the  plant 
has  work  to  its  fullest  capacity.  This  institution 
has  taken  a  front  rank  among  the  manufacturers 
of  Harvey,  its  proprietors  all  being  men  of  ster- 
ling quality  and  all  residents  of  the  community. 
Mr.  Pettigrew  is  fully  alive  to  the  interests  of 


the  village,  paying  special  attention  to  educa- 
tional matters.  He  has  been  repeatedly  elected 
president  of  the  board  of  education,  a  posi- 
tion that  has  required  a  high  order  of  business 
ability,  as  well  as  mind  in  touch  with  school 
work,  and  is  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  modern 
idea  of  universal  education.  Conservative  in  all 
matters  relative  to  public  expenditure,  Harvey 
has  been  supplied  with  a  fine  class  of  school 
buildings,  well  equipped  for  high-grade  work, 
and  at  moderate  expense,  without  unusual  tax 
burdens.  The  facilities  for  education  of  all  its 
children  are  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  educa- 
tion manifest  in  the  village,  and  the  work  done  is 
second  to  none,  being  fully  up  to  the  standard  of 
the  city  schools,  which  is  considered  a  high  one. 
The  excellent  results  attained  were  impossible 
except  that  the  general  desire  for  schools  and 
ability  and  willingness  to  pay  for  them,  were  ably 
seconded  by  the  administration  of  this  high  trust, 
being  in  the  hands  of  competent  men,  whose  en- 
thusiasm is  not  disputed  and  whose  ability  and 
integrity  are  unquestioned.  While  due  praise  is 
bestowed  upon  all,  it  is  not  amiss  to  say  that 
much  credit  is  due  Mr.  Pettigrew,  in  that  his 
constant  and  undiminished  interest  and  enthu- 
siasm have  been  guided  by  good  common  sense 
and  great  discretion.  In  this  arduous  administra- 
tion his  work  has  redounded  to  his  own  honor,  as 
well  as  that  of  the  village,  and  no  criticisms  are 
heard  in  connection  with  the  policy  of  the  board 


J.  W.  JENNINGS. 


467 


of  education;  but  on  the  other  hand,  the  schools 
are  the  one  thing  in  which  the  citizens  take  great 
pride,  and  they  are  ever  ready  to  extol  their 
excellence  and  hold  them  up  as  at  least  one  great 
attraction  to  make  Harvey  a  pleasant  home. 

Mr.  Pettigrew  is  not  a  politician,  although  the 
Republican  party  claims  his  affiliation.  He  was 
married  at  Grinnell,  Iowa,  in  1883,  to  Miss  Eliza- 


beth Swanson,  who  was  born  in  Caithness,  Scot- 
land. The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pettigrew 
consists  of  John,  James,  Alfred,  Ethel  and  Vera 
Fern.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pettigrew  are  communicants 
of  the  Baptist  Church,  of  which  Mr.  Pettigrew 
is  trustee.  He  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
Harvey  Lodge  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows. 


JOHN  W.  JENNINGS. 


flOHN  WILLIAM  JENNINGS,  who  stands 
I  among  the  foremost  and  enterprising  citi- 
(2/  zens  of  Chicago,  was  for  many  years  a  trav- 
eling salesman,  but  has  located  permanently, 
without  doubt,  in  the  city,  occupying  the  posi- 
tion of  manager  of  the  warehouse  of  a  local  firm. 
He  has  dealt  some  in  real  estate,  and  is  well 
known  in  the  neighborhood  where  he  resides,  as 
well  as  wherever  his  dealings  spread,  as  an  hon- 
orable and  upright  man,  and  is  therefore  re- 
spected by  all.  He  was  born  on  the  i4th  of  Oc- 
tober, 1859,  on  St.  Paul  Street,  Quebec,  Canada, 
and  is  a  son  of  Patrick  and  Bridget  (Walsh) 
Jennings. 

J.  W.  Jennings  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Quebec  and  attended  St.  Ann's 
College  four  years,  leaving  there  when  sixteen 
years  of  age.  He  received  the  rudiments  of  his 
education  in  school,  but  experience  has  done 
much  toward  making  him  fitted  for  the  battles  of 
life  and  he  has  seen,  like  many  others,  that  it  is 
not  the  easy  going  school  of  books,  but  the  school 
of  the  world  at  large  that  makes  men.  In  the 
fall  of  the  year  1871  Mr.  Jennings  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  entered  a  grocery  store.  He  was  there 
until  1875,  when  he  was  employed  by  John  J. 
McGrath,  in  the  wholesale  department  of  a  wall 
paper  store.  He  entered  as  packer,  but  was 
made  shipping  clerk  later,  and  was  then  placed 


on  the  road  as  traveling  salesman.  He  remained 
in  this  capacity  six  years,  his  territory  being 
Illinois.  The  business  was  burned  out  in  1886, 
and  Mr.  Jennings  was  employed  for  one  year  by 
Longer  &  Warner,  in  the  same  capacity  as  before, 
his  territory  now  being  Iowa  and  Missouri.  For 
ten  years  he  has  been  in  the  service  of  Janeway 
&  Carpender,  having  traveled  for  this  firm  four 
years  in  Illinois,  and  now  occupying  the  position 
of  manager  of  the  warehouse.  Mr.  Jennings  has 
been  very  successful  financially,  and  erected  a 
residence  at  No.  6752  Indiana  Avenue,  in  1890, 
where  he  has  since  resided  with  his  family.  He 
was  married  August  31,  1880,  to  Miss  Margaret 
Ellen,  daughter  of  James  and  Margaret  (Fer- 
rell)  Morgan.  Mrs.  Jennings  was  born  July  23, 
1859,  at  Kenosha,  Wisconsin. 

James  Morgan  was  born  in  Limerick,  Ireland, 
and  his  father,  James  Morgan,  senior,  removed 
from  Ireland  when  the  son  was  but  an  infant. 
James  Morgan,  senior,  located  in  Oswego,  New 
York,  where  he  died.  His  children  were: 
Mary,  Patrick,  Richard  and  James.  James  Mor- 
gan, junior,  father  of  Mrs.  Jennings,  was  a  city 
detective,  with  the  rank  of  sergeant.  Mrs.  Mor- 
gan, mother  of  Mrs.  Jennings,  was  born  Novem- 
ber i,  1830,  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  her  residence 
is  now  at  No.  6316  Washington  Avenue. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jennings  are  as 


468 


J.  F.  ROUGH. 


follows:  James  Morgan,  born  October  23,  1881; 
Marjorie  Ellen,  August  26,  1883;  John  William, 
junior,  October  n,  1885,  and  Kathleen  Morgan, 
February  5,  1895.  Mr.  Jennings  is  connected 
with  St.  Bernard's  Roman  Catholic  Church,  of 
which  he  is  a  valued  and  influential  member. 


His  efforts  are  made  toward  the  advancement  of 
the  people  and  the  right,  and  he  is  recognized  as 
a  conscientious  man.  He  votes  in  favor  of  the 
Democratic  party  and  at  all  favorable  opportun- 
ities presents  plausible  and  forcible  arguments  in 
its  favor. 


JAMES  F.  ROUGH. 


(TAMES  FRANCIS  ROUGH  is  one  of  the 
I  highly  respected  and  honored  citizens  of 
Q)  Chicago.  He  comes  ot  a  very  old  Scotch 
family,  and  bears  many  of  the  qualities  of  his 
ancestors.  He  is  sturdy  in  mind  as  well  as  in 
body,  and  has  a  constitution  which  was  handed 
down  through  many  generations  of  the  sons  of 
"Bonny  Scotland."  He  was  born  June  20,  1851, 
at  the  corner  of  Alexander  and  Dorchester 
Streets,  Montreal,  Canada,  and  his  parents  were 
James  and  Margaret  (Stark)  Rough. 

His  grandfather,  Joseph  Rough,  was  a  tallow- 
chandler  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland.  His  children 
were:  Margaret,  Agnes,  William,  James,  John, 
Alexander,  Catherine,  Janet  and  Andrew.  None 
of  the  family  of  Joseph  Rough  are  now  living. 
James,  Alexander  and  Andrew  emigrated  from 
their  native  land  and  located  in  Canada.  Mr. 
Rough  married  Agnes  Michie  and  the  family 
home  was  at  No.  122  Nicholson  Street,  Edin- 
burgh, Scotland. 

The  maternal  grandfather  was  a  tiller  of  the 
soil.  His  children  were:  the  mother  of  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  article  and  a  son — Cran- 
ston Andrew  Stark,  who  now  resides  in  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota.  James  Rough  died  January  28,  1893. 
He  was  a  flour  inspector  in  Ontario  for  a  period 
of  thirty-five  years.  He  was  born  December  31, 
1818,  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  and  immigrated 
to  America  when  a  young  man,  in  1845.  His 
wife  died  March  17,  1892,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 


one  years.  She  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Kelso, 
Scotland,  and  was  married  to  Mr.  Rough  in 
1847.  Her  children  are  accounted  for  as  fol- 
lows: Margaret  died  in  childhood.  Agnes  was 
next  in  order  of  birth.  After  James  Francis 
was  another  daughter  who  was  named  Margaret. 
The  others  are:  Jenny,  William,  Catherine  and 
John.-  The  daughters  are  all  in  Toronto  and 
William  is  a  commercial  salesman  and  resides  in 
Winnipeg,  while  John  is  a  bookkeeper  in  the 
city  of  Toronto. 

James  F.  Rough  attended  Canadian  schools 
until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years, 
and  was  then  employed  four  years  by  William 
Darling  &  Company,  during  which  time  he  was 
errand  boy,  later  being  promoted  to  the  position 
of  salesman.  He  went  to  Toronto,  subsequently, 
and  worked  two  years  for  Thompson  &  Burns. 
HeVeached  Chicago  in  June,  1873,  and  was  freight 
agent  one  summer  for  the  Union  Steamboat  Com- 
pany. He  was  later  clerk  in  the  freight  office 
of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Rail- 
road Company,  after  which  he  was  weigher  in 
the  inspector's  office  at  the  Board  of  Trade.  He 
was  for  a  time  with  Wade  &  Corcoran,  later  with 
C.  H.  S.  Mixor,  still  later  with  I.  T.  Sunderland, 
and  is  at  present  with  John  A.  Tobey. 

Mr.  Rough  established  his  residence  at  No. 
6721  St.  Lawrence  Avenue,  in  April,  1891,  and 
has  since  resided  in  this  location.  He  was  mar- 
ried October  31,  1878,  to  Amelia  Annie  Stanley, 


G.  H.  HATCH. 


469 


daughter  of  Charles  John  Nathaniel  and  Mary 
(Williams)  Stanley.  Mrs.  Rough  was  born  in 
Clapton,  England,  and  came  to  the  United  States 
when  about  eight  years  of  age.  The  only  child 


Mr.  Rough  is  connected  with  Chicago  Lodge  No. 
6,  Royal  League.  He  has  never  taken  any  ac- 
tive interest  in  political  affairs,  but  votes  to  sus- 
tain the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and 


of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rough  is  named  Ethel  Gertrude,      argues  in  favor  of  its  candidates  at  all  times. 


GEORGE  H.  HATCH. 


0EORGE   HENRY    HATCH    was  born  at 

b  Woodstock,  Vermont,  March  13,  1834,  and 
died  at  his  home  in  West  Harvey,  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1897.  His  father  being  a  merchant, 
he  early  became  familiar  with  mercantile  affairs, 
but  at  the  early  age  of  nineteen  years  he  resolved 
upon  a  broader  field  and  went  to  California. 
Much  of  his  life  was  passed  in  that  western 
country,  and  though  he  came  east  after  his  mar- 
riage, he  was  not  so  well  satisfied  and  again 
sought  the  Pacific  coast,  to  remain  but  a  few 
years,  however,  finally  settling  at  Harvey,  Illi- 
nois, in  June,  1893.  He  established  the  grocery 
business  that  is  still  very  successfully  carried  on 
by  his  widow.  Ever  of  an  independent  turn  of 
mind,  an  incident  of  his  early  life  is  illustrative 
of  his  character.  As  a  boy  he  had  been  saving 
of  the  little  money  he  acquired.  However,  upon 
leaving  for  the  west  his  father  gave  him  one 
hundred  dollars.  The  first  thing  he  did  after 
reaching  California  was  to  return  the  money,  not 
liking  to  feel  under  that  much  obligation,  even 
to  his  own  father.  He  found  employment  with 
a  stock-man,  with  whom  he  remained  thirteen 
years.  Applying  himself  and  the  useful  knowl- 
edge of  mercantile  affairs  he  had  received  in  his 
father's  store  to  the  business  of  his  employer, 
which  was  then  at  a  low  ebb,  it  soon  began  to  re- 
cuperate and  in  no  long  time  had  assumed  hand- 
some proportions. 

Realizing  to  whom  his  success   and  prosperity 
were  due,  his  employer  would  not  listen  to  his 


leaving  him  and  made  it  to  his  interest  to  remain. 
He  there  engaged  in  the  stock  business  for  himself 
and  few  men  were  better  known  through  Cali- 
fornia, Arizona,  Utah  and  Nevada.  At  Salt 
Lake  City  he  became  the  warm  personal  friend  of 
Brigham  Young,  who  often  entertained  him  at 
his  own  home. 

His  business  with  miners  was  important,  and 
being  of  a  speculative  mind  and  at  home  in  the 
handling  of  large  property  interests,  he  also  in- 
vested in  mining  ventures,  but  in  these  the  final 
outcome  was  disastrous,  making  and  losing  for- 
tunes. Finally,  after  many  years  of  devotion  to 
those  larger  but  less  certain  interests,  he  decided 
to  engage  in  the  drug  trade  at  Aurora,  Nevada, 
which  he  did,  and  where  for  several  years  he  was 
popular  as  a  merchant.  It  was  here  some  of  the 
warmest  friendships  of  his  life  were  formed, 
among  these  the  lasting  intimacy  existing  be- 
tween himself  and  Rev.  J.  T.  Ladd,  of  Ot- 
towa,  Illinois,  whose  affection  was  shown  in  his 
presiding  at  the  burial  service  of  his  old  friend. 
There  he  also  met  the  lady,  who,  on  the  seventh 
day  of  November,  1880,  became  his  wife.  She 
was  Miss  Kate  Guyer,  and  was  born  in  Calhoun 
County,  Michigan.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Mary  Ann  (Royce)  Guyer.  The  former 
was  born  February  10,  1810,  at  Dunlop's  Fur- 
nace, Centre  County,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  lat- 
ter was  born  August  i,  1814,  at  York,  York 
County,  the  same  state.  They  were  married  in 
Pennsylvania  and  moved  to  Calhoun  County, 


470 


F.  R.  JOHNSON. 


Michigan,  in  March,  1849.  They  had  a  family  of 
eight  children.  John  Wesley,  the  eldest,  died  in 
childhood;  George  W.  was  a  soldier  in  the  Union 
army  and  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run; 
Catherine  J.  died  in  childhood;  James  S.  resides  at 
Hobart,  Indiana;  Frances  A.  resides  at  Harvey; 
William  M.  and  Mary  J.  are  deceased;  Catherine 
Virginia  is  now  Mrs.  Hatch;  Anna  Maria  is  the 
wife  of  Philip  Roper,  of  Hobart,  Indiana;  Elijah 
H.  also  resides  at  Hobart.  The  mother  of  this 
family  died  October  20,  1856.  After  her  death 
Mr.  Guyer  married  Mrs.  Laviua  Starks,  by  whom 
he  had  a  daughter — Amanda — who  died  in 
March,  1897.  Andrew  Guyer  died  at  Bur- 
lington, Michigan,  December,  31,  1881,  his  wife 
surviving  him  a  few  years  only. 

Mr.  Hatch  was  for  some  years  the  assessor  of 
Esmeralda  County,  Nevada,  embracing  territory 
enough  to  make  a  small  state,  and  the  duties 
were  such  as  to  require  his  entire  attention.  To 
show  his  integrity  and  standing,  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  say  that  his  predecessor  in  office  had  been 
a  defaulter  to  a  large  extent,  but  when  bondsmen 
were  required  by  Mr.  Hatch  the  same  men  who 
had  suffered  loss  became  unhesitatingly  his 
surety.  In  1882  he  returned  to  the  east,  and 


conducted  a  store  at  Hobart,  Indiana,  for  seven 
years,  when  he  again  sought  the  old  familiar 
scenes  and  settled  on  a  fruit  farm  in  Kern  County, 
California;  but  it  was  not  like  he  expected,  and 
in  two  years  he  was  back  at  Hobart,  coming  to 
Harvey,  as  before  stated. 

He  became  a  victim  to  creeping  paralysis  and 
for  seven  years  was  an  invalid,  but  was  confined 
to  his  bed  but  two  weeks  before  the  end.  Know- 
ing that  the  end  could  not  be  other  than  as  it  was, 
he  retained  his  customary  cheerful  manner. 
His  was  a  character  to  grow  in  estimation  the 
better  known,  and  while  he  was  not  quick  to 
form  new  friendships,  when  once  made  they  were 
rarely  broken  except  by  death.  A  Prohibitionist 
in  principle,  he  saw  no  compromise,  even  though 
it  interfered  with  his  usual  profit.  He  was  laid 
to  his  final  rest  at  his  old  home  in  Hobart,  Indi- 
ana, amid  many  expressions  of  regret  and  sorrow. 

One  son,  Edward  White  Hatch,  a  bright  young 
man  of  seventeen  years,  at  the  present  writing, 
remains  as  the  consolation  and  companion  of  his 
mother,  whose  main  dependence  he  is.  He  is 
named  in  honor  of  the  White  family  that  traces  in 
unbroken  lineage  the  line  of  descent  to  Peregrine 
White,  first  Puritan  born  in  America. 


FRANK  R.  JOHNSON. 


f~  RANK  ROLLO  JOHNSON,  who  is  one  of 
f3  the  well-known  citizens  of  the  locality  in 
I  which  he  resides,  is  an  employe  of  the  Lake 
Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company. 
He  was  born  December  2,  1863,  in  Harris  Town- 
ship, Elkhart  County,  Indiana.  For  ancestry 
see  biography  of  Francis  M.  Johnson  on  another 
page  of  this  work. 

Frank  R.  Johnson  attended  the  Englewood 
High  and  Cook  County  Normal  Schools  and  left 
school  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  having  been 


three  years  in  the  Normal  school.  He  immedi- 
ately entered  the  employ  of  the  Lake  Shore  & 
Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company  as  office 
boy,  two  years  subsequently  being  promoted  to  a 
clerical  position.  In  1896  he  was  made  assistant 
foreman  in  the  Englewood  Transfer  house,  in  the 
freight  department. 

December  24,  1883,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Amanda,  daughter  of  Andrew  Sindell,  a  native 
of  Sweden.  Mr.  Sindell  emigrated  from  his 
native  land  in  1868.  The  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


J.  S.  CREECH.  471 

Johnson,  Frank  Wayland,  was  born  July  18, 1885.  terested  in  politics,  Mr.  Johnson  votes  in  favor  of 
Mr.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  Mystic  Star  Lodge  the  Republican  party,  supporting  its  candidates 
No.  758,  and  Auburn  Park  Chapter  No.  601,  of  at  every  opportunity.  He  is  a  man  of  great 
the  Masonic  order,  and  is  insured  with  the  North  strength  of  character  and  is  of  an  ambitious,  en- 
American  Union.  Though  never  particularly  in-  ergetic  turn  of  mind. 


JOSHUA  S.  CREECH. 


3OSHUA  SAMUEL  CREECH,  who  is  in  the 
government  service,  being  clerk  in  the  post- 
office  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  is  a  descend- 
ant of  a  very  old  family  of  Irish  lineage,  but 
traced  to  German  origin.  He  was  born  August 
25,  1853,  in  the  city  of  Bandon,  County  Cork, 
Ireland,  and  is  a  sou  of  Edward  and  Honorah 
(Crawley)  Creech.  Three  brothers  of  the  name 
came  from  Portsmouth,  England,  to  Ireland, 
about  two  hundred  years  ago,  though  the  family 
originally  came  from  Hesseu-Darmsdat,  Ger- 
many. These  brothers  were:  Edward,  Samuel 
and  Richard  Creech.  They  were  a  family  of 
weavers  and  about  the  fifteenth  century  went  to 
Portsmouth  to  obtain  employment,  going  thence 
to  Ireland  and  taking  up  the  industry  of  linen 
weaving.  J.  W.  Creech,  ot  Herrington,  Kansas, 
is  a  member  of  the  Bandon  branch  of  the  family. 
The  family  has  resided  in  Bandon  since  coming 
to  Ireland  and  there  Samuel  Creech,  grandfather 
of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article,  was 
born.  He  died  about  the  year  1860,  at  the  age 
of  eighty  years.  His  children  were:  Edward, 
Rebecca,  Martha,  Samuel  and  Richard.  They 
are  all  deceased  except  Rebecca  and  Samuel. 
Rebecca  was  married  to  Joseph  Kendalle,  a 
brewer,  and  resides  in  Hamilton,  Canada.  Re- 
becca came  to  America  previous  to  the  time 
of  Edward  Creech's  emigration.  Her  children 
were  named  James,  Joseph,  Edward,  Annie, 
Jemima  and  May.  Martha,  another  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Samuel  Creech,  married  John  Williams, 


a  gardener,  and  resides  at  Belleville,  Ontario. 
They  have  no  children  living.  Samuel,  another 
son,  located  in  Georgetown,  Ontario.  Richard 
located  in  Hamilton,  Ontario,  and  is  a  grocer 
and  hotelkeeper.  His  family  is  now  in  Comoux, 
British  Columbia.  Richard  Creech  located  in 
British  Columbia  in  1876,  where  he  died  in  1890. 
He  was  married,  and  his  children  were  named: 
Samuel,  Edward,  Richard,  Rebecca,  Mary  Jane, 
John  (deceased)  and  Henry. 

Edward  Creech  was  born  January  10,  1809,  in 
Bandon,  Ireland,  and  immigrated  to  America  with 
the  following  children:  Rebecca,  Martha,  Will- 
iam Burton,  Edward  and  Joshua  Samuel.  Ed- 
ward died  in  quarantine,  at  Quebec,  of  ship's 
fever.  Edward  Creech  was  a  weaver  of  Irish  linen 
and  left  Ireland  in  November,  1853,  locating  in 
Hamilton,  Canada.  He  was  employed  by  the 
Great  Western  Railway  Company,  and  had 
charge  of  the  stevedores  of  that  company.  Will- 
iam B.,  one  of  the  sons,  came  to  Chicago  in 
1860  and  his  father  came  in  July,  1862,  with 
J.  S.  Creech.  The  family  made  its  home  on 
Fourteenth  Street,  near  Third  Avenue,  in 
Chicago,  and  Mr.  Creech  was  an  employe  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany until  the  time  of  his  death,  May  27,  1880. 
He  married  for  his  second  wife  Miss  Annie 
Burget  and  they  had  no  children. 

Joshua  Samuel  Creech  attended  the  Haven 
School  until  1867  and  passed  for  high  school. 
He  attended  Cook  County  Normal  School  one 


472 


HENRY  LAMPARTER. 


year,  after  which  time  he  began  the  battle  of  life. 
He  was  in  the  machine  shop  of  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company  until 
August,  1871,  when  he  took  charge  of  William 
Frazier's  store,  dealing  in  hats.  This  enterprise 
was  located  at  No.  606  State  Street,  and  Mr. 
Frazier  was  absent  on  a  trip  to  Europe,  returning 
in  September,  1872.  Mr.  Creech  entered  the 
service  of  Charles  Broughton,  a  newsdealer,  re- 
maining until  April,  1873.  He  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Illinois  Central  Railway  Company 
subsequently,  being  a  machinist  for  three  years. 
He  sailed  on  the  lakes  until  1878,  and  served  as 
second  mate  on  the  steamer  "California"  one  sea- 
son. After  two  years  with  Montford,  photog- 
rapher, and  three  years  with  Newell,  the  artist, 
he  entered  the  mail  service  and  is  occupying  the 
position  of  clerk  in  the  main  postoffice  of  the  city. 
September  8,  1884,  Mr.  Creech  was  married  to 
Alice  Mallalieu,  a  native  of  Chicago.  Mrs. 


Creech  is  a  daughter  of  James  Buckley  and 
Marian  (Windell)  Mallalieu,  the  former  of 
French  Huguenot  and  the  latter  of  English  ex- 
traction. The  father  was  a  machinist,  and  was 
employed  by  the  Illinois  Central  and  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  companies.  He 
died  in  1872,  from  the  effects  of  an  accident 
while  repairing  a  locomotive  in  the  Burlington 
shops  at  Aurora,  and  his  widow  now  resides  in 
St.  Louis,  Missouri.  They  came  to  Chicago 
from  Oldham,  England,  in  1860.  They  had 
eight  children  born  in  Illinois,  of  whom  four  are 
now  living,  two  being  in  St.  Louis. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Creech  have  two  daughters — 
Ivy  Hepsibah  and  Roma  Alice.  Mr.  Creech  is  a 
devoted  Episcopalian  and  tries  to  rear  his  family 
in  the  ways  of  the  righteous.  He  is  connected 
with  the  Columbian  Knights  and  National  Union. 
He  is  a  gentleman  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word 
and  is  looked  up  to  by  all  who  know  him. 


HENRY  LAMPARTER. 


HENRY  LAMPARTER  was  a  prominent 
pioneer  of  Chicago,  having  settled  in  the 
city  in  1850,  and  for  many  years  was  en- 
gaged in  plumbing  and  gas  fitting.  He  was  born 
February  u,  1823,  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany, 
son  of  Henry  and  Barbara  Lamparter.  The  fam- 
ily came  to  America  in  1832  and  settled  in  Phila- 
delphia, in  which  city  Henry,  of  this  sketch,  was 
educated  and  learned  his  trade.  His  mother 
died  in  Philadelphia  in  1849  and  the  father  died 
in  Chicago  in  1865,  having  come  here  a  few  years 
previously. 

In  1850  Henry  Lamparter  came  to  Chicago 
with  a  gas  company  from  Philadelphia,  the  com- 
pany having  a  contract  for  putting  in  gas  works 
in  Chicago.  He  laid  all  the  gas  mains  on  the 
North  Side,  having  charge  and  supervision  of 


the  work.  In  1854  he  began  business  for  him- 
self on  the  corner  of  North  Clark  and  Michigan 
Streets,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Revere  House. 

Two  years  subsequently  he  purchased  property 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Michigan  and  Clark 
Streets,  and  moved  his  business  to  this  location. 
He  continued  in  business,  prospering  steadily  un- 
til the  fire  of  1871,  when  he  was  a  heavy  loser. 
After  the  fire  he  built  a  small  cottage  at  No.  205 
Dearborn  Avenue,  which  for  a  short  time  served 
the  double  purpose  of  residence  and  shop,  until 
he  completed  a  building  at  his  old  stand.  His 
was  one  of  the  first  in  that  street  and  he  resumed 
business  there  in  Februar)',  1872.  He  remained 
at  this  location  until  his  death,  June  16,  1892. 

Mr.  Lamparter  was  a  public-spirited  and  en- 
terprising man,  with  a  never-failing  interest  in 


CHARLES  ROSENTHAL. 


473 


public  affairs,  and  at  one  time  was  one  of  the 
supervisors  of  North  Chicago.  He  became  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party  on  its  organiza- 
tion and  ever  after  supported  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  that  party.  He  was  a  member  of  Ger- 
mauia  Lodge  No.  182,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  He  was  many  years  a  member  of  Dr. 
Hartmann's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
Lamparter  was  married  in  Philadelphia,  in  1845, 
to  Miss  Barbara  Schmid,  who  is  a  native  of  the 
same  place  as  her  husband  and  came  to  America 


in  1845.  She  was  born  January  18,  1818,  and  is 
still  living  and  enjoying  good  health  for  one  of 
her  years.  They  had  three  children,  all  daugh- 
ters. Louise,  the  eldest,  died  in  1874.  Julia  be- 
came the  wife  of  Adam  J.  Eimermann,  of  Mil- 
waukee, and  died  in  September,  1890.  Emma 
is  the  wife  of  Adam  Best,  of  Chicago,  and  has 
three  sons,  Harry  L-,  Edward  J.  and  Alfred 
Columbus  Adam.  They  lost  one  son  in  child- 
hood. All  of  the  family  are  members  of  St. 
Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 


CHARLES  ROSENTHAL, 


EHARLES  ROSENTHAL.  Among  those  of 
prominence  and  wealth  of  the  citizens  of 
Chicago,  many  owe  their  birth  to  a  place 
foreign  and  have  become  attached  to  our  Land  of 
the  Free  by  adoption.  The  German  people  are 
possessed  of  the  spirit  of  sturdy  will  power  and 
ambition  that  characterizes  them  and  makes  suc- 
cess to  their  enterprises  almost  certain.  They 
become,  also,  as  loyal  to  our  cause  as  many  who 
were  descended  from  the  early  pioneers  and  are 
counted  as  most  valuable  co-operators  in  the 
great  advancement  of  our  laws. 

Charles  Rosenthal  was  born  October  7,  1857, 
in  the  village  of  Riede,  Kur-Hessen,  Germany. 
He  is  a  son  of  John  Daniel  and  Annie  Marie 
(Rittberg)  Rosenthal.  His  grandfather  was  John 
Rosenthal,  and  his  children  were:  John  Daniel 
and  John  and  Elizabeth.  John  came  to  Amer- 
ica soon  after  the  first  half  of  the  century.  He 
located  in  Flint,  Michigan,  where  he  still  resides 
and  is  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  that  section.  The 
maternal  grandfather,  Bolver  Rittberg,  was  a 
game  warden  in  Germany,  this  position  having 
passed  down  through  the  family  for  many  gen- 
erations. He  worked  for  the  family  of  Butler. 
One  of  the  members  of  the  family  was  a  Hessian 


soldier  among  those  sent  to  America  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolutionary  war  and  remained  in  this 
country  after  the  close  of  the  struggle  for  in- 
dependence, settling  in  Pennsylvania.  Charles 
Rosenthal,  whose  name  heads  this  article,  has  a 
large  German  meerschaum  pipe  that  came  to  him 
from  this  ancestor  and  it  has  been  in  the  family 
for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  The  family  of 
Rosenthal  was  composed  of  farmers  whose  land 
passed  down  since  the  fifteenth  century. 

John  Daniel  Rosenthal  and  his  children,  Henry, 
Charles,  William  and  Dittman,  came  to  Chicago 
in  July,  1862.  He  died  April  26,  1896,  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight  years,  and  his  remains  were  in- 
terred in  Waldheim  Cemetery.  His  wife  died 
March  16,  1897,  aged  sixty-seven  years,  and  her 
remains  were  interred  with  her  husband.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rosenthal  were:  Henry, 
Charles,  John,  Dittman,  John  Philip  and  Mary. 
Henry  was  born  April  4,  1854,  and  died  April 
6,  1891.  He  married  Carolina  Schill,  October 
12,  1882,  and  his  widow  resides  at  No.  2805  Fifth 
Avenue.  The  children  are:  Carrie,  Mary,  George, 
the  latter  being  a  carriage-painter.  John  died  at 
the  age  of  a  3'ear  and  one-half.  Dittman,  born 
July  27,  1860,  was  married  May  24,  1886,  to 


474 


A.  B.  STEVENS. 


Mary  Nickel  (see  biography  of  Daniel  Nickel) . 
Mrs.  Dittman  Rosenthal  was  born  September  30, 
1863,  and  their  children  are:  Emma  Jacopina, 
Charles  Daniel,  Henry  Dittman  and  Amanda. 
John  Philip  was  born  June  23,  1865,  and  is  a 
stone-cutter.  He  is  not  married.  Mary,  born 
September  i,  1870,  lives  at  the  old  home,  No. 
2 1 1 1  Purple  Street. 

J.  D.  Rosenthal  was  a  shoemaker  and  at  his 
house  at  No.  2111  Purple  Street  conducted  a 
shop,  later  retiring  from  active  business  in  1875. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  and  an  upholder  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party. 

Charles  Rosenthal  attended  the  Wentworth 
School  and  was  taught  German  in  private  school. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  was  employed  in 
the  paint  shop  of  E.  Nifnecker,  located  at  No. 


1 86  West  Harrison  Street.  He  learned  carriage 
painting  and  was  interested  in  the  service  of  this 
man  twelve  years.  He  traveled  two  years  through 
St.  Louis,  Little  Rock,  Cairo  and  Springfield. 
June  26,  1886,  he  started  a  shop  of  his  own  and 
remained  at  No.  97  Washington  Street  one  year. 
He  was  then  occupied  in  journeyman  work  for 
E.  G.  Seitz,  located  at  No.  266  Bowen  Avenue 
and  has  since  that  time  been  in  the  service  of 
Mr.  Seitz. 

Mr.  Rosenthal  was  married  November  5,  1882, 
to  Christina  Nickel,  daughter  of  Daniel  Nickel, 
of  whom  further  mention  is  made  in  another 
biography  of  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
Rosenthal  have  no  children.  He  does  not  strict- 
ly adhere  in  political  interest  to  one  party,  but 
votes  for  the  man  who  in  his  estimation  is  best 
fitted  for  the  office. 


ALEXANDER  B.  STEVENS. 


LEXANDER   BEEBE  STEVENS,  an  en- 

Hterprising  business  man  of  Washington 
Heights  and  a  representative  citizen,  comes 
of  a  family  whose  genealogy  dates  back  to  an 
origin  in  Wales,  where  three  brothers  resided, 
who  came  together  to  America.  They  settled 
in  Philadelphia, in  which  section  they  reared  their 
families.  One  branch  settled  in  the  central  part 
of  New  York,  and  the  members  of  this  branch 
were  the  pioneers  of  the  region. 

The  great-grandfather,  Jabez  Stevens,  was  the 
father  of  Ezra,  both  of  whom  were  tillers  of  the 
soil.  Ezra  settled  on  the  site  of  the  city  of 
Rochester,  which  place  was  then  a  wilderness, 
and  which  he  left  in  despair.  He  took  up  his 
abode  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  afterwards  called 
Skaneateles,  in  the  town  of  the  same  name.  Here 
he  reared  a  family  of  eight  children,  four  having 
died  in  infancy.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneers, 


having  settled  in  the  region  when  civilization 
was  youthful  and  game  in  the  forests  primeval 
reigned  supreme.  He  followed  fast  in  the  foot- 
steps of  the  Redrnen,  a  few  remaining  ones 
visiting  his  log  cabin  at  intervals.  He  tilled  the 
soil  and  hunted  the  game  of  the  surrounding 
forests.  He  fought  bravely  in  the  War  of  1812 
and  was  among  the  many  who"  found  it  difficult 
to  protect  their  homes  from  the  British  allies, 
the  Indian  marauders.  His  children  were  hardy 
and  healthy  in  every  way,  having  been  reared  in 
the  frontier  life,  on  food  of  the  plainest  kind  and 
following  the  simplest  customs.  They  were  de- 
scendants of  a  race  of  phenomenal  strength 
physicially.  It  was  recorded  that  the  three 
brothers  who  founded  in  America  the  family  of 
Stevens,  were  possessed  of  sets  of  double  teeth, 
which  fact  denoted  their  vigorous  natural  condi- 
tion. Many  of  the  descendants  have  inherited 


A.  B.  STEVENS. 


475 


this  remarkably  great  physique.  The  growth  of 
the  mind  and  soul  was  not  neglected  by  these 
men  of  the  family  of  Stevens,  as  many  of  their 
descendants  were  men  of  culture  and  refinement. 

Ezra  Stevens  was  eighty-five  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  his  death  and  was  a  man  of  fine  ap- 
pearance. He  affiliated  with  the  people  of  the 
Baptist  faith  and  the  pastor  of  the  church  of  his 
creed  could  ever  find  a  haven  of  rest  in  his 
home.  He  married  Miss  Lucy  Foote,  a  relative 
of  Commodore  Foote  of  the  United  States  Navy. 
She  was  a  woman  of  fine  and  commanding  pres- 
ence, of  a  dignified  carriage,  having  great  ability 
both  physically  and  mentally.  She  was  reared 
in  New  York  and  was  descended  from  the  pio- 
neers of  New  England,  and  at  her  death  was 
seventy-five  years  of  age.  She  was  the  mother 
of  twelve  children,  named  as  follows:  Alexander, 
Mary  and  Henry,  who  died  in  infancy;  Lucy, 
Harriet,  Minerva,  Morgan,  Timothy,  Daniel, 
Isaac,  Leonard  and  Lyman.  Morgan  was  a 
doctor  in  Huron  County,  Ohio,  to  which  county 
the  family  removed  in  1837.  Lyman  was  a 
Swedenborgian  minister,  and  was  formerly  a 
mayor  of  Syracuse.  Daniel  was  a  dry-goods  mer- 
chant, as  was  also  Timothy,  and  the  remaining 
members  of  this  family  all  married  and  reared 
children  with  the  exception  of  Minerva. 

Isaac  Stevens  was  reared  in  Skaneateles  and 
was  educated  in  that  village.  He  was  a  farmer, 
tanner,  carpenter  and  blacksmith,  respectively, 
at  different  intervals  of  his  life.  Having  been 
born  in  Duanesburg,  New  York,  February  6, 
1809,  he' was  killed  June  18,  1874,  by  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  boiler  while  manufacturing  sleighs, 
wheelbarrows  and  similar  articles  in  the  city  of 
Coldwater,  Michigan.  He  removed  to  the  last- 
named  city  about  the  year  1862,  and  was  there 
a  highly  respected  and  honored  citizen.  He  was 
a  fine  appearing  man,  of  perfect  physique,  and 
was  justly  popular  among  his  associates,  for  his 
strength  of  character,  and  a  manner  which  was 
at  once  gentle  and  kind.  A  man  of  pleasant  im- 
pulses, beloved  by  all  his  friends  and  relatives, 
he  was  strictly  honest  and  fond  of  all  athletic 
sport  especially  swimming,  in  which  he  was  an 
expert.  He  was  a  true  type  of  the  old  stock 


from  which  he  sprang,  and  a  credit  to  the  race 
and  to  the  family  of  Stevens.  Isaac  Stevens  was 
in  his  early  life  affiliated  with  the  Baptist  Church, 
but  later  united  with  the  congregation  of  the 
Christian  or  "Campbellite"  belief.  His  wife, 
Sarah  Ann  Wright,  was  a  daughter  of  William 
Wright. 

The  family  of  Wright  was  of  the  early  settlers 
in  New  York  and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Isaac 
Stevens  was  of  German  descent,  the  father  being 
of  Scotch.  Mrs.  Stevens  was  born  May  7,  1812, 
in  New  Paltz,  New  York,  which  town  is  situated 
on  the  Hudson  River,  among  the  rich  scenery 
with  which  that  region  abounds.  She  died  May 
15,  1892,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  She  was  a 
woman  of  strong  characteristics  and  sterling 
qualities  of  head  and  heart.  She  came  to  Chi- 
cago about  1887,  and  died  in  Englewood,  shortly 
previous  to  the  time  she  was  to  have  been  re- 
moved to  the  home  of  her  son.  She  was  an  act- 
ive member  of  the  Christian  Church  and  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  as  follows:  Katharine, 
Janette,  Alexander  Beebe,  William  Henry,  Ezra 
Clinton,  Lyman  and  Douglas  Milton.  Alexander 
Beebe  and  Douglas  Milton  now  reside  in  Chi- 
cago. Ezra  Clinton  established  the  first  grocery 
store  in  the  town  of  Englewood. 

Alexander  Beebe  Stevens  was  educated  in  New 
York  and  Huron  County,  Ohio,  to  which  locality 
last  named  the  family  had  removed  in  1837,  an<i 
remained  in  that  section  until  1857.  IQ  his  early 
life  Mr.  Stevens  lived  on  a  farm  and  attended 
school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirteen 
years.  He  had  opportunity  to  attend  only  in  the 
winter  months  and  had  little  chance  to  obtain  a 
modern  education,  whose  advantages  are  now  al- 
most unlimited.  He  was  on  his  father's  farm 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years  and 
was  then  employed  by  the  Cleveland,  Columbus 
&  Cincinnati  Railroad  Company,  at  Galion,  Ohio, 
supplying  wood  to  the  engines  on  that  road. 
After  two  years  in  this  service  he  was  promoted 
to  the  position  of  baggage- master  at  the  station 
at  Galion.  When  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
seventeen  years  he  was  made  ticket  and  express 
agent  for  the  two  railroads,  which  at  that  time 
terminated  in  the  last-mentioned  town.  These 


476 


A.  B.  STEVENS. 


roads  were  the  Bellefontaine  &  Indianapolis  and 
the  Cleveland,  Columbus  &  Cincinnati,  and  he 
was  also  agent  for  the  American  and  United 
States  Express  Companies.  While  holding  these 
positions  of  trust  in  Galion,  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  Hillsdale  County,  Michigan,  and 
had  forty  acres  fenced  and  cleared  from  heavy 
timber,  including  an  old  Indian  sugar  camp  which 
contained  hundreds  of  maple  trees. 

In  the  year  1855  Mr.  Stevens  went  to  Muncie, 
Indiana,  and  was  there  assistant  agent  of  the 
Bellefontaine  &  Indianapolis  Railroad  Company, 
where  he  was  practically  the  agent,  and  was  one 
of  the  twenty  Democrats  of  the  region  who  as- 
sisted in  the  election  of  Buchanan  for  President 
of  the  United  States.  After  one  year  in  the  last- 
mentioned  position  he  was  assistant  agent  at  the 
terminus  of  the  Jeffersonville  Railroad,  which 
city  is  opposite  Louisville.  After  six  months  in 
this  capacity  he  went  to  Dayton,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  two  years  assistant  agent  for  the  United 
States  and  American  Express  Companies.  In  1858 
he  removed  to  Redbluffs,  California,  and  was  six 
months  bookkeeper  for  one  of  the  rich  men  in 
the  county.  On  his  return  to  the  state  of  Ohio 
he  was  for  a  short  time  express  messenger  be- 
tween the  cities  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  and  Union 
City,  Indiana,  after  which  time  he  was  two  years 
in  the  employ  of  the  American  Express  Com- 
pany, as  chief  clerk  and  cashier  in  the  station  at 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Stevens  gave  up  a  good  position  to  enlist 
in  the  army  in  1862,  when  he  became  connected 
with  the  Nineteenth  Ohio  Battery,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  He  was  among 
the  number  of  loyalists  who  pursued  Morgan 
through  Ohio  when  that  guerrilla  was  making 
himself  obnoxious  at  the  time  in  that  region.  Mr. 
Stevens  was  in  the  siege  of  Knoxville,  Tennes- 
see, and  served  on  detached  duty  at  the  head- 
quarters of  Gen.  John  M.  Palmer,  of  Illinois,  at 
Louisville,  Kentucky.  He  also  served  as  clerk 
at  the  headquarters  of  General  Scofield  at  Knox- 
ville, and  was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, June  26,  1865. 

After  the  war  he  returned  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  to  the  employ  of  the  American  Express  Com- 


pany, as  clerk  and  cashier,  the  said  company 
having  given  him  half  pay  during  his  entire 
service  in  the  war.  After  a  short  time  in  this 
capacity  he  secured  the  position  of  auditor  for 
the  Union  Line  Express  Company  and  was  soon 
promoted  to  the  position  of  chief  clerk  for  the 
Merchants'  Union  Express  Company  of  Auburn, 
New  York,  and  organized  fifteen  hundred  miles 
of  the  road  for  the  last-named  concern.  His  of- 
ficial position  was  that  of  chief  clerk  in  the  gen- 
eral office  with  a  salary  of  two  thousand  dollars 
per  year. 

After  a  year  and  one-half  in  the  position  last 
mentioned  he  removed  to  Coldwater,  Michigan, 
where  his  brother,  William  Henry  Stevens,  was 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  wheelbarrows  and 
children's  sleighs.  After  one  year  the  factory 
was  burned  and  A.  B.  Stevens  settled  in  Engle- 
wood  in  April,  1869.  He  secured  the  position 
of  ticket  agent  for  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad  Company,  and  was  freight 
bill  clerk  at  Englewood.  After  a  short  time  he 
removed  his  place  of  residence  to  Washington 
Heights,  where  he  was  for  eight  years  the  agent 
of  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  and  the 
Pittsburg,  Cincinnati,  Chicago  &  St.  Louis 
Railroads.  He  then  engaged  in  dealing  in  coal 
and  lumber,  in  which  business  he  was  eminently 
successful. 

In  Louisville,  Kentucky,  October  6,  1864,  Mr. 
Stevens  married  Miss  Melville  Miller,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Francis  Miller,  who  was  educated  in  a 
private  school  in  Shelbyville,  Kentucky.  The 
children  of  this  worthy  couple  were  named  as 
follows:  Janette  Moore,  Alexander  Beebe,  Mary, 
Henry  Albert,  Frank,  Jessie  and  Sarah .  Janette 
M.  and  Jessie  are  the  only  children  living.  With 
their  children  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevens  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  Scientists'  First  Church  of 
Christ  of  Chicago.  They  are  valuable  and  earnest 
members  of  the  congregation  and  are  highly  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  them.  Mr.  Stevens  is 
a  public-spirited  and  thoroughly  worthy  citizen, 
though  he  affiliates  with  no  especial  party,  be- 
lieving in  the  election  of  any  capable  and  honest 
man  to  hold  office,  regardless  of  political  associa- 
tion. He  is  a  member  of  George  H.  Thomas 


REV.  HENRY  WUNDER. 


477 


Post  No.  5,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity  and  of  many  other  organija- 
tions. 

In  1887  Mr.  Stevens  underwent  a  great  change 
mentally,  which  naturally  affected  his  physical 
organization.  He  was  forced  to  seek  rest  and 
travel  in  the  interest  of  his  health  and  consulted 
many  eminent  and  reliable  physicians,  but  with- 
out avail.  Only  through  the  care  of  his  beloved 
wife  and  the  spiritual  guidance  which  he  secured 
through  his  enforced  rest  from  business  care, 


was  his  valuable  life  spared  to  the  finishing  of 
his  prospected  work.  Since  that  time  a  marked 
spiritual  growth  has  manifested  itself  in  the 
character  and  habits  of  Mr.  Stevens,  who  was 
always  more  or  less  inclined  to  think  seriously 
of  the  side  of  life  which  presented  itself  most 
forcibly  to  him.  His  overpowering  influence  is 
felt  by  all  people  with  whom  he  comes  in  con- 
tact. Surely  the  Creator  teaches  His  lessons  of 
life  to  those  who  are  ready  and  willing  to  listen 
to  His  voice. 


REV.  HENRY  WUNDER. 


REV.    HENRY    WUNDER,    pastor    of  St. 
Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran    Church,  has 
occupied  that    position   continuously  since 
1851.     He  was  born  March  12,  1830,  in  Bavaria, 
Germany,  and  was  the  eldest  of  nine  children 
born  to  Conrad  and  Barbara  (Mueller)  Wunder, 
natives  of    Bavaria.      Conrad    Wunder  was    a 
miller  by  trade  and  passed  his  entire  life  in  his 
native  land,  dying  in  1839,  at  the  age  of  fifty-two 
years.     His  widow  survived  him  several  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  only  member 
of  the  family  who  became  a  resident  of  the 
United  States.  He  received  his  rudimentary 
education  in  the  public  school  of  his  native  place, 
which  he  attended  until  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
On  quitting  the  public  school  he  entered  college 
at  Neuendettelsau,  an  institution  for  preparing 
young  men  for  ministerial  work  in  America,  and 
remained  there  until  1846.  He  was  then  sent  to 
America,  sailing  from  Bremen  in  the  ship  "Caro- 
line." Sixty-three  days  later  he  was  landed  in 
New  York,  September  3,  1846.  He  traveled 
directly  to  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana,  and  there  at- 
tended the  seminary,  which  it  was  called  at  that 
time,  the  school  now  being  called  the  Fort  Wayne 
Gymnasium.  He  remained  here  until  1848, 


when  he  removed  to  Altenburg,  Missouri,  and 
there  entered  the  German  Lutheran  Seminary. 
This  institution  was  founded  in  1839,  occupying 
at  first  a  log  building  eighteen  by  twenty-four 
feet.  It  was  later  moved  to  St.  Louis,  and  is  now 
known  as  Concordia  Seminary.  He  was  gradu- 
ated from  this  institution  in  November,  1849, 
and  ordained  by  Reverend  Walther,  D.D.,  De- 
cember 1 6  of  the  same  year. 

Reverend  Wunder  was  then  called  to  Mill- 
stadt,  Illinois,  and  had  charge  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  there  until  he  came  to  Chicago.  He  ar- 
rived here  September  18,  1857,  having  been 
called  here  by  the  congregation  to  succeed  Rev. 
A.  Selle,  who  came  to  Chicago  in  1846,  and 
founded  the  church.  Mr.  Wunder  has  had 
charge  of  it  continuously  since. 

His  first  church  building  in  Chicago  was  on 
Indiana  Street,  between  Wells  and  Franklin 
Streets.  In  the  year  1864  the  church  was  moved 
to  the  present  location,  corner  of  Superior  and 
Franklin  Streets.  Mr.  Wunder  has  always  been 
a  student  and  has  a  fine  library.  In  1863  his 
residence  on  Franklin  Street  was  burned,  and 
again  in  1871.  In  1866  he  visited  Germany,  and 
spent  six  weeks  in  the  land  of  his  nativity. 


478 


CHARLES  BRUST. 


St.  Paul's  is  the  oldest  church  of  the  denomi- 
nation in  the  city  and  from  it  have  been  founded 
the  other  churches  here.  Reverend  Wunder  has 
devoted  his  life  to  pastoral  work  and  has  been 
heard  in  other  pulpits  besides  his  own.  For  the 
past  sixteen  years  he  has  been  president  of  the 
Illinois  district  of  the  synod  of  Missouri,  Ohio 
and  other  states.  He  has  an  assistant  in  the  per- 
son of  John  Baumgaertner,  a  faithful  worker, 
who  has  been  associated  with  him  nearly  two 
years. 

Reverend  Wunder  has  been  three  times  mar- 
ried. In  January,  1852,  he  was  united  to  Albertina 


Hiretz,  by  whom  he  had  six  children,  only  one 
of  whom  is  now  living — Renata  Wunder.  Her 
mother  died  in  May,  1861.  In  1862  Mr.  Wunder 
was  married  to  Wilhelmina  Siegmann.  This 
couple  became  the  parents  of  two  children,  one  of 
whom  is  now  living — Louise,  wife  of  Rev.  Karl 
Schmidt,  pastor  of  St.  James'  Church.  Her 
mother  died  in  March,  1865.  The  third  wife  of 
Mr.  Wunder  was  Emily  Rotermund,  the  mar- 
riage being  celebrated  in  October,  1866.  She 
died  August  27,  1897,  leaving  three  children, 
namely:  Paulina,  who  is  the  wife  of  Charles 
Fiene,  of  Chicago;  Julius  and  Dora. 


CHARLES  BRUST. 


HARLES  BRUST,  who  is  among  the  most 
1  energetic  of  the  citizens  of  Chicago  and  in- 
\J  terested  in  the  promotion  of  the  business  in- 
terests of  the  great  city,  was  born  October  i ,  1855, 
on  Calumet  Avenue,  near  Twenty-fifth  Street, 
Chicago.  For  further  mention  of  his  ancestors, 
see  biography  of  Peter  Brust  in  this  volume. 

Charles  Brust  obtained  the  rudiments  of  his 
education  in  the  Haven  School,  which  he  at- 
tended until  he  reached  the  age  of  thirteen  years. 
He  then  commenced  to  learn  the  trade  of  printer 
and  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  Wells,  who  printed 
the  daily  market  sheet.  He  remained  in  this 
employ  as  printer's  apprentice  for  a  period  of 
three  years.  He  sold  daily  papers  at  the  same 
time,  and  was  very  active  and  industrious  in  , 
whatever  line  it  was  possible  to  earn  money.  He 
subsequently  worked  one  year  in  the  lead  works 
of  D.  B.  Shipman,  and  for  four  years  after  this 
term  had  charge  of  the  mailing  division  of  the 
Fireside  Friend.  He  returned  to  the  service  of 
Mr.  Shipman,  where  he  remained  but  six  months, 
when  he  was  made  shipping  clerk  for  Einstien, 
Lang,  Gini  &  Company.  He  served  in  the  in- 


terests of  this  firm  eleven  years,  and  was  a  valu- 
able and  ambitious  employe.  He  was  for  five 
years  with  Julius  Stein  &  Company,  one  year 
with  Siegel  Brothers,  and  then  entered  the  serv- 
ice of  the  city,  being  two  months  in  the  South 
Town  assessor's  office  under  J.  E.  Richards,  a 
short  time  in  the  county  treasurer's  office,  under 
Henry  Wolff,  after  which  time  he  returned  to 
the  South  Town  assessor's  office,  under  S.  George 
Miller.  He  filled  different  political  positions  dur- 
ing a  period  of  four  years,  and  then  entered  the 
employ  of  A.  Ellinger  &  Company,  dealers  in 
cloaks,  as  shipping  clerk.  This  firm  is  located 
at  No.  177  Monroe  Street,  and  is  now. the  Bad- 
ger Manufacturing  Company.  He  has  been  here 
employed  for  the  past  year. 

Charles  Brust  was  married  November  2,  1879, 
to  Miss  Nellie  O'Neill,  daughter  of  David 
O'Neill.  She  was  born  in  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  her  children  are:  Harry  Charles,  aged 
seventeen  years;  William  Charles  fifteen  years; 
Nellie  Marie,  fourteen  years,  and  Irene  Lillian, 
twelve  years.  Mr.  Brust  is  a  stanch  upholder  of 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF 


COL,.  E.  D.  SWAIN. 


(From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT.) 


E.  D.  SWAIN. 


479 


EDGAR  DENMAN  SWAIN,  D.  D.  S. 


|"~  DGAR  DENMAN  SWAIN,  D.  D.  S.,  is  en- 
ry  gaged  in  the  practice  of  dentistry  at  the 
L_  corner  of  Randolph  and  State  Streets,  Chi- 
cago, and  is  prominent  in  both  professional  and 
military  circles.  He  was  born  in  Westford,  Vt., 
in  August,  1836,  and  is  a  son  of  Dr.  Marcus  and 
Charlotte  (Woodbury)  Swain.  On  the  paternal 
side  he  is  of  Scotch  lineage,  and  on  the  maternal 
side  is  of  English  descent.  The  father  became  a 
resident  of  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  in  1857,  an<i  during 
the  war  he  was  appointed  Surgeon  of  the  Wis- 
consin Penitentiary  at  Waupun.  About  1878,  he 
removed  to  Englewood,  111.,  and  thence  to  Glen- 
coe,  where  his  death  occurred  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-nine. His  wife  died  in  Waupun,  Wis.  In 
their  family  were  four  sous  and  two  daughters: 
Edgar  D.  of  this  sketch;  Dr.  Oliver  D.,  a  resi- 
dent of  Chicago;  Marcus  W.,  who  was  killed  in 
a  railroad  accident  in  1862;  George  A.,  who  died 
of  typhoid  fever  in  the  army  in  the  summer  of 
1863;  and  Alice  M.  and  Charlotte,  both  living. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  sketch 
remained  under  the  parental  roof  until  seventeen 
years  of  age,  and  then  left  home,  going  to  Wor- 
cester, Mass.,  where  he  worked  in  a  machine- 
shop.  He  afterward  removed  to  Saratoga  Springs, 
N.  Y.,  where,  in  1855,  he  began  the  study  of  den- 
tistry. Two  years  later  he  became  a  resident  of 
Wisconsin  and  began  practice  in  Oshkosh.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  engaged  in  the  prosecution  of 
his  profession  in  Aurora,  111.,  and  inBatavia,  111. 
Mr.  Swain  watched  with  interest  the  progress 
of  events  which  preceded  the  Civil  War,  and  after 
the  South  had  attacked  Ft.  Sumter,  he  resolved 
to  strike  a  blow  in  defense  of  the  Union.  He 
raised  a  company,  and  on  the  22d  of  July,  1861, 


became  Captain  of  Company  I,  Forty-second  Illi- 
nois Infantry.  He  was  afterward  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  in  October,  1863,  and 
in  1865  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Second 
Brigade,  Second  Division,  Fourth  Army  Corps. 
He  served  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  took 
part  in  many  important  engagements,  including 
the  Fremont  campaign  in  Missouri.  His  was  the 
first  regiment  to  enter  Columbus,  Ky. ,  and  with 
his  company  he  took  part  in  the  siege  of  Island 
No.  10,  being  largely  instrumental  in  its  capture. 
Under  the  command  of  Gen.  Polk,  he  then  went 
to  Hamburg,  Tenn.,  and  aided  in  the  capture  of 
Corinth.  The  following  summer  he  was  employed 
in  guarding  railroads,  and  in  the  fall  was  ordered 
to  report  to  Gen.  Buell,  of  Nashville,  remaining 
with  the  command  of  Gen.  Negley  in  possession  of 
that  city  during  Bragg  and  Buell' s  Kentucky 
campaign.  After  the  cessation  of  hostilities  his 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Texas  for  duty.  Dr. 
Swain  was  finally  mustered  out  in  Springfield,  111. , 
on  the  1 2th  of  January,  1866.  He  was  wounded 
in  the  left  knee  at  New  Hope  Church,  Ga. ,  and  for 
three  months  his  injury  would  not  permit  him  to 
engage  in  active  service,  but  he  saw  nearly  all  of 
the  important  campaigns  of  the  war  west  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  and  was  in  twenty-seven 
engagements. 

Dr.  Swain's  connection  with  military  affairs 
has  since  continued,  and  in  army  circles  he  is  a 
leader.  In  1877,  he  became  Major  of  the  First 
Regiment  Illinois  National  Guards,  and  took  part 
in  suppressing  the  railroad  riots  of  that  year.  In 
August  he  was  made  Lieu  tenant- Colonel,  and  in 
December,  1877,  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
Colonel,  in  which  capacity  he  served  for  four  years, 


480 


WILLIAM    HAHNE. 


when  he  resigned.  He  has  long  been  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, served  for  three  years  as  Commander  of 
George  H.  Thomas  Post,  and  for  two  years  was 
Commander  of  the  Department  of  Illinois.  He 
has  also  served  as  Senior  Vice-Commander  in 
Chief  of  the  National  Encampment,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  military  order  of  the  Loyal  Legion  of 
the  United  States. 

After  the  war,  Dr.  Swain  began  the  practice  of 
dentistry  in  Chicago,  and  for  a  time  was  associated 
with  Dr.  Cushing,  and  afterward  with  Dr.  Noble. 
Since  1870  he  has  been  alone  in  practice,  and 
now  finds  little  time  for  other  pursuits.  He  is  an 
accomplished  microscopist  and  has  given  much 
time  to  the  investigation  of  histology.  He  was 


President  of  the  Chicago  Dental  Society  in  1874, 
and  of  the  Illinois  State  Dental  Society  in  1875. 
He  was  also  Secretary  of  the  latter  for  two  terms, 
and  was  Secretary  of  the  Chicago  Octontological 
Society.  At  present  he  is  Dean  of  the  dental 
department  in  the  Northwestern  University.  The 
degree  of  D.  D.  S.  was  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
Ohio  Dental  College  in  March,  1883. 

Dr.  Swain  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss  Clara 
Smith,  who  was  born  in  Kane  County,  111.,  and 
is  a  daughter  of  Benjamin  Smith,  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Chicago.  The  Doctor  is  a  close  observer 
and  careful  student,  thorough  and  industrious  in 
all  undertakings,  and  has  steadily  risen  in  his 
profession  until  he  is  numbered  among  the  lead- 
ing dentists  of  the  city. 


WILLIAM   HAHNE. 


HAHNE,  a  well-known  citizen 
anc*  Dealer  iQ  agricultural  implements  in 
Mattison,  Cook  County,  was  born  in  Han- 
over, Germany,  February  2,  1834,  and  is  one  of 
six  children,  namely:  Emma,  Henry,  Mary, 
Frederick  Diedrich,  William  and  Louis.  Their 
parents,  Diedrich  and  Marie  (Biermann)  Hahne, 
were  also  natives  of  Germany.  The  father  died 
when  our  subject  was  about  seven  years  of  age, 
leaving  quite  an  estate  to  the  eldest  son,  Henry, 
who  was  to  care  for  and  educate  the  other  mem- 
bers of  the  family.  With  his  younger  brothers 
and  sisters,  therefore,  he  left  his  native  land  and 
set  sail  for  the  New  World,  landing  in  Chicago 
on  the  2d  of  October,  1850. 

William  Hahne  acquired  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Germany.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  was  apprenticed  for  three  years  to  Will- 
iam Wayman,  a  wagon  and  carriage  maker  of 
Chicago.  After  learning  his  trade,  he  worked 
for  John  Borman  and  Mr.  Whitbeck,  both  of 


Chicago.  In  1858  he  embarked  in  business  for 
himself  in  Elk  Grove,  Cook  County,  where  he 
carried  on  operations  as  a  wagon  and  carriage- 
maker  until  1862.  In  that  year  he  came  to  Mat- 
tison and  continued  in  the  same  business,  to  which 
in  a  short  time  he  added  a  complete  line  of  agri- 
cultural implements  and  farm  machinery.  About 
the  year  1882,  on  account  of  failing  health,  he 
abandoned  wagon  and  carriage  making,  but  still 
carries  on  the  other  lines,  and  is  now  enjoying  a 
prosperous  trade,  which  is  the  sure  reward  of  un- 
tiring energy  and  straightforward  business  prin- 
ciples. 

Mr.  Hahne  was  married  in  the  summer  of  1858 
to  Sophia  L.  Shumacher,  daughter  of  John  Shu- 
macher,  a  native  of  Germany.  She  was  born  in 
the  same  country  in  1836.  Their  children  are: 
John  Frederick  Henry,  who  was  born  in  Elk 
Grove,  Cook  County,  111.,  June  n,  1859,  and  died 
January  23,  1865;  Dora  Maria  Berthe,  who  was 
born  in  Elk  Grove,  Cook  County,  111.,  Septem- 


NORMAN  REXFORD. 


481 


ber  21,  1860,  and  is  now  the  wife  of  William  H. 
Depke,  a  grocer  of  Danville,  111. ;  Henrietta  D. 
Marie  Emma,  born  in  Elk  Grove  April  18,  1862, 
the  wife  of  Fred  Utermark,  proprietor  of  the  Mat- 
tison  House,  of  Mattison,  Cook  County,  111.; 
Marie  Caroline,  who  was  born  in  Mattison,  and 
is  the  wife  of  Henry  Tueachman,  a  cigar  manu- 
facturer of  Chicago  Heights;  Willemine  Dorethea 
Mathilda,  who  was  born  in  Mattison,  March  1 1 , 
1866,  and  is  the  wife  of  Frank  Kort,  a  baker  of 
Dalton,  111.;  Diedrich  William  F.,  who  was  born 
in  Mattison,  November  12,  1867,  and  is  a  grocer 
of  Danville,  111. ;  Henry  Carl  George,  who  was 
born  January  18,  1870,  and  died  October  12, 
1880;  H.  Gus  Louis,  who  was  born  January  23, 
1873,  and  died  December  18,  1874;  Caroline 
Marie  Sophia,  born  in  Mattison,  February  3, 
1874;  Anna  Sophia  Dorthe,  born  October  23, 
1876;  and  Amanda  Marie  W.  C.,  born  in  Matti- 
son, January  12,  1883.  The  last  three  are  at 
home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hahne  are  members  of  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  Church,  and  have  educated  their 
children  in  that  faith,  and  have  also  given  them  a 
thorough  English  education.  Mr.  Hahne  has 
ever  been  a  liberal  contributor  to  the  support  of 
the  church.  His  education  was  acquired  in  the 
schools  of  the  Fatherland  when  quite  young,  but 


although  he  never  attended  the  public  schools 
after  coming  to  America,  by  observation  and  close 
application,  he  has  acquired  a  good  knowledge  of 
English.  He  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  our  pub- 
lic-school system,  and  his  influence  has  been 
thrown  into  every  educational  movement.  To 
him  more  than  to  any  other  citizen  of  Mattison  is 
the  public  indebted  for  ten  months  school  in  each 
year,  not  only  in  the  public,  but  also  in  the  paro- 
chial schools.  As  Director  or  Township  Treas- 
urer, he  has  served  almost  continuously  since  his 
arrival  in  Rich  Township. 

On  the  22d  of  October,  1856,  Mr.  Hahne  re- 
ceived his  naturalization  papers,  and  in  the  fol- 
lowing November  he  cast  his  first  vote.  He  has 
always  been  a  stanch  Republican,  holding  firmly 
to  the  principles  upon  which  the  organization  of 
this  party  was  based.  He  has  held  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace  for  the  long  period  of  twenty- 
five  years,  that  of  Notary  Public  for  twelve  years, 
and  President  of  the  Village  Board  of  Trustees 
for  four  years.  To  the  performance  of  his  duties 
he  has  brought  an  intelligent  mind  and  the  right 
idea  of  the  practicability  of  a  movement.  He 
is  true  to  every  trust,  and  his  public  and  private 
life  are  alike  above  reproach.  Happy  in  a  promis- 
ing family,  he  has  become  the  possessor  of  a  rep- 
utation for  unsullied  integrity  of  character. 


NORMAN  REXFORD. 


UJORMAN  REXFORD,  deceased,  the  first 
\j  permanent  settler  of  Blue  Island,  and  for 
|  Is  many  years  one  of  its  most  prominent  citi- 
zens, will  be  long  remembered  among  the  pioneers 
of  northern  Illinois  for  his  hospitality  and  kindly 
manner.  Mr.  Rexford  was  born  in  Charlotte, 
Vt.,  June  4,  1802,  and  died  at  Blue  Island,  March 
28,1883.  He  was  a  son  of  Benajah  and  Zeruia 
(Squire)  Rexford,  who  had  six  children:  Ste- 


phen, Norman,  Isabel  (Mrs.  Fayette  Dickson), 
HeberS.,  Elsie  Ann  (Mrs.  Cooley)  and  Ruth, 
who  died  in  childhood.  Benajah  Rexford  was 
born  in  Wallingford,  Conn.,  June  23,  1780,  and 
died  at  Westfield,  N.  Y.,  March  25,  1862.  His 
second  wife,  Roxana  Ayer,  of  Stanstead,  Conn., 
bore  him  six  children:  Wilder  A.,  Betsy  L. 
(Mrs.  Daniel  Morse),  Olive  H.  (Mrs.  Isaac 
Relf),  Louisa  A.  (Mrs.  Thaddeus  Ayer),  So- 


482 


NORMAN  REXFORD. 


phronia  H.    (Mrs.    L-    Harmon)   and    Thomas 
Ayer. 

Benajah  Rexford  represented  the  fifth  genera- 
tion of  his  family  in  America,  being  descended 
from  Arthur  Rexford,  an  English  ship-master, 
who  was  married  at  New  Haven,  Conn. ,  Septem- 
ber 3,  1702,  to  Elizabeth  Stevens.  Their  eldest 
son  was  also  named  Arthur,  and  his  first  wife, 
Jemima,  bore  him  eight  children,  one  of  whom, 
named  Benjamin,  served  in  the  Continental  army. 
He  married  Esther  Hall,  and  they  had  eleven 
children,  the  eldest,  Benjamin,  being  also  a  Rev- 
olutionary soldier.  The  latter  married  Catherine 
Rice,  and  Benajah  was  the  eldest  of  their  six 
children. 

Norman  Rexford  removed  while  a  young  man 
to  Ripley,  Chautauqua  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
was  married,  January  10,  1828,  to  Julia  Wattles, 
daughter  of  Chandler  and  Diana  (Murray)  Wat- 
tles. Soon  after  his  marriage,  Mr.  Rexford  re- 
moved to  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  thence,  in  1835,  he 
drove  by  team  to  Chicago,  arriving  on  the  5th 
day  of  June.  He  first  located  at  Bachelor's 
Grove,  Cook  County,  where  his  brother  Stephen 
had  preceded  him  in  1833.  A  few  months  later, 
Norman  Rexford  located  at  Long  Wood,  near  the 
north  end  of  "  the  island,"  where  he  kept  tavern 
in  a  log  cabin  of  four  rooms.  In  November,  1836, 
he  removed  to  the  present  village  of  Blue  Island. 
A  small  log  cabin  had  been  erected  the  previous 
year  by  a  man  named  Courtney.  This  was  a  rude 
structure,  only  12x15  feet,  without  floor,  and  was 
the  only  building  within  the  present  limits  of  the 
village.  Mr.  Rexford  proceeded  to  build  a  hewed 
frame  building  for  a  hotel.  This  was  sided  with 
boards  drawn  by  team  from  Pine  Creek,  Ind., 
over  one  hundred  miles  distant,  the  lumber  cost- 
ing $40  per  thousand.  The  building  stood  on  the 
east  side  of  Western  Avenue,  at  the  top  of  the  bluff, 
on  or  near  the  site  of  the  present  post-office.  As 
the  country  was  rapidly  filling  up  with  emigrants, 
this  hotel  was  well  patronized.  It  was  after- 
wards enlarged,  and  continued  to  be  a  landmark 
until  1858,  when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was 
known  as  the  Blue  Island  House.  Many  a  social 
gathering  was  held  therein,  and  many  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Chicago  and  other  points  twenty  or  thirty 


miles  distant  often  drove  thither  to  trip  "the  light 
fantastic' '  Upon  its  floor.  The  fun  was  frequently 
continued  until  morning,  many  of  the  guests  re- 
maining to  breakfast  before  departing  for  their 
homes.  In  the  spring  of  the  year  the  prairie 
roads  were  often  almost  impassable.  It  was  cus- 
tomary with  Mr.  Rexford  to  hang  beacon  lights 
in  the  upper  windows  of  the  house  on  dark  nights, 
as  a  guide  to  all  belated  travelers  who  might  be 
struggling  through  the  mire  or  the  severe  storms 
of  winter. 

In  1838,  a  postoffice  was  established  at  Blue 
Island,  and  Mr.  Rexford  served  as  Postmaster  for 
a  number  of  years,  during  which  time  his  son 
Fayette  carried  the  mail  on  horseback  from  Chi- 
cago to  Buncombe,  111.,  a  distance  of  ninety  miles, 
making  weekly  trips.  Letter  postage  was  twen- 
ty-five cents,  and  nearly  every  house  along  the 
sparsely-settled  route  was  a  postoffice.  In  1852, 
Mr.  Rexford  sold  out  the  hotel  and  removed  to  a 
farm  adjoining  the  village,  where  the  balance  of 
his  days  were  spent.  Most  of  the  farm  is  now  in- 
cluded in  the  village,  and  it  has  appreciated  in 
value  to  an  extent  little  dreamed  of  by  him  at  the 
time  of  his  purchase.  Mrs.  Julia  Rexford  still 
resides  at  Blue  Island,  at  the  venerable  age  of 
eighty-four  years.  The  following  is  a  record  of 
their  children:  Fayette  D.  is  proprietor  of  the 
Centralia  House  at  Centralia,  111. ;  Laura  A. ,  who 
became  the  wife  of  A.  B.  Kyle,  of  Englewood,  is 
now  deceased;  Clarissa  C.  is  now  Mrs.  H.  H. 
Massey,  of  Blue  Island;  Norman  B.  is  a  well- 
known  citizen  of  that  place;  Mary  D.  died  in 
childhood;  Julia  married  James  B.  Massey,  and  is 
now  deceased;  Susan  Mary  is  deceased;  Elizabeth 
P.  died  in  childhood;  and  Heber  Squire  became  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Blue  Island,  where  his  death 
occurred  in  1882. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rexford  were  active  members  of 
the  Universalist  Church,  and  were  interested  in 
many  benevolent  and  charitable  works.  Seldom 
was  a  man  turned  away  from  their  door  for  want  of 
food  or  money,  although  their  generosity  was 
sometimes  imposed  upon.  Mr.  Rexford  never 
engaged  in  litigation,  or  wished  to  see  others  do 
so.  It  is  said  that  at  one  time,  after  trying  in 
vain  to  adjust  a  quarrel  between  two  of  his  neigh- 


WILLIAM  HAMILTON. 


483 


bors,  he  paid  the  amount  in  dispute  out  of  his  own 
pocket,  rather  than  see  them  engage  in  a  lawsuit. 
In  early  life  he  was  an  active  Democrat,  but  af- 
terwards became  a  Republican.  A  stanch  adher- 


ent of  every  progressive  movement,  it  may  be 
truly  said  that  Blue  Island  owes  much  of  its  pres- 
ent prosperity  to  the  example  of  public  spirit, 
forethought  and  enterprise  set  by  Mr.  Rexford. 


WILLIAM  HAMILTON. 


R>  tfJlLLIAM  HAMILTON,  who  resides  in  Bre- 
\  A  /  men  Township,  where  he  is  living  retired, 
Y  Y  enjoying  a  rest  which  he  has  truly  earned 
and  richly  deserves,  was  born  in  Ballymolin, 
County  Down,  Ireland,  in  April,  1808,  and  is  a 
son  of  John  and  Mary  Ann  Hamilton,  both  of 
whom  spent  their  entire  lives  on  the  Emerald 
Isle,  reaching  a  very  advanced  age,  the  father 
living  to  be  one  hundred  and  four  years  old,  and 
his  wife  to  be  eighty-six.  The  year  1822  witnessed 
the  arrival  of  William  Hamilton  in  this  country. 
He  lived  for  nine  years  in  New  York  City,  where 
he  learned  the  plasterer's  trade,  and  also  engaged 
in  making  slate  roofs.  In  1838  he  came  West 
and  took  up  his  residence  in  Bremen  Township, 
Cook  County,  then  an  undeveloped  and  unsettled 
region.  The-  Indians  occupied  lands  adjoining, 
and  for  several  years  he  had  only  two  white  neigh- 
bors for  miles  around.  The  family  lived  in  a  log 
cabin,  and  went  through  all  the  experiences  of 
frontier  life.  In  1850  Mr.  Hamilton  built  the 
present  family  homestead,  in  which  he  has  since 
lived.  He  has  been  a  successful  farmer  and  man 
of  business,  and  increased  his  landed  possessions 
from  eighty  to  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres. 
As  an  investment,  he  early  bought  city  lots  in 
Blue  Island,  which  he  subsequently  sold  at  a  fine 
profit,  and  later  made  very  successful  investments 
in  Hyde  Park  property,  which  is  now  owned  by  his 
children.  In  1879  he  retired  from  active  life,  and 
at  that  time  apportioned  his  property  among  his 
children.  He  is  now  spending  his  declining  years 
on  the  old  homestead  with  his  son  John,  and,  al- 


though he  has  reached  the  advanced  age  of  eigh- 
ty-six, he  still  enjoys  excellent  health.  He  is 
one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  the  county,  and  by 
all  who  know  him  is  held  in  high  regard.  Since 
fourteen  years  of  age  he  has  been  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  his  life  has  been  in 
harmony  with  his  profession. 

In  1837  William  Hamilton  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Mary  Ann  Kelley,  of  New  York 
City.  Her  death  occurred  in  December,  1887,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-five  years.  They  were  the 
parents  of  five  children,  four  of  whom  are  yet  liv- 
ing: William,  a  resident  of  Hyde  Park;  Mary 
Jane,  wife  of  W.  A.  Briggs,  of  Hyde  Park; 
Margaret,  wife  of  John  P.  Roberson,  of  Hyde 
Park;  and  John,  who  owns  the  old  homestead  in 
Bremen  Township.  The  fourth  child,  James  G., 
lost  a  limb  in  front  of  Richmond,  Va.,  in  October, 
1864,  while  serving  in  Company  G,  Thirty-ninth 
Illinois  Regiment.  He  died  May  7,  1885,  aged 
forty-one  years. 

John  Hamilton  was  born  on  the  home  farm, 
July  27,  1842.  During  his  boyhood  he  attended 
the  public  schools  and  Hillsdale  (Mich.)  College. 
In  1864,  having  completed  his  education,  he 
returned  home,  and  since  that  time  has  de- 
voted his  energies  to  his  extensive  farming  inter- 
ests. Since  1879  he  has  had  charge  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  good  land,  comprising  one 
of  the  most  valuable  farms  in  this  section  of  Illi- 
nois, and  for  the  past  sixteen  years  he  has  made 
a  specialty  of  the  dairy  business.  He  keeps  on 
hand  about  fifty  cows,  and  has  met  with  excellent 


JOHN   McELDOWNEY. 


success  in  that  enterprise.  He  also  raises  some 
fine  horses,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing farmers  and  stock- dealers  of  this  locality. 

On  the  1 6th  of  November,  1882,  Mr.  Hamilton 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Alma  G.  Lucas, 
daughter  of  George  and  Barbara  (Drummond) 
Lucas,  whose  family  numbers  five  children,  the 
others  being  Margaret,  wife  of  W.  Hulet,  of  Bre- 
men Township;  Robert  and  Arthur,  well-known 
farmers;  and  Clara  L-,  wife  of  Dexter  Minard, 
who  is  represented  elsewhere  in  this  work.  The 
father,  George  Lucas,  was  a  native  of  the  Buck- 
eye State,  but  during  his  boyhood  left  his  Ohio 
home,  and  has  since  resided  in  Illinois.  By  oc- 


cupation, he  is  a  farmer.  His  wife  is  a  native  of 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Margaret  (McMartin)  Drummond. 

To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  have  been  born  three 
children,  Margaret  Florence,  Emily  Clara  and 
John  Emerson,  and  all  are  still  under  the  parental 
roof.  In  his  political  views,  Mr.  Hamilton  is  a 
stalwart  advocate  of  Republican  principles,  and 
has  served  as  School  Trustee  of  Bremen  Town- 
ship, but  has  never  sought  political  preferment, 
desiring  rather  to  give  his  entire  time  and  atten- 
tion to  his  business  interests,  in  which  he  has 
met  with  good  success. 


JOHN  McELDOWNEY. 


(JOHN  McELDOWNEY,  one  of  the  honored 
I  pioneers  of  Cook  County,  has  for  almost 
G)  sixty  years  resided  on  the  site  of  Chicago 
Heights,  although  it  was  long  years  after  his  ar- 
rival that  the  town  sprang  into  existence.  The 
history  of  Cook  County  as  a  frontier  settlement  is 
well  known  to  him,  and  the  experiences  of  the 
pioneer  form  a  part  of  his  record.  He  was  born 
in  Ireland,  on  the  nth  of  October,  1811.  His 
father,  John  McEldowney,  and  his  grandfather, 
who  also  bore  the  name  of  John,  likewise  were 
natives  of  the  Emerald  Isle.  The  mother,  who  in 
her  maidenhood  was  Martha  Caldwell,  was  born 
in  Ireland,  and  was  a  daughter  of  James  and  Jane 
(Moorhead)  Caldwell.  Mr.  McEldowney,  the 
father,  was  a  farmer,  and  followed  that  occupation 
throughout  his  entire  life.  In  1832,  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  Canada,  and  in  1836  came  to  Cook 
County,  111.,  where  he  spent  his  remaining  days, 
his  death  occurring  on  the  2oth  of  January,  1875. 
With  the  Presbyterian  Church  he  held  member- 
ship. His  wife  was  called  to  her  final  rest  March 
5,  1861.  They  were  married  in  1810,  and  became 


the  parents  of  nine  children,  namely:  John  of  this 
sketch;  Jane,  who  was  born  January  21,  1814, 
became  the  wife  of  Robert  Wallace,  and  died 
in  1874;  James,  who  was  born  May  4,  1816,  has 
followed  farming  throughout  his  life,  and  now  re- 
sides in  Chicago  Heights;  Ann,  who  married  John 
Hughes,  and  died  May  4,  1888;  Thomas,  born  De- 
cember i,  1821 ,  retired,  living  in  Chicago  Heights; 
Rosana,  born  May  28,  1822,  and  who  died  May  17, 
1845,  being  the  first  one  interred  in  Bloom  Ceme- 
tery; Catherine  J.(  born  June  15,  1824,  the  wife  of 
Stewart  B.  Eakem;  Martha,  who  was  born  Jan- 
uary 21,  1827,  became  the  wife  of  John  W.  Mor- 
rison, a  minister  of  Bloom  for  twenty-five  years, 
and  died  on  the  2d  of  May,  1894;  and  Elizabeth, 
born  July  10,  1829,  deceased,  wife  of  john  Miller. 
The  eldest  member  of  the  family,  in  whom  the 
readers  of  this  volume  are  especially  interested, 
well  deserves  representation  in  the  history  of  his 
adopted  county.  He  acquired  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  and  remained  on  the  Emerald 
Isle  until  1832,  when,  with  his  father,  he  boarded 
a  sailing-vessel  and  became  a  resident  of  Canada. 


JOHN  McELDOWiNEY. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

CF  !LL!NO!r: 


EVERITTE  ST.  JOHN. 


485 


There  he  began  working  on  a  farm,  receiving  $7 
per  month  for  his  services.  He  was  thus  em- 
ployed until  1835,  when  he  resolved  to  seek  his 
home  in  Illinois,  and  in  the  spring  of  that  year 
started  for  Chicago.  He  made  the  first  part  of 
the  journey  on  foot  as  far  as  Burlington,  Vt.,  and 
by  way  of  the  Canal  and  Lakes  to  Detroit,  from 
whence  he  came  on  foot  to  his  destination,  a  dis- 
tance of  three  hundred  miles. 

For  two  months  Mr.  McEldowney  worked  in 
the  New  York  Hotel  stable.  He  has  cut  hay 
where  the  court  house  of  Chicago  now  stands,  and 
has  witnessed  almost  the  entire  growth  and  devel- 
opment of  Cook  County.  On  the  ist  of  July,  1835, 
he  took  up  his  residence  at  Thorn  Grove,  now 
Chicago  Heights,  and  made  a  claim  of  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  on  sections  28  and  29,  Bloom 
Township,  for  which  he  paid  the  usual  Govern- 
ment price  of  $1.25  per  acre.  His  first  home  was 
a  log  cabin,  built  on  the  site  of  the  present  town, 
and  there  he  lived  in  true  pioneer  style.  His 
farming  was  done  with  crude  machinery,  and  he 
worked  early  and  late  in  order  to  make  a  start. 
His  enterprise,  perseverance  and  industry  were  at 
length  crowned  with  success,  and  at  one  time  he 
was  the  owner  of  a  very  valuable  farm  of  five 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  acquired  a  hand- 
some competence,  which  now  enables  him  to  rest 
from  business  cares. 
On  the  isth  of  July,  1836,  Mr.  EcEldowney 


married  Miss  Ann  Wallace,  daughter  of  William 
and  Elizabeth  Wallace,  and  a  native  of  Ireland, 
born  June  4,  1814.  They  have  eight  children. 
Dorothy,  who  was  born  March  28,  1838,  became 
the  wife  of  James  Hunter,  and  died  June  28, 
1870;  Mary  A.,  born  May  17,  1840,  isthewifeof 
Samuel  McDowall,  an  attorney  at  law,  engaged  in 
practice  in  Salt  Lake  City;  William  J.,  born  June 
30,  1843,  is  President  of  the  Chicago  Heights 
Bank;  Martha  E.,  born  May  19,  1846,  died  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1867;  James  H.  was  born  May  20,  1848; 
Margaret  J.,  born  May  13,  1850,  died  on  the  6th 
of  July  following;  Rebecca,  born  October  8,  1851, 
is  the  wife  of  William  J.  Campbell,  an  attorney 
at  law;  and  Andrew  W.,  born  February  6,  1854, 
completes  the  family. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  party,  Mr.  Mc- 
Eldowney has  been  a  stanch  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  has  been  honored  with  several  local  offi- 
ces. He  has  served  as  Supervisor,  and  for  the 
long  period  of  twenty  years  was  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  proving  a  capable  and  efficient  officer.  In 
1886,  he  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of  his 
wife,  who  died  on  the  7th  of  September,  and  was 
laid  to  rest  in  Bloom  Cemetery.  She  was  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  to  which 
Mr.  McEldowney  also  belongs.  His  life  has  been 
well  and  worthily  passed,  and  throughout  the 
community  in  which  he  has  so  long  made  his 
home  he  has  the  high  regard  of  all. 


EVERITTE  ST.  JOHN. 


IT  VERITTE  ST.  JOHN,  General  Manager  of 
rp  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Rail- 
L_  road,  was  born  at  Sharon,  Litchfield  County, 
Conn.,  February  4,  1844.  Both  parents  were 
natives  of  that  State  and  of  English  lineage. 
When  four  years  old,  his  father  died,  and  his 
mother,  though  left  with  a  large  family  of  chil- 


dren, managed  to  provide  for  their  physical  com- 
fort and  gave  each  a  public-school  education. 
Ambitious  to  begin  a  career  of  usefulness,  at  an 
early  age  the  subject  of  this  biography  began  to 
earn  his  livelihood  by  becoming  a  clerk  for  his 
elder  brother,  who  filled  the  combined  offices  of 
Postmaster,  station  agent,  Town  Clerk  and  gen- 


486 


EVERITTE  ST.  JOHN. 


eral  store-keeper  of  the  village.  Here,  and  in  his 
mother's  home,  were  imbibed  in  a  large  degree 
those  principles  of  industry,  economy  and  perse- 
verance which  have  characterized  the  man,  and 
which  are  essential  to  the  successful  management 
of  an  extensive  railway  system,  or  other  large  en- 
terprises. 

Through  the  medium  of  the  local  gossip,  which 
had  its  natural  center  at  the  village  postoffice,  he 
heard  much  of  the  success  of  other  young  men 
who  had  left  the  Nutmeg  State  to  seek  their 
fortunes  in  the  great  West,  and  becoming  inocu- 
lated with  the  western  fever,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years  he  resigned  his  position  as  his  broth- 
er's assistant  and  went  to  Quincy,  111.  Here  he 
became  a  clerk  in  the  general  ticket  office  of  the 
Quincy  &  Toledo  Railroad,  at  a  salary  of  $30  per 
month.  When  that  road  was  consolidated  with 
the  Great  Western  Railroad,  of  Illinois,  he  was 
transferred  to  a  similar  position  at  Springfield, 
with  a  slight  increase  of  salary.  One  year  later, 
having  received  an  offer  of  a  better  position  from 
the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  he  came  to 
Chicago,  and  on  the  4th  of  July,  1863,  began  his 
career  with  that  corporation.  His  steady  appli- 
cation and  untiring  energy  soon  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  his  superiors,  and  secured  promotion 
to  a  more  responsible  and  lucrative  position.  Suc- 
cessively he  became  Chief  Ticket  Clerk  and  Gen- 
eral Ticket  Agent,  occupying  the  latter  position  for 
fourteen  years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period, 
he  was  appointed  General  Ticket  and  Passenger 
Agent  of  the  road,  and  six  months  later  became 
Assistant  General  Manager,  while  still  holding 
the  former  position.  In  July,  1887,  he  was  made 
General  Manager  of  the  lines  east  of  the  Missouri 
River,  and  the  duties  of  that  office  were  supple- 
mented by  those  of  Assistant  General  Manager 
of  the  lines  west  of  the  Missouri  River.  On  the 
ist  of  April,  1889,  he  assumed  the  position  of 
General  Manager  of  the  entire  system,  bringing  to 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  the  ripened  experience 
of  a  quarter-century  of  active  railroad  labors. 

With  the  growth  and  development  of  the  great 
West,  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Rail- 
road system  has  grown,  and  in  many  localities 
has  preceded  the  development  of  its  tributary  terri- 


tory. Mr.St.John  has  constantly  striven  to  improve 
and  perfect  every  department,  and  to  that  end 
has  devoted  much  of  the  time  given  by  others  to 
recreation,  having  often  given,  for  many  years, 
twelve  to  fifteen  hours  per  day  to  his  work.  His 
industry  has  been  something  phenomenal,  and  it 
is  a  source  of  wonder  to  his  acquaintances  that 
he  has  not  given  way  in  physical  vigor  under  the 
assaults  made  by  his  own  ambition  and  industry. 
He  is  remarkably  free  from  all  ostentation  and 
those  assumptions  of  exclusiveness  often  affected 
by  men  in  high  and  responsible  positions,  and  is 
among  the  most  approachable  and  genial  of  men. 
Having  conquered  by  labor  his  own  elevation,  he 
can  sympathize  with  all  who  labor,  and  his  latch- 
string  is  always  out  to  the  humblest  employe  who 
has  a  grievance,  or  a  request  to  make. 

As  Chairman  of  the  General  Managers'  Asso- 
ciation, Mr.  St.  John  bore  no  small  part  of  the  re- 
sponsibility in  overcoming  the  great  sympathetic 
strike  of  1894,  in  which  the  American  Railway 
Union,  composed  largely  of  switchmen,  and  others 
identified  and  unidentified  with  railroad  opera- 
tions, sought  to  compel  the  railroads  of  the 
country  to  abandon  the  use  of  Pullman  cars,  be- 
cause of  an  alleged  grievance  of  members  of  the 
union  against  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company. 
The  principle  thus  sought  to  be  set  up  being 
wholly  un-American,  and  not  acknowledged  by 
thinking  people,  the  railroads  set  about  carrying 
on  their  own  business  according  to  existing  con- 
tracts with  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company, 
and  for  the  accommodation  of  the  traveling  pub- 
lic. The  false  principle  was  set  up,  and  an  at- 
tempt made  to  force  the  railroads  and  the  public 
to  accept  it,  that  the  strikers  had  a  right  to  pre- 
vent, even  by  force,  anyone  from  operating  the 
roads  by  fulfilling  the  duties  and  service  they  had 
left.  The  General  Managers  met  every  emer- 
gency, and  by  co-operation  soon  secured  men  to 
operate  trains;  and  the  National  Government 
protecting  its  mails  and  inter-state  commerce,  de- 
lays were  averted,  and  as  speedily  as  possible  the 
resumption  of  traffic,  both  passenger  and  freight, 
thereby  secured.  All  this  was  not  accomplished 
until  much  valuable  property,  chiefly  the  cars  of 
the  railroads  and  their  freight,  belonging  to  ship- 


C.  H.  McCORMICK,  JR. 


487 


pers  all  over  the  country,  had  been  destroyed  by 
fires  set  by  strikers  and  their  sympathizers.  By 
their  firm  position  and  prompt  action  in  securing 
the  most  ready  and  valuable  protection,  the  Gen- 
eral Managers  won,  and  received  the  admiration 
and  thanks  of  law-abiding  people  everywhere, 
and  also  made  more  certain  and  intelligible  the 
principle  that  every  American  citizen  has  the 
right  to  undertake  any  honorable  employment 
he  wishes,  and  that  no  class  can  rightfully  cut  off 
the  privileges  of  the  rest  of  the  world  to  secure  its 
own  selfish  ends. 

As  Chairman  of  the  Railway  Finance  Commit- 
tee of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  he  en- 
abled that  association  to  add  nearly  $1,000,000  to 
its  treasury.  He  has  been  for  years  connected 
with  many  important  railway  associations,  as  fol- 


lows: Chairman  of  Executive  Committee  of  the 
Trans-Missouri  Freight  Association;  Chairman 
of  Western  Railroad  Weighing  Association  and 
Inspection  Bureau;  Chairman  of  the  Chicago 
Car  Service  Association,  and  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Western  Freight  As- 
sociation. 

Mr.  St.  John  was  happily  married  in  1869  to  Miss 
Emilina  B.  Lamson,  of  Andover,  Mass.  They 
occupy  a  pleasant  home  on  Rush  Street,  Chicago, 
where  is  stored  his  library  of  over  one  thousand 
choice  volumes.  He  is  a  communicant  of  the 
Episcopal  Church ;  a  member  of  the  Union  League 
Club,  and  of  Waubansee  Lodge  No.  160,  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.;  Past  Eminent  Commander  of  Montjoe 
Commandery,  No.  53,  K.  T.,  and  ex-President 
of  the  Sons  of  Connecticut. 


CYRUS  HALL  McCORMICK,  JR. 


fTjYRUS  HALL  McCORMICK,  Jr.,  is  the 
I C  eldest  child  of  the  great  inventor  of  the 
Vj  reaper,  Cyrus  H.  McCormick.  His  mother 
is  Nettie  Fowler  McCormick.  He  was  born  on 
the  i6th  of  May,  1859,  in  Washington,  D.  C., 
where  his  parents  lived  for  several  months  while 
his  father  was  securing  patents  on  his  reaper.  At 
an  early  age,  young  McCormick  entered  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Chicago,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
was  graduated  from  the  High  School  at  the  head 
of  his  class.  He  at  once  entered  Princeton  Col- 
lege and  became  a  member  of  the  Class  of  '79. 
In  the  autumn  following,  he  entered  the  business 
of  the  McCormick  Harvesting  Machine  Company, 
and  served  in  several  departments  in  order  that 
he  might  obtain  a  knowledge  of  its  various 
branches.  On  the  death  of  his  father  in  1884,  he 
was  elected  to  succeed  him  as  President  of  the 
company,  and  has  continued  in  that  position  up 
to  the  present  time. 


On  the  5th  of  March,  1889,  Mr.  McCormick  was 
married  at  Monterey,  Cal.,  to  Miss  Harriet  Brad- 
ley Hammond,  a  niece  of  Mrs.  E.  S.  Stickney,  of 
Chicago.  They  have  three  children,  two  sons 
and  a  daughter. 

For  several  years  Mr.  McCormick  has  been  a 
director  of  the  Merchants'  Loan  &  Trust  Company, 
of  Chicago.  Since  June,  1889,  he  has  been  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Princeton  Uni- 
versity. He  is  also  Secretary  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees  of  McCormick  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  for  several 
years  the  first  Vice-President  of  the  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  of  Chicago.  In  the  summer 
of  1889,  he  spent  some  time  in  Paris  in  the  inter- 
est of  the  company's  exhibits  at  the  International 
Exposition,  and  was  soon  after  decorated  by  the 
President  of  France  "Officer  of  the  Merite  Agri- 
cole.'1''  In  speaking  of  this  honor,  the  Courier 
d'  Illinois  said:  '  'This  is  one  of  but  a  few  instances 


488 


ALBERT  WINGATE. 


where  that  decoration  has  been  bestowed  upon  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  it  being  rarely  con- 
ferred upon  a  foreigner." 

Cyrus  H.  McCormick,  who  has  inherited  many 
of  his  father's  qualities  of  head  and  heart,  is  a 
gentleman  whose  education  and  business  training 


have  fitted  him  to  fill  the  responsible  position  to 
which  he  has  been  called.  Under  his  manage- 
ment, the  great  manufacturing  industry  has  de- 
veloped successfully,  and  its  output  of  harvesting 
machines  is  the  largest  in  the  world. 


ALBERT  WINGATE. 


G|  LBERT  WINGATE,  one  of  the  highly  re- 
i_l  spected  and  prominent  citizens  of  Worth 
I  I  Township,  was  born  in  Hallowell,  Me.,  June 
15,  1817,  and  is  a  son  of  Paine  and  Mary  (Page) 
Wingate,  The  family  is  descended  from  John 
Wingate,  who  was  a  planter  at  Hilton's  Point, 
now  Dover,  N.  H.,  in  1657.  He  was  a  native  of 
England,  and  the  founder  of  the  family  in  Amer- 
ica. One  of  his  ancestors  was  the  Sheriff  who 
committed  the  famous  John  Bunyan,  author  of 
"Pilgrim's  Progress,"  tojail.  The  name  Wingate, 
according  to  a  popular  legend,  originated  with  a 
powerful  warrior,  who  during  the  siege  of  an  an- 
cient castle  tore  its  gate  from  its  fastenings  and 
bore  it  away  on  his  shoulders,  thereby  allowing 
his  comrades  to  obtain  an  entrance.  Members  of 
the  Wingate  family  were  numerous  in  many  parts 
of  England  and  Scotland  as  early  as  the  twelfth 
century,  although  the  name  was  spelled  in  several 
different  ways.  They  occupied  many  leading 
positions,  becoming  prominent  in  various  walks 
of  life.  Descendants  of  the  family  were  living  in 
Bedfordshire,  England,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Descendants  of  John  Win- 
gate  still  own  his  original  homestead  near  Dover, 
N.  H.  He  became  one  of  the  principal  house- 
holders of  that  place,  was  a  leading  and  influen- 
tial citizen,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  service 
during  King  Philip's  War.  His  second  wife, 
Sarah  Wingate,  was  a  daughter  of  Anthony  Tay- 
lor, a  native  of  England. 


One  of  their  sons,  Joshua  Wingate,  was  born 
in  Hampton,  N.  H.,  and  became  Colonel  of  a 
regiment  of  New  Hampshire  militia.  He  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  siege  of  Louisburg  in  1745. 
He  wedded  Mary  I,unt,  and  his  death  occurred 
in  1769,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety  years.  His 
wife  passed  away  three  years  later,  also  at  the 
age  of  ninety.  Their  son  Paine,  the  eldest  in  the 
family  of  eleven  children,  became  a  Congregational 
minister,  and  for  sixty  years  was  pastor  of  the 
Second  Congregational  Church  in  Amesbury, 
Mass.  He  wedded  Mary  Balch,  and  his  death  oc- 
curred in  1786,  aged  eighty-three  years.  His 
wife  also  reached  that  age,  passing  away  in  1789. 
Joseph,  the  youngest  son  of  Rev.  Paine  Wingate, 
was  born  in  Amesbury,  Mass.,  and  about  1800 
removed  to  Hallowell,  Me. ,  where  he  died  in  1826, 
at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  His  wife,  Judith,  was 
a  daughter  of  Elder  James  Carr.  By  their  mar- 
riage they  became  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of 
whom  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was 
the  fifth  in  order  of  birth.  He  cleared  and  de- 
veloped a  farm  near  Hallowell,  where  he  spent  his 
entire  life,  being  called  to  the  home  beyond  Jan- 
uary 12,  1849,  in  his  sixty-third  year. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  record 
spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  and  youth  in  Hallo- 
well,  and  in  1842  emigrated  to  Cook  County, 
driving  across  the  country  with  a  team.  The 
journey  was  accomplished  in  six  weeks,  and  he 
settled  on  a  farm  on  section  28,  Worth  Township, 


C.    H.    FELTON. 


489 


but  subsequently  removed  to  section  27,  where  he 
now  resides.  For  thirty-four  years  he  lived  on 
the  first  farm,  and  placed  it  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  making  many  excellent  improvements 
upon  it.  He  arrived  in  Cook  County  four  years 
before  the  first  school  districts  were  organized, 
and  for  several  years  he  held  the  three  offices  of 
Township  Treasurer,  Township  Trustee  and 
School  Director.  He  was  one  of  the  leading 
spirits  in  the  development  of  the  educational  in- 
terests of  this  locality,  and  has  ever  taken  a  prom- 
inent part  in  promoting  those  enterprises  calcu- 
lated to  advance  the  general  welfare. 

Mr.  Wingate  was  married,  June  29,  1842,  to 
Rhoda,  daughter  of  Lowell  and  Lois  Mitchell. 
She  was  a  native  of  Chesterville,  Me. ,  and  died 
May  30,  1864,  at  the  age  of  forty-five  years  and 
two  months.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wingate  had  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children:  Levi  Page,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  four  years;  Elizabeth,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  eighteen;  Mary  Caroline,  wife  of  J.  M.  Green, 


of  Blue  Island;  Levi  Albert,  who  is  engaged  with 
the  Piano  Manufacturing  Company  of  West  Pull- 
man; and  Mrs.  Martha  Alice  Trumble,  of  Worth 
Township. 

Mr.  Wingate  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  for 
William  Henry  Harrison,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Tippecanoe  Club.  On  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party  hejoined  its  ranks  and  has 
since  been  one  of  its  stalwart  supporters.  He  has 
also  served  as  Assessor  and  Highway  Commis- 
sioner of  Worth  Township,  in  connection  with  the 
other  offices  before  mentioned.  He  has  never 
failed  to  keep  an  obligation  or  agreement,  and  al- 
though constantly  in  debt  for  thirty-three  years, 
he  was  never  dunned,  sued  nor  refused  a  loan,  a 
fact  which  indicates  the  confidence  and  trust  re- 
posed in  his  personal  integrity.  He  possesses  a 
remarkable  memory,  is  considered  an  authority 
on  matters  of  local  history,  and  his  evidence  is  of- 
ten required  in  court,  especially  on  questions  per- 
taining to  early  surveys  and  titles  to  real  estate. 


CHARLES  HENRY  FELTON. 


EHARLES  HENRY  FELTON,  one  of  the 
well-known  business  men  of  Chicago,  now 
Secretary  and  Manager  of  the  White  Swan 
Laundry  Company  (incorporated),  was  born  in 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  February  18,  1840.  His  ancestors 
were  of  English  origin,  and  the  founders  of  the  fam- 
ily in  America,  who  came  herein  1636,  settled  and 
resided  in  Salem,  Mass.  His  great-grandfather, 
Capt.  Benjamin  Felton,  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  Revolutionary  War.  He  was  a  brave  and 
valiant  officer,  as  well  as  a  highly  educated  man, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  Pro- 
fessor in  a  college,  which  position  he  held  until 
disqualified  by  old  age.  He  was  a  leader  in  Ma- 
sonic circles,  and  was  an  influential  citizen,  who 
was  honored  with  several  public  positions  of  trust. 


He  lived  to  be  eighty  years  of  age,  and  was  the 
father  of  ten  children. 

The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Skelton  Felton, 
of  Brookfield,  Mass. ,  was  a  lieutenant  in  the  regu- 
lar army,  receiving  his  commission  from  President 
Madison.  He  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  af- 
ter its  close  received  a  pension  for  gallant  services 
rendered.  He  was  also  a  Professor  in  a  college  of 
Massachusetts  for  a  time.  Later  he  removed  to 
Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty -five 
years.  His  children  were  Amory,  Benjamin, 
Henry,  Lucinda,  Sarah  and  Amanda.  Only  one 
is  now  living,  who  resides  in  New  York.  The 
mother  of  this  family  bore  the  maiden  name  of 
Hough  ton.  Her  death  occurred  in  the  Empire 
State  at  the  ripe  age  of  seventy  years. 


490 


C.    H.    FELTON. 


Amory  Felton,  father  of  Charles  Henry,  was  a 
native  of  Brookfield,  Mass.,  born  in  1813.  From 
his  father  he  received  an  excellent  education,  and 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  was  Principal  of  Dud- 
ley Academy,  Brookfield,  Mass.  Later,  he  re- 
moved to  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  established  the  whole- 
sale grocery  house  of  Felton  &  Mathews.  He  af- 
terward went  into  the  iron  business,  purchasing 
the  Empire  Stove  Works.  He  was  very  success- 
ful in  this  enterprise,  and  left  to  his  family  a  for- 
tune. In  1863,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years,  he 
was  called  to  his  final  rest.  He  married  Nancy 
Boynton,  a  native  of  the  Bay  State,  and  a  descen- 
dant of  Hughes  De  Boynton,  a  Norman  baron, 
who  went  with  William  the  Conqueror  into  Eng- 
land. The  manor  and  lands  granted  to  DeBoynton 
by  William  the  Conqueror  in  1067,  in  the  old 
Kingdom  of  Wessex,  are  still  in  possession  of  the 
family.  Her  mother  reached  the  very  advanced  age 
of  one  hundred  and  one.  The  children  of  this  mar- 
riage are  William,  Charles,  Herbert  and  Emma 
Louise.  William  resides  in  Troy,  N.  Y.  Herbert 
is  Division  Superintendent  of  the  Philadelphia  & 
Reading  Railroad,  and  a  graduate  of  the  Polytech- 
nic Institute  of  Troy,  N.  Y. ;  and  Emma  Louise  is 
the  wife  of  F.  K.  Lyon,ofDunkirk,N.Y.  Mrs.  Fel- 
ton is  still  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight.  She 
is  a  remarkable  old  lady,  in  perfect  health,  and  in 
perfect  possession  of  her  faculties;  her  eyesight 
and  hearing  are  good,  and  no  silver  threads  are 
yet  seen  in  her  hair.  Tall  and  straight,  her  step 
is  firm  and  elastic,  and  she  seems  not  to  have 
passed  the  prime  of  life.  She  is  also  a  well-in- 
formed lady,  extensive  reading  having  made  her 
well  informed  on  the  questions  of  the  day. 

Mr.  Felton  whose  name  heads  this  record  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Troy,  N.  Y., 
and  in  Bennington  Seminary,  of  Bennington,  Vt., 
from  which  he  was  graduated  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen. During  his  school  days,  he  manifested  a 
restless  spirit,  longing  to  be  a  locomotive  engineer, 
and  would  often  run  away  from  school,  get  aboard 
a  locomotive,  and  try  to  run  it.  On  completing 
his  education,  he  remained  at  home  for  a  while, 
and  then  went  to  Marion,  Ala. ,  where  he  remained 
for  one  year.  Later  we  find  him  in  Selma, 
Ala.,  where  he  obtained  employment  in  a  jewelry 


store.  About  a  year  later,  as  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion  was  approaching,  and  his  sympathies 
were  with  the  North,  his  residence  in  the  South  be- 
came, in  consequence,  very  unpleasant.  He  there- 
fore decided  to  come  to  Chicago,  and  on  his  ar- 
rival here,  he  entered  the  employ  of  A.  H.  Miller 
&  Co. ,  the  leading  jewelry  firm  of  the  city  at  that 
time.  With  them  he  remained  until  February, 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Battery  L  of  the  Second 
Illinois  Light  Artillery,  then  located  at  Camp 
Douglas. 

The  company  was  soon  ordered  to  the  front, 
and  went  to  St.  Louis,  where  it  received  its  equip- 
ment, and  from  there  was  ordered  to  Pittsburg 
Landing,  to  reinforce  Gen.  Grant,  but  arrived  too 
late  to  take  part  in  the  great  battle  which  occurred 
at  that  place.  They  were  actively  engaged  in  the 
campaign  which  soon  followed  under  Gens.  Grant 
and  Halleck,  when  they  advanced  on  Corinth,  and 
in  the  battles  of  the  Grant  campaign,  including 
the  battles  around  Memphis  and  at  Jackson, 
Tenn.,  Bolivar  and  Holly  Springs,  Miss.  After 
re-organizing  at  Memphis  for  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  Mr.  Felton' s  company  was  sent  to  Lake 
Providence,  La. ,  and  from  this  point  they  started 
on  their  march  through  the  interior  to  Grand 
Gulf,  where  they  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  be- 
low Vicksburg.  Then  followed  the  battles  of 
Raymond,  Champion  Hills,  Big  Black  River,  and 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  in  which  Mr.  Felton  took 
part.  During  the  campaign,  he  received  several 
promotions  for  gallant  services,  until  he  reached 
the  rank  of  Senior  First  Lieutenant,  and  Adjutant 
of  Artillery  of  the  District  of  Vicksburg,  which 
comprised  Vicksburg,  Natchez  and  Milliken's 
Bend;  then  followed  his  promotion  as  First  Assist- 
ant Provost- Marshal  of  the  city  of  Vicksburg. 
About  this  time,  Mr.  Felton  was  recommended  by 
Gen.  Logan,  of  Illinois,  and  Gen.  M.  D.  Legget, 
of  Ohio,  for  the  position  of  Adjutant  of  Artillery  on 
Gen.  Grant's  staff,  the  place  being  then  vacant; 
but  as  the  war  was  now  drawing  to  a  close,  he  de- 
cided to  resign,  but  did  not  do  so  till  all  the  rebel 
armies  had  surrendered,  when  he  returned  to 
Chicago. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1865,  inAlbany,  N. 
Y.,  Mr.  Felton  married  Miss  Lizzie  R.  Borthwick, 


C.  P.  HUEY. 


491 


who  had  been  his  playmate  in  early  childhood. 
She  is  a  daughter  of  Alexander  Hamilton  and 
Rachael  (Esm6)  Borthwick,  the  former  a  leading 
and  successful  merchant  of  Albany.  Her  grand- 
father was  a  grandson  of  Lord  Borthwick,  of 
Grands  Hall,  Scotland.  Her  ancestors  were 
Scotch- French,  and  her  maternal  grandfather  was 
an  officer  in  the  French  army  and  came  to  Amer- 
ica with  Gen.  La  Fayette.  Mrs.  Felton  was  born 
in  Albany,  N.  Y. ,  and  there  resided  until  the  age 
of  fourteen.  The  three  succeeding  years  of  her 
life  were  passed  in  a  college  for  young  ladies  in 
Lyons,  Iowa,  and  after  graduating  she  returned  to 
her  native  city.  Mrs.  Felton  is  a  linguist  and  a  vo- 
calist of  some  note,  having  studied  under  the  best 
teachers  in  America  and  Europe. 

In  1865,  soon  after  Mr.  Felton  left  the  army, 
he  re-entered  the  service  of  A.  H.  Miller  &  Co., 
with  whom  he  continued  until  1870,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  railroad  business.  He  was  appointed 
contracting  agent  of  the  Empire  Freight  Line, 
which  was  a  part  of  the  Pennsylvania  system,  and 
to  the  duties  of  that  position  devoted  his  energies 
for  ten  years,  when  he  became  general  agent  of 
the  Merchants'  Dispatch  Dairy  Line  (having 
charge  of  the  territory  west  of  the  Mississippi 
River)  of  the  New  York  Central  System,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  for  two  years. 

In  1882  Mr.  Felton  purchased  one  of  the  largest 


steam  laundries  in  Chicago,  successfully  conduct- 
ing the  same  until  1884,  when,  accompanied  by 
Mrs.  Felton,  he  went  to  Europe  and  located  in 
London,  England.  He  there  embarked  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  laundry  machinery,  and  did  a  prosper- 
ous business  for  three  years,  when  he  became  a 
financial  agent,  and  dealt  in  all  kinds  of  Ameri- 
can enterprises  and  investment  securities.  With 
this  business  he  was  connected  for  five  years,  and 
was  again  very  successful.  During  this  period, 
in  company  with  his  wife,  he  visited  and  resided 
in  some  of  the  principal  cities  of  Europe.  In  1892, 
he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  soon  after  secured  an 
extensive  interest  in  the  White  Swan  Laundry, 
one  of  the  largest  in  the  city.  This  corporation,  of 
which  he  is  now  Secretary  and  Manager,  is  doing 
a  very  prosperous  business.  Mr.  Felton  is  a  very 
energetic  and  capable  man,  yet  modest  and  unas- 
suming, polite  and  courteous,  intelligent  and  well 
informed.  His  views  are  broad,  his  understand- 
ing having  been  well  developed  by  travel  and  ex- 
perience. He  is  domestic  in  his  tastes,  very  fond 
of  music,  and  an  admirer  of  the  opera  and  art. 
In  religious  belief,  he  is  independent,  and  in  his 
political  views  is  a  Republican.  He  keeps  abreast 
with  the  times  in  all  things,  and  is  well  posted 
on  the  leading  questions  of  the  day.  We  predict 
for  him  the  same  success  in  the  future,  that  has 
crowned  his  efforts  in  the  past. 


CHARLES  P.  HUEY. 


EHARLES  P.  HUEY,  who  is  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  law  in  Harvey,  re- 
ceiving a  liberal  patronage,  was  born  in  Cape 
Town,    Cape  Colony,  October  3,  1849.     His  fa- 
ther,  Robert  T.    Huey,  was  born  and  reared  in 
Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  made  his  home 
until  the  age  of  thirty -five,  when  he  entered  the 
British  service  and  became  a  soldier  in  the  Colonial 


army.  He  was  sent  with  his  command  to  South 
Africa,  and  reached  Cape  Town  about  1838.  In 
that  place  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Wil- 
helmina  Thomas.  At  ftie  close  of  the  war  he  was 
discharged  from  the  service  and  returned  to  Cape 
Town,  from  whence  he  afterwards  removed  to 
Port  Elizabeth,  on  the  extreme  southern  coast  of 
Cape  Colony,  where  with  his  family  he  resided 


492 


C.  P.  HUEY. 


for  many  years,  engaged  in  trading  and  in  various 
business  pursuits.  He  finally  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising, and  in  the  interests  of  that  business, 
and  partly  for  recreation,  departed  for  Liver- 
pool in  1860.  He  took  passage  on  a  sailing-ves- 
sel, which  was  never  heard  from  again,  and  is 
supposed  to  have  sunk  in  mid-ocean,  not  a  pas- 
senger escaping  to  tell  the  tale  of  the  disaster. 
He  left  a  wife  and  six  children.  Anna,  the  eldest, 
became  the  wife  of  Samuel  Slaughter,  who  is  now 
serving  as  a  County  Assessor  in  southern  Utah; 
Mary  is  married  and  resides  in  northern  Mon- 
tana; Charles  is  the  next  younger;  Leonard  is  in 
the  railway  service  and  resides  in  southern  Colo- 
rado; Nellie  is  the  wife  of  Ernest  H.  Price,  of 
Fresno,  Cal. ;  and  Walter  resides  in  the  same 
State. 

Charles  P.  Huey  began  his  education  in  the 
private  schools  of  Port  Elizabeth,  which  he  at- 
tended until  nine  years  of  age,  after  which  he 
spent  two  years  in  the  Gray  Institute,  a  large  and 
most  excellent  school.  At  the  age  of  ten  years 
he  began  the  study  of  Latin.  When  a  child  of 
eleven  summers  he  accompanied  the  family  to 
America,  locating  in  Salt  Lake  City,  where  he 
attended  St.  Mark's  Grammar  School,  an  Epis- 
copal institution  of  learning,  for  two  years.  At 
the  age  of  nineteen  he  entered  a  printing-office 
and  worked  as  a  compositor  until  1872,  becoming 
an  expert  printer.  He  learned  so  rapidly  that  in 
half  the  usual  time  he  had  completed  the  regular 
apprenticeship  and  was  made  a  journeyman.  He 
then,  until  the  fall  of  1873,  was  engaged  in  the 
newspaper  and  publishing  business,  and  during  a 
part  of  the  time  assisted  John  C.  Young,  a  nephew 
of  Brigham  Young,  in  the  publication  of  a  local 
paper,  which  was  opposed  to  the  system  of  polyg- 
amy, and  was  really  the  beginning  of  the  great 
opposition  developed  in  Utah  against  the  system. 
So  bitter  was  the  opposition  of  the  Mormon  lead- 
ers, that  the  printing  establishment  was  once 
broken  up  by  a  mob  and  Mr.  Young  assaulted. 

In  the  fall  of  1873,  Mr.  Huey  became  a  student 
in  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan at  Ann  Arbor,  pursuing  a  two-years  course, 
and  graduating  with  honor  in  the  Class  of '75. 
He  at  once  began  practice  in  Salt  Lake  City,  and 


soon  acquired  prominence  in  the  prosecution  of 
the  case  of  the  United  States  against  Rossiter,  a 
prominent  Mormon  in  the  employ  of  Brigham 
Young,  who  was  bound  over  under  the  Poland 
Law  to  keep  the  peace  for  having  threatened  with 
violence  John  C.  Young,  the  old  friend  and  asso- 
ciate of  Mr.  Huey,  and  who  was  then  local  editor  of 
the  Salt  Lake  Tribune,  the  leading  Gentile  paper 
of  the  city.  The  case,  under  the  advice  of  Mr. 
Huey,  was  prosecuted  before  Mr.  Pratt,  United 
States  Commissioner,  who  held  the  accused  under 
bonds.  The  prisoner's  counsel,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing lawyers  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  attorney  for 
the  Mormon  Church,  appealed  to  the  United 
States  District  Court  for  discharge,  under  writ  of 
habeas  corpus,  which,  after  an  able  argument  by 
Mr.  Huey  in  opposition  to  the  release,  and  argu- 
ments in  its  behalf  by  the  prisoner's  counsel,  was 
denied  by  the  Chief  Justice,  and  the  prisoner  re- 
manded to  the  custody  of  the  United  States  Mar- 
shal. Mr.  Huey's  maiden  speech  at  the  Bar  won 
the  first  signal  victory  for  the  anti-polygamist  un- 
der the  Poland  Law  and  gained  him  a  well-de- 
served prominence.  He  continued  in  practice  in 
Salt  Lake  City  until  1882. 

In  1878,  Mr.  Huey  wedded  MaryJ.  McFerren, 
of  Hoopeston,  111.,  and  in  1882,  on  account  of  his 
wife's  health,  removed  to  Hoopeston,  where  he 
practiced  law  for  some  time,  but  was  mostly  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  business  for  six  years,  in 
company  with  his  brother-in-law,  J.  S.  McFerren, 
who  is  President  and  chief  owner  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Hoopeston.  Mr.  Huey  served 
as  Assistant  Cashier  until  1889,  when  he  resumed 
law  practice,  and  also  for  a  year  published  the 
Hoopeston  Sentinel.  He  also  founded  and  pub- 
lished the  Danville  Sentinel,  and  in  March,  1892, 
came  to  Harvey,  where  for  a  few  months  he  edited 
the  Harvey  Citizen.  In  the  same  year,  however, 
he  retired  from  the  newspaper  field, and  has  since 
successfully  engaged  in  law  practice. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Huey  is  a  Republican,  but  at 
local  elections  subordinates  party  to  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  town,  laboring  with  other  promi- 
nent citizens  for  temperance,  good  government, 
and  the  material  interests  of  this  thriving  suburb. 
He  now  holds  the  office  of  City  Attorney.  He  is 


PLEASANT  AMICK. 


493 


a  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  an  active 
member  of  Dirigo  Lodge  No.  399,  K.  P.,  which 
he  represented  in  the  State  Grand  Lodge  at  Spring- 
field. He  has  taken  the  highest  degree  in  the 
Odd  Fellows'  fraternity,  and  has  passed  all  the 
chairs  in  the  local  lodge.  He  has  only  one  child, 


James  J.,  who  is  now  nine  years  of  age.  Mr. 
Huey  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  prominent 
and  progressive  citizens  of  Harvey,  and  in  the 
history  of  his  adopted  county  he  well  deserves 
mention. 


PLEASANT  AMICK. 


|~\LEASANT  AMICK,  a  pioneer  of  northern 
\S  Illinois,  now  engaged  in  the  real-estate  busi- 
|5  ness  in  Chicago,  has  for  some  years  been  con- 
nected with  the  business  and  official  interests  of 
this  city,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  its  represen- 
tative men.  He  was  born  near  Diamond  Lake, 
Cass  County,  Mich.,  October  14,  1834,  and  is  a 
son  of  Jacob  and  Rachel  (Corron)  Amick,  natives 
of  Virginia.  They  removed  to  Cass  County, 
Mich. ,  previous  to  1 830.  The  Amick  family  is  of 
German  origin,  and  the  ancestors  were  among  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  Pennsylvania.  Members  of 
the  family  afterward  removed  to  the  Old  Domin- 
ion, and  Jacob  Amick  was  born  near  the  Natural 
Bridge  in  Virginia.  The  Corron  family  is  Eng- 
lish, and  its  founders  in  America  settled  in  Vir- 
ginia. The  mother  of  Mrs.  Rachel  Amick  was  a 
daughter  of  James  Pinnell,  Jr. ,  who  came  from 
Lambeth,  London.  One  of  his  uncles,  Rev. 
Robert  Pinnell,  served  as  rector  of  a  church  for 
more  than  half  a  century  in  one  of  the  parishes 
near  London. 

In  1835,  Jacob  Amick  removed  with  his  family 
to  Illinois  and  located  on  a  farm  in  Kane  County, 
becoming  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  locality. 
He  was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  carried  on  that  bus- 
iness in  connection  with  farming.  He  was  the  in- 
ventor of  the  grapevine  cradle-swath.  In  1844, 
he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  scythes  and  grain-cradles  until 


1849,  when  he  went  overland  to  California.  There 
his  death  occurred,  October  25,  1850,  at  the  age  of 
forty-eight  years,  resulting  from  an  attack  of 
cholera.  He  was  an  old-time  Abolitionist,  being 
identified  with  the  movement  from  the  beginning, 
and  left  Virginia  on  account  of  the  slavery  there 
tolerated.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  strong 
convictions  and  devotion  to  principle,  and  had  the 
confidence  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  held  mem- 
bership with  the  Tabernacle  Baptist  Church,  now 
the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago,  the  house 
of  worship  being  then  located  on  La  Salle,  between 
Washington  and  Randolph  Streets.  His  wife, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  same  church,  passed 
away  in  1878,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two.  Of  their 
children,  one  died  in  infancy;  Mary  Elizabeth  be- 
came the  wife  of  Alanson  Miller,  and  died  of  chol- 
era in  Chicago  in  1852;  Martha,  deceased,  was  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Shaw;  Pleasant  is  the  next  younger; 
Hiram,  who  is  now  living  in  California,  was  a 
member  of  the  Mercantile  Battery  of  Chicago,  and 
for  a  number  of  years  was  Secretary  of  the  Fire 
Department  of  Chicago;  Myron  J.,  who  for  many 
years  was  a  member  of  the  United  States  army, 
and  did  much  scouting  duty  during  the  Great 
Rebellion,  now  resides  in  New  York  City. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  record 
was  in  his  tenth  year  when  the  family  located  in 
Chicago.  The  house  built  by  his  father  in  1844 
on  Curtis  Street  is  still  standing.  Pleasant  Amick, 


494 


H.  T.  BYFORD. 


his  wife,  and  afterward  two  of  their  children,  at- 
tended the  Scammon  School  on  Madison  Street, 
the  first  free-school  building  in  the  West  Division, 
of  which  Prof.  A.  D.  Sturtevant  was  the  Principal, 
and  Pleasant  was  afterward  a  pupil  in  Gleason's 
Academy.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  became  a 
clerk  in  a  grocery-store  on  Clark  Street  owned  by 
J.  B.  Doggett,  with  whom  he  continued  until 
1855,  when  he  embarked  in  business  for  himself 
as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Leybourn  &  Amick, 
grocers.  In  1859,  they  sold  out,  and  during  the 
war  Mr.  Amick  served  as  enrolling  officer  under 
Col.  William  James,  of  Chicago.  In  1864,  he  was 
elected  Tax  Collector  for  the  West  Division,  on 
the  same  ticket  with  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  served 
two  years.  In  1866,  he  embarked  in  the  real- 
estate  business,  which  he  has  followed  almost  con- 
tinuously since,  being  considered  one  of  the  best 
judges  of  real-estate  values  in  the  city.  During 
the  three  succeeding  years  he  served  as  City  As- 
sessor, and  in  1880  and  1881  he  was  Assessor  of 
the  Town  of  West  Chicago.  For  fourteen  years 


he  was  in  the  tax  department  of  the  West  Division, 
serving  in  various  capacities. 

On  the  1 5th  of  November,  1854,  Mr.  Amick 
was  joined  in  wedlock  with  Julia  S.  Bishop,  a  na- 
tive of  Lewis,  Essex  County,  N.  Y. ,  and  to  them 
have  been  born  three  children:  Frank  S.,  a  real- 
estate  dealer  of  Chicago;  J.  Stella;  and  Mamie, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  three  and  a-half  years. 

Mr.  Amick  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church,  but  now  holds  membership  with 
no  religious  organization.  He  is  a  member  of 
Columbian  Lodge  No.  819,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  of 
Lawndale,  and  in  politics  he  has  been  a  stalwart 
Republican  since  the  organization  of  the  party. 
He  is  a  gentleman  of  genial  and  pleasant  manner, 
has  an  extensive  acquaintance  among  the  earlier 
settlers  of  Chicago,  and  feels  a  keen  and  abiding 
interest  in  their  early  history.  His  long  residence 
here  makes  him  familiar  with  much  of  its  devel- 
opment, and  in  the  work  of  advancement  he  has 
ever  borne  his  part. 


HENRY  TURMAN  BYFORD,  M.  D. 


HENRY  TURMAN  BYFORD,  M.  D.,  Profes- 
sor of  Gynecology  in  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians and  Surgeons  of  Chicago,  and  in  the 
Chicago  Post-Graduate  Medical  School,  and  of 
Clinical  Gynecology  in    the    Woman's  Medical 
College  of  Chicago,  and  ex-President  of  the  Chi- 
cago Gynecological  Society,  is  a  native  of  Evans- 
ville,  Ind.,  born  on  the  I2th  of  November,  1853. 
He  is  the  second  and  only  surviving  son  of  the 
late  Dr.  William  Heath  By  ford,  of  Chicago,  and 
Mary  Ann  Byford,  his  wife,  the  latter  a  daughter 
of  Hezekiah  Holland,  a  physician  of  Mt.  Vernon, 
Ind.,  and  sister  of  a  physician,  Andrew  Holland. 
Dr.  William  H.  Byford,  the  pioneer  gynecol- 
ogist of  Chicago,  was  a  man  whose  intelligence 


and  culture,  extended  observation  and  experience, 
fitted  him  to  fully  appreciate  the  benefits  of  edu- 
cation, proper  environment  and  morality  upon  the 
young,  and  took  such  measures  as  afforded  his 
sons  ample  opportunity  to  enjoy  them  and  to  pre- 
pare to  enter  one  of  the  learned  professions. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  obtained  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Chicago  his  primary  education,  and 
at  the  age  of  twelve  had  completed  a  large  portion 
of  the  public-school  course.  He  then  accompa- 
nied his  elder  brother  to  Europe,  where  he  spent 
four  years  (1865-1868)  in  travel  and  study.  At 
Berlin,  he  learned  French  and  German,  and  also 
took  a  full  regular  classical  course  including  Lat- 
in and  Greek.  It  would  seem  that  under  the 


H.  T.  BYFORD. 


495 


circumstances  he  would  have  labored  under  in- 
surmountable difficulties  in  competition  with  the 
pupils  of  native  birth,  but  at  graduation  he  took 
prizes  in  divinity  and  also  in  German  composition. 

Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States,  Dr.  By- 
ford  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Chicago, 
where  he  contemplated  taking  higher  honors  in 
the  classics;  but  discovering  a  preference  for  the 
sciences,  he  entered  the  scientific  department  of 
Williston  Seminary  in  East  Hampton,  Mass. ,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  the  year  1870.  En- 
tering the  Chicago  Medical  College,  he  took  a 
three-years  course,  which  he  completed  in  1873, 
graduating  as  valedictorian  of  his  class.  It  is  a 
matter  worthy  of  remark  that  the  college  records 
show  that  he  was  marked  one  hundred  per  cent, 
in  all  branches  of  medicine  taught,  except  diseases 
of  the  eye  and  ear,  which  at  that  time  did  not  re- 
ceive so  much  attention  as  at  the  present  date. 
During  his  second  year  he  attended  the  lectures 
and  demonstrations  given  to  the  senior  class,  and 
at  the  end  of  the  year  passed  a  successful  exami- 
nation in  all  branches  and  fairly  won  the  position 
of  interne  in  Mercy  Hospital. 

The  serious  illness  of  his  brother  in  Louisiana 
requiring  Dr.  Byford's  presence  there,  interrupted 
his  hospital  course,  and  prevented  his  delivering 
the  valedictory  address  to  his  class  at  graduation. 
Although  absent  from  the  commencement  exer- 
cises, his  extraordinary  proficiency  and  excep- 
tional standing  were  distinctly  recognized  by  the 
faculty,  which  granted  him  his  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine  without  examination,  a  very  unusual 
act,  but  one  which  the  circumstances  of  the  case 
fully  justified.  One  condition  was  attached  to  the 
granting  of  the  degree,  and  that  was  that  the 
young  graduate,  then  hardly  twenty  years  of  age, 
should  not  enter  the  active  practice  of  medicine  un- 
til he  had  attained  his  majority.  This  was  done 
out  of  regard  for  the  ethics  of  the  profession, 
which  does  not  encourage  the  practice  of  medicine 
by  minors,  however  proficient. 

The  interim  between  graduation  and  the  attain- 
ment of  his  majority  was  spent  by  Dr.  Byford  in  at- 
tendance upon  his  brother  in  Colorado,  where  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  recover.  Declin- 
ing his  father's  proffered  partnership,  the  young 


physician  thought  it  best  to  begin  professional  life 
independently,  and  associated  himself  with  his  col- 
lege friend,  Dr.  J.  A.  St.  John,  opening  an  office 
in  one  of  the  less  fashionable  districts  of  the  city. 
The  brilliant  promise  of  future  success  which  had 
appeared  in  the  student  was  fully  realized  in  the 
practitioner.  He  was  energetic,  competent,  pop- 
ular, and  successful  from  the  first.  In  1879, 
he  visited  Europe  a  second  time,  and  for  a  year 
and  a-half  devoted  his  time  about  equally  to  study 
in  the  hospitals  and  travel  for  pleasure. 

On  his  return  to  Chicago,  Dr.  Byford  associated 
himself  with  his  father,  and  directed  his  attention 
principally  to  obstetrics  and  the  diseases  of  women 
and  ehildren,  working  steadily  toward  his  life  ob- 
ject— the  diseases  of  women  and  abdominal  sur- 
gery. Although  busy  with  his  private  practice 
he  has  not  spent  his  whole  time  therein.  He  has 
been  Curator  in  the  museum  of  the  Chicago.  Medi- 
cal College,  lecturer  on  diseases  of  children  in  the 
Chicago  Medical  College,  and  lecturer  on  obstet- 
rics in  Rush  Medical  College.  These  positions, 
however,  were  relinquished  on  account  of  their 
requiring  time  that  he  could  not  spare  from  his 
favorite  study  and  specialty.  In  December,  1888, 
he  received  the  appointment  to  the  chair  of 
Gynecology  in  the  Chicago  Post-Graduate  Medi- 
cal School,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  founders;  and 
the  following  year  he  was  chosen  Professor  of 
Clinical  Gynecology  in  the  Woman's  Medical 
College,  and  upon  the  death  of  A.  Reeves  Jack- 
son, in  1892,  was  elected  Professor  of  Gynecology 
in  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Chi- 
cago. He  has  also  been  Gynecologist  to  St. 
Luke's  Hospital  for  several  years  past  and  surgeon 
to  the  Woman's  Hospital.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Medical  Association,  Illinois  State 
Medical  Association,  of  the  American  Gynecolog- 
ical Society,  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the 
Chicago  Gynecological  Society  (of  which  he  was 
President  in  1887),  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of 
Medicine,  and  the  Chicago  Medico-Legal  Society. 

Dr.  Byford  is  known  throughout  the  United 
States  as  one  of  the  most  original  and  progressive 
men  in  his  specialties,  and  has  originated  a  num- 
ber of  operations  which  have  been  approved  and 
adopted  by  medical  practitioners  generally. 


496 


J.  A.   MACK. 


Among  these  are  inguinal  suspension  of  the  blad- 
der, shortening  of  the  sacro- uterine  ligaments,  bi- 
lateral anterior  elytroirhaphy,  subcutaneous  peri- 
neal  tenotomy  and  the  vaginal  fixation  and  vaginal 
drainage  of  the  stump  in  abdominal  hysterectomy. 
Not  only  surgical  operations,  but  also  surgical 
instruments,  have  been  the  objects  of  Dr.  Byford's 
study,  and  of  these  latter  he  has  originated  many 
new  forms  of  greater  utility  than  their  predeces- 
sors that  are  in  daily  use  and  called  by  his  name. 
As  a  clinical  and  didactic  lecturer  he  has  been 
very  successful,  and  as  a  writer  on  medical  topics 
is  able  and  voluminous.  He  was  one  of  the  edi- 
tors of  "Byford's  Diseases  of  Women,"  a  treatise 
originally  by  his  father,  one  of  the  authors  of  the 


"American  Text  Book  of  Gynecology,"  and  also 
of  '  'A  Treatise  on  Diseases  of  Women,  by  Emi- 
nent American  Teachers. ' ' 

While  in  Paris,  Dr.  Byford  was  a  student  at  the 
school  of  Julian,  where  he  studied  drawing  of  the 
human  figure.  From  other  artists  of  Europe  he 
learned  landscape-painting  from  nature,  and  now 
seeks  recreation  in  the  study  of  art  and  the  treas- 
ures of  literature. 

On  the  gth  of  November,  1882,  Dr.  Byford 
married  Mrs.  Lucy  1,.  Richard,  a  daughter  of 
Frederick  learned,  who  was  a  near  relative  of  N. 
P.  Willis.  They  have  four  children,  Genevieve, 
Mary,  Heath  Tunnan  and  William  Holland. 


REV.  JOS  I  AH  AUGUSTUS  MACK. 


REV.  JOSIAH  AUGUSTUS  MACK,  Gen- 
eral Secretary  and  Manager  of  the  Chicago 
Bible  Society,  was  born  in  Gilead,  Tolland, 
County,  Conn.,  on  the  4th  of  July,  1828,  and  is  a 
son  of  Ela  Augustus  and  Esther  (Cone)  Mack, 
who  were  also  natives  of  Gilead,  and  came  of  old 
New  England  families.  The  father  was  adopted 
in  his  infancy  by  a  man  bearing  the  name  of 
Mack,  which  became  his  surname,  although  his 
own  father  was  named  Gillette.  The  father  of 
Mrs.  Esther  Mack,  John  Cone,  was  killed,  dur- 
ing her  childhood,  by  the  accidental  explosion  of 
a  cannon  on  one  of  the  training  days  of  the  Con- 
necticut militia.  E.  A.  Mack  served  as  Captain 
of  a  company  of  militia,  and  made  farming  his  oc- 
cupation through  life.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
forty-six  years,  and  his  wife  passed  away  in  Chi- 
cago at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-seven.  They 
came  to  Illinois  in  1836,  and  the  journey  by  way 
of  the  Erie  Canal  and  the  Great  Lakes  covered  a 
period  of  six  weeks.  The  family  settled  on  a 
claim  near  the  Fox  River,  in  Kane  County,  after- 


ward purchasing  the  land  of  the  United  States 
Government,  and  for  several  years  they  lived  the 
typical  frontier  life.  Later  they  removed  to  Ba- 
tavia,  111. 

Josiah  A.  Mack  acquired  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools,  then  the  only  educational  in- 
stitutions. Afterward  he  attended  a  boarding- 
school  in  Batavia  for  several  terms.  At  the  age 
of  eighteen  he  began  clerking  in  a  general  store 
in  Batavia,  and  three  years  later  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  uncle  in  the  same  business. 
After  two  years  he  yielded  to  the  desire  for 
Christian  work  and  became  agent  for  the  Ameri- 
can Bible  Society,  and  in  that  capacity  labored  in 
northern  Illinois  for  three  years.  This  occupa- 
tion gave  him  experience  and  training  for  public 
speaking  and  determined  him  to  enter  the  Chris- 
tian ministry.  A  college  course  being  out  of  the 
question,  he  took  up  the  study  of  theology  with 
Dr.  William  E.  Merriman,  who  afterward  became 
President  of  Ripon  College,  at  Ripon,  Wis. 

After  studying  for  one  year,   Mr.   Mack  was 


REUBEN  LUDLAM. 


497 


licensed  to  preach  by  the  Elgin  Association  of 
Congregational  Churches,  and  in  1839  he  ac- 
cepted his  first  pastorate  at  Udina,  111.,  where  he 
was  ordained  by  a  special  council,  Rev.  N.  C, 
Clark  preaching  the  sermon.  He  was  later  called 
to  Plainfield,  where  he  labored  with  growing  suc- 
cess for  four  years.  When  the  war  broke  out  he 
took  an  active  interest  in  organizing  troops  for  the 
service,  and  during  the  struggle  was  sent  to 
Helena,  Ark. ,  as  a  representative  of  the  Christian 
Commission.  There  he  engaged  in  Christian 
work  among  the  soldiers  and  colored  people.  He 
spent  some  further  time  in  the  South  for  the  ben- 
efit of  his  health,  which  had  broken  down  under 
his  labors  at  Peoria,  in  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  that  city.  He  held  pastorates  also  at 
Moline  and  other  points  in  Illinois,  and  in  1876 
was  called  to  his  native  town  in  Connecticut,  where 
he  served  as  pastor  of  the  church  for  over  six 
years. 

In  1883  Rev.  Mr.  Mack  returned  to  Illinois  and 
became  General  Secretary  and  Agent  for  the  Chi- 
cago Bible  Society,  in  which  service  he  continues. 
Under  his  management  the  receipts  of  the  society 
have  increased  from  $2,000  to  $14,000  per  annum. 
In  1889  the  society  was  reorganized  and  special 
provision  made  for  a  Bible-work  department,  in 
which  fifteen  to  twenty  young  women  have  been 


employed,  and  the  force  is  increased  as  fast  as 
means  justify.  This  work  is  undenominational, 
and  the  society  is  supported  by  benevolent  con- 
tributions. It  has  been  in  existence  for  over  fifty 
years,  and  is  managed  on  the  broad  basis  of  the 
fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man. 

Mr.  Mack  was  united  in  marriage  in  1850  with 
Eliza  Sophia  Towne,  a  native  of  Troy.  N.  Y., 
and  a  daughter  of  Deacon  Silvanus  Towne,  of 
Batavia,  111.  To  them  were  born  six  children 
who  grew  to  maturity.  Emily  Eliza,  wife  of 
George  C.  Clark,  of  Peoria,  111. ;  Charles  Augus- 
tus, pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church  at  Ran- 
toul,  111.;  Mary  I,.,  wife  of  Charles  Alden  Smith, 
Principal  of  the  preparatory  school  at  Lake  Forest 
University;  William  Howard,  of  Philadelphia, 
Pa. ;  Fannie  Cone  and  Rose  C. 

Mr.  Mack  has  always  taken  an  intelligent  in- 
terest in  political  and  other  public  interests,  though 
he  is  not  a  partisan  politician.  Growing  up  among 
the  people,  and  earnestly  sympathizing  with  what- 
ever makes  for  good  government  and  mutual  con- 
fidence, he  has  cast  his  vote  and  given  his  influ- 
ence in  ways  promotive  of  these  ends.  His  good 
judgment  and  conscientious  labors  have  been  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  cause  with  which  he  is 
identified,  while  his  genial,  pleasant  manner  has 
won  him  many  warm  personal  friends. 


REUBEN  LUDLAM,  M.  D. 


REUBEN  LUDLAM,  M.  D.,  one  of  the  fore- 
most    physicians,    surgeons     and     medical 
writers  in  the  Northwest,  was  born  in  Camden, 
N.  J.,  on  the  7th  of  October,  1831.     His  parents, 
natives   of    New    Jersey,    were   descended  from 
early  Colonial  immigrants.     His  father,  Dr.  Jacob 
W.    Ludlam,    an   eminent  physician,    spent  his 
earlier  years  in  the  East,  but  removed  with  his 
family  to  Illinois  in  1856,  and  died  in  Evanston 


in  1858,  after  a  long  life  spent  in  alleviating  the 
sufferings  of  humanity.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Mary 
Ludlarn,  now  eighty-six  years  of  age,  still  resides 
in  Evanston. 

Reuben  Ludlam's  inherited  tendencies  and  early 
training  led  him  to  follow  in  the  professional  foot- 
steps of  his  father.  In  his  childhood  he  was  ac- 
customed to  accompany  his  father  in  his  daily 
round  of  visits,  and  took  great  interest  in  the  cases 


498 


REUBEN  LUDLAM. 


he  saw.  His  studious  habits  and  thoughtful  na- 
ture caused  his  rapid  advancement  at  school,  and 
at  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  graduated  from  the 
old  academy  at  Bridgeton,  N.  J.,  with  the  highest 
honors  of  his  class.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  be- 
gan the  study  of  medicine  in  his  father's  office, 
and  when  qualified  matriculated  at  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  (where  his  father  had  received 
his  medical  education) ,  finished  the  curriculum, 
and  was  graduated  therein  in  1852.  He  had  spent 
six  years  in  preparation  for  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession. 

Soon  after  receiving  his  diploma,  Dr.  Ludlam 
came  to  Chicago.  He  was  a  young  man  fresh 
from  the  influences  of  the  regular  or  allopathic 
school  of  teachers,  but  he  did  not  allow  his  train- 
ing or  environment  to  overbalance  his  judgment, 
and  after  weighing  the  doctrines  of  Hahnemann, 
the  great  founder  of  homeopathy,  with  care  and 
conscientious  attention,  he  decided  they  were 
largely  true  and  should  be  adopted.  To  renounce 
the  teachings  of  those  he  had  learned  to  re- 
spect for  their  great  knowledge  of  the  healing  art 
was  a  matter  that  required  a  great  effort,  but, 
his  mind  once  made  up,  he  was  equal  to  the  effort, 
embraced  the  new  theory  of  medicine  and  became 
a  practitioner  of  the  new  school.  In  1859,  the 
Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Chicago  was  or- 
ganized, and  he  was  chosen  to  fill  the  chair  of 
physiology,  pathology  and  clinical  medicine 
therein.  On  account  of  the  high  degree  of  skill  he 
showed  in  those  branches,  he  was  transferred,  four 
years  later,  to  the  chair  of  obstetrics  and  the  dis- 
eases of  women  and  children.  He  was  made 
Professor  of  the  Medical  and  Surgical  Diseases  of 
Women  a  few  years  later,  and  elected  Dean  of  the 
college  faculty.  In  each  of  these  capacities 
he  rendered  inestimable  service,  and  his  cheerful 
and  attentive  manner  endeared  him  to  all  who 
came  within  the  circle  of  his  acquaintance.  For 
twenty-five  years  he  was  Dean  of  the  faculty,  and 
resigned  that  place  to  become  President  of  the 
college  and  hospital  in  1891,  which  office  he  still 
holds. 

From  the  first  Dr.  L,udlam  gave  very  close  at- 
tention to  gynecology,  and  after  exhausting  the 
opportunities  of  this  country  he  made  four  medi- 


cal journeys  to  Enrope,  where  he  spent  some  years 
in  hard  study  and  painstaking  labor  in  order  to 
make  himself  complete  master  of  the  subject.  As 
might  be  expected  from  the  man  and  from  the  ef- 
fort, his  success  was  abundant  and  almost  beyond 
belief.  In  the  department  of  uterine  surgery,  his 
services  in  difficult  operations  are  constantly  in 
demand  throughout  the  Northwest,  and  as  a  con- 
sulting authority  his  ability  is  recognized  wherever 
he  is  known. 

Dr.  Ludlam  was  chosen  President  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Homeopathy,  the  oldest  National 
Medical  Society  in  America,  in  1869,  and  presided 
over  its  deliberations  at  Boston,  and  delivered 
the  annual  oration,  entitled  "The  Relation  of  Wo- 
man to  Homeopathy."  He  was  also  elected 
President  of  the  Chicago  Academy  of  Medicine,  of 
the  Illinois  Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  and  the 
Western  Institute  of  Homeopathy.  In  1870,  he 
was  offered,  but  declined,  the  position  of  Physician 
in  Chief  of  the  Woman's  Homeopathic  Infirmary 
of  New  York  City,  and  that  of  Professor  of  Obstet- 
rics and  Diseases  of  Women  and  Children  in  the 
New  York  Homeopathic  Medical  College. 

The  confusion  and  almost  total  disorganization 
of  mercantile  and  social  functions  that  succeeded 
the  great  fire  of  1871,  made  it  necessary  to  or- 
ganize a  Relief  and  Aid  Society  for  attending 
the  sick  and  homeless,  who  otherwise  would 
have  been  left  to  suffer,  and  in  many  cases  to 
die,  for  want  of  medical  attention.  Dr.  lyudlam 
was  one  of  the  physicans  who  with  tireless  gener- 
osity devoted  their  best  efforts  toward  the  relief  of 
suffering  without  pay  or  hope  of  reward.  In 
1877  the  State  Board  of  Health  was  organized, 
and  Gov.  Cullom,  recognizing  Dr.  Ludlam's  fit- 
ness for  the  place,  appointed  him  a  member  of  the 
Board.  He  was  twice  re-appointed  and  his  service 
extended  over  a  period  of  fifteen  consecutive  years. 

Although  Dr.  Indiana  is  so  well  known  as  a 
physician  and  surgeon,  it  seems  probable  that  he 
is  best  known,  to  the  reading  and  professional 
world  at  least,  as  a  writer.  For  six  years,  begin- 
ning in  1 860,  he  was  editorially  connected  with  the 
North  American  Journal  of  Homeopathy ,  publish- 
ed in  New  York,  and  for  nine  years  with  the 
United  States  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal,  pub- 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

5L'!P/rP$!TY  Cf  "JJ^'O 


STEPHEN  D.  JONES. 


S.  D.  JONES 


499 


lished  in  Chicago.  Since  1879,  he  has  been  edi- 
tor of  the  Clinique,  a  monthly  abstract  of  the 
work  of  the  Clinical  Society  and  the  Hahnemann 
Hospital.  His  paper  entitled  "Clinical  Observa- 
tions Based  on  Five  Hundred  Abdominal  Sec- 
tions, ' '  was  one  the  most  important  contributions 
to  this  paper.  In  1871  his  great  work  entitled 
"Clinical  and  Didactic  Lectures  on  Diseases  of 
Women' '  was  published,  and  is  now  in  its  seven- 
teenth edition.  It  is  an  octavo  of  over  one  thous- 
and pages,  employed  as  a  text-book  in  all  home- 
opathic colleges,  and  is  an  acknowledged  author- 
ity among  homeopathic  physicians  both  in  Amer- 
ica and  Europe.  This  work  has  been  trans- 
lated into  French,  and  has  equally  as  high  a 
standing  among  the  physicians  of  continental 
Europe  as  among  the  English-speaking  med- 
ical practitioners.  In  1863,  Dr.  Ludlam 
brought  out  a  volume  entitled  "A  Course  of 
Clinical  Lectures  on  Diphtheria, ' '  which  was  the 
first  work  of  a  purely  medical  character  ever  pub- 
lished in  Chicago  and  the  Northwest.  In  1880, 


in  return  for  the  compliment  paid  him  by  the 
translation  of  one  of  his  volumes  into  French,  Dr. 
Ludlam  rendered  into  English  a  valuable  work 
by  Dr.  Jousset,  of  Paris,  entitled  '  'A  Volume  of 
Lectures  on  Clinical  Medicine." 

Dr.  Ludlam  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Anna  M.  Porter,  of  Greenwich,  N.  J., 
who  died  three  years  after  her  marriage.  His 
second  wife  was  Harriet  G.  Parvin.  They  have 
one  son,  Dr.  Reuben  Ludlam,  Jr.,  a  young  man  ot 
ability,  whose  education  and  habits  have  enabled 
him  to  be  of  assistance  to  his  father  in  the  perform- 
ance of  his  multifarious  labors,  as  well  as  to  estab- 
lish for  himself  an  enviable  reputation  as  a  prac- 
titioner. Dr.  Ludlam  is  an  untiring  worker,  an 
enthusiastic  student  and  an  accomplished  linguist. 
He  is  social  and  a  very  entertaining  conversa- 
tionalist, whose  fund  of  humor  and  anecdote  en- 
riches his  instructive  familiar  discourse.  As  a 
writer  he  is  forceful,  graceful  and  lucid,  and  as  a 
physician  he  stands  in  the  front  rank. 


STEPHEN  DECATUR  JONES. 


(TjTEPHEN  DECATUR  JONES,  a  worthy 
?\  representative  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
Q)  of  Cook  County,  now  resides  in  Blue  Island, 
where  he  is  engaged  in  business  as  a  dealer  in  con- 
fectionery, stationery,  etc.  This  is  the  place  of 
his  nativity,  for  his  birth  here  occurred  on  the 
23d  of  October,  1846.  His  parents  were  Stephen 
and  Martha  (Crandall)  Jones.  His  father,  who 
was  a  native  of  Broome  County,  N.  Y.,  born  No- 
vember 5,  1806,  died  in  Blue  Island,  June  14,  1851. 
His  ancestors  were  early  settlers  of  the  Empire 
State,  and  took  part  in  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Mrs.  Jones  was  born  in  Westford,  Chit- 
tenden  County,  Vt.,  on  the  ist  of  November, 
1808,  and  died  in  Blue  Island  on  the  5th  of  Au- 


gust, 1890.  Stephen  Jones  came  to  Blue  Island 
in  1836,  being  one  of  three  who  in  that  year  lo- 
cated there.  He  opened  a  wagon-shop,  and  car- 
ried on  that  line  of  business  most  of  the  time  un- 
til his  death.  His  wife  came  to  Cook  County  in 
1836,  and  the  following  year  they  were  married. 
Three  children  of  the  six  who  were  born  of  their 
union  survived  the  period  of  infancy:  Eda  Ann, 
who  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  village 
which  is  now  her  home;  Stephen  D.  of  this  sketch; 
and  Alice  A.,  now  the  wife  of  C.  A.  Roberts,  of 
Pasadena,  Cal.  The  mother  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inal members  of  the  Universalist  Church  of  Blue 
Island,  and  in  many  other  waysthe  family  was  con- 
nected with  the  early  history  of  this  community. 


500 


J.  P.  YOUNG. 


The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  record 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native  town,  and 
at  the  early  age  of  sixteen  years  started  out  in  life 
for  himself.  He  began  to  earn  his  livelihood  by 
working  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed in  this  locality  until  1868,  when  he  went 
to  Brushton,  Franklin  County,  N.  Y.,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming.  In  1872,  he  returned  to 
Blue  Island,  and  followed  his  trade  until  1880, 
when  he  embarked  in  his  present  line  of  business. 
He  earnestly  desires  to  please  his  customers,  and 
his  courteous  treatment  and  straightforward  deal- 
ing have  won  him  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
all. 

On  the  1 2th  of  September,  1871,  Mr.  Jones  was 
joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Martha  Slate,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  P.  and  Ann  (McElwain)  Slate,  of 
Bangor,  N.  Y.  The  lady,  who  was  born  in  Ft. 
Covington,  N.  Y. ,  April  24,  1849,  was  a  member  of 
the  Universalist  Church,  and  died  in  Blue  Island, 


December  17,  1893,  at  the  age  of  forty-four  years. 
In  the  family  were  five  children,  but  two  died  in 
infancy.  Those  still  living  are  Emma  Alice,  Asa 
Charles  and  Martha  Lillian. 

Mr.  Jones  was  one  of  the  original  members  of 
the  Universalist  Church  of  Blue  Island,  and  has 
ever  identified  himself  with  those  interests  calcu- 
lated to  improve  the  community  and  promote  the 
general  welfare.  Socially,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  fraternity,  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  In  politics,  he  was 
formerly  a  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
now  affiliates  with  the  Democracy.  For  two  terms 
he  served  as  Clerk  of  Worth  Township.  He  is  a 
man  of  upright  character,  of  a  pleasant  and  accom- 
modating spirit  and  manner,  and  has  the  high  re- 
gard of  all  who  know  him.  He  can  recall  many 
interesting  reminiscences  of  the  early  days  in  Blue 
Island,  and  may  well  be  numbered  among  her 
pioneer  settlers. 


JOSHUA  PALMER  YOUNG. 


(JOSHUA  PALMER  YOUNG,  an  honored 
pioneer  of  Chicago  and  Blue  Island,  was  born 
in  Brockport,  Monroe  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the 
i8th  of  March,  1818,  and  is  a  son  of  Eli  M.  and 
Temperance  (Palmer)  Young.  Their  family  num- 
bered four  children:  Eli,  a  resident  farmer  of 
Brockport,  N.  Y. ;  William,  who  died  in  Morgan- 
ville,  N.  Y.;  Joshua  P.  of  this  sketch;  and  Reu- 
ben, who  died  in  Williamston,  Mich.  The  father 
of  this  family  was  killed  by  a  falling  tree,  when 
Joshua  was  about  six  years  old,  and  his  wife  died 
several  years  later. 

Soon  after  the  father's  death  the  family  became 
scattered.  Joshua  was  adopted  by  a  Mr.  Staples, 
a  farmer  residing  near  Brockport,  who  treated 
him  kindly  and  gave  him  fair  educational  ad- 
vantages. When  he  had  attained  his  majority  he 


began  life  for  himself  as  clerk  in  a  store  in  his  na- 
tive town,  and  later  engaged  in  teaching  school. 
On  the  1 5th  of  January,  1845,  Mr.  Young  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Louisa  J.  Spencer, 
daughter  of  Oliver  and  Electa  Spencer,  of  Sweden, 
N.  Y.  The  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  and  the  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Young  were 
Revolutionary  soldiers,  and  were  quartered  at  New 
London,  Conn.,  at  the  time  that  place  was  sacked 
by  Gen.  Arnold;  but  having  been  sent  out  on  an 
expedition  some  distance  from  the  town,  they  es- 
caped capture.  The  young  couple  began  their 
domestic  life  upon  a  farm  near  Sweden,  N.  Y., 
where  they  resided  until  1848,  which  year  wit- 
nessed their  removal  westward.  Taking  up  their 
residence  in  Chicago,  Mr.  Young  here  embarked 
in  business.  He  built  the  first  house  on  the  West 


H.  H.   MASSEY. 


Side,  south  of  Polk  Street,  and  in  1856  he  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land,  comprising  a  part  of 
the  present  site  of  Blue  Island,  which  tract  lay 
between  Western  and  Maple  Avenues,  and  in- 
cluded the  most  valuable  portions  of  the  present 
village,  extending  from  Vermont  to  Burr  Oak 
Streets.  During  the  next  four  years  he  made  his 
home  thereon,  devoting  his  time  and  attention  to 
the  improvement  of  his  purchase,  after  which  he 
returned  to  Chicago  and  engaged  in  the  produce 
commission  business  at  Market  and  I,ake  Streets, 
being  thus  employed  until  after  the  death  of  his 
wife. 

Mrs.  Young  passed  away  in  Chicago  in  Oc- 
tober, 1863.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Congre 
gational  Church,  and  was  highly  esteemed  for  her 
many  excellencies  of  character.  She  left  two  chil- 
dren, and  one  had  died  in  infancy.  The  surviv- 
ing sons,  Charles  S.  and  Frank  O.,  are  both 
prominent  residents  of  Blue  Island. 

On  the  yth  of  February,  1866,  Mr.  Young  was 
again  married,  his  second  union  being  with  Min- 
erva P.,  daughter  of  Sweet  and  Eliza  Brayton, 
of  Blue  Island.  The  lady  was  born  in  Marion, 
Wayne  County,  N.  Y.,  and  still  resides  in  Blue 
Island.  She  has  one  son,  Chauncey  Brayton 
Young. 

In  1866,  Joshua  P.  Young  returned  to  Blue 
Island,  erected  a  fine  residence  and  began  dealing 


in  real  estate  in  Chicago,  handling  both  city  and 
suburban  property.  In  company  with  John  K. 
Rowley,  he  laid  out  the  south  part  of  Englewood, 
between  Sixty-third  and  Sixty-eighth  Streets, 
and  subsequently  they  platted  the  town  of  South 
Lawn,  now  Harvey.  Mr.  Young  continued  to 
engage  in  the  real-estate  business  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  the  26th  of  May,  1889.  From 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  was  identified  with 
the  Congregational  Church.  In  Blue  Island  he 
organized  the  society,  and  contributed  liberally 
toward  the  erection  of  the  house  of  worship.  He 
served  as  Deacon  of  that  church  until  called  to 
the  home  beyond,  and  was  ever  one  of  its  most 
faithful  members.  He  cast  his  first  Presidential 
vote  for  William  Henry  Harrison,  and  his  last 
vote  for  Benjamin  Harrison.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Tippecanoe  Club,  and  filled  several  local 
offices,  discharging  his  duties  with  promptness 
and  fidelity.  He  was  a  man  of  unquestioned  in- 
tegrity and  lofty,  noble-minded  principles.  He 
was  not  partisan  or  sectarian,  but  advocated 
human  rights  in  politics,  righteousness  and  tem- 
perance in  society,  and  Christianity  in  the  church. 
He  was  ever  progressive,  and  gave  much  thought 
to  social  and  theological  questions,  though  con- 
stantly engaged  in  active  business.  The  influence 
of  his  exemplary  life  will  be  long  felt  wherever  he 
was  known. 


HENRY  HART  MASSEY. 


HENRY  HART  MASSEY,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  northern  Illinois,  now  living  in  Blue  Is- 
land, has  since  an  early  day  witnessed  the 
growth  and  development  of  this  part  of  the  State, 
and  has  borne  his  part  in  its  progress  and  ad- 
vancement.    A  native  of  New  York,  he  was  born 


in  Watertown,  February  25,  1828,  and  is  a  son 
of  Hart  and  Nancy  (Matteson)  Massey.  His 
mother,  who  was  a  devout  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  and  an  earnest  Christian  lady, 
died  in  Watertown  October  u,  1845,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-nine.  The  father  afterward  married 


502 


H.   H.   MASSEY. 


Emeline  Utley,  and  about  1855  removed  to  Jack- 
sonville, 111.,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  for  a  few  years.  He  then  came  to  Blue 
Island  and  carried  on  a  fire  and  life  insurance 
agency.  He,  too,  was  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  was  a  highly  respected  citi- 
zen. His  death  occurred  on  the  3ist  of  January, 
1882,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-nine. 

To  Hart  and  Nancy  Massey  were  born  eight 
children:  Harriet  Amelia,  who  died  December 
14,  1846;  Henry  H.  of  this  sketch;  Julia  Jane, 
who  became  the  wife  of  A.  B.  Safford,  of  Cairo, 
111.,  and  died  January  31,  1862;  Heman  Whelpley, 
who  died  in  Santa  Rosa,  Cal.,  November  25,  1891; 
James  Bates,  who  is  living  in  Oakland,  Cal. ;  Emily 
Elizabeth,  who  died  in  Blue  Island,  April  18, 
1894;  Ann  Eliza,  widow  of  A.  H.  Irvin,  and  a 
resident  of  Blue  Island;  and  Charles  M.,  who 
died  in  Blue  Island,  August  15,  1864. 

The  children  of  the  second  marriage  are:  Ella 
Amelia,  wife  of  Rev.  Samuel  F.  Dickenson,  now 
of  Grand  Junction,  Colo. ;  and  Harriet  Holmes, 
wife  of  George  T.  Hughes,  of  Downer's  Grove, 
111.  The  mother  died  in  Blue  Island  April  20, 
1876. 

H.  H.  Massey  of  this  sketch  was  reared  to 
manhood  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  1847  re* 
moved  to  Joliet,  111.,  where  he  was  employed  as 
clerk  in  a  general  store  for  two  years.  He  then 
went  to  Chicago  and  secured  a  position  in  the 
dry-goods  store  of  O.  Sherman  &  Co.,  at  No.  104 
Lake  Street,  then  one  of  the  leading  dry-goods 
establishments  of  the  city.  Nearly  all  of  the  bus- 
iness was  done  on  Lake  Street,  while  the  present 
commercial  center  of  the  city  was  a  residence  dis- 
trict. In  the  fall  of  1851,  Mr.  Massey  went  to 
Blue  Island  as  clerk  for  the  contractor  who  graded 
the  Rock  Island  Railroad.  The  following  yeai 
he  became  Treasurer  of  the  southern  division  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  with  headquarters  at 
Jouesboro,  until  the  road  was  completed  to  Cen- 
tralia,  when  his  office  was  removed  thither.  He 
also  acted  as  pay-master  between  Wapello  and 
Cairo,  111.,  until  1855,  when  he  resigned  and  re- 
turned to  Blue  Island.  Soon  after  he  bought  an 
interest  in  a  general  merchandise  store,  and  carried 
on  business  along  that  line  for  twelve  years. 


Mr.  Massey  has  since  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  business  of  this  locality.  In  1868 
he  engaged  in  the  grain  and  commission  business 
on  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  with  which  he 
was  connected  until  1871.  From  that  time  until 
1876  he  dealt  in  real  estate  in  the  city  and  in 
Blue  Island,  after  which  he  was  appointed  Cash- 
ier in  the  County  Recorder's  office,  and  served 
for  five  years.  During  the  succeeding  year  he 
was  employed  in  the  real-estate  department  of  the 
Chicago  &  Western  Indiana  Railroad  Company, 
and  was  then  in  the  grain  commission  business 
until  1892,  when  he  retired  to  private  life.  He 
now  occupies  his  time  and  attention  with  improv- 
ing his  grounds  and  looking  after  his  real-estate 
interests  in  Blue  Island.  He  has  added  a  num- 
ber of  subdivisions  to  the  village  at  various  times. 

On  the  4th  of  August,  1853,  in  Blue  Island, 
was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr.  Massey  and 
Miss  Clarissa  C.  Rexford,  daughter  of  Norman 
Rexford.  They  have  become  the  parents  of  five 
children:  Willie  R.,  who  died  at  the  age  of  six 
years;  Mary  S.,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  R. 
Clark,  of  Chicago;  Julia  R.,  wife  of  W.  N.  Rudd, 
of  Blue  Island;  Harry  A.;  and  Fred  F.,  who  is 
now  a  clerk  in  the  Continental  National  Bank  of 
Chicago. 

The  members  of  the  family  are  all  communi- 
cants of  the  Universalist  Church  of  Blue  Island, 
and  Mr.  Massey  has  served  as  one  of  its  Trustees 
and  as  Treasurer  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  since  its  organization.  Socially,  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  is  Treas- 
urer of  the  Illinois  Universalist  State  Convention, 
of  which  organization  he  was  a  charter  member. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  stalwart  Republican,  and  never 
fails  to  vote  in  support  of  the  men  and  measures  of 
his  party,  although  he  has  never  sought  office  for 
himself.  With  the  educational  interests  of  the 
community  he  has  long  been  identified,  serving 
as  School  Treasurer  of  Worth  Township  for 
twenty  years.  He  has  also  been  Notary  Public 
since  1856.  He  takes  a  commendable  interest  in 
all  questions  of  public  concern,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  esteemed  citizens  of  Blue  Island.  Mr.  Mas- 
sey remembers  when  tnere  was  only  one  house  at 
Washington  Heights  and  one  at  Auburn  Park. 


ORRINGTON  UJNT. 


503 


ORRINGTON  LUNT. 


QRRINGTON  LUNT  is  one  of  the  founders 
K>|  of  Evanston,  and  of  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
U  versity,  and  has  been  one  of  the  important 
factors  in  the  upbuilding  of  Chicago.  In  the  days 
of  the  infancy  of  the  city,  he  cast  in  his  lot  with 
its  settlers,  and  his  interests  have  since  been  con- 
nected with  theirs.  Many  monuments  to  his 
handiwork  still  stand,  and  the  history  of  Cook 
County  would  be  an  incomplete  volume  without 
the  record  of  his  life.  He  was  born  December  24, 
1815,  in  Bowdoinham,  Me.  His  father,  William 
Lunt,  was  a  leading  merchant  of  that  place,  and 
represented  his  district  in  the  State  Legislature. 
He  was  a  direct  descendant  of  Henry  Lunt,  of 
Newburyport,  Mass. ,  who  emigrated  to  the  United 
States  from  England  in  1635.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  died  when  he  was  ten  years  old,  and  his 
father  afterwards  married  again.  He  lived  to  a 
ripe  old  age,  and  both  he  and  his  second  wife 
died  December  31,  1863. 

Mr.  Lunt  of  this  sketch  attended  the  public 
and  private  schools  of  his  native  town,  and  in  his 
fourteenth  year  entered  his  father's  store,  serving 
as  clerk  until  he  attained  his  majority,  when  he 
was  admitted  to  partnership.  They  safely  passed 
through  the  financial  panic  of  1837,  for  their  busi- 
ness had  been  prudently  managed,  and  they  could 
thus  meet^  the  crisis.  Soon  after,  the  father  re- 
tired, and  a  partnership  was  formed  between  Or- 
rington  and  his  brother  W.  H.  They  did  a  good 
business,  and  besides  dealing  in  dry  goods  traded 
largely  and  shipped  hay  and  produce  to  the  South. 
In  1842,  Mr.  Lunt  sold  out,  preparatory  to  mov- 
ing westward.  He  believed  that  better  advant- 
ages were  furnished  by  the  new  and  rapidly  grow- 
ing West,  and  the  then  young  town  of  Chicago 
attracted  him.  He  left  home  on  the  ist  of  No- 
vember, and  on  the  nth  reached  his  destination. 
This  western  town  had  then  not  a  single  railroad, 
and  its  business  at  that  time  was  very  slack,  not 


much  being  done  through  the  winter  season. 
Mr.  Lunt  hoped  for  better  opportunities  in  the 
spring,  but  his  wife's  health  at  that  time  forced 
him  to  return  to  Maine.  The  many  discourage- 
ments which  he  met  disheartened  him,  but  he 
would  not  give  up,  and  in  the  later  part  of  July 
we  again  find  him  in  Chicago.  He  had  no  capi- 
tal, but  was  furnished  with  letters  of  recommen- 
dation from  leading  merchants  in  the  East.  He 
began  business  as  a  commission  merchant,  and 
soon  had  built  up  a  flourishing  trade.  In  the 
summer  of  1844  he  began  dealing  in  grain,  and 
in  the  following  winter  packed  pork  to  a  limited 
extent.  Both  of  these  ventures  proved  profitable, 
and  he  then  leased  one  hundred  feet  of  ground  on 
the  river  front  for  ten  years,  erecting  thereon  a 
grain  house.  With  the  growth  of  the  city  his 
business  increased,  and  in  those  early  days  he 
made  one  sale  of  fifty  thousand  bushels,  which 
was  considered  a  large  transaction.  He  had  now 
made  about  $10,000,  but  trade  the  following  spring 
proved  disastrous,  and  he  lost  all  he  had.  He 
never  shipped  grain  East,  Chicago  being  his  only 
market,  and  through  the  experience  gained  by 
his  losses  he  became  a  prudent  and  careful  busi- 
ness man.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Trade  since  the  beginning,  but  the  business 
done  there  in  early  years  was  little,  as  the  organi- 
zation had  to  struggle  for  existence  for  some 
time,  notwithstanding  a  lunch  of  crackers  and 
cheese  served  as  an  attraction.  In  1853  he  aban- 
doned the  grain  trade,  and  retired  for  a  time  from 
commercial  life. 

Mr.  Lunt  has  been  connected  to  a  considerable 
extent  with  official  positions.  He  was  first  called 
to  office  when  in  his  twenty-second  year,  being 
elected  Clerk  and  Treasurer  of  his  town,  and  also 
appointed  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In  1855  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  Water  Commissioner  for 
three  years  for  the  south  division  of  the  city. 


5°4 


ORRINGTON.LUNT. 


On  the  expiration  of  his  first  term  he  was  re-elect- 
ed, and  during  the  last  three  years  he  served  as 
Treasurer  and  President  of  the  Board.  At  the 
end  of  the  six  years  the  city  departments  were  con- 
solidated in  the  Board  of  Public  Works.  He  was 
made  a  Director  of  the  Galena  &  Chicago  Union 
Railroad  in  1855,  and  continued  as  such  until  the 
consolidation  of  the  road  with  the  Northwestern. 
For  several  years  he  was  one  of  the  Auditors  of 
the  Board  of  Directors,  and  his  time  was  largely 
given  to  the  business  of  the  office.  During  his 
last  two  years  with  the  road  he  served  as  its  Vice- 
President.  In  1877  Mr.  Lunt  was  elected  by  the 
lot  owners  of  Rose  Hill  Cemetery  Company  as 
one  of  the  three  trustees  for  the  care  of  the  lot 
owners'  fund.  He  was  President  of  the  Board, 
and  for  the  last  few  years  its  Treasurer.  It  has 
been  well  managed,  and  a  fund  of  $100,000  col- 
lected and  now  in  their  hands  has  been  invested 
in  Cook  County  and  city  bonds. 

Mr.  Lunt  had  previously  leased  his  warehouse, 
but  the  parties  failed  after  the  panic  of  1857,  and 
he  took  possession  of  it  in  1859.  Forming  a 
partnership  with  his  brother,  S.  P.  Lunt,  they 
used  the  warehouse  as  a  canal  elevator,  and  did  a 
large  business,  sometimes  handling  three  and  a- 
half  million  bushels  annually.  Impaired  health, 
however,  forced  him  to  abandon  the  grain  trade 
in  1862,  and  in  1865  he  started  for  the  Old  World 
with  his  family,  spending  two  years  abroad,  dur- 
ing which  time  he  visited  many  of  the  famous 
cities  of  Europe  and  Asia. 

Mr.  Lunt  was  united  in  marriage,  on  the  i6th 
ofjanuary,  1842,  toCorneliaA.  Gray.  Herfather, 
Hon.  Samuel  Gray,  was  a  prominent  attorney  of 
Bowdoinham,  his  native  town,  and  was  Repre- 
sentative, Senator  and  a  member  of  the  Gover- 
nor's Council  of  the  State.  He  was  also  promi- 
nent in  commercial  circles.  Four  children  were 
born  unto  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lunt,  three  sons  and  a 
daughter,  but  one  son  died  in  infancy.  Horace, 
who  graduated  from  Harvard  University,  is  a 
leading  attorney;  and  George  is  a  sturdy  busi- 
ness man.  Cornelia  G. ,  the  accomplished  daugh- 
ter, seems  to  have  inherited  her  father's  philan- 
thropic nature,  and  takes  a  most  active  part  in 
charitable  and  benevolent  work. 


During  the  late  war  the  Union  found  in  Mr. 
Lunt  a  faithful  friend.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Committee  of  Safety  and  War  Finance,  appointed 
at  the  first  meeting,  which  convened  April  13, 
1861.  The  Sunday  after  the  fall  of  Sumter  he 
spent  in  raising  supplies  and  in  preparing  the  first 
regiment  to  start  from  this  city  to  Cairo.  His 
labors  in  behalf  of  the  army  and  the  Union  then 
continued  until  victory  perched  on  the  banners  of 
the  North.  Four  years  after  the  commencement 
of  the  struggle  he  had  the  pleasure  of  being 
present  when  the  Old  Flag  was  again  flung  to  the 
breeze  from  the  battlements  of  the  fort,  attending 
the  Grand  Review  of  the  victorious  army,  and 
visiting  the  principal  cities  of  the  late  Confed- 
eracy. 

When  about  twenty  years  of  age,  Mr.  Lunt 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  his 
name  is  inseparably  connected  with  the  history  of 
its  growth  in  this  locality.  For  about  twenty 
years  he  was  Trustee  of  the  Clark  Street  Method- 
ist Church,  and  during  much  of  that  time  was 
Secretary  of  the  Board.  He  bought  several  lots 
on  the  corner  of  State  and  Harrison  Streets  in 
1848,  and  five  years  later  sold  them  on  three 
years'  time  to  the  church  at  cost  price.  That 
ground  was  afterwards  exchanged  for  the  site  of 
the  Wabash  Avenue  Methodist  Church,  to  which 
he  transferred  his  membership  in  1858.  He  has 
always  given  most  liberally  for  the  erection  of 
church  edifices,  both  of  his  own  and  other  denom- 
inations in  the  city,  and  struggling  churches  in 
the  West.  Of  the  Clark  Seminary  at  Aurora,  he 
was  one  of  the  first  Trustees.  This  was  built  by 
a  private  company,  but  subsequently  turned  over 
to  the  church  without  compensation.  He  was 
one  of  the  charter  members,  and  has  been  Secre- 
tary, Treasurer  and  General  Business  Agent  of 
the  Garrett  Biblical  Institute  from  its  organiza- 
tion in  1853.  In  company  with  a  few  others,  he 
procured  the  charter  for  and  incorporated  the 
Northwestern  University  of  Evanston.  The  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  secure  a  site.  They 
wished  to  get  land  on  the  lake  front,  but  could 
find  none  which  they  thought  near  enough  to  the 
city,  and  were  almost  closing  a  deal  for  property 
in  Jefferson.  Through  the  instrumentality  of 


MATERNUS  SCHAEFER. 


505 


Mr.  Lunt,  however,  who,  in  riding  one  day.  vis- 
ited the  present  site  of  Evanston,  the  business  was 
deferred,  and  his  judgment  led  to  the  selection  of 
the  spot  where  now  stands  the  University.  To 
this  institution  he  has  contributed  in  time,  energy 
and  money,  and  while  he  was  in  Europe  the  board 
set  aside  land,  now  valued  at  $100,000,  which  he 
had  given,  as  the  Orrington  Lunt  Library  Fund. 
Desirous,  also,  to  render  possible  the  erection  of 
a  suitable  library  building,  he  has  given  $50,000 
toward  the  one  now  in  process  of  completion. 
This  splendid  building  is  of  Bedford  stone,  beau- 
tiful in  style,  graceful  and  enduring.  The  finest 
structure  on  the  campus,  it  is  a  fitting  memorial 
of  the  man  whose  name  it  perpetuates  in  the  let- 
ters carved  upon  its  noble  entrance:  THE  OR- 
RINGTON LUNT  LIBRARY.  He  has  always  been 
on  the  executive  committee  of  the  school,  and 
has  been  largely  instrumental  in  the  success  of 
the  institution.  He  was  early  connected  with  the 
Chicago  Orphan  Asylum,  and  raised  nearly  $20,- 
ooo  to  complete  the  edifice,  while  a  member  of 
the  building  committee  in  the  summer  of  1854. 

The  Chicago  fire  consumed  the  home  of  Mr. 
Lunt  and  all  of  the  buildings  from  which  he  de- 
rived an  income.  The  winter  following  he  served 
on  the  Special  Fire  Relief  Committee.  Many 
Methodist  Churches  and  the  Garrett  Biblical  In- 
stitute also  suffered  great  losses,  and  a  committee 
to  devise  means  for  their  relief  was  appointed  by 
the  Rock  River  Conference.  Arrangements  were 
made  to  solicit  funds,  and  Mr.  Lunt  became  Sec- 


retary and  Treasurer.  For  eighteen  months  he 
was  actively  engaged  in  the  disbursement  and 
collection  of  the  money  raised,  about  $150,000. 
By  this  means  he  was  enabled  to  rebuild  the  Gar- 
rett building,  the  structure  being  finer  than  the 
former  one.  When  he  could  find  time  for  his  own 
work  he  built  the  fine  banking-house  occupied  by 
Preston,  Kean  &  Co.  He  has  truly  borne  his 
part  in  the  upbuilding  of  Chicago. 

On  the  i6th  of  January,  1842,  was  celebrated 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lunt,  and  a  half- 
century  later  was  celebrated  their  golden  wedding. 
Two  hundred  friends  met  to  extend  to  this  worthy 
couple  their  congratulations  for  the  happy  years 
that  had  passed,  to  review  the  lives  so  well  spent, 
and  to  wish  them  the  return  of  many  more  such 
pleasant  occasions.  The  co-workers  of  Mr.  Lunt 
in  church,  in  business  and  in  his  university  labors 
all  bore  their  testimony,  not  only  to  his  pleasant 
companionship,  but  to  his  honorable,  upright  life 
and  exemplary  character.  Many  beautiful  gifts 
attested  the  esteem  and  love  of  guests,  which 
could  not  be  expressed  in  words  alone.  Al- 
though Mr.  Lunt  has  led  a  very  prominent  life, 
he  is  yet  retiring  and  very  unassuming  in  man- 
ner. He  has  followed  the  Golden  Rule,  has 
walked  in  the  light  as  he  saw  it,  has  been  un- 
wearied in  well-doing,  and  when  he  shall  have 
been  called  to  the  home  beyond  he  will  leave  to 
his  family  what  Solomon  says  is  better  than  great 
riches,  "a  good  name." 


MATERNUS  SCHAEFER. 


IV  A  ATERNUS  SCHAEFER,  a  retired  farmer 
I  V I  residing  in  Gross  Point,  has,  as  ;the  result 
l(y  I  of  his  enterprise  and  industry  in  former 
years,  acquired  a  competency  that  now  enables 
him  to  lay  aside  business  cares.  He  claims  Prus- 
sia as  the  land  of  his  birth,  which  occurred  on 
the  26th  of  August,  1833.  He  is  the  eldest  in  the 
family  of  thirteen  children  born  to  Peter  and 


Lena  (Bleser)  Schaefer.  In  1843  the  parents 
bade  adieu  to  the  Fatherland,  and,  having  crossed 
the  briny  deep  to  the  New  World,  took  up  their 
residence  in  New  Trier  Township,  Cook  County, 
where  they  continued  to  make  their  home  until 
called  to  their  final  rest.  The  father  died  June 
12,  1894,  in  his  ninetieth  year,  and  his  wife  passed 
away  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  seventy -nine.  They 


506 


GEORGE  WEIMER. 


were  well-known  and  highly-respected  people, 
and  further  mention  of  them  and  their  children  is 
made  in  connection  with  the  sketch  of  John 
Schaefer,  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

The  gentleman  of  whom  we  write  became  fa- 
miliar with  farming  in  all  its  details  at  an  early 
age.  He  was  married  on  the  26th  of  August, 
1854,  to  Miss  Mary  Schaefer,  daughter  of  John 
Schaefer,  a  tanner.  She  was  born  in  Prussia, 
November  4,  1835,  and  died  May  21,  1891,  the 
last  of  her  family  to  pass  away.  Fourteen  chil- 
dren were  born  of  this  union,  seven  sons  and 
seven  daughters,  of  whom  two  sons  and  six  daugh- 
ters are  yet  living,  namely:  Katriua,  who  was 
born  March  4,  1856,  and  is  the  wife  of  Louis  A. 
Brucks,  a  real-estate  dealer  and  insurance  agent 
of  Englewood;  Christina,  who  was  born  Decem- 
ber 19,  1857,  and  is  the  wife  of  Mathias  Wagner, 
a  carpenter  and  contractor  of  Englewood;  Anna 
Maria,  who  was  born  March  26,  1861,  and  is  the 
wife  of  Gerhard  Steffens,  a  liquor  dealer  of  Gross 
Point;  Peter  Joseph,  who  was  born  December  29, 
1862,  and  is  a  contractor  and  builder  of  Wilmette; 
Frank,  who  was  born  October  18,  1864,  and  fol- 
lows fanning  at  Gross  Point;  Helena,  who  was 
born  February  21,  1867,  and  is  the  wife  of  Peter 


Sesterhenn,  an  agriculturist  of  the  same  locality 
Margarite,  born  November  24,  1868,  wife  of  Max 
Engels,  who  is  engaged  in  the  beer-bottling  busi- 
ness at  Gross  Point;  and  Eva,  who  was  born  No- 
vember 13,  1870,  and  is  the  wife  of  William  Wer- 
ner, a  teamster  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Schaefer  and  his  family  are  Catholics  in 
religious  faith,  belonging  to  St.  Joseph's  Church 
in  Gross  Point.  He  cast  his  first  Presidential 
vote  for  Buchanan,  then  supported  Lincoln,  and 
has  since  been  a  stanch  Republican.  He  has 
filled  the  offices  of  Town  Collector,  was  President 
of  the  Village  Board  for  thirteen  years,  and  has 
been  School  Director  for  a  quarter  of  a  century. 
He  is  a  member  of  St.  Joseph's  Library  and  Sick 
Benefit  Association,  and  is  a  loyal  citizen,  devoted 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  community.  He  now 
owns  thirty-five  acres  of  valuable  land  on  section 
33,  New  Trier  Township,  besides  a  number  of 
residences  in  Wilmette.  He  is  a  worthy  repre- 
sentative of  an  honored  pioneer  family,  and  is  a 
highly-respected  citizen,  whose  excellencies  of 
character  have  gained  for  him  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in 
contact. 


GEORGE  WEIMER. 


[g)EORGE  WEIMER  is  one  among  the  repre- 

bsentative  citizens  of  Lemont.  He  was  born 
in  Nassau,  Germany,  on  the  23d  of  Septem- 
ber, 1835,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Weis)  Weimer.  The  father  was  a  blacksmith, 
and  died  when  George  was  only  five  years  old. 
Three  years  later,  Mrs.  Weimer  became  the  wife 
of  John  Noll. 

Our  subject  was  the  third  in  a  family  of  four 


children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  At  the 
age  of  five  years,  he  began  to  attend  the  public 
schools,  and  finished  the  course  at  the  age  of 
twelve.  During  the  next  two  years  he  attended 
the  high  school  and  also  took  lessons  as  a  private 
student,  acquiring  a  good  practical  education.  In 
1853,  he  left  Germany  for  the  United  States,  and 
landed  at  New  York  on  the  23d  of  August  of  that 
year.  In  New  York  City  and  Raritan,  New  Jer- 


GEORGE  WEIMER. 


507 


sey,  during  the  succeeding  two  years,  he  learned 
the  cabinet-maker's  trade,  after  which  he  started 
westward,  arriving  in  Chicago  August  23,  1855. 
There  he  learned  carpentering  and  made  the  city 
his  home  until  the  latter  part  of  1857,  a  portion 
of  the  time  being  engaged  as  a  carpenter  and 
builder.  In  November  of  that  year  he  went  to 
Europe  and  returned  with  his  parents  and  their 
family  the  following  spring.  They  settled  near 
Downer's  Grove,  Du  Page  County,  and  Mr. 
Weimer  resided  in  Chicago,  where  he  did  business 
as  a  contractor.  He  erected  many  buildings  in 
various  parts  of  Cook  County.  In  1860,  became 
to  Lemont. 

On  the  23d  of  June,  1861,  Mr.  Weimer  and 
Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Hein  were  united  in  marriage 
in  this  place.  The  lady  is  a  native  of  the  same 
town  as  her  husband  and  came  to  America  with 
her  parents  in  1856. 

After  two  or  three  years'  residence  in  Lemont, 
Mr.  Weimer  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  merchandising  until  1865,  at  which 
time  he  went  to  New  Buffalo,  Michigan,  and  car- 
ried on  contracting  and  building,  erecting  more 
than  a  hundred  buildings  during  his  stay  there. 
For  years  he  devoted  his  time  and  attention  to 
merchandising,  and  also  held  the  offices  of  Asses- 
sor and  Supervisor  from  1867  until  1877.  For 
ten  years  he  was  also  Justice  of  the  Peace.  In 
1877,  he  returned  to  Lemont,  where  he  has  since 
resided.  For  a  short  time,  in  company  with  his 
brother,  Andrew  Weimer,  he  conducted  a  wagon 
and  blacksmith  shop,  but  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  he  has  been  a  contractor  and  builder.  In 
1879,  he  was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  held 
that  office  for  four  years.  In  1893,  he  was  again 
elected  to  that  position,  and  is  kept  busy  during 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  in  the  discharge  of 
his  official  duties. 

Mr.  and  Mrs  Weimer  have  become  the  parents 
of  seven  children,  namely:  George  A.;  Rosa,  wife 
of  Peter  Meilinger,  of  Chicago;  Mary  Ann,  Joseph 
M.,  Maria  Elizabeth,  Frank  Joseph  and  Benjamin 
Franklin. 

George  A.  Weimer,  of  Lemont,  is  a  son  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  C.  Weimer,  whose  sketch  is 


given  above.  He  was  born  at  this  place  on  the 
5th  of  June,  1862,  and  obtained  a  good  education 
in  the  schools  of  the  town,  where  he  spent  his 
early  life,  attending  until  nineteen  years  of  age. 
In  1882,  he  began  to  learn  the  drug  business,  and 
continued  in  that  line  until  May,  1893,  becoming 
in  the  mean  time  a  very  proficient  pharmacist. 
His  first  employer  was  G.  A.  Bodenschatz,  with 
whom  he  remained  six  years,  when  J.  G.  Boden- 
schatz succeeded  to  the  business,  and  Mr.  Weimer 
spent  the  remaining  years  in  his  employ.  His 
genial  disposition  and  good  character  made  him 
a  favorite  with  Lemont  people,  and  when  but 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  was  elected  to  office, 
and  from  that  time  to  the  present  he  has  filled 
some  public  position.  In  1883,  he  was  elected 
Town  Clerk  and  filled  that  office  until  1888,  when 
he  was  appointed  City  Clerk,  thus  serving  until 
the  next  election,  when  he  was  elected.  In  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  that  position  his  time  was 
passed  until  April,  1893,  he  being  annually  re- 
elected.  At  the  last-mentioned  date,  he  was 
elected  Township  Supervisor,  and  was  again  the 
people's  choice  in  1894.  In  1893,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  a  place  in  the  County  Treasurer's  office, 
which  he  held  until  February,  1894,  when  he  was 
made  deputy  in  the  office  of  the  Recorder  of  Deeds 
in  Cook  County,  in  which  capacity  he  is  now 
serving.  In  the  fall  of  the  present  year  (1894) 
he  was  nominated  by  the  Democracy  as  the  can* 
didate  of  that  party  for  State  Senator  from  the 
Seventh  Senatorial  District. 

On  the  22d  of  October,  1883,  Mr.  Weimer  was 
joined  in  wedlock  with  Miss  Lizzie  V.  Hettinger. 
daughter  of  George  Hettinger,  who  came  to  Le- 
mont about  1863.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
volunteer  fire  company  of  Chicago.  To  them 
four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  were 
born,  all  of  whom  died  of  diphtheria  in  less  than 
two  weeks' time,  in  May.  1893.  The  death  of  his 
children  destroyed  Mr.  Weimer' s  faith  in  the  ef- 
ficacy of  medicines  and  caused  him  to  abandon 
pharmacy.  He  is  an  ardent  and  influential  sup- 
porter of  Democracy  and  a  member  of  several  fra- 
ternal societies. 


W.  S.  WHITE. 


WILLIAM  S.  WHITE,  M.  D. 


fi>  6JILLIAM  SEYMOUR  WHITE,  M.  D.,  is  a 
\  A  I  native  of  Greenwood,  McHenry  County, 
Y  Y  Illinois,  and  was  born  on  the  3oth  of  De- 
cember, 1864.  The  records  show,  and  the  Doc- 
tor modestly  admits,  that  he  is  descended  on  the 
maternal  side  from  Francis  Capet  (Coquilette) , 
the  Huguenot  half-brother  of  Louis  XIV.,  King 
of  France,  who,  on  account  of  the  persecutions  to 
which  that  sect  was  subjected,  fled  to  America, 
and,  changing  his  name  to  Coquilette,  became  the 
progenitor  of  a  numerous  family  in  Westchester 
County,  New  York,  and  later  removed  with  his 
family  to  Rocklaud  County,  New  York.  His  de- 
scendant, William  Coquilette,  the  great-grand- 
father of  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  died  in  Rock- 
land  County,  New  York,  at  an  early  age.  Maria 
(Garrison)  Coquilette,  his  wife,  died  at  the  age 
of  eighty-eight  years.  Peter  Cook,  Dr.  White's 
maternal  grandfather,  a  native  of  New  York  and 
a  descendant  of  the  Knickerbockers,  married 
Eletta,  daughter  of  William  and  Maria  Coquilette. 

Capt.  William  White,  the  paternal  grandfather 
of  Dr.  White,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Gottenburg, 
Sweden,  in  1813,  and  at  an  early  age  became  a 
sailor.  In  his  voyages,  Capt.  White  carried 
troops  to  Mexico  while  the  United  States  was  at 
war  with  that  country,  transported  the  first  ship- 
load of  stone  for  the  construction  of  Ft.  Moultrie, 
and  twice  circumnavigated  the  globe.  His  wife, 
who  still  survives  him,  was  Mary  Ehrhardt,  of 
Philadelphia. 

William  R.  White,  the  father  of  the  subject  ol 
this  sketch,  and  the  son  of  Capt.  William  and 
Mary  White,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  in 
1841,  and  has  been  engaged  in  mercantile  pur- 
suits all  his  life.  He  married  Emily  A.  Cook, 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Eletta  Cook,  two  children, 


William  S.  and  Wilomene  T.,  beiag  the  result 
of  this  union. 

William  S.  White  came  to  Chicago  with  his 
parents  in  1865.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Chicago.  His  first  work 
was  in  the  grocery  store  of  John  A.  Tolman  &  Co. , 
where  he  remained  a  year.  He  later  entered  the 
employ  of  D.  S.  Munger  &  Co.  as  office  boy,  and 
in  three  years  worked  his  way  upward  to  the 
position  of  cashier.  In  1884  he  entered  the  Chi- 
cago Homeopathic  Medical  College.  At  that  time 
the  course  required  only  two  years,  but  he  at- 
tended three  years,  and  during  the  season  of 
1886-87  demonstrated  anatomy  to  the  class  of 
which  he  was  a  member,  and  also  a  part  of  that 
time  to  the  senior  class.  He  graduated  in  1888. 
Following  his  graduation,  he  was  successful  in 
winning  honors  in  a  competitive  examination,  and 
during  the  years  1888  and  1889  was  interne  in 
the  Cook  County  Hospital  for  eighteen  months. 
Subsequently  he  was  called  to  Rochester,  Nevr 
York,  where  he  opened  and  put  in  practical  oper- 
ation the  Rochester  Homeopathic  Hospital,  com- 
monly known  as  the  Monroe  Avenue  Hospital. 

Returning  to  Chicago,  Dr.  White  entered  into 
the  general  practice  of  medicine  and  dermatology, 
in  which  he  has  since  been  engaged,  with  office 
at  No.  70  State  Street.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  re- 
ceived the  appointment  of  Demonstrator  of  An- 
atomy in  the  Chicago  Homeopathic  College.  In 
1890  he  was  made  clinical  assistant  in  the  depart- 
meut  of  dermatology,  and  in  1893  was  appointed 
Adjunct  Professor  of  Physiology  in  the  same  insti- 
tution. In  January,  1893,  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  Dermatologist  in  the  homeopathic 
department  of  the  Cook  County  Hospital,  and 
still  fills  all  of  these  positions.  He  is  a  member 


JEROME  BEECHER. 


509 


of  the  Illinois  Homeopathic  Medical  Association 
and  of  the  American  Institute  of  Homeopathy. 
He  holds  membership  in  two  fraternal  organiza- 
tions, being  medical  examiner  in  the  Improved 
Order  of  Heptasophs. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  1892,  Dr.  White  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Isabelle  Stone,  of 
Charlotte,  Vermont,  daughter  of  I,uther  D.  and 
"Phoebe  (Rogers)  Stone. 

To  judge  the  future  from  the  past,  it  is  not  diffi- 
cult to  predict  for  Dr.  White  success  in  a  much 


greater  measure  than  usually  falls  to  the  lot  of 
the  medical  practitioner.  His  mind  is  active,  his 
memory  retentive,  his  habits  studious,  his  com- 
prehension of  the  science  of  medicine  rapid,  intui- 
tive and  thorough.  His  manner  is  easy,  affable 
and  vivacious,  with  a  dash  of  bonhomie,  which, 
no  doubt,  is  inherited  from  his  Gallic  ancestors. 
It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  mental  attrition 
with  Dr.  White  would  brighten  many  preten- 
tious members  of  the  medical  profession. 


JEROME   BEECHER. 


HERO  ME  BEECHER,  among  the  early,  sub- 
I  stantial  and  most  exemplary  citizens  of  Chi- 
(*/  cago,  was  a  scion  of  old  and  well-known  New 
England  stock.  His  father,  Mather  Beecher  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  of  Central  New  York,  going 
thither  from  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  He  was 
a  tanner  by  occupation,  and  gave  to  his  family 
the  training  which  has  developed  so  much  of 
thrift,  enterprise  and  morality  among  the  sons  of 
New  England,  and  has  made  an  indelible  impres- 
sion upon  the  religious,  educational  and  mercan- 
tile conditions  of  the  United  States,  and  particul- 
arly the  northern  half  of  the  country.  Wherever 
a  leaven  of  Yankee  blood  is  found  in  a  community, 
there  are  sure  to  be  found  churches,  schools,  fac- 
tories and  sound  business  men,  Chicago  was  es- 
pecially fortunate  in  that  the  major  portion  of  her 
pioneers  came  from  the  land  of  industrious  habits 
and  careful  economy,  and  to  this  cause  alone 
may  be  attributed  her  wonderful  progress  in  busi- 
ness supremacy,  as  well  as  in  social  and  moral 
culture. 

Jerome  Beecher  was  born  in  the  town  of  Rem- 
sen,  Oneida  County,  New  York,  January  4,  1818. 
His  first  implement  for  self-help  was  the  intellect- 


ual training  afforded  by  the  village  school,  and 
he  was  early  made  familiar  with  the  occupation 
of  his  father,  mastering  all  that  pertained  to  the 
manufacture  of  leather  and  its  uses.  His  natural 
sagacity  and  shrewdness,  with  these  helps,  en- 
abled him  to  conduct  the  large  business  which  he 
built  up  in  later  years,  and  to  manage  intricate 
financial  trusts  which  were  placed  in  his  care. 

The  year  1838  found  him  in  Chicago,  whither 
his  father  sent  him  to  look  .after  a  stock  of 
leather,  boots,  shoes  and  findings  which  had  been 
entrusted  to  an  incompetent  or  unfaithful  agent. 
He  managed  this  undertaking  with  such  success 
and  found  such  glowing  prospects  in  the  young 
city  that  he  decided  to  remain  here  and  engage  in 
business  permanently.  At  that  time  the  center 
of  business  clustered  about  the  corner  of  Lake  and 
LaSalle  streets,  and  his  pioneer  store  was  among 
those  forming  the  group.  He  shortly  set  up  a 
tannery,  which  was  destroyed  by  fire  about  1858. 
During  these  years,  he  had  grown  in  wealth  with 
the  rapid  growth  of  the  city  and  surrounding 
country,  his  industry  and  integrity  bringing  him 
a  large  trade,  which  he  retained  until  he  de- 
cided to  retire  and  give  attention  to  his  invest- 


510 


JEROME  BEECHER. 


ments.  His  accumulations  had  been  invested  in 
land  and  improved  real  estate.  With  other  care- 
ful investments,  these  had  grown  in  value  beyond 
his  fondest  anticipations,  and  he  found  himself 
while  yet  in  vigorous  middle  life  a  man  of  in- 
dependent means,  and  at  the  time  of  his  demise, 
after  more  than  half  a  century's  residence  here, 
his  estate  had  become  very  valuable. 

He  became  interested  in  the  gas  business  as 
early  as  1850,  and  was  made  a  director  in  the  Chi- 
cago Gas  Light  &  Coke  Company.  He  was  in- 
terested in  the  Merchants'  Savings,  Loan  & 
Trust  Company,  and  was  one  of  the  purchasers  of 
the  Chicago  West  Division  Railroad,  of  which  he 
was  many  years  a  director,  in  1863.  A  recent 
writer  says:  "Among  the  enterprises  of  his 
earlier  years,  for  which  he  should  be  remembered 
with  grateful  regard  by  those  who  survive,  was 
his  connection  as  trustee  and  treasurer  with  the 
Graceland  Cemetery  Improvement  Company,  in 
whose  peaceful  grounds  so  many  once  active  in  the 
brisk  life  of  Chicago  have  found  their  last  resting 
place." 

Mr.  Beecher  had  in  his  youth  attended  the 
worship  of  the  Unitarian  society  near  his  home  in 
New  York,  and  he  adhered  to  the  faith  which 
he  there  imbibed  throughout  his  long  and  useful 
life.  The  First  Unitarian  Society  of  Chicago 
was  a  feeble  band,  in  the  third  year  of  its  exist- 
ence, when  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  to  his  zealous 
aid  much  of  its  subsequent  strength  is  due.  At 
his  decease,  after  completing  more  than  the 
allotted  years  of  the  scripture,  the  church  pre- 
pared and  had  engraved  a  most  beautiful  and 
touching  memorial,  which  was  presented  to  his 
widow.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Calumet  Club, 
whose  meetings  of  old  settlers  in  annual  reunion 
gave  him  great  pleasure.  The  Old  Settlers'  As- 
sociation embraced  most  of  his  business  and  social 
companions,  and  he  was  prominent  in  its  con- 
duct. Mr.  Beecher  always  endeavored  to  fulfill 
the  duties  of  citizenship,  but  was  conspicious  in 
politics  only  once  in  his  life.  This  was  in  the 
memorable  campaign  of  1840,  when  the  Demo- 
cratic party  was  overthrown  and  William  Henry 
Harrison,  the  Whig  candidate,  elected  to  the 
Presidency.  Mr.  Beecher  was  a  delegate  in  the 


convention  which  nominated  Harrison,  and  took 
part  in  the  political  meetings  held  in  a  log  cabin 
on  the  north  side,  near  Rush  Street  bridge. 

In  his  business  relations,  Mr.  Beecher  was  a 
man  of  unspotted  integrity,  careful  and  quiet  in 
action,  and  reticent  in  speaking  of  himself  or  his 
affairs.  One  of  his  favorite  methods  of  benevolent 
action  was  the  assistance  of  some  worthy  man  in 
starting  in  business,  realizing  that  the  truest  way 
to  help  others  is  to  teach  and  aid  them  to  help 
themselves.  He  loved  to  gather  children  and 
young  people  about  him,  and  a  number  were 
taken  into  his  family  and  educated.  He  was  es- 
pecially fond  of  music,  and  to  his  own  family  con- 
nections and  friends  he  was  ever  generous.  His 
style  of  living  was  unostentatious,  and  his  hab- 
its were  simple  and  domestic.  In  bearing,  he 
was  affable  and  considerate,  and  he  always  spoke 
charitably  of  men,  making  it  a  rule  never  to  speak 
ill  of  any  person. 

Four  years  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  Mr. 
Beecher  took  a  helpmeet  in  the  person  of  Miss 
Mary  Warren,  daughter  of  Daniel  Warren,  whose 
biography  will  be  found  on  another  page  of  this 
book,  and  she  proved  in  every  way  a  companion 
to  him.  Mrs.  Beecher's  twin  sister  married 
Silas  B.  Cobb,  another  pioneer  leather  merchant 
(see  skeech  in  this  work).  The  sisters  so  closely 
resembled  each  other  as  to  be  often  mistaken,  one 
for  the  other. 

The  first  housekeeping  experience  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Beecher  was  in  a  modest  rented  house  at  the 
corner  of  Lake  Street  and  Michigan  Avenue,  and 
they  afterwards  built  a  home  on  Michigan  Ave- 
nue. The  advance  of  business  drove  them  to 
several  removals  until  th*  family  homestead  at 
No.  241  Michigan  Avenue  was  constructed.  This 
is  one  of  two  or  three  which  escaped  the  flames  in 
the  great  fire  of  1871,  and  is  almost  the  sole  repre- 
sentative on  the  lake  front  of '  'old  Chicago. ' '  Here 
they  dwelt  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  here 
Mrs.  Beecher  continues  to  reside.  She  is  greatly  in- 
terested in  benevolent  work,  and  has  been  active  in 
promoting  several  of  the  most  important  charities 
of  the  city,  regarding  a  fortune  as  a  blessing  only 
in  the  proportion  it  is  devoted  to  doing  good. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 
OF 


CHRISTOPH  BECK 


MRS.  CHRISTOPH  BECK 


(From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT.) 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

OF  ILLINOIS 


CHRISTOPH  BECK. 


CHRISTOPH  BECK. 


/TJHRISTOPH  BECK.  In  this  enlightened 
I  (  age,  when  men  of  energy,  industry  and 
\J  merit  are  rapidly  pushing  themselves  to  the 
front,  those  who  have  won  favor  and  fortune  may 
properly  claim  recognition.  Years  ago,  when 
the  West  was  entering  upon  its  era  of  growth  and 
development  and  Chicago  was  laying  the  foun- 
dation for  future  prosperity,  there  came  thither 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  men  poor  but  honest, 
and  with  their  sturdy  independence  and  a  deter- 
mination to  succeed  that  justly  entitles  them  to  a 
place  in  the  history  of  Chicago.  Among  the 
names  of  those  who  came  here  empty-handed, 
and  have  through  their  ability  and  perseverance 
overcome  obstacles  and  earned  for  themselves 
honor,  esteem  and  wealth,  that  of  Christoph 
Beck  is  worthy  of  a  conspicuous  place. 

He  was  born  in  Koerner,  near  Muehlhausen, 
Saxon-Gotha,  Germany,  May  i,  1832.  His 
parents  were  Christoph  and  Anna  Eliza  Beck. 
His  father  died  when  Mr.  Beck  of  this  sketch 
was  a  small  boy,  and  the  mother  in  the  Father- 
land many  years  ago. 

After  attending  the  parish  school  until  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  young  Beck 
entered  into  an  apprenticeship  at  the  butcher's 
trade,  remaining  at  this  occupation  until  the  date 
of  his  emigration  from  his  native  land.  In  March 
1852,  he  sailed  from  Bremen  harbor,  and  ten 
weeks  later  landed  in  Baltimore.  He  came  di- 
rect to  Detroit,  Michigan,  where  he  worked  at 
his  trade  a  few  months  and  then  came  to  Chicago. 
The  three  succeeding  years  after  his  arrival  he 
was  employed  by  C.  B.  Albee,  in  the  old  State 
Street  market.  Ambitious  to  achieve  greater  fi- 


nancial success  than  he  could  hope  to  obtain  as 
an  employe,  he  engaged  in  business  on  his  own 
account,  and  in  a  short  time  found  himself  in  the 
enjoyment  of  a  profitable  trade.  Under  his  judi- 
cious management  the  business  prospered,  and  he 
widened  his  operations  until  he  became  proprie- 
tor of  a  large  butchering  and  wholesale  business, 
at  that  time  one  of  the  foremost  in  the  city.  For 
about  a  year  he  was  engaged  in  shipping  cattle  to 
eastern  markets,  and  for  about  five  years,  during 
the  Civil  war,  he  was  associated  in  business  with 
Nelson  Morris,  the  present  wealthy  packer  of 
Chicago.  In  1872,  having  reached  the  goal  of 
his  ambition,  he  gave  up  business  and  has  since 
lived  in  retirement.  On  the  6th  of  June,  1856, 
he  married  Miss  Louise  Arnhold,  a  most  estima- 
ble woman,  who  has  proved  a  true  and  faithful 
helpmate.  The  following  year  he  purchased 
property  on  Fry  Street  and  built  a  residence  at 
No.  157,  which  has  been  their  home  since. 

Mrs.  Beck  was  born  in  Grossberndten,  near  the 
city  of  Nordhausen,  Harz  Mountain.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  Henry  Christian  and  Justina  Arn- 
hold, who  came  from  Germany  and  arrived  in 
Chicago  September  17,  1853.  They  had  six 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  this  writing, 
namely:  Louise,  Mrs.  Beck;  Johanna,  wife  of 
Carl  Hoffmeyer,  of  Kansas;  Augusta,  wife  of 
Frederick  Bergman,  of  Chicago;  Charles;  Fer- 
dinand; and  Frederica,  now  Mrs.  Fred.  Knoff, 
of  Lake  County,  Illinois.  The  father  died  in 
Chicago,  November  27,  1890,  and  the  mother 
November  29,  1892. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beck  have  two  sons:  Louis,  who 
learned  the  trade  with  his  father,  and  Christoph, 


512 


GEORGE  DERKES. 


who  has  been  several  years  in  the  employ  of  the 
United  States  Express  Company.  Both  enjoyed 
good  educational  advantages  and  are  useful  and 
respected  members  of  society  in  their  native  city. 
While  Mr.  Beck  has  always  felt  a  just  pride  in 
his  adopted  country  and  home  city,  he  has  never 
been  a  politician  in  any  sense,  but  has  faithfully 
discharged  the  duties  of  citizenship  by  casting 
his  vote  for  the  man  he  thought  most  capable  of 
filling  the  position. 


When  he  and  his  good  wife  located  at  their 
present  place  of  residence  over  forty  years  ago, 
there  were  but  a  few  settlers  in  that  locality, 
the  country  around  being  mostly  an  unbroken 
prairie.  They  have  seen  marvelous  transforma- 
tions in  their  day,  and  yet  retain  sufficient  vigor 
of  body  and  mind  to  interest  themselves  in  the 
busy  life  that  surges  around  them,  and  enjoy  the 
good  things  with  which  Providence  has  crowned 
their  lives  of  industry  and  probity. 


GEORGE  DERKES. 


f2fEORGE  DERKES  has  been  a  resident    of 

b  Chicago  since  1855,  and  has  lived  at  his 
present  residence  since  1856.  He  was  born 
in  Gercom,  Holland,  July  i,  1828.  His  parents 
died  when  he  was  a  small  boy  and  he  lived  for  a 
short  time  with  an  aunt,  until  her  death,  and  was 
then  placed  in  an  orphan  asylum.  He  had  no 
opportunity  to  acquire  an  education  in  schools, 
and  the  hard  school  of  experience  had  to  be  his 
vehicle  for  obtaining  knowledge. 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  years  he  came  to  Americaj 
sailing  from  Rotterdam  and  landing  at  New  York. 
Ever  since  that  early  age  he  has  been  self-sup- 
porting and  is  strictly  a  self  made  man.  The 
man  who  brought  him  to  America  brought  him 
as  far  west  as  Michigan  and  there  he  worked  in  a 
saw  mill  for  a  time,  later  finding  employment  in 
a  tannery.  In  the  following  summer  he  worked 
on  the  lakes  as  a  sailor,  and  the  next  year  was  a 
fireman  on  the  old  propeller  '  'Oregon. ' ' 

He  entered  the  services  of  a  carpenter  in 
Buffalo,  New  York,  and  remained  thus  occupied 
two  years,  becoming  quite  thorough  in  the  trade. 
He  then  worked  his  passage  from  Buffalo  to 
Chicago,  after  which  he  went  down  to  the  old 
canal  on  the  scow  "Walker,"  to  Peoria.  From 
there  he  worked  his  passage  on  a  steamboat  to 


St.  lyouis.  While  there  he  had  a  hard  expe- 
rience, as  he  was  attacked  with  fever  and  ague 
and  became  very  poor  in  flesh  as  well  as  in  purse. 
He  next  engaged  with  a  man  by  the  name  of 
John  Smith  to  chop  cord  wood  on  Coon  Creek,  in 
Illinois,  and  worked  in  the  summer  of  that  year. 
In  the  fall  he  returned  to  St.  I,ouis  and  entered 
the  services  of  William  Crood,  on  Washington 
Street,  whom  he  served  three  years  as  carpenter. 
He  subsequently  went  to  Memphis,  Tennessee, 
and  worked  at  his  trade  in  various  places,  finally 
reaching  New  Orleans  in  1851.  In  that  city, 
February  16,  1853,  he  married  Sophia  Munster- 
mann,  a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany.  She 
came  to  America  in  June,  1852. 

On  the  outbreak  of  the  yellow  fever  that  spring, 
he  left,  with  his  young  wife,  and  went  to  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky.  They  remained  in  that  city 
until  1855,  an<i  arrived  in  Chicago  March  i 
of  that  year.  He  immediately  became  occupied 
at  carpenter  work  and  purchased  property  on 
Chicago  Avenue,  where  Milwaukee  Avenue 
crosses.  At  that  time  this  locality  was  all  in 
prairie  and  used  for  farming  purposes.  He 
erected  a  residence  on  this  lot,  and  has  since 
made  it  his  home,  a  period  of  forty-three  years 
having  elapsed  since  that  time. 


F.  D.  HESS. 


In  the  fall  of  1859  times  were  dull  in  Chicago 
and  wages  low,  and  Mr.  Derkeswasindebt.  He 
went  to  New  Orleans  and  during  the  winter 
earned  nearly  four  hundred  dollars.  He  came 
back  to  Chicago  in  the  spring  and  paid  his  in- 
debtedness. In  the  fall  of  1860,  taking  his  wife 
with  him,  he  went  back  to  New  Orleans.  Owing 
to  the  trouble  growing  out  of  the  secession  and 
the  early  approach  of  the  rebellion,  he  was  obliged 
to  leave  the  South  and  in  February,  1861,  re- 
turned to  Chicago. 

In  1863  he  started  a  flour  and  feed  store  at 
what  is  now  No.  439  Milwaukee  Avenue.  He 
built  the  second  house  in  the  block.  The  flour 
and  feed  business  not  being  very  profitable,  he 
abandoned  that  and  resumed  his  trade,  and  be- 
gan working  for  the  Chicago  &  North- Western 
Railroad  Company  in  its  shops,  which  were  then 
located  where  the  viaduct  is  now,  on  Halstead 


Street.  He  later  entered  the  employ  of  G.  K. 
Russell,  at  the  corner  of  Clinton  and  Fulton 
Streets,  in  a  sash,  door  and  blind  factory.  In 
1870  he  opened  a  grocery  store  on  Milwaukee 
Avenue,  and  continued  about  twelve  years,  doing 
a  profitable  business.  He  invested  his  savings  in 
real  estate  and  has  become  wealthy. 

He  has  been  living  in  comparative  retirement 
for  several  years,  devoting  his  time  to  taking  care 
of  his  large  property  interests.  He  never  held 
nor  sought  public  office  of  any  kind.  He  de- 
serves much  credit  for  his  success,  as  he  was 
thrown  on  his  own  resources  when  but  a  mere 
child.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Goethe  Lodge 
No.  329,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  has  no  children  and  is  not  connected  with  any 
church,  though  an  honorable,  upright  character, 
and  using  his  influence  at  all  times  for  the  bene- 
fit of  mankind. 


FREDERICK  D.  HESS. 


["REDBRICK  DAVID  HESS,  one  of  the 

r^  prominent  citizens  and  property  owners  of 
|  the  portion  of  Chicago  where  he  resides,  is 
also  a  business  man  of  great  ability ,  and  success- 
ful in  proportion  to  his  energies  and  ambitious. 
He  was  born  October  17,  1841,  and  is  a  son  of 
Frederick  David  and  Nannie  (Rippman)  Hess, 
who  resided  in  Wettenburg,  Germany,  at  the 
time  of  his  birth. 

Frederick  David  Hess  reached  Chicago  Novem- 
ber 29,  1865,  and  immediately  occupied  himself 
at  teaming  until  1874.  He  conducted  the  busi- 
ness with  teams  of  his  own  part  of  the  time .  In 
1874  he  established  a  catering  enterprise  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Sixty-fourth  and  State  Streets, 
and  was  located  there  until  1867.  He  then  pur- 
chased property  at  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
same  streets,  and  built  a  store,  where  he  con- 


ducted a  similar  business.  When,  in  1890,  Mr. 
Hess  looked  over  his  accounts,  he  found  himself 
$20,000  the  better  for  his  financial  transactions. 
He  erected  another  building  at  No.  119  West 
Sixty-fifth  Street,  in  1888,  and  shortly  after 
another  building  at  Nos.  6319-21  Halsted  Street, 
which  he  used  for  business  and  residence  pur- 
poses. He  next  placed  a  building  at  No.  115 
West  Sixty-fifth  Street,  to  which  he  moved  his 
home. 

October  17,  1892,  Mr.  Hess  began  the  erection 
of  a  fine,  substantial  building  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Sixty-fifth  and  State  Streets,  which  was 
finished  in  May,  1893.  It  has  one  hundred  feet 
of  frontage  and  contains  twenty-one  flats  and  five 
stores.  The  building  is  one  of  prominence,  is 
eighty  feet  deep,  and  a  credit  to  the  neighborhood 
and  the  city  of  Chicago.  It  is  brick,  with  stone 


5'4 


M.  L.  FRANKENSTEIN. 


frontage  on  two  numbers  of  each  street.  Mr. 
Hess  has  thus  been  active  in  doing  his  share  of 
the  upbuilding  of  the  better  part  of  Chicago. 

He  was  married  in  1874,  but  was  blessed  with 
no  children.    He  is  independent  in  political  views, 


and  votes  in  favor  of  the  man,  rather  than  the 
party.  He  has  been  active  in  making  improve- 
ments in  Chicago  and  has  erected  five  buildings, 
including  the  largest  and  one  of  the  finest  struc- 
tures in  Englewood. 


MAX  L.  FRAN-KENSTEIN. 


I  AX  L.FRANKENSTEIN,  deceased,  whose 
active  career  of  nearly  half  a  century  was 
divided  between  Europe  and  America,  was 
a  member  of  a  prominent  and  scholarly  family  of 
Germany.  He  was  born  in  Olbernhau,  Saxony, 
May  22,  1849,  and  was  the  second  of  the  four 
children  of  Dr.  Conrad  C.  and  Julia  S.  (Fleischer) 
Frankenstein.  Conrad  C.  Frankenstein  was  a 
prominent  physician  of  Olbernhau,  where  he 
died  at  the  advance  age  of  ninety -six  years.  His 
children  all  showed  marked  ability.  Adolph,  the 
oldest,  gained  prominence  as  a  civil  engineer; 
Ameal,  the  third,  left  the  Fatherland  and  became 
a  well-known  banker  in  Brussels;  and  the 
youngest,  Clara  Sudoria,  became  the  wife  of  Pro- 
fessor Paul  Wolf  of  Germany. 

Max  L.  Frankenstein,  with  whose  life  this  ar- 
ticle is  most  concerned,  laid  the  foundation  of 
his  subsequent  scientific  attainments  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  place,  and  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  began  an  apprenticeship  of  three  years 
with  a  druggist.  He  was  then  employed  for 
some  time  at  his  chosen  calling,  and  later  served 
one  year  in  the  army  of  the  Emperor. 

Moved  by  a  desire  to  know  more  of  the  world 
and  to  find  a  wider  field  of  usefulness,  Mr. 
Frankenstein  left  the  home  of  his  youth  in  1875 
and  came  to  the  United  States.  After  spending 
a  short  time  in  Florida  he  continued  his  journey 
to  Chicago,  where  he  was  not  long  in  making  his 
ability  known.  For  four  years  he  was  head  clerk 
in  the  pharmacy  of  C.  C.  Clacius  &  Company, 
where  his  services  were  entirely  satisfactory  to 


his  employers.  But  as  his  thirst  for  knowledge 
was  not  satisfied  and  as  he  realized  that  his 
labors  would  have  a  greater  value  to  mankind  if 
his  studies  were  continued,  he  decided  to  take  a 
course  of  study  in  pharmacy.  With  this  in  view 
he  returned  to  Germany  in  1879  and  entered 
Leipsic  University,  from  which  he  was  graduated 
two  years  later  with  high  honors.  He  then  con- 
tinued his  studies  for  seven  months  at  Wiesbaden, 
taking  as  a  specialty  analytic  chemistry.  In 
October,  1881,  he  accepted  a  position  as  manager 
of  a  large  prescription  drug  store  in  Hamburg, 
where  he  remained  until  1885.  In  August  of 
that  year  he  severed  his  business  connections  in 
Germany  and  again  turned  his  face  toward 
America. 

In  June,  1886,  he  opened  a  drug  store  in  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana.  This  venture  proved  so  suc- 
cessful that  the  business  was  continued  until 
1894.  With  that  strange  unrest  peculiar  to  men 
of  scientific  attainments,  the  subject  of  this 
sketch  decided  to  continue  his  research,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  increase  the  value  of  his  services 
to  mankind  by  pursuing  a  course  of  study  at 
Rush  Medical  College.  He  entered  that  insti- 
tution in  1894,  but  was  prevented  from  realiz- 
ing his  laudable  ambition  by  his  untimely  death, 
October  i,  1898. 

Aside  from  his  scientific  nature,  Mr.  Franken- 
stein possessed  social  qualities  of  no  mean  order. 
He  was  a  genial  conversationalist,  speaking  flu- 
ently in  five  languages,  and  generous  almost  to  a 
fault.  His  skill  as  an  entertainer  was  greatly  in- 


JOSEPH  HERMANN. 


5'5 


creased  by  his  rare  musical  genius  and  his  friends 
often  called  upon  him  to  play  the  piano,  on  which 
instrument  he  was  a  fine  performer.  He  sought 
to  cherish  the  welfare  of  his  family  with  a  jealous 
care,  and  with  them  his  happiest  hours  were  spent. 

Fraternally  he  was  connected  with  the  Royal 
Arcanum,  and  with  the  Masonic  order,  both  in 
Germany  and  America. 

Max  I,.  Frankenstein  was  married  October  4, 
1887,  to  Bessie,  daughter  of  James  and  Hattie 
(Shaw)  Wilmont.  James  Wilmont  was  born  in 
L,ondon,  England,  whence  he  emigrated  about 
1840  to  Toronto,  Canada,  where  he  spent  his  re- 
maining years,  dying  at  the  age  of  seventy-six. 
He  was  a  typical  English  gentleman  of  the  old 
school  and  was  loved  and  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Mrs.  Wilmont  was  born  in  Toronto, 
where  she  died  aged  forty-six  years.  Of  the  three 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilmont  the  only  one 
living  is  Mrs.  Frankenstein,  who  was  born  in 
Toronto  September  9,  1859,  and  educated  in  her 
native  city.  Two  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Frankenstein  who  will  greatly  miss  the 
kindly  care  and  guidance  which  their  father  was 
so  well  fitted  to  give.  Their  names,  with  date  of 
birth  of  each,  are  as  follows:  Beatrice,  Septem- 
ber 9,  1889;  and  Virginia,  October  29,  1891. 


Mrs.  Frankenstein  was  previously  married  to 
the  Honorable  J.  K.  Fairman,  who  was  born  in 
Elmira,  New  York  January  3,  1849.  He  was  a 
man  of  considerable  reputation  as  an  editor,  be- 
ing connected  with  the  Elmira  Advertiser,  and 
took  an  active  part  in  state  politics.  At  one 
time  he  was  Clerk  of  the  Assembly  at  Albany. 
He  was  a  thirty-second  degree  ^Mason.  He  died 
in  Chicago  August  14,  1885,  and  was  interred  in 
Woodlawn  Cemetery  at  Elmira,  New  York.  His 
father,  Charles  G.  Fairman,  was  forty-five  years 
a  journalist  and  became  known  throughout  the 
country.  He  was  founder,  and  for  many  years 
editor,  of  the  Elmira  Advertiser  and  was  promi- 
nent in  public  affairs.  He  was  at  one  time  in 
charge  of  the  insurance  department  of  the  state 
administration  at  Albany.  He  was  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  was  advanced  to  the  head  of  the 
order  in  the  state,  occupying  the  exalted 
position  of  Grand  Master  in  1878-79.  He 
was  born  at  Lewiston,  Niagara  County,  New 
York,  and  died  at  Elmira,  same  State,  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  ninety-two  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  K.  Fairman  were  the  parents  of  one  child, 
Edith,  born  Januar}r  24,  1881,  at  Elmira,  New 
York,  who  now  resides  with  her  mother. 


JOSEPH   HERMANN. 


(JOSEPH  HERMANN  has  been  identified  with 
I  the  business  interests  of  Chicago  forty-five 
C2/  years,  and  is  an  honored  representative  of 
the  German- American  population  who  have  con- 
tributed so  largely  to  the  successful  upbuilding 
of  the  city.  He  was  born  in  Cologne,  Germany, 
February  17,  1830,  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  and 
Katherine  Hermann,  both  natives  of  Cologne. 
After  acquiring  a  good  education  in  the  parish 
school  of  his  native  village,  Joseph  Hermann 


learned  the  trade  of  butcher  with  his  father,  and 
continued  to  follow  that  occupation  while  he  re- 
mained in  the  Fatherland. 

In  September,  1853,  Mr.  Hermann  decided  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  New  World,  and  bade 
adieu  to  home  and  friends.  He  sailed  from  Ant- 
werp and,  after  an  uneventful  voyage  of  fifty- 
four  days,  landed  in  New  York.  He  remained 
there  about  three  months,  working  at  his  trade, 
and  then  came  to  Chicago,  arriving  early  in 


GEORGE  NEHER. 


1854.  F°r  two  years  he  worked  at  his  trade  as 
a  journeyman  and,  with  his  savings  earned  in 
that  way,  embarked  in  business  for  himself  by 
opening  a  meat  market  on  Milwaukee  Avenue. 
Later  he  established  a  slaughter  house  near  a 
small  hamlet  then  known  as  Holstein.  That 
part  of  the  city,  now  densely  populated,  was  then 
an  open  prairie  and  considered  quite  a  long  dis- 
tance from  the  city. 

He  was  not  long  in  building  up  a  profitable 
trade,  which  he  successfully  carried  on  several 
years.  While  the  Civil  War  was  in  progress,  he 
was  engaged  for  a  time  in  shipping  cattle  to 
Allegheny  and  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  which 
proved  a  profitable  industry.  About  1864  he 
started  a  meat  market  on  the  southwest  corner  of 
Noble  and  Cornell  Streets,  when  that  part  of  the 
city  contained  but  a  few  scattering  houses,  where 
he  did  a  large  trade  until  1876,  when  he  rented 
his  store  and  retired  from  business.  In  1880  he 
resumed  business  at  the  old  stand,  but  six 
months  later  was  succeeded  by  his  sons,  who 
bought  him  out.  Since  then,  Mr.  Hermann  has 
lived  in  retirement. 

During  the  years  of  his  active  life  he  won  success. 
By  making  wise  investments  in  real  estate  he  has 
become  the  possessor  of  much  valuable  property, 
and  is  numbered  among  the  wealthy  men  of  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  city.  In  1889  he  built  his 
pleasant  and  commodious  residence  at  No.  414 


North  Robey  Street,  where  he  is  spending  the 
evening  of  his  life  in  contentment,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  an  industrious  and  well-ordered  career. 

Mr.  Hermann  has  never  aspired  to  public 
office  of  any  kind,  but  has  supported  the  Demo- 
cratic party  ever  since  he  became  an  American 
citizen.  He  has  always  evinced  a  progressive 
spirit  by  his  willingness  to  assist  in  the  promotion 
of  all  measures  for  the  benefit  of  his  home  city. 

On  the  nth  of  March,  1857,  he  married  Miss 
Dora  Goppelsroeder,  who  was  born  in  Baden, 
Germany.  They  were  the  parents  of  a  large 
family,  only  four  of  whom  are  now  living:  Dora, 
wife  of  Christian  Klingel;  William,  Christ  and 
Mary,  the  last-named  of  whom  brightens  the 
home  of  her  father  with  her  cheerful  presence. 
Mrs.  Hermann  passed  to  her  reward  June  29, 

1897.  She  died  as  she  had  lived,   in  the  faith  of 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran    Church.     Mr.  Her- 
mann and  the  other  members  of  the  family  belong 
to  St.  Boniface  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

In  1858  Mr.  Hermann  generously  assisted  his 
parents  and  the  remainder  of  the  family  to  emi- 
grate to  the  United  States.  Of  the  five  children 
born  to  Charles  and  Katherine  Hermann  two  are 
deceased,  and  those  living  are:  Joseph,  whose 
name  introduces  this  article;  Anton;  and  Sophia, 
wife  of  Siep  Dornbos.  The  father  died  in  Chi- 
cago many  years  ago,  and  the  mother  July  7, 

1898,  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years. 


GEORGE  NEHER. 


0EORGE  NEHER..  JUNIOR,    a  prominent 

b  business  man  of  Lyons,  was  born  in  River- 
side, Cook  County,  Illinois,  June  15,  1861, 
and  is  a  son  of  George  Neher,  senior,  and 
Elizabeth  (Mitsch)  Neher,  natives  of  Germany, 
who  are  further  mentioned  on  another  page  of 
this  work. 


George  Neher,  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  was  reared  on  a  farm  and  received  a 
common-school  education.  In  the  spring  of  the 
year  1883,  he  left  the  farm  and  was  employed  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  Congdon  for  a  period  of  one  year. 
In  the  spring  of  1884  Mr.  Neher  embarked  in 
the  drug  business,  in  which  he  has  successfully 


J.  F.  LEONHARDT. 


continued  since  that  time.  From  a  small  begin- 
ning he  has  made  many  improvements,  and  his 
business  has  become  the  principal  one  of  its  kind 
in  Lyons  and  one  of  the  finest  in  the  country. 
Since  1883  Mr.  Neher  has  carried  the  mail  be- 
tween Riverside  and  Lyons,  which  is,  in  itself,  a 
great  responsibility. 

He  was  married  November  24,  1886,  to  Fan- 
nie, daughter  of  John  and  Eva  Caccer,  a  native 
of  England.  During  her  infancy  Mr.  Caccer 
died,  and  the  mother  afterward  married  Philip 
Zacher.  The  family  then  removed  to  Hamburg, 
German}^.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  Miss 


Caccer  returned  to  England,  and  four  years  later 
came  to  Chicago.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Neher  have 
three  children,  Agnes,  Henry  and  George.  Mr. 
Neher  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  and  are  influential  and  charit- 
able adherents  of  this  organization.  Mr.  Neher 
is  one  of  the  enterprising  business  men  of  Lyons, 
and  is  progressive  in  all  his  ideas.  He  has  never 
sought  public  office,  but  is  staunch  in  upholding, 
by  voice  and  vote,  the  principles  of  the  Republi- 
can party.  He  is  well  known  and  respected  by 
his  fellow-citizens,  and  his  social  relations  are 
the  best. 


JACOB  F.  LEONHARDT. 


(TACOB  FREDERICK  LEONHARDT  was 
I  born  in  Baden,  Germany,  January  i,  1831, 
(~)  a  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Leonhardt,  both 
of  whom  died  in  Germany.  John  Leonhardt  was 
a  manufacturer  of  wine.  He  was  the  father  of 
seven  children,  only  two  of  whom  came  to 
America,  the  subject  of  this  notice  and  Christ, 
of  No.  202  Canalport  Avenue,  Chicago. 

Jacob  F.  Leonhardt  received  a  good  education 
in  his  native  land,  after  which  he  learned  the  trade 
of  shoemaker.  In  1853  he  came  to  the  United 
States  and  came  directly  to  Chicago,  where  he 
had  some  acquaintances.  He  possessed  limited 
means,  but  had  a  good  trade  and  was  willing  and 
ready  to  apply  himself  in  achieving  success.  He 
was  occupied  at  his  trade  in  the  interests  of 
others  for  a  few  years,  and  subsequently  began 
business  on  his  own  account,  by  opening  a  shoe 
store  on  the  corner  of  Van  Buren  and  Franklin 
Streets. 

He  continued  in  business  several  years.  About 
1869  he  moved  to  Harrison  Street,  near  Fifth 
Avenue,  where  he  was  burned  out  in  the  fire  of 
1871,  losing  nearly  all  he  had  accumulated.  A 


few  months  after  the  fire  he  started  the  same 
business  on  Sherman  Street,  and  continued  in 
trade  until  about  1885,  when,  owing  to  failing 
health,  he  retired  from  active  business,  having 
accumulated  a  fair  share  of  this  world's  goods. 

Mr.  Leonhardt  was  a  substantial,  loyal  citizen, 
who  did  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  best  in- 
terests of  the  city.  He  was  a  member  of  the  old 
Volunteer  Fire  Company  several  years.  In 
social  organizations  he  took  an  active  interest. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  Druids 
and  the  sons  of  Herman.  The  death  of  this  be- 
loved and  honored  man  occurred  May  25,  1891. 
He  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the  Lutheran  Church 
and  long  attended  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran Church  while  it  was  in  charge  of  Dr.  Hart- 
man,  and  contributed  to  its  support  with  great 
liberality.  He  was  a  man  of  generous  impulses 
and  exercised  true  charity  with  a  kind  and  un- 
selfish hand. 

Never  a  politician  in  any  sense  of  the  word,  he 
usually  gave  his  support  to  the  Republican  party. 
April  10,  1856,  he  married  Miss  Dorothy  Fred- 
ericka  Kludas,  daughter  of  John  and  Marie 


C.  W.  FREDERICKS. 


Elizabeth  Kludas.  Mrs.  Leonhardt  came  to 
Chicago  in  1854,  with  her  brothers  Frederick, 
who  now  cultivates  a  farm  in  Iowa,  and  William, 
who  follows  the  same  occupation  in  Kansas.  The 
following  year  her  parents  came,  and  with  them 
their  son  Joseph,  who  lives  in  Chicago.  The 
mother  died  here  in  1876,  and  the  father,  Janu- 
ary i,  1880. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leonhardt  had  four  children, 
but  the  eldest  died  at  two  years  of  age.  Fred- 
erick is  a  telegraph  operator;  William  is  city 
salesman  for  the  Chicago  Coffin  Company;  and 
Minnie,  the  only  daughter,  is  the  youngest.  All 
reside  at  home  with  their  mother.  The  family  is 
one  of  eminent  respectability,  and  the  members 
have  a  large  circle  of  friends. 


CHARLES  W.  FREDERICKS. 


EHARLES  WILLIAM  FREDERICKS,  a 
prominent  painter  contractor,  was  born  in 
Warren,  Ohio,  July  13,  1856,  a  son  of 
Joseph  and  Hannah  (Nagle)  Fredericks,  both  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  German  descent. 
The  paternal  grandfather  of  the  man  whose  name 
heads  this  article,  John  Fredericks,  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Mercer  County, 
Pennsylvania.  Joseph  Fredericks  was  a  farmer 
and  now  resides  in  Sharon,  Pennsylvania. 

Charles  W.  Fredericks  was  reared  in  the  town 
of  Sharon,  from  two  years  of  age,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  that  place,  also 
taking  two  years  at  Hiram  College.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  he  began  life  for  himself, 
traveling  about  the  country.  He  learned  the 
painter's  trade  at  the  Buckeye  Reaper  Works,  in 
Canton  and  Akron,  Ohio,  and  afterward  became 
a  finisher  in  the  Jewett  &  Goodman  Organ  Fac- 
tory at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  then  settled  at 
Grand  Crossing,  Cook  County,  Illinois,  where  he 
lived  four  years,  during  which  time  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  Pullman  Car  Company,  and  the 
Petzeke  Cabinet  Works  as  a  finisher.  After  spend- 
ing a  month  on  the  lakes,  for  his  health,  he  went 
to  Castleton,  Dakota,  where  he  purchased  a  farm 
of  forty  acres. 

Mr.  Fredericks  shortly  after  located  in  Rock- 


ford,  Illinois,  where  he  spent  one  winter  and 
afterwards  was  employed  as  journeyman  painter, 
in  Lyons,  three  or  four  years.  In  1889  he  em- 
barked in  business  as  a  contractor,  the  firm 
name  being  Wool  &  Fredericks.  This  partner- 
ship continued  one  year,  after  which  Mr.  Fred- 
ericks purchased  the  interest  of  his  partner  and 
has  since  continued  the  business  alone,  and  added 
paper-hanging,  calcimining,  glazing  and  cornice 
painting  to  the  enterprise.  He  has  all  the  energy 
and  force  of  character  which  is  found  in  the  Ger- 
man descendant,  and  has  been  very  successful. 

December  n,  1892,  Mr.  Fredericks  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  George  and 
Elizabeth  (Mitsch)  Neher,  of  Lyons  Township, 
and  their  only  son  is  named  Lawrence  Joseph. 
A  biography  of  Mrs.  Fredericks'  father  appears 
on  another  page  of  this  volume. 

Mr.  Fredericks  is  a  highly  respected  citizen  of 
Lyons  and  is  a  staunch  and  valued  advocate  of 
the  interests  of  the  Republican  party.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  been  known  as  an  expert 
workman.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Eureka 
Gun  Club  of  Lyons,  and  has  won  a  number  of 
medals  at  the  contests  in  which  that  organiza- 
tion has  taken  part.  He  makes  occasional  trips 
to  the  principal  duck  shooting  resorts  of  Indiana 
and  Illinois  for  sport  and  recreation. 


MICHAEL  KOENIG. 


519 


MICHAEL  KOENIG. 


I ICHAEL  KOENIG,  who  is  now  living  re- 
tired on  North  Robey  Street,  was  born  in 
Baden,  Germany,  December  4,  1838,  and 
is  a  son  of  Adam  Koenig.  His  mother  died  when 
he  was  five  years  old,  and  he  was  reared  on  a 
farm  until  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  his 
father  died,  leaving  him  an  orphan.  From  that 
time  he  was  forced  to  support  himself  and  it  was 
a  sad  beginning  for  a  young  man,  without  father 
or  mother  to  guide  him.  He  had  attended  the 
parish  school  and  acquired  a  fair  education. 

March  10,  1856,  he  left  the  Fatherland  and 
went  to  Liverpool  and  from  there  took  a  sailing 
vessel  bound  for  New  York.  After  a  stormy  and 
tedious  voyage  he  landed  in  New  York  May  i, 
of  that  year.  He  located  in  Syracuse,  where  his 
step-sister  was  residing,  and  worked  a  short 
time  for  a  butcher,  and  a  few  months  in  the  salt 
works  in  that  vicinity .  He  came  West  to  Chicago 
in  the  fall,  arriving  September  15.  During  the 
first  winter  here  he  was  employed  by  an  ac- 
quaintance that  he  had  made  while  living  in 
Germany,  receiving  three  dollars  per  month. 

The  following  spring  he  went  to  Du  Page 
County  and  worked  on  a  farm  nearly  two  years. 
He  returned  to  Chicago  and,  not  being  too  proud 
to  take  up  any  honest  employment  he  was  able 
to  obtain,  was  in  service  as  a  laborer  for  a  short 
time.  He  was  enabled  to  purchase  a  horse  and 
dray  and  did  expressing  for  Rundel  Brothers  one 
year,  when  he  sold  it  and  continued  in  the  em- 
ploy of  this  concern  thirteen  years,  which  shows 
as  well  as  anything  could  in  his  history,  that  he 


is  possessed  of  great  strength  of  character  and 
integrity.  He  subsequently  returned  to  the  oc- 
cupation of  teaming,  and  when  Rundel  Brothers 
started  a  planing  mill,  he  continued  in  their  em- 
ploy until  the  fire  of  1871 . 

After  this  destructive  calamity  he  was  an  em- 
ploye of  Miller  &  Decker,  who  laid  out  the  sec- 
tion known  as  Lawndale,  and  drove  the  first 
load  of  lumber  to  that  suburb.  He  was  then 
living  in  the  depot.  Subsequently  entering  the 
service  of  the  Blatz  Brewing  Company,  he  was 
induced  to  enter  the  catering  business  and  op- 
ened a  saloon  on  Blue  Island  Avenue,  between 
Sixteenth  and  Eighteenth  Streets.  After  two 
years  he  removed  to  Milwaukee  Avenue  and 
Rucker  Street  (now  Center  Avenue),  and  con- 
tinued the  business  four  years.  He  then  con- 
ducted a  like  business  at  the  corner  of  Madison 
and  Dearborn  Streets,  later  removing  to  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Randolph  Street,  in  the  basement  of 
the  old  Metropolitan  Hotel,  and  remained  ten 
years  at  this  location,  prospering  rapidly,  and 
has  been  able  to  live  in  retirement  since. 

In  1885  he  purchased  property  on  West  Chi- 
cago Avenue,  for  twelve  thousand  dollars,  which 
he  later  disposed  of.  He  now  owns  Nos. 
404  and  406  North  Robey  Street,  a  three 
story  brick  house  on  Potomac  Avenue  and  No. 
659  North  Western  Avenue.  He  has  ever  taken 
a  lively  interest  in  politics,  and  supports  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  has  been  prominent  and  in- 
fluential with  that  party,  having  stood  by  it  since 
he  became  a  voter,  and  often  attending  city  and 


52° 


BERNHARDT  SINK. 


county  conventions.  He  organized  the  first  Re- 
publican club  in  the  old  Fourteenth  Ward,  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Bavarian  Society. 

Mr.  Koenig  was  married  in  1858  to  Miss 
Theresa  Edbauer,  a  native  of  Bavaria.  They 
had  five  children,  three  of  whom  are  deceased. 
Those  living  are:  Mary,  wife  of  Charles  Thomp- 
son, residing  on  the  corner  of  Noble  and  Cor- 
nelia Streets;  and  Rosa,  wife  of  Edward  Robin- 
son, who  is  located  at  the  corner  of  Talrnan  Av- 


enue and  Bloomiugdale  Road.  The  mother  died 
February  i,  1892,  mourned  greatly  by  her  fam- 
ily and  many  friends.  The  members  of  the  fam- 
ily are  connected  with  St.  Boniface's  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Koenig  were 
married  in  this  church  and  celebrated  their  silver 
wedding  in  Aurora  Turner  Hall. 

In  1892  Mr.  Koenig  visited  the  land  of  his 
birth  and  spent  two  months  in  the  Fatherland, 
visiting  the  principal  cities  of  Germany. 


BERNHARDT  SINK. 


gERNHARDT  SINK,  who  is  one  of  the  re- 
tired business  men  of  Chicago,  is  a  true  son 
of  a  race  noted  for  sturdiness  of  character 
and  energetic  pursuit  of  purpose.  Born  August 
20,  1832,  in  Baden,  Germany,  Bernhardt  Sink  is 
the  only  son  of  Andrew  and  Francisca  (Doll) 
Sink.  His  only  sister  was  named  Clarice. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sink  died  when  their  son  was  a 
small  bo}',  and  he  was  reared  by  his  aunt,  The- 
resa Beck,  who  married  Stephen  Brust.  Before 
he  was  twenty  years  old  he  decided  to  come  to 
America,  and  arrived  in  New  York  February  24, 
1852.  He  was  in  the  State  of  Michigan  five 
months  and  was  employed  in  a  sawmill  at  Escan- 
aba;  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1857,  and  was  six- 
teen years  in  the  service  of  P.  L,.  Hathaway,  who 
has  to  this  day  a  coal  yard.  Mr.  Sink  then 
decided  to  change  his  occupation  and  purchased 
three  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Buffalo  County, 
Wisconsin,  which  he  cultivated  twelve  years. 

He  then  removed  to  Winona,  Minnesota,  where 
he  carried  on  a  boarding-house  one  year.  From 
that  time  until  1895  he  was  hostler  for  the  Chi- 
cago City  Railway  Company.  At  this  date  he 
retired  from  active  life,  and  is  enjoying  the  fruits 
of  his  labor  of  many  years.  He  has  resided  at 
No.  5834  Dearborn  Street  for  the  past  five  years. 


Mr.  Sink  was  married,  April  27,  1857,  to  a 
very  worthy  woman,  who  became  a  helpmate  to 
him  and  an  aid  to  his  success  in  all  things.  She 
was  Margaret  Weiss,  daughter  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Havener)  Weiss,  and  was  born  March 
15,  1840,  in  Prussia.  Her  father  was  born  March 
15,  1811,  and  died  February  24,  1892. 

With  his  wife  and  children  William  Weiss 
came  to  America  and  retired  from  active  life.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  For- 
esters. His  wife  was  seventy  years  of  age  when 
she  died  in  the  fall  of  the  year  1885.  Their  chil- 
dren were  eight  in  number,  brief  mention  of  each 
of  whom  is  here  made:  Elizabeth  married  Clem- 
ens Till,  and  resides  at  No.  3238  Leavitt  Street; 
Mrs.  Sink  is  next  in  order  of  birth;  Peter  resides 
on  Twenty-fourth  Street,  near  Wentworth  Ave- 
nue, and  is  employed  as  a  private  watchman; 
Minnie  married  John  Steffens,  and  resides  at  No. 
6432  Rhodes  Avenue,  her  husband  being  now 
retired;  Joanna  married  Peter  Konzen,  a  sawyer, 
and  resides  at  No.  5458  Dearborn  Street;  Katrina 
married  Nicholas  Paullery,  and  resides  on  Twen- 
ty-fourth Place,  near  Wentworth  Avenue;  Mary 
married  Paul  Kirtz,  a  watchman,  and  resides  at 
No.  4828  Atlantic  Street;  William  is  next  in 
order  of  birth. 


ANTON  SCHERMANN. 


521 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sink  have  a  very  harmonious 
fireside,  and  have  been  blessed  with  nine  chil- 
dren. One  son,  William,  was  born  January  29, 
1859,  married  Addie  Rieck,  and  is  residing  at 
Waukesha,  Wisconsin.  Christian  is  mentioned 
on  another  page  in  this  volume.  Christina,  born 
December  13,  1863,  married  John  Huebsch,  and 
resides  at  Eau  Claire,  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Huebsch 
is  one  of  the  firm  of  Huebsch  Brothers,  laundry 
proprietors.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Huebsch  have  two 
children:  Bernhardt  and  Lora.  Barbara,  born 
August  1 1,  1865,  resides  with  her  parents.  Kath- 
arine, born  March  12,  1867,  married  George 
Baber,  and  lives  in  Eau  Claire;  her  children  are 
named  Margaret  and  Joseph.  Bernhardt,  born 
April  8,  1869,  died  May  14,  1877. 


Elizabeth,  the  next  in  order  of  birth  of  the 
children  of  Bernhardt  Sink,  was  born  September 
20,  1871.  She  married  John  Gray,  and  her 
children  were  named:  Margaret,  Mary  and  Viola. 
Peter,  born  September  28,  1873,  married  Anna 
Huguelet.  Joseph,  born  August  7,  1875,  is  at 
home  with  his  parents,  as  is  also  John,  born 
August  12,  1877.  Mrs.  Sink  came  to  America 
alone  in  1856,  and  her  sister  Minnie  came  over  in 
1868. 

Mrs.  Sink's  father  had  a  sister,  Mary  Weiss, 
who  was  one  of  the  oldest  settlers  in  Chicago. 
She  married  Joseph  Schumacher  and  lived  at 
Fifth  Avenue  and  Harrison  Street.  They  had 
one  son,  who  is  still  employed  on  the  police  force 
of  the  city  of  Chicago. 


ANTON  SCHERMANN. 


G|  NTON  SCHERMANN,  who  has  a  residence 
LJ  and  office  at  No.  633  Noble  Street,  repre- 
|  I  sents  a  number  of  steamship  lines  as  their 
passenger  and  ticket  agent  in  Chicago,  and  has 
been  engaged  in  that  line  of  work  about  thirty 
years,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Chicago  since 
June  i,  1851.  Mr.  Schermann  was  born  May  24, 
1818,  in  Poland,  and  belongs  to  a  family  remark- 
able for  the  longevity  of  its  members.  His  ma- 
ternal grandfather  died  at  the  age  of  one  hundred 
and  sixteen  years,  his  grandmother  at  one  hun- 
dred and  six  years  and  his  mother  at  the  age 
of  ninety-nine. 

Mr.  Schermann  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  place,  and  at  the  age  of  thirteen  years 
began  learning  the  trade  of  carpenter.  In  1840 
he  joined  the  Prussian  army  and  served  ten  j'ears 
in  the  fortifications  at  Stettin.  After  leaving  the 
army  he  kept  hotel  for  a  year  and  one-half.  This 
venture  not  proving  profitable,  he  resolved  to 
come  to  the  United  States,  and  March  8,  1851, 


sailed  from  Hamburg.  After  an  ocean  voyage  of 
ninety-five  days  he  arrived  in  New  York,  and 
ten  days  later  in  Chicago. 

He  occupied  himself  at  the  cabinet-maker's 
trade  three  years,  in  the  service  of  a  Mr.  Mor- 
gan, and  a  few  years  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
Railroad  Company  in  its  shops.  In  1862  or 
1863  he  began  business  for  his  own  interests, 
starting  a  catering  establishment  on  Augusta 
Street.  He  was  the  first  to  locate  on  that  street 
west  ofElston  Road.  He  followed  this  business 
twenty  years,  and  with  the  profits,  purchased 
property  on  Noble  Street,  where  he  now  makes 
his  home. 

While  located  there  he  accepted  the  agency  of 
the  American  Steamship  line,  later  the  Amster- 
dam, and  then  the  German  Lloyd,  and  has  since 
represented  those  companies.  Since  quitting 
his  former  business  he  has  devoted  all  his  time 
to  the  steamship  lines  and  real  estate.  Mr. 
Schermann  has  always  taken  an  interest  in  the 


522 


KARSTEN  MIKKELSEN. 


politics  of  his  adopted  country.  He  cast  his  first 
presidential  vote  in  favor  of  Mr.  Buchanan,  in 
1856,  but  since  that  time  has  supported  the  Re- 
publican party  and  was  an  active  worker  lor  the 
success  of  the  party.  He  has  been  a  member  of 
Goethe  Lodge  No.  329,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  many  years  and  also  the  cabinet- 
maker's society.  For  thirty  years  he  has  be- 
longed to  the  order  of  Druids,  in  which  he  was 
secretary  about  sixteen  years.  In  1875  he  was 
presented  with  a  handsome  gold  watch  by  the 
members  of  Humboldt  Lodge,  Ancient  Order  of 
Druids,  in  recognition  of  his  services,  and  in  1881, 
with  a  valuable  gold  medal,  by  the  same  lodge, 
both  suitably  inscribed. 

In  1845,  on  November  6,  Mr.  Schermann  mar- 
ried Miss  Frances  Schermer.     She  is  a  native  of 


the  city  of  Stettin,  province  of  Pomerania,  Prus- 
sia. They  have  six  children  living,  namely: 
Louise,  wife  of  Louis  Frank;  Dorothy,  now  Mrs. 
Thomas  Nalepinski;  Dennis,  of  No.  144  Augusta 
Street;  Frances,  wife  of  ex- Alderman  August 
Kowalski;  John,  in  the  insurance  business  at  the 
corner  of  Bradley  and  Noble  Streets;  and 
Josephine,  Mrs.  Anton  Klimek,  all  of  Chicago. 
This  remarkable  patriarch  has  never  worn 
spectacles  and  is  still  able  to  read  fine  print  with- 
out their  aid.  For  nearly  fifty-five  years  this 
couple  has  traveled  life's  journey  together.  They 
have  thirty -six  grandchildren  and  seventeen 
great-grandchildren.  The  members  of  the  fam- 
ily are  connected  with  the  Polish  Catholic  Church 
and  are  highly  respected  in  the  community  in 
which  the}7  reside. 


KARSTEN  MIKKELSEN. 


RARSTEN  MIKKELSEN,  who  has  resided 
in  Chicago  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
was  born  September  2,  1852,  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  province  of  Schleswig,  which  was 
formerly  a  part  of  Denmark,  but  now  belongs  to 
Germany.  His  parents  were  Niels  and  Elizabeth 
Mikkelsen,  and  he  is  the  third  of  the  six  sons 
born  to  them.  They  were  both  natives  of  Schles- 
wig, where  the  subject  of  this  notice  spent  his 
boyhood  and  early  youth.  He  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  a  few  years,  but,  when  twelve  years 
old,  began  to  learn  the  tailor's  trade  with  his 
father.  He  continued  to  work  with  his  father 
during  the  next  six  years,  and  became  a  rapid 
and  skillful  workman. 

But  the  opportunities  for  advancement  were 
not  great  enough  to  keep  him  in  his  native 
country  and,  accordingly,  he  began  to  look  for 
greater  advantages  in  some  foreign  land.  Those 
of  his  fellow-countrymen  who  had  emigrated  to 


this  country,  sent  back  glowing  descriptions  of 
good  business  openings  to  be  found  in  the  United 
States,  and  young  Mikkelsen  resolved  to  try  his 
fortune  in  the  Great  Republic.  In  1871  he 
made  the  journey  to  Chicago,  to  which  city  a 
large  part  of  the  immigration  was  directed,  and 
there  found  work  at  his  trade.  Until  1878  he 
worked  by  the  piece,  laying  by  as  much  as  pos- 
sible of  his  income. 

To  this  rigid  spirit  of  economy  his  start  in 
business  is  due,  as  in  no  other  way  could  he  have 
obtained  the  necessary  capital.  With  his  brother, 
Theodore  Mikkelsen,  as  a  partner  he  established 
a  tailor's  shop  in  Ohio  Street,  which  was  con- 
tinued about  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
the  partnership  was  dissolved,  each  of  the 
brothers  going  into  business  by  himself.  Kar- 
sten  Mikkelsen  first  located  in  Huron  Street, 
where  he  carried  on  a  good  business  for  some 
time.  In  1888  he  built  his  present  factory,  at 


E.  A.  ROBBINS. 


523 


No.  286  West  Superior  Street.  He  now  does  a 
large  business  in  the  manufacture  of  clothing, 
employing  twenty-five  hands.  He  has  not  aban- 
doned the  frugal  habits  of  his  earlier  days,  and 
the  results  have  been  correspondingly  greater  as 
his  income  has  increased.  Besides  owning  his 
business  establishment,  he  has  erected  a  residence 
at  No.  48  Evergreen  Avenue. 

In  1878  Mr.  Mikkelsen  was  married  to  Miss 
Caroline  Nelsen,  also  a  native  of  Denmark. 
Their  family  consists  of  four  sons,  Victor,  George, 
Henry  and  Irvin,  all  of  whom  were  born  in 
Chicago.  The  eldest  was  graduated  from  Met- 


ropolitan College,  and  has  been  in  the  employ  of 
Marshall  Field  &  Company  four  years.  The 
others  are  still  attending  school.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  has,  in  his  long  years  as  a  business 
man  of  Chicago,  gained  a  wide  acquaintance,  es- 
pecially among  his  fellow-countrymen,  and  has 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 
He  is  one  of  the  strongest  members  of  the  Dania 
Society,  having  been  connected  with  that  organi- 
zation since  1 874.  In  political  principles  he  is  a 
Republican,  but  does  not  allow  his  party  zeal  to 
prevent  his  voting  for  the  candidate  whom  he 
considers  to  be  the  best  fitted  for  official  station. 


EDLEY  A.  ROBBINS. 


1TDLEY  AMOS  ROBBINS,  who  is  among 
fy  the  most  enterprising  and  successful  of 
|__  the  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  born  Septem- 
ber ii,  1860,  at  the  northeast  corner  of  Throop 
Street  and  Archer  Avenue,  where  the  Citizens' 
Brewery  now  stands.  His  parents  were  Amos 
Stokes  and  Elizabeth  Robbins.  Amos  S.  Robbins 
was  born  on  Sunday,  June  15,  1834,  in  Munn 
Chapel,  Lincolnshire,  England.  He  died  in  the 
winter  of  1867,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in 
Oakwoods  Cemetery.  He  probably  emigrated 
from  his  native  land  in  1853.  On  September  14 
of  that  year  he  gave  his  son  a  bible  which  was 
made  in  1812.  This  was,  probably,  the  date  of 
his  emigration  from  his  native  land. 

On  his  arrival  in  Illinois  Amos  S.  Robbins  be- 
came employed  by  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  Mr.  Buch- 
hults,  who  owned  a  farm  near  Summit,  in  Cook 
County.  In  1859  he  married  a  daughter  of  his 
employer,  and  opened  a  grocery  store  at  Throop 
Street  and  Archer  Avenue.  He  later  dealt  in  ice, 
flour  and  feed  and  conducted  a  large  business. 
His  wife  died  in  1866,  at  the  age  of  thirty-two 
years,  and  her  remains  were  interred  at  Mount 


Bartholomew.  Her  children  were  four  in  num- 
ber. Edley  Amos  is  the  eldest.  Marie  Ann  was 
born  October  1 6,  1861,  married  Joseph  W.  Poole, 
and  resides  at  No.  3607  Robey  Street.  Their 
children  are  named:  Mildred,  Dale  and  Myrtle. 
Rudolph  Robbins  died  while  still  an  infant.  Eliz- 
abeth was  born  February  29,  1864,  and  married 
Thomas  J.  Healy,  who  is  now  a  policeman,  and 
resides  at  No.  3018  Archer  Avenue.  Their  chil- 
dren are  named:  Clarence,  William,  Thomas  and 
Florence. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  E.  A.  Robbins'  edu- 
cation, as  far  as  daily  schooling  was  concerned, 
was  at  an  end.  He  then  began  the  battle  of  life 
and  entered  the  hard  but  profitable  school  of  ex- 
perience, becoming  one  of  the  employes  in  the 
D.  V.  Purinton  brick  yards,  where  he  remained 
five  years  and  mastered  the  art  of  brick-making. 
He  began  to  work  in  the  Stock  Yards,  for  Armour 
&  Fowler,  at  the  end  of  that  time,  and  subse- 
quently occupied  himself  at  his  trade  in  the  sum- 
mer and  in  the  Stock  Yards  in  the  winter.  He 
worked  for  a  gas  company  from  1883  until  1886. 
He  was  one  year  foreman  for  the  Consumers'  Gas 


524 


HENRY  SANDMEYER. 


Company  and  in  1886  entered  the  service  of  the 
Equitable  Gas  Company.  He  was  its  foreman 
one  year  and,  later,  was  employed  at  the  works 
of  the  Hyde  Park  Gas  Company,  and  was  fore- 
man for  this  company  from  1887  to  1892.  One 
year  subsequently  he  was  foreman  for  the  Chi- 
cago Gas  Light  &  Coke  Company,  and  has  since 
that  time  been  occupied  in  the  same  capacity  with 
the  People's  Gas  Light  &  Coke  Company.  He 
is  a  valuable  and  respected  employe,  and  his 
services  are  rewarded  accordingly. 

October  14,  1885,  Mr.  Robbins  married  Miss 
Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Patrick  and  Sarah  (Kane) 
Flaherty.  Mrs.  Robbins  was  born  April  24,  18681 


at  the  corner  of  Thirty-first  Street  and  West- 
ern Avenue.  Her  children  are  as  follows:  Walter, 
born  July  8,  1886,  died  July  8,  1886;  Clarence, 
born  July  21,  1887;  Edley  Joseph,  born  Novem- 
ber ii,  1889,  died  July  21,  1890;  Ethel,  born 
March  21,  1891,  died  July  18,  1891;  Myrtle,  born 
February  23,  1895;  Edley  Ambrose,  born  Janu- 
ary 20,  1897,  and  Walter  Albert,  born  April  21, 
1898. 

Mr.  Robbins  is  a  member  of  Amity  Council, 
No.  13,  Royal  League,  and  is  independent  in 
politics,  voting  for  the  man  who,  according  to  his 
idea,  is  best  fitted  to  fill  official  position  to  the 
interests  of  the  people. 


HENRY  SANDMEYER. 


HENRY  SANDMEYER,  one  of  the  retired 
employes  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
Company,  is  a  man  whose  characteristic  is 
fidelity.  This  fact  is  proven  by  his  record  of 
twenty-six  years  in  the  interest  of  one  employer. 
He  only  retired  when  advancing  years  made  it 
necessary  for  him  to  stop  to  enjoy  the  evening  of 
his  life  in  a  well-earned  rest. 

Henry  Sandmeyer  learned  the  trade  of  a  brass 
finisher  and  moulder  in  the  city  of  Mamel.  He 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Oldendorf,  Prussia,  and 
is  a  son  of  Louis  and  Sophia  (Hupe)  Sandmeyer, 
who  were  living  in  this  town  at  the  time  of  their 
son's  birth,  July  2,  1844.  Henry  was  forced  to 
serve  a  four  years'  apprenticeship  at  his  trade, 
and  was  employed  at  his  chosen  occupation  one 
year  in  Hamel.  He  spent  two  years  in  Berlin, 
Germany,  and  served  three  years  in  the  standing 
army  of  the  country.  He  left  the  land  of  his 
birth  in  1867,  and  landed  in  New  York  in  May. 

He  traveled  westward  and  located  in  Columbia 
City,  Indiana,  with  his  brother,  Louis  Sand- 


meyer, who  had  been  there  since  1852.  In  the 
fall  of  1867,  Henry  Sandmeyer  removed  to  Chi- 
cago. He  was  unable  at  first  to  find  employ- 
ment, and  occupied  himself  on  a  farm  near  Chi- 
cago two  mouths.  In  November  of  the  same 
year  he  entered  the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  at  Twenty-sixth  Street,  in 
the  brass  and  foundry  department  and  continued 
in  the  same  employ  until  January,  1892.  From 
1880  until  the  time  of  his  retirement  he  was  fore- 
man. 

September  29,  1872,  Mr.  Sandmeyer  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Augusta  Stoffregen,  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Louisa  (Mertens)  Stoffregen.  Mrs. 
Sandmeyer  was  born  July  9,  1851.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sandmeyer  were  blessed  with  two  children  that 
have  proved  a  blessing  to  them  in  every  respect. 
Edward  John,  the  elder,  is  twenty-one  years  of 
age  at  the  present  writing,  in  1898,  and  is  em- 
ployed in  the  office  of  the  German  and  Milwauke 
Mechanics'  Insurance  Company,  located  at  the 
corner  of  La  Salle  and  Adams  Streets.  Alma 


JOHN  BERNER. 


525 


Augusta  is  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  is  at  home 
with  her  parents. 

In  May,  1885,  Mr.  Sandmeyer  erected  a  resi- 
dence at  the  southeast  corner  of  Madison  Avenue 
and  Sixty-third  Street,  which  included  a  store 
building.  For  six  months  his  brother  conducted 
a  drug  store  in  the  building,  and  for  two  years  a 
hardware  store,  since  which  time  it  has  remained 
a  drug  store.  In  1891  Mr.  Sandmeyer  built  an 
L  shaped  building  around  two  sides  of  the  old 
frame  building,  the  new  part  being  a  three-story 
brick.  He  made  the  building  occupy  No.  328 
Sixty-third  Street  and  No.  6307  Madison  Avenue. 
For  two  3^ears  the  old  residence  portion  was  occu- 
pied by  a  barber  shop,  but  the  Hopkins  restau- 
rant has  since  been  located  in  the  said  space.  In 
1892  he  built  a  frame  two-story  building  at  Nos. 


6309-11    Madison   Avenue,  in  which  is  a  meat 
market  and  flats. 

Mr.  Sandmeyer  was  made  a  Mason  in  Waldeck 
Lodge  No.  672,  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  He  is  a  member  of  Hutton  Lodge  No. 
398,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has 
filled  all  the  chairs.  Though  never  seeking  to  hold 
public  office,  Mr.  Saudrneyer  is  a  staunch  upholder 
of  the  candidates  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  is 
a  man  of  pleasing  address.  He  resides  in  the  old 
building  on  the  corner  of  Madison  Avenue  and 
Sixty-third  Street  and  this  home  is  presided  over 
by  his  faithful  and  loving  helpmate,  who  is  a 
lady  of  refinement.  Mrs.  Sandmeyer  is  inter- 
ested in  all  social  and  benevolent  events  and  has 
aided  in  the  rearing  of  two  happy  and  devoted 
children,  both  of  whom  remain  with  their  parents. 


JOHN  BERNER. 


flOHN  BERNER,  one  of  the  most  popular, 
I  progressive  and  enterprising  citizens  of 
(*/  Lyons  Village,  was  born  in  Sharpsburg,  Al- 
legheny County,  Pennsylvania,  August  29,  1856, 
a  son  of  Baltzer  and  Anna  M.  (Hofmann)  Ber- 
ner,  natives  of  Hessen-Darmstadt,  Germany. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  as  well  as  uncle,  Joseph 
Berner,  were  popular  and  well-known  educators 
in  the  province  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  fol- 
lowing teaching  as  a  profession.  His  great- 
grandfather on  his  mother's  side,  George  Hof- 
mann, was  a  tanner  by  occupation,  and  attained 
the  remarkable  age  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
years. 

The  maternal  grandparents  of  John  Berner, 
Alois  and  Anna  Mary  (Wilhelm)  Hofmann, 
came  from  Hessen-Darmstadt  to  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1846.  They  removed  to  Sharps- 
burg,  a  place  adjoining  Pittsburgh,  in  1849, 
where  the  grandfather  embarked  in  the  cooperage 


business,  manufacturing  staves  and  nail  kegs, 
and  also  owning  and  conducting  a  farm.  He 
was  widely  known  in  western  Pennsylvania  as  a 
talented  musician,  and  died  in  February,  1882, 
at  the  age  of  eighty-seven  years. 

Baltzer  Berner,  father  of  the  man  whose  name 
heads  this  article,  was  one  of  the  early  German 
settlers  in  Allegheny  County,  and  was  a  mason 
by  trade.  He  was  many  years  engaged  in  con- 
tracting, in  that  line,  in  Pittsburgh  and  vicinity. 
He  was  fatally  injured,  while  superintending  the 
erection  of  a  bridge  on  the  Butler  Plank  road, 
near  Sharpsburg,  in  1868,  dying  from  the  inju- 
ries September  29  of  that  year.  His  widow  sur- 
vived him  exactly  thirteen  years,  dying  Septem- 
ber 29,  1 88  r.  The  family  consisted  of  eight 
children,  five  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  of 
whom  survive,  and  of  whom  John  is  one  of  twin 
boys. 

John  Beruer  was  reared  in  Sharpsburg,  Penn- 


526 


JAMES  HUGUELET. 


sylvania,  receiving  an  education  in  the  German 
Catholic  parochial  schools  and  continuing  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twelve  years.  In  1868  his 
mother  established  a  gardening  business  and  he 
was  her  assistant  until  1884.  In  March  of  that 
year  he  removed  to  Illinois,  locating  in  Lyons, 
and  embarking  in  the  hotel  business.  He  was 
five  years  occupied  at  this  business,  and  subse- 
quently spent  two  years  in  the  market  business  at 
Riverside.  In  1891-92  he  conducted  a  restaurant 
and  general  catering  establishment  in  Chicago, 
and  from  1892  to  1899  has  been  proprietor  of  a 
summer  garden  in  Lyons. 

He  purchased  the  fine  property  at  Lyons, 
which  he  now  occupies,  at  the  corner  of  Joliet 
and  Ogden  Avenues,  conducting  a  successful 
restaurant  and  cafe  of  a  first  class  kind,  making 
this  one  of  the  most  popular  resorts  in  Lyons. 


Mr.  Berner  was  married  March  9,  1882,  to 
Miss  Magdalena,  daughter  of  Louis  and  Eliza- 
beth (Fritch)  Durrstein,  of  Sharpsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  is  the  father  of  two  children, 
Edward  J.  and  Lizzie  A.  His  family  is  con- 
nected with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Mr. 
Berner  is  a  staunch  advocate  of  the  public  school 
system,  and  mainly  through  his  efforts  the  pres- 
ent public  school  building  was  erected  and  the 
system  put  on  the  solid  foundation  it  now  enjoys 
in  Lyons  Village.  He  was  also  one  of  the  incor- 
porators  of  Lyons  Village,  being  the  main  pro- 
motor  which  brought  its  incorporation  to  a  suc- 
cessful issue.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Vil- 
lage Board  of  Education  seven  years,  was  one  of 
the  first  trustees  of  the  village,  and  served  as 
treasurer  two  terms.  In  political  matters  he  is  a 
staunch  Democrat.  . 


JAMES  HUGUELET. 


(lAMES  HUGUELET,  a  man  of  good  family 
I  and  reputation,  and  a  loyal  citizen  of  Chi- 
Q)  cago,  is  an  employe  of  the  city  at  the  present 
time,  and  has  been  occupied  at  different  occupa- 
tions during  his  life.  He  was  born  October  13, 
1845.  For  his  ancestry  refer  to  biography  of 
Louis  Huguelet,  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

James  Huguelet  began  the  battle  of  life  for 
himself  when  but  thirteen  years  old,  being  a  sturdy 
and  energetic  youth.  He  was  first  employed 
by  the  McCormick  Harvesting  Machine  Company 
one  year,  and  then  entered  the  service  of  Mr. 
Loveday,  where  he  remained  but  seven  months. 
For  ten  subsequent  years  he  was  in  the  service 
of  Thomas  Goodwillie,  located  on  the  North  Pier, 
in  the  industry  of  making  boxes.  Mr.  Huguelet 
had  charge  of  a  department  during  the  last  two 
years  he  spent  in  this  employ,  showing  that  he 
knew  how  to  make  his  services  valuable  and  that 
his  employer  honored  and  valued  him.  He  was 


later  for  a  period  of  eight  years  with  James  Max- 
well, located  at  the  corner  of  Loomis  and  Sixty- 
first  Streets,  also  engaged  in  making  boxes. 

Mr.  Huguelet  spent  eighteen  months  at  the 
same  occupation  with  Cook  &  Raftman  and  next 
was  employed  six  years  by  the  city  under  the 
Cregier  administration,  at  the  water  works.  He 
was  generally  employed  later,  serving  in  asses- 
sor's and  collector's  offices  as  watchman.  He  re. 
sides  with  his  family  at  No.  98  Delaware  Place. 

He  was  successful  in  marrying  a  congenial, 
harmonious  helpmate,  January  8,  1874,  when  he 
was  united  to  Miss  Susan  Marx,  daughter  of 
Adam  Marx.  They  have  become  the  parents  of 
nine  interesting  children,  of  whom  one  is  de- 
ceased, Samuel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven 
months.  In  order  they  were  named:  James, 
Eugene,  Joseph,  Samuel,  William,  Delia,  David, 
Lily  and  John.  The  family  makes  a  happy  cir- 
cle of  peace  and  exemplary  domestic  life. 


O.  D.   RANNEY. 


527 


ORRIN  D.  RANNEY. 


IRRIN  DATUS  RANNEY  was  bom  at  East 

Granville  (on  Holden  Hill),  Massachusetts, 
March  6,  1812,  unto  Orrin  and  Betsy  Ran- 
ney ,  (nee  Gibbons. )  He  had  one  brother  and  three 
sisters,  all  of  good  attainments.  The  brother, 
Timothy  Pickering  Ranney  (now  deceased),  was 
long  a  prominent  laywer  at  Newark,  New  Jersey. 
His  sisters,  Nancy  Deborah  and  Sarah  Sheppard 
Ranney,  were  both  graduates  of  Mount  Holyoke 
Seminary,  Massachusetts.  The  former  (now  de- 
parted) for  many  years  had  a  private  ladies' 
seminary  at  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey.  Sarah  mar- 
ried Mr.  J.  Austin  Scott,  a  capitalist,  of  Toledo, 
Ohio.  Sarah  Sheppard  Ranney  Scott  and  hus- 
band are  now  both  dead. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  on  account  of  ill 
health  was  obliged  to  forego  youthful  aspirations 
for  becoming  a  clergyman.  After  finishing  his 
common  school  education,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  - 
years,  he  began  clerking  in  Westfield,  Massachu- 
setts. Upon  his  marriage,  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one,  he  began  to  conduct  his  own  store  at  Lee, 
Massachusetts,  whence  he  removed  to  Adrian, 
Michigan.  Thence  he  went  to  Maumee  City, 
Ohio,  where  he  remained  for  a  period  of  about 
ten  years;  thence  to  Toledo,  Ohio.  In  all  of 
these  places  he  continued,  with  varying  fortunes, 
in  the  mercantile  business. 

Removing  from  Toledo,  Ohio,  he  came  to  the 
final  destination  of  his  earthly  life,  arriving  in 
Chicago  in  1856.  He  went  directly  into  the  pro- 
vision commission  business,  on  South  Water 
Street,  where  he  was  long  associated  with  the 
still  surviving  veteran  Sherman  Hall.  Later  he 
was  for  some  years  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade,  in  which  we  need  not  add  he  was  deeply 
interested,  and  at  whose  marvelous  growth  he  was, 
with  his  compeers  of  earlier  days,  obliged  to  mar- 
vel greatly. 

In  May,  1872,  he  became  attached  to  the  force 


of  the  First  National  Bank,  serving  that  corpora- 
tion most  faithfully  in  the  capacity  of  Manager  ot 
the  Safety  Deposit  Vaults,  for  upwards  of  a  score 
of  years,  unto  the  very  time  of  his  death,  March 
4,  1894. 

By  political  faith,  he  was  a  staunch  Republi- 
can, following  the  progressive  career  of  that  su- 
premely American  party  in  every  election  with 
his  unvarying  support  at  the  ballot  box.  The 
uplifting  force  of  his  long  and  good  life  is  found 
in  the  Presbyterian  dogma,  to  which  he  sub- 
scribed by  actions  which  "speak  louder  than 
words. ' '  At  the  time  of  his  coming  to  our  city, 
he  identified  himself  with  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  which  he  was  ever  honorably  promi- 
nent, acting  as  an  Elder  for  long  years,  up  to 
within  about  two  years  of  the  time  of  his  decease. 
He  was  also  warmly  interested  in  the  welfare  of 
the  Foster  Mission,  a  time-honored  school  of  that 
denomination.  The  Rev.  Herrick  Johnson  offici- 
ated at  his  funeral,  and  he  was  laid  at  rest  in 
Albion,  Michigan. 

Our  departed  friend  belonged  to  no  clubs,  he 
was  no  society  man;  he  belonged  to  his  home;  he 
was  a  man  for  the  fireside  and  his  tried,  true 
friends.  Said  one  of  those  high  in  position,  with 
whom  business  associations  for  a  lengthy  period 
had  brought  the  subject  of  this  sketch  into  close 
relations  of  importance, ' '  I  would  as  soon  have 
thought  of  our  bank  suddenly  becoming  bankrupt 
for  some  inexplicable  reason,  as  to  know  that 
anything  had  gone  wrong  with  our  Deposit  De- 
partment while  it  was  under  Mr.  Ranney's  super- 
vision." Another,  standing  under  the  shadow 
of  his  tomb,  said,  "He  was  an  honest  man  in 
every  way,  church,  business,  social  and  domestic 
life;  none  could  come  nearer  perfection  than  Orrin 
Datus  Ranney.  All  knew  him  only  to  respect 
and  love,  as  one  of  God's  noblemen." 

As  the  Creator  does  not  finish  the  lives  of  any, 


528 


M.  N.  KIMBELL. 


no  matter  how  saintly,  upon  this  lower  earth,  so 
we  cannot  record  in  worthy  fulness  what  is  most 
deserving  of  historic  remembrance  and  emulation 
on  the  part  of  succeeding  generations  of  business 
men,  about  to  enter  upon  important  duties  in  our 
vast  and  rapidly  growing  metropolis.  Surely,  we 
may  trustfully  believe,  as  he  was  without  fear, 
he  passed  to  fields  of  Paradise  without  punish- 
ment; as  he  submissively  wore  the  cross,  the 
crown  of  eternal  bliss  is  already  encircling  his  be- 
loved brow. 

Mr.  Ranney  was  twice  married,  having  and 
leaving  children  only  by  the  former  marriage. 
The  first  union  was  with  Miss  Phoebe  Eldredge, 
the  ceremony  being  performed  by  the  Rev.  Isaac 
Knapp,  at  Westfield,  Massachusetts,  April  15, 
1833.  Three  children  came  to  them,  as  follows: 
Charles  Luce  Ranney,  born  January  14,  1834  in 
Westfield,  Massachusetts;  went  through  the  Civil 
War,  and  died  in  a  hospital  in  Portland,  Oregon, 
in  1890,  unmarried.  Ellen  Maria  Ranney,  born 
July  5,  1839,  in  Lee,  Berkshire  County,  Massa- 
chusetts, died  in  childhood  at  Maumee  City ;  Alice 
Maria  Ranney,  born  July  5,  1849  at  Maumee 
City,  Ohio;  educated  at  Miss  Ranney 's  Private 
School  in  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  and  later  a 
graduate  of  the  Chicago  Dearborn  Seminary. 
She  married  December  10,  1868,  Walter  Weeks 
Hilton,  a  banker  of  early  Chicago,  by  whon  she 
has  two  children:  Myra  Fisk  Hilton,  born  Sep- 
tember 27  1869,  educated  at  the  Chicago  Dear- 
born Seminary;  and  married  June  26,  1889,  to 
Mr.  William  Z.  Mead,  formerly  of  Virginia,  now 


of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  the  insurance  business.  John  Ranney  Hilton, 
born  September  5,  1873,  educated  in  the  Chicago 
High  School,  unmarried. 

On  the  i  gth  of  January,  1881,  Mr.  Ranney  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Adeline  S.  Peabody,  (nceGrosve- 
ner)  a  prominent  family  of  Albion,  Michigan,  by 
the  Rev.  Daniel  M.  Cooper,  of  Detroit,  Michigan. 
Their  more  than  half  a  score  of  happy  years  of 
wedded  life  were  not  blessed  by  offspring.  She 
still  survives  him,  living  at  Albion,  and  visiting 
his  last  resting  place  on  frequent  occasions,  feel- 
ing honored  in  being  the  associate  of  one  in  every 
way  so  worthy  of  the  best  of  womankind. 

It  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Ranney  leaves  no  male 
child  to  bear  his  name  throughout  the  coming 
years;  therefore,  although  the  good  traits  of  fe- 
male descendants  will  loudly  voice  themselves  in 
his  behalf,  it  is  especially  appropriate  that  at  this 
time  and  in  this  place  and  manner,  in  dignified 
setting,  surrounded  by  the  best  of  his  contempo- 
raries, a  lasting  memorial  be  created,  befitting 
in  some  degree  the  superlative  characteristics  of 
manhood  possessed  by  him  of  whom  this  is  written. 

It  Is  to  be  regretted  that  some  fuller  record  of 
Mr.  Ranney 's"  lineal  ancestry  is  not  available;  for 
the  present  it  is  known  that  his  maternal  grand- 
parents were  Timothy  and  Elizabeth  Gibbons, 
and  that  the  preceding  in  the  male  line  was  Peter 
Gibbons.  It  is  unnecessary  to  call  attention  to 
those  prominent  in  this  family,  a  Cardinal  being 
in  the  mouths  of  us  all,  at  first  mention.  The  pa- 
ternal grandfather  was  Jonathan  Ranney. 


MARTIN  N.  KIMBELL. 


IVyi  ARTIN  NELSON  KIMBELL,  one  of  the 
I Y  most  public- spirited  of  Cook  County's  pio- 
|(fj|  neers,  who  ably  bore  his  part  in  promoting 
its  moral  and  intellectual  progress,  as  well  as  aid- 


ing in  its  material  prosperity,  was  born  in  Still- 
water  Township,  Saratoga  County,  New  York, 
January  24,  1812.  He  was  the  eldest  r-hild  of 
Abel  Kimbell  and  Maria  Powell.  The  former 


M.  N.   KIMBELL. 


529 


was  born  at  Pownal,  Bennington,  County,  Ver- 
mont, and  was  a  son  of  Noah  Kimbell,  a  native 
of  Rhode  Island,  who  removed  to  Vermont  while 
a  young  man.  The  last-named  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  and  a  farmer  and  miller  by  occu- 
pation. He  joined  the  Continental  forces  and 
took  part  in  the  battle  of  Bennington.  Abel 
Kimbell,  in  early  life,  removed  to  Saratoga 
County,  New  York,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1833  at  the  age  of  forty-two  years.  He  was  a 
veteran  of  the  War  of  1812. 

Mrs.  Maria  Kimbell  died  in  Saratoga  County, 
New  York,  in  1830.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Nelson,  was  of  Dutch  descent,  and  her 
father's  name  was  Frost  Powell.  He  was  of 
English- Welsh  extraction,  sonofObadiah  Powell, 
a  Quaker,  who  died  in  Saratoga  County  at  the 
age  of  nearly  one  hundred  years.  Some  time 
previous  to  the  Revolutionary  War  he  removed 
thither  from  Dutchess  County,  New  York,  with 
his  wife  Betsy,  bringing  all  their  belongings  on  a 
pack  pony.  They  became  the  parents  of  three 
sons  and  eight  daughters,  all  of  whom  lived  to 
extreme  old  age.  During  the  Revolutionary 
struggle,  Obadiah  Powell  was  much  censured  by 
his  neighbors  on  account  of  his  non-combatant 
principles,  and  most  of  his  personal  property  was 
confiscated.  He  was  steadfast  in  his  convictions, 
however,  and  lived  to  become  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  the  county.  At  the  age  of  ninety-eight 
years  he  husked  several  baskets  of  corn  and  car- 
ried them  to  the  loft  of  his  carriage  house.  His 
house  was  a  favorite  gathering-place  of  his  nu- 
merous descendants,  including  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  who  was  the  recipient  of  considerable  at- 
tention from  the  old  gentleman  on  account  of  his 
being  the  first  great-grandchild.  About  1840 
Frost  Powell  moved  to  Wisconsin,  settling  near 
Waterford,  in  Racine  County,  where  he  died  a 
few  years  later. 

Martin  N.  Kimbell  was  but  six  years  old  when 
the  family  moved  to  Windham,  Bradford  County, 
Pennsylvania, and  a  few  years  later  another  remov- 
al was  made  to  Tioga  County,  New  York.  Though 
his  parents  were  able  to  equip  him  with  little 
other  education,  they  implanted  in  his  mind  those 
upright  and  honorable  principles  which,  with  the 


habits  of  industry,  frugality  and  sobriety  acquired 
in  early  youth,  admirably  fitted  him  for  the  battle 
of  life.  At  the  age  of  twelve  years  he  began 
working  out  among  the  neighboring  farmers,  his 
first  wages  being  $4  per  month.  The  money 
earned  in  this  way  was  spent  for  schooling — most 
of  his  education  being  obtained  after  he  had 
passed  the  age  of  eighteen  years.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  returned  to  Saratoga  County,  New 
York,  where  he  was  employed  as  foreman  upon  a 
large  farm  at  the  extraordinary  salary  of$n  per 
month,  the  other  help  receiving  from  $6  to  $8. 
So  satisfactory  were  his  services  that  he  was 
offered  still  farther  advance  in  salary,  but  after  a 
few  years  he  again  went  to  Tioga  County  and 
taught  school  for  several  terms  at  a  salary  of  $15 
per  month,  "  boarding  around. "  Having  heard 
wonderful  tales  of  the  great  West,  in  1836  he 
came  to  Chicago.  His  first  employment  here  was 
at  farm  work  and  teaming.  In  the  fall  of  the  same 
year  he  made  a  claim  to  a  quarter-section  of  land 
in  Jefferson  Township,  now  inside  of  the  city 
limits,  and  in  the  spring  of  1837  built  a  shanty  of 
hay  on  his  claim.  In  1838  he  purchased  this 
land,  paying  to  the  middle  man  who  secured  the 
title  from  the  Government,  the  sum  of  $2.50  per 
acre  in  annual  installments  of  $100.  The  same 
year  he  built  a  frame  house  near  the  location  of 
his  late  residence,  and  engaged  in  active  farming 
operations.  Four  years  later  he  rented  a  hotel 
on  Milwaukee  Avenue,  at  the  corner  of  the  thor- 
oughfare now  known  as  Warner  Avenue.  This 
house  was  at  that  time  known  as  ' '  The  Prairie 
Grocery,"  but  he  changed  its  name  to  "  Live  and 
Let  Live. ' '  Although  this  enterprise  was  quite 
successful,  he  resolved  to  abandon  it  because  it 
did  not  provide  satisfactory  environment  for  his 
growing  family,  and  two  years  later  he  returned 
to  his  farm,  which  was  his  home  during  the  rest 
of  his  life.  At  one  time  his  farm  comprised  two 
hundred  and  seventeen  acres,  most  of  which  has 
been  subdivided  in  city  lots.  In  addition  to  his 
farming  operations  he  engaged  for  some  years  in 
jobbing  and  general  contracting.  In  1849  he 
began  to  grade  and  plank  the  highway  known  as 
Milwaukee  Avenue,  and  built  about  three  miles 
thereof,  and  was  afterward  employed  for  five 


530 


M.  N.  KIMBELL. 


years  as  superintendent  of  the  Northwestern 
Plank  Road  Company.  His  winters  were  spent 
in  getting  out  oak  plank  for  this  purpose  in  the 
Desplaines  woods,  and  some  of  the  timber  is  still 
found  in  the  grade  of  that  thoroughfare.  Mr. 
Kimbell  was  also  interested  in  several  other  en- 
terprises, and  was  for  eleven  years  a  director  of 
the  National  Bank  of  Illinois.  He  was  always  a 
firm  friend  of  the  cause  of  education.  Two  terms 
of  school  were  kept  in  his  house,  during  which 
time  he  boarded  the  teacher  gratuitously,  and 
he  often  contributed  money  in  excess  of  his 
school  tax  for  the  purpose  of  securing  capable 
teachers.  The  first  schoolhouse  in  his  district 
was  built  by  himself  and  two  neighbors  at  their 
own  expense.  He  was  a  school  officer  for  thirty 
years,  giving  of  his  time  and  labor  for  the  benefit 
of  the  public  schools  without  hope  of  reward. 

In  early  life  he  was  a  Democrat,  but  upon  the 
passage  of  the  fugitive  slave  law  he  renounced 
that  party,  and  during  the  agitation  which  fol- 
lowed that  act,  he  several  times  sheltered  runaway 
negroes  in  his  house,  and  rendered  them  other 
assistance  in  escaping  from  their  pursuers.  He 
made  no  secret  of  these  acts,  but  such  was  the 
respect  with  which  he  was  held  in  the  community 
that  no  one  interfered  with  this  practical  demon- 
stration of  his  principles.  Upon  the  organization 
of  the  Republican  party,  he  became  one  of  its 
strongest  supporters,  and  consistently  held  to  that 
course  ever  after.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  Cook  County,  and  served 
as  Deputy  Sheriff  at  one  time.  Three  of  his  sons 
served  in  the  Union  Army  during  the  Civil  War, 
in  Battery  A,  First  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  and 
Mr.  Kimbell  spent  most  of  his  time  for  three 
years  in  sanitary  and  benevolent  work  for  the 
soldiers.  The  first  contribution  of  $300  which  he 
raised,  was  the  proceeds  of  a  ball  at  the  Jefferson 
Town  Hall.  In  this  and  other  ways  he  subse- 
quently contributed  largely  to  the  funds  of  the 
Sanitary  Commission. 

Mr.  Kimbell  was  married  on  the  31  st  of  Au- 
gust, 1837,  to  Sarah  Ann  Smalley.  Her  father, 
Nehemiah  Smalley,  died  in  1836,  soon  after  com- 
ing to  Chicago  with  his  family.  Mrs.  Kimbell  was 
born  in  Madison  County,  New  York,  April  16, 


1816,  and  has  been  an  able  helpmeet  of  her  hus- 
band during  their  long  and  laborious  career.  Of 
their  children,  Charles  B.  is  now  living  retired 
at  Hinsdale,  Illinois;  Julius  W.  is  their  second 
son;  Spencer  S.  is  the  third;  Anne  Maria  (now 
deceased)  was  the  wife  of  Jacob  Stryker;  Frank 
A.  is  a  resident  of  Missouri;  Angeline,  Mrs.  E. 
H.  Smalley,  resides  at  Caledonia,  Minnesota; 
Martin  N.,  the  fifth  son,  resides  on  part  of  the 
old  homestead;  and  Edward  C.  is  a  resident  of 
Los  Angeles,  California.  Three  of  the  sons  still 
reside  near  the  old  homestead.  All  are  well- 
known  business  men,  and  the  firms  with  which 
they  are  connected  and  manage,  have  furnished 
more  stone  and  brick  for  Chicago  buildings  than 
any  other  firm  in  existence.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kimbell  had  twenty-eight  grandchildren  and  nine 
great-grandchildren,  beside  seventeen  children 
and  grandchildren  by  marriage,  at  the  time  of 
his  demise.  When  congregated  at  the  old  home- 
stead, this  family  exceeds  in  number  the  gather- 
ings which  took  place  at  the  house  of  Obadiah 
Powell  in  Mr.  Kimbell' s  childhood. 

Mr.  Kimbell  was  a  Universalist  for  fifty-seven 
years.  He  contributed  toward  the  building  of 
five  churches  in  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Church  of  the  Redeemer.  All 
the  members  of  the  family  cherish  the  same  faith. 

Endowed  by  nature  with  a  strong  and  vigorous 
constitution,  he  always  enjoyed  good  health  until 
about  the  year  1890,  when  he  began  to  have 
trouble  with  his  feet,  which  gradually  developed 
into  gangrene.  This  continued  to  increase  stead- 
ily until,  in  January,  1895,  it  was  decided  by  a 
council  of  physicians  that  in  order  to  save,  or 
even  prolong  his  life  and  relieve  the  intense  suf- 
fering he  was  enduring,  it  would  be  necessary  to 
amputate  his  left  leg  above  the  knee.  This  was 
accordingly  done,  with  his  full  consent,  and  with 
the  hope  on  the  part  of  the  family  that  his  other- 
wise robust  constitution  would  enable  him  to 
rally  from  the  operation.  But  his  advanced  age 
of  eighty -three  years  was  against  him,  and  he 
sank  gradually  until  the  end,  which  came  Febru- 
ary 13,  1895.  The  last  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  in  quiet  retirement,  surrounded  by  his 
numerous  family,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  a  life  of 


A.  J.  GALLOWAY. 


hard  and  honest  labor,  combined  with  temperance, 
benevolence  and  frugality,  a  useful  and  exem- 


plary  life  well  worthy   of  emulation   by   rising 
generations. 


ANDREW  J.  GALLOWAY. 


G>\  NDREW  JACKSON  GALLOWAY,    one  of 

Hthe  pioneer  railroad  builders  of  Illinois,  has 
witnessed  the  growth  of  the  State  from  a  few 
scattered  hamlets  to  one  of  the  most  populous  and 
wealthy  commonwealths  of  the  Union,  and  is  still 
vigorous  of  mind  and  hale  in  body.  He  inherits 
from  his  Scotch  ancestry  those  subtle  qualities  of 
mind  which  make  the  successful  business  man 
and  the  vigorous  constitution  which  enables  men 
to  carry  on  continuous  and  fatiguing  enterprises. 
His  father,  Andrew  Galloway,  was  born  in  Done- 
gal, Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  Fayette  County, 
Pennsylvania,  during  the  first  year  of  the  present 
century.  His  ancestors  were  among  those  who 
fled  from  the  persecution  of  the  Protestants  in 
Scotland  to  the  North  of  Ireland,  and  their 
descendants  are  now  numerous  in  America,  in- 
cluding many  enterprising  and  successful  business 
men.  Several  brothers  of  Andrew  Galloway  set- 
tled in  America.  Robert  G.  also  located  in  Fay- 
ette County,  Pennsylvania.  John  settled  at  Bal- 
timore, Maryland,  and  Samuel  went  to  New 
York,  whence  he  removed,  in  1836,  to  LaSalle 
County,  Illinois. 

Andrew  Galloway's  wife  (the  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  biography)  was  Isabel,  daughter 
of  Hugh  Wilson,  who  came  from  Ireland  to  Vir- 
ginia with  his  father,  John  Wilson.  The  family 
moved  from  Virginia  to  Pennsylvania,  where 
Hugh  became  a  lieutenant  of  militia  in  the  War 
of  the  Revolution.  He  married  a  daughter  of 
Mr.  Joseph  Pierce,  who  was,  doubtless,  of  Eng- 
lish extraction.  He  moved  from  New  Jersey  to 
Westmoreland  (now  Allegheny)  County,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1772,  making  the  journey  on  horse- 


back, as  there  were  then  no  roads  over  the  moun 
tains.  The  Pierce  family  was  very  early  identi- 
fied with  the  colony  of  New  Jersey. 

Of  Andrew  Galloway's  ten  children,  two  died 
in  infancy;  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  the  fourth, 
and  beside  him,  but  three  are  lining,  namely: 
Julia,  widow  of  Francis  S.  Galloway,  Sarah  J., 
widow  of  William  Bedford,  both  residing  in  Chi- 
cago; and  George,  now  of  Jackson  County,  Ore- 
gon. 

Andrew  J.  Galloway  was  born  near  Butler,  the 
seat  of  Butler  County,  Pennsylvania,  December 
21,  1814.  Before  he  was  six  years  old,  his  father 
moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Corydon,  then  the  capi- 
tal of  Indiana,  and  in  1823  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Clark  County,  same  State,  where  he  remained 
ten  years.  He  died  in  Marseilles,  La  Salle  Coun- 
ty, Illinois,  in  October,  1843,  of  congestive  fever 
contracted  while  making  preliminary  improve- 
ments on  a  farm  which  he  had  just  located.  His 
age  was  sixty-six  years. 

While  a  boy,  A.  J.  Galloway  spent  his  sum- 
mers in  doing  such  work  upon  the  farm  as  he 
was  able  to  perform,  getting  a  little  insight  into 
the  mysteries  of  letters  during  the  winter  months. 
At  the  age  of  fiftesn,  he  found  an  opportunity  to 
earn  his  board  by  working  evenings  and  Satur- 
days, while  attending  a  grammar  school  at  Camp 
Creek,  some  miles  distant  from  his  home.  In 
1834,  he  entered  the  preparatory  department  of 
Hanover  College,  Indiana.  He  had  intended  to 
study  the  classics,  with  a  view  to  taking  up  the 
science  of  medicine,  but  his  attention  was  turned 
to  engineering  by  the  great  demand  made  by 
canal  and  railroad  construction,  and  the  liberal 


532 


A.  J.  GALLOWAY. 


compensation  offered  to  competent  engineers. 
Under  the  instructions  of  Professors  Harney  and 
Thompson,  he  made  special  studies  in  mathemat- 
ics and  engineering,  and  received  his  diploma  as 
civil  engineer  in  April,  1837. 

Proceeding  to  Evansville,  he  hoped  to  obtain  a 
position  on  the  Indiana  Central  canal,  but  was  of- 
fered the  charge  of  the  Mount  Carmel  Academy 
at  Mount  Carmel,  Illinois,  soon  after,  and  accepted 
for  one  year.  Among  his  pupils  were  many 
young  men  who  have  since  become  distinguished 
men  of  business,  law  and  letters.  At  the  close  of 
his  school  year,  he  accepted  an  appointment  as 
assistant  engineer  in  the  service  of  the  State,  and 
was  actively  employed  in  the  location  and  con- 
struction of  railways  in  that  section  of  the  State. 

In  the  fall  of  1840,  he  went  to  Springfield,  and 
was  employed  during  a  part  of  the  following  win- 
ter as  assistant  enrolling  clerk  of  the  Senate.  In 
the  following  July,  he  received  an  appointment 
from  the  Canal  Commissioners  as  engineer  on  the 
Illinois  &  Michigan  Canal,  under  Chief  Engineer 
William  Gooding  and  his  assistant,  Edward  B. 
Talcott.  He  continued  in  this  work  until  the 
suspension  of  operations  in  the  winter  of  1843-4, 
when  he  retired  to  the  farm  which  he  had  pur- 
chased in  1842,  on  the  Big  Vermillion  river  in 
La  Salle  County.  In  1845,  he  resumed  his  posi- 
tion and  employment  on  the  canal,  with  head- 
quarters at  Marseilles,  and  continued  until  De- 
cember, 1846,  when  the  work  was  about  com- 
pleted and  he  was  relieved.  Within  a  few  days, 
he  was  elected  enrolling  and  engrossing  clerk  of 
the  lower  house  of  the  Legislature,  to  which  posi- 
tion he  was  also  elected  in  1848.  At  the  close  of 
the  session  in  1849,  he  was  appointed  Secretary 
to  the  State  Trustee  of  the  Canal  Board,  with  of- 
fice in  Chicago.  He  moved  his  family  to  the 
city,  and  for  over  two  years  filled  this  position, 
until  he  resigned  to  accept  the  office  of  assistant 
engineer  under  Col.  Roswell  B.  Mason,  on  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad. 

Mr.  Galloway  located  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  of  the  line  of  this  road,  and  superin- 
tended the  construction  of  the  twelfth  division 
until  near  completion,  when  he  was  transferred 
to  the  land  department  of  the  same  road,  with  an 


increase  of  $1,000  per  annum  in  salary.  He 
superintended  the  survey  of  more  than  a  million 
acres  of  the  company's  lands,  and  made  sketches 
for  maps  of  the  same,  with  descriptions  of  the 
character  and  quality  of  every  tract  surveyed. 

He  retired  from  the  railroad  service  in  July, 
1855,  and  formed  a  company,  with  two  others, 
to  deal  in  real  estate  and  lands,  under  the  title  of 
A.  J.  Galloway  &  Company.  Before  the  close  of 
that  year,  they  bought  sixty  thousand  acres  of 
Illinois  Central  lands,  all  of  which  eventually 
passed  into  the  individual  possession  of  Mr.  Gal- 
loway. For  some  years  he  was  occupied  in  dis- 
posing of  these  holdings,  together  with  sales  on 
commission  for  the  company  and  other  owners, 
and  has  done  his  share  in  securing  the  location 
of  desirable  citizens  in  the  State. 

Mr.  Galloway  cast  his  first  Presidential  vote 
for  Martin  Van  Buren,  in  1836,  and  has  voted 
in  every  national  contest  since.  He  adhered  to 
the  Democratic  party  until  the  organization  of 
the  Republican  in  1856,  since  which  he  has  af- 
filiated with  the  latter  party.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Twenty-seventh  General  Assembly  of  Illi- 
nois, and  chairman  of  the  committee  on  canal  and 
river  improvements  in  the  house.  This  was  the 
first  Legislature  under  the  present  State  Consti- 
tution, and  held  four  sessions,  two  of  them  being 
called  by  the  Governor  of  the  State,  and  one  of 
which  was  made  necessary  by  the  fearful  conflagra- 
tion which  destroyed  some  two  hundred  million 
dollars'  worth  of  property  in  Chicago  in  the  brief 
space  of  twenty  hours.  He  was  elected  to  fill  a  va- 
cancy in  the  Cook  County  Board  of  Commissioners 
in  November,  1872,  by  some  eight  thousand  major- 
ity, but  was  beaten  on  the  "law  and  order"  ticket 
in  the  following  year  for  the  same  office,  by  some 
ten  thousand  majority  given  for  the  candidate  on 
the  "people's  ticket."  In  1882,  he  was  a  candi- 
date on  the  Republican  ticket  for  County  Clerk, 
and  though  elected  by  the  legal  votes  cast,  was 
counted  out.  While  at  Springfield,  he  formed 
the  acquaintance  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  their 
mutual  friendship  continued  with  the  life  of  the 
latter. 

As  chairman  of  the  committee  on  taxation  of 
the  Citizens'  Association,  he  has  rendered  valu- 


JAMES   TOMPKINS. 


533 


able  aid  to  that  very  useful  organization,  and  at 
various  times,  through  the  medium  of  the  press, 
has  given  to  the  public  useful  hints,  facts  and 
statistics  which  ought  not  to  be  forgotten. 

In  November,  1838,  Mr.  Galloway  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Rebecca  Buchanan,  youngest  daugh- 
ter of  the  late  Victor  Buchanan,  senior,  of  Law- 
rence County,  Illinois,  a  well-known  and  highly 
esteemed  farmer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
died  and  was  buried  on  his  farm  in  the  year  1843, 


having  reached  the  ripe  age  of  eighty-one  years. 
Following  are  the  names  of  Mr.  Galloway's 
children:  Rebecca  Elizabeth,  wife  of  George  G. 
Gunther,  now  residing  in  California;  Robert  Wil- 
son, an  amateur  artist  and  member  of  the  Chicago 
Board  of  Trade,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven 
years;  Margaret,  widow  of  Samuel  L.  Fogg,  and 
James  Buchanan,  a  prominent  business  man,  re- 
side in  Chicago.  Jessie  died  in  1870,  aged 
twenty  years. 


REV.  JAMES  TOMPKINS,  D.  D. 


REV.  JAMES  TOMPKINS,  D.  D.,  for  seven- 
teen years  Superintendent  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Home  Missionary  Society  of  Illinois, 
is  not  only  an  able  preacher  but  a  superior  busi- 
ness man  as  well.  His  practical  ideas  and  genial, 
sunny  disposition  inspire  confidence  and  interest 
in  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  and  secure 
ready  co-operation  in  his  work.  He  was  born  in 
Galesburg,  Illinois,  on  the  6th  of  April,  1840. 
His  father,  Deacon  Samuel  Tompkins,  was  one 
of  the  founders  of  that  city,  being  a  member  of 
the  committee  that  came  from  New  York,  in 
1835,  to  select  the  site  of  an  institution  of  learning 
and,  incidentally,  of  a  town  in  the  '  'wild  West. ' ' 
The  committee  entered  a  township  of  Govern- 
ment land  and  platted  a  village  in  its  center,  in 
the  name  of  Knox  College.  Tompkins  Street, 
on  which  is  located  Knox  Female  Seminary,  is 
named  in  honor  of  this  pioneer.  Samuel  Tomp- 
kins was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and  his  wife, 
Mary  Grinnell,  was  born  at  Paris  Hill,  Oneida 
County,  New  York. 

James  Tompkins  spent  his  early  years  in  his 
native  place,  studying  in  the  public  schools,  until 
1854,  when  he  entered  the  preparatory  depart- 


ment of  Knox  College.  He  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  1862,  taking  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Science.  In  1865,  having  pursued  special 
lines  of  study,  he  received  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts.  In  1867,  he  graduated  from  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary,  and  in  1888  he  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
Illinois  College. 

During  his  preparatory  and  college  course,  he 
maintained  himself  by  teaching  school,  and  the 
same  year  of  his  graduation — at  the  age  of  twen- 
ty-two— he  took  charge  of  Elmwood  Academy,  at 
Elm  wood,  Illinois.  He  continued  here  two  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  period  a  regular  system  of 
graded  schools  was  established  by  the  town  and 
the  trustees  of  the  academy  decided  to  merge 
that  institution  in  the  public  high  school.  The 
formation  of  the  grades  and  establishment  of  the 
high  school  was  a  task  assigned  to  Mr.  Tomp- 
kins, and  faithfully  carried  out. 

While  he  was  in  college,  the  call  of  President 
Lincoln  was  issued  for  seventy-five  thousand  men 
to  put  down  the  rebellion,  and  a  company  was 
enlisted  at  Knox  College,  Mr.  Tompkins  being 
among  the  first.  So  many  men  were  enlisting 


534 


JAMES  TOMPKINS. 


throughout  the  State  that  it  was  feared  the  com- 
pany of  students  would  not  be  accepted,  and  its 
captain  was  sent  to  Springfield  to  urge  the  matter 
upon  Governor  Yates,  but  the  mission  was  vain, 
and  thus  several  good  soldiers  were  spoiled  in  the 
making  of  some  good  ministers. 

After  graduating,  Mr.  Tompkins  aided  in  re- 
cruiting some  companies  of  volunteers  under  a 
later  call.  These  went  into  the  Seventy-seventh 
and  Eighty-fifth  Regiments  of  Illinois  Volunteers. 
Through  much  open  air  speaking  in  recruiting, 
Mr.  Tompkins  was  suffering  from  a  slight  inflam- 
mation on  the  lungs  at  this  time,  and  the  exam- 
ining surgeon  refused  to  pass  him  for  military 
duty.  As  he  was  anxious  to  go  out  with  the 
men  he  had  enlisted,  he  endeavored  to  persuade 
the  surgeon  that  his  ailment  was  temporary,  but 
the  official  was  inexorable  and  he  was  compelled 
to  remain  behind.  After  resigning  his  position 
at  Elmwood,  however,  in  June,  1864,  he  was  en- 
abled to  give  his  services  to  the  country  by  join- 
ing the  United  States  Christian  Commission, 
which  did  such  valuable  work  for  the  "boys  in 
blue"  in  camp  and  hospital  and  on  the  battle- 
field. In  this  service,  he  remained  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  He  was  first  sent  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  in  company  with  Rev.  W.  G.  Peirce, 
the  beloved  and  heroic  chaplain  of  the  Seventy- 
seventh  Illinois.  When  they  reached  City  Point, 
Virginia — General  Grant's  headquarters — they 
responded  to  a  call  for  volunteers  to  go  to  the 
front,  and  were  assigned  to  duty  at  Point  of  Rocks, 
on  the  Appomatox  river.  Here  Mr.  Tompkins 
met  with  an  accident  which  nearly  proved  fatal. 
After  hovering  between  life  and  death  for  a  week, 
he  rallied  sufficiently  to  be  taken  in  an  ambulance 
to  City  Point,  and  was  placed  on  a  steamer  bound 
for  Baltimore. 

On  his  recovery,  he  was  engaged  for  several 
weeks  in  lecturing  throughout  Central  Illinois  on 
the  work  of  the  Christian  Commission,  and  col- 
lected several  thousand  dollars  for  its  use.  He 
then  visited  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  and 
followed  General  Thomas  as  he  drove  the  Con- 
federate army,  commanded  by  General  Hood,  out 
of  Tennessee.  He  cared  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
of  both  armies,  took  the  last  message  of  the  dy- 


ing for  the  loved  ones  at  home,  and  aided  in  giv- 
ing a  decent  burial  to  the  remains  of  those  who 
had  given  up  their  lives  for  their  country. 

Mr.  Tompkins  was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the 
Gospel  Ministry  April  24,  1867,  immediately  after 
graduating  from  Chicago  Theological  Seminary, 
in  the  Congregational  Church  at  Prospect  Park 
(now  called  Glen  Ellyn),  and  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  the  Congregational  pastorate,  serving 
jointly  this  church  and  the  First  Church  of  Christ 
in  the  neighboring  village  of  Lombard,  Illinois. 
On  visiting  Minnesota  for  rest  and  recuperation, 
he  was  engaged  as  stated  supply  of  the  Congre- 
gational Church  at  St.  Cloud.  From  there,  he 
was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Minneapolis.  Three  years'  resi- 
dence in  Minnesota  made  it  apparent  that  a 
milder  climate  was  necessary  to  the  health  of  both 
himself  and  wife,  and  he  resigned  his  charge  in 
Minneapolis.  He  soon  after  accepted  a  call  from 
the  Congregational  Church  at  Kewanee,  Illinois, 
which  he  served  as  pastor  for  over  six  years. 

In  May,  1878,  the  General  Congregational  As- 
sociation of  Illinois  voted  to  appoint  a  Superin- 
tendent of  its  work  in  the  State.  A  number  of 
prominent  clergymen  were  candidates  for  the 
position,  and  after  several  ballotings,  Mr.  Tomp- 
kins received  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast  and  was 
declared  elected.  He  entered  upon  his  new  duties 
in  the  succeeding  July,  with  headquarters  in 
Chicago,  and  is  still  occupying  that  position.  He 
has  introduced  several  new  methods  in  the  prose- 
cution of  the  work,  and  awakened  a  deeper  inter- 
est and  more  hearty  co-operation  in  all  the 
churches.  The  niost  important  of  the  new  in- 
strumentalities was  the  employment  of  able  men 
as  State  Evangelists.  This  gave  new  impetus, 
strength  and  enlargement  to  the  work. 

In  1869,  on  the  8th  of  September,  Mr.  Tomp- 
kins married  Miss  Ella  A.  Kelley,  a  native  of 
Rutland,  Vermont,  daughter  of  J.  Seeley  Kelley 
and  Mary  E.  Hall.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tompkins 
have  been  given  four  children,  namely:  Roy 
James,  born  in  Minneapolis,  Mabel  Ella,  William 
C.,  born  at  Kewanee,  Illinois,  and  Seeley  Kelley, 
born  at  Oak  Park,  Illinois. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


!TY  OF  '".!"''"') 


KASPAR  G.  SCHMIDT. 


K.  G.  SCHMIDT. 


535 


KASPAR  G.  SCHMIDT. 


RASPAR  G.  SCHMIDT  was  born  in  Vocken- 
hausen,  near  Wiesbaden,  Nassau,  Germany, 
February  20,  1833.  His  parents'  names 
were  John  and  Elizabeth  (Dinges)  Schmidt. 
John  Schmidt  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and,  in  later 
life,  became  foreman  of  a  tannery.  He  served  in 
the  German  army  as  a  sergeant-major  under 
General  Blucher.  After  participating  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Waterloo,  he  accompanied  the  victorious 
army  to  Paris.  His  death  occurred  in  1854,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Schmidt  survived  until  1882,  attaining  the  vener- 
able age  of  eighty-two  years. 

Kaspar  G.  Schmidt  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine 
children,  of  whom  but  one  beside  himself  came 
to  America.  This  was  a  brother,  named  Nicholas, 
who  now  resides  in  Chicago.  Kaspar  received  a 
common-school  education  and,  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist. 
After  serving  a  four  years'  apprenticeship  at 
Mines,  he  followed  the  same  occupation  for  some 
time  at  Frankfort-on-the-Main.  In  April,  1854, 
he  set  sail  for  America.  After  a  tempestuous 
voyage  lasting  fifty-six  days,  he  landed  in  New 
York.  Thence  he  came  direct  to  Chicago,  where 
he  soon  obtained  employment  at  his  trade.  His 
enterprising  spirit  was  not  destined  to  be  confined 
to  mere  mechanical  labor,  however,  and  he  began 
saving  his  surplus  earnings  with  a  view  to  mak- 
ing a  permanent  investment.  He  did  not  have 
to  wait  long  for  an  opportunity,  and  when,  in 
1857,  several  large  Milwaukee  brewers  became 
bankrupt,  he  purchased  a  stock  of  beer  at  an  ad- 
vantageous figure  and  began  doing  a  small  whole- 
sale business  in  that  product.  This  enterprise 
continued  to  prosper  until  1860,  when  he  was  en- 
abled to  start  a  small  brewery,  at  the  corner  of 
Superior  and  Clark  Streets.  Two  years  later,  he 
removed  to  Grant  Place,  which  has  ever  since 


been  the  scene  of  his  operations.  His  extensive 
buildings  were  totally  destroyed  in  the  great  fire 
of  1871.  His  loss  at  that  time,  including  his 
residence,  amounted  to  one-fourth  of  a  million 
dollars.  He  was  able  to  recover  but  a  small  per- 
centage of  his  insurance,  and  the  entire  business 
had  to  be  built  up  anew.  Rebuilding  upon  a 
small  scale,  he  enlarged  the  establishment  at  in- 
tervals until  it  attained  a  capacity  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  barrels  per  day  and  furnished  employ- 
ment to  one  hundred  men.  Having  more  than 
recovered  his  loss  by  the  great  fire,  and  being  re- 
solved to  retire  from  active  life,  he  sold  out  his 
plant  in  1890,  and  is  practically  retired  from 
business. 

Mr.  Schmidt  was  married  in  1856  to  Barbara 
Wagner,  who  was  born  in  Rhodt,  Rheinpfalz, 
Bavaria.  She  died  on  the  2ist  of  September, 
1894,  at  the  age  of  sixty  years.  Of  the  eight 
children  born  to  this  union,  five  reached  mature 
years.  Barbara  Elizabeth  is  now  the  wife  of 
George  W.  Kellner,  of  Chicago;  Katie  Emma  is 
Mrs.  Martin  Herbert,  of  Chicago;  August  died  in 
1889,  at  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years;  George 
K.  and  Edna  complete  the  list  of  the  survivors. 
Ten  living  grandchildren  make  glad  the  heart  of 
Mr.  Schmidt. 

Mr.  Schmidt  was  a  charter  member  of  Mithia 
Lodge  No.  410,  F.  &  A.  M.,  in  which  body  he 
has  filled  all  the  chairs,  and  served  as  Master  for 
five  years.  He  helped  to  organize  the  Germania 
Club,  with  which  he  has  since  been  identified, 
and  is  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  Sonne- 
felter — a  German  singing  society.  Ever  since  he 
became  a  citizen,  he  has  given  faithful  allegiance 
to  the  Republican  party,  because  its  principles 
embodied  his  ideas  of  progress  and  good  govern- 
ment. In  1868,  he  was  elected  Alderman  of  the 
Thirteenth  Ward,  serving  four  and  one-half  years 


536 


G.  M.  DEARLOVE. 


ill  that  capacity.  The  time  of  election  was 
changed  during  his  term  from  fall  to  spring,  thus 
prolonging  his  term  six  months.  From  1874  to 
1877,  he  served  as  County  Commissioner,  during 
which  time  he  was  chairman  of  the  Building 
Committee  of  that  body,  and  had  charge  of  the 
construction  of  the  present  court  house.  His  ex- 
perience in  the  repeated  construction  of  his  own 
ample  buildings  was  especially  useful  to  him  in 
the  discharge  of  this  duty,  and  was  of  great 


benefit  to  the  county,  and  the  city  of  Chicago. 
He  owns  a  fine  stock  farm  at  Twin  Lakes,  Wis- 
consin, where  he  has  spent  considerable  time  in 
recent  years,  and  where  he  finds  enjoyment  and 
recreation.  Though  sixty-two  years  of  age  at 
this  writing,  Mr.  Schmidt  is  still  hale  and  hearty. 
His  interest  in  the  growth  and  development  of 
Chicago  is  unabated,  and  he  views  with  pride  and 
satisfaction  the  continuous  progress  in  which  he 
was  for  many  years  an  active  participant. 


GEORGE  M.  DEARLOVE. 


EEORGE  M.  DEARLOVE,  B.  L-,  a  young 
man  of  pronounced  judgment  and  business 
ability,  who  makes  his  home  in  Chicago, 
though  spending  much  of  his  time  in  travel,  is 
a  native  of  Cook  County.  He  was  born  in 
Northfield  Township,  in  1873,  and  is  a  son 
of  George  and  Mary  A.  Dearlove,  the  his- 
tory of  whose  lives  may  be  found  elsewhere 
in  this  volume.  In  his  early  years  he  attend- 
ed the  public  schools  of  Chicago,  and  later, 
as  a  youth,  the  Morgan  Park  Military  Academy. 
After  graduating  from  the  last-mentioned  institu- 
tion, he  attended  the  North- Western  Military 
Academy  at  Highland  Park,  from  which,  after 
passing  the  Government  examination  in  an  able 
manner,  he  received  his  commission  of  Second 
Lieutenant  in  the  State  Militia,  subsequently  at- 
taining to  the  rank  of  Senior  Captain  and  Ad- 
jutant. While  attending  the  academy  he  was 
President  of  the  Class  of  1891. 

Not  satisfied  with  his  attainments  thus  far,  Mr. 
Dearlove  then  attended  Lake  Forest  University, 
completing  the  entire  course  with  the  exception 
of  the  senior  year.  Thence  he  went  to  Monmouth 
College  at  Monmouth,  Illinois,  where  he  took  a 
course  in  Liberal  Arts,  graduating  June  6,  1893, 
with  the  degree  of  B.  L-  While  a  student  of 


Lake  Forest  University,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Zeta  Episiton,  and  of  the  Eccritian  Society  while 
attending  the  college  at  Monmouth.  In  the  lat- 
ter institution,  as  well  as  at  Lake  Forest,  he 
made  a  special  study  of  Economics  and  of  Finan- 
ciering. 

Possessed  of  strong  human  interests  and  a  live- 
ly intelligence,  it  is  not  strange  that  Mr.  Dear- 
love  should  find  one  of  his  keenest  delights  in 
traveling,  especially  as  he  is  financially  able  to  do 
so.  Since  1887  he  has  spent  most  of  his  vaca- 
tions in  traveling,  chiefly  through  the  South  and 
West.  In  these  journeys  he  has  happily  com- 
bined pleasure  and  business,  for,  being  possessed 
of  considerable  foresight  and  discernment,  his 
travels  have  given  him  abundant  opportunities 
for  investment  in  promising  enterprises.  He  was 
one  of  the  promoters  and  constructors  of  the  As- 
toria &  Columbia  River  Railroad,  and  is  still  one 
of  the  Directors  of  the  company  which  operates 
the  same — a  corporation  which  pays  the  largest 
dividends  of  any  railroad  company  in  the  United 
States.  He  was  also  one  of  the  original  incor- 
porators,  and  is  now  Vice- President  of  the  Florida, 
Ocean  &  Gulf  Railroad;  Director  of  the  Florida 
Central  &  Peninsular  Railroad;  and  Director  and 
Vice-President  of  the  Florida  Engineering  and 


E.  C.  LONG. 


537 


Construction  Company,  which  owns  about  two 
million  acres  of  land  in  Florida.  In  addition  to 
these  numerous  offices,  Mr.  Dearlove  is  a  Direc- 
tor of  the  Florida  Development  Company,  which 
has  extensive  fruit  lands  in  Florida,  with  offices 
at  Jacksonville,  Florida  and  Chicago;  and  a  Di- 
rector of  the  Avon  Park  National  Bank  at  Avon 
Park,  Florida. 


With  the  foregoing  record  of  his  business  con- 
nections before  one,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  re- 
mark that  Mr.  Dearlove  is  a  young  man  of  keen 
perception  and  ready  decision,  who  never  loses  a 
business  opportunity  for  lack  of  promptitude  in 
action.  In  address  he  is  pleasing  and  intelligent, 
showing  a  great  general  knowledge  of  men  and 
affairs,  remarkable  in  one  so  young. 


EUGENE  C   LONG. 


IT  UGENE  CON  ANT  LONG  was  born  in  Bran- 
1^  don,  Vermont,  October  31,  1834,  and  is  a 
I  son  of  James  and  Cerusa  (Conant)  Long, 
who  were  among  the  early  pioneers  of  Cook 
County.  James  Long  was  born  in  Washington, 
District  of  Columbia,  and  was  a  son  of  Andrew 
and  Alice  Long,  of  Baltimore,  Maryland.  An- 
drew Long  was  killed  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  during  the  War  of  1812.  The  family  of 
Long  (or  Laing,  as  it  was  originally  spelled)  is 
of  Scotch  extraction,  and  was  founded  in  America 
by  four  brothers  who  settled  at  Baltimore  about 
1660.  Commodore  Long,  who  was  in  the  United 
States  naval  service  during  the  Revolution,  was 
descended  from  one  of  these. 

While  a  young  man,  James  Long  went  to  New 
York  City,  where  he  became  a  partner  with  Sam- 
uel Hoard,  afterwards  Postmaster  of  Chicago,  in 
the  publishing  business.  A  few  years  later,  the 
firm  removed  to  Brandon,  Vermont,  where  they 
published  a  newspaper  for  some  years.  In  1835 
James  Long  moved,  with  his  family,  to  Cook 
County  and  engaged  in  farming  in  Jefferson  town- 
ship, near  the  present  village  of  that  name,  now 
within  the  limits  of  the  city  of  Chicago.  Not  find- 
ing agriculture  very  profitable,  after  three  years' 
experience,  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Chicago 
and  built  a  steam  grist  mill  on  Michigan  Avenue, 
at  the  corner  of  Lake  Street.  This  he  operated 


for  several  years.  The  engine  in  this  mill  was 
employed  in  pumping  the  water  which  was  first 
supplied  by  the  city  to  the  people  of  Chicago. 
This  contract  continued  some  years,  the  water 
being  forced  through  hollow  logs  laid  in  a  few 
streets  near  the  river.  Those  outside  the  service 
were  wont  to  keep  barrels  for  storing  a  supply, 
and  these  barrels  were  filled  by  private  enterprise, 
at  ten  cents  per  barrel. 

After  disposing  of  the  mill,  Mr.  Long  was  ap- 
pointed by  President  Polk  as  Keeper  of  the  light- 
house, which  stood  near  the  site  of  the  present 
Rush  Street  bridge.  He  subsequently  served  as 
County  Treasurer,  and  for  a  number  of  years  filled 
the  office  of  Alderman  of  the  First  Ward.  After  re- 
tiring from  business  and  public  life,  he  spent  con- 
siderable time  in  travel,  and  his  death  occurred 
in  Paris,  France,  on  the  loth  of  April,  1876,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-four  years. 

Mrs.  Cerusa  Long  died  in  Chicago  in  1874,  at 
the  age  of  sixty -seven  years.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  John  Conant  and  Chara  Broughton,  of 
Brandon,  Vermont.  John  Conant  was  descended 
from  one  of  the  earliest  American  families.  His 
grandfather,  Ebenezer  Conant,  served  in  the  Con- 
tinental army,  as  Captain  of  a  Massachusetts  com- 
pany. Roger  Conant,  father  of  the  last-named, 
was  among  the  Colonial  Governors  of  Massachu- 
setts— preceding  Governor  Endicott. 


538 


FRANCIS  HUTCHISON. 


Eugene  C.  Long  was  still  in  his  infancy  when 
the  family  came  to  Cook  County,  Chicago  being 
at  that  time  a  village  of  three  or  four  thousand  in- 
habitants. While  a  boy,  he  was  accustomed  to 
do  the  family  marketing.  The  chief  produce 
market  was  on  State  Street  near  Randolph,  and 
its  wares  were  brought  by  farmers  from  long  dis- 
tances and  displayed  in  wagons  and  other  vehi- 
cles, much  after  the  present  fashion  of  the  Hay- 
market  of  the  West  Side.  The  pioneers  of  that 
day  did  not  lack  for  the  substantials,  though  there 
was  little  cash  in  circulation,  and  they  were  largely 
ignorant  of  the  present  style  of  living  in  the  city. 

At  the  age  of  seventeen  years,  Eugene  C.  Long 
graduated  from  the  Beardsly  Seminary,  and  soon 
after  became  a  clerk  and  teller  in  the  Marine 
Bank.  His  connection  with  that  institution  con- 
tinued for  twenty- two  years,  during  the  last  twelve 
of  which  he  served  as  Cashier.  In  1874  he  re- 
signed this  position  and  engaged  in  the  stock  and 
brokerage  business,  continuing  that  occupation 


five  years.  He  then  entered  the  office  of  the  late 
Judge  Van  H.  Higgins.  Since  1880  he  has  been 
a  stockholder  and  Secretary  of  the  Rose  Hill  Cem- 
etery Company,  and  since  1893  has  also  been 
Treasurer  of  the  corporation. 

He  was  married  in  October,  1858,  to  Harriet 
Alexander,  step-daughter  of  Van  H.  Higgins, 
and  daughter  of  the  first  Mrs.  Higgins — Elizabeth 
(Morse)  Alexander.  Mrs.  Long  was  born  in 
Jacksonville,  Illinois,  and  is  the  mother  of  two 
daughters,  Eugenie  and  Harriet,  the  first  being 
now  the  wife  of  Edward  I,.  Frasher,  of  Chicago. 

Mr.  Long  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  he  has  been  a 
life-long  Republican  in  principle  and  practice. 
The  record  of  his  business  career  shows  him  to 
be  capable  and  upright,  for  only  through  these 
qualities  could  any  one  hold  the  positions  he  has 
filled.  In  manner,  he  is  courteous  and  easy,  show- 
ing long  familiarity  with  the  best  men  and  methods 
of  the  day. 


FRANCIS  HUTCHISON. 


r~RANCIS  HUTCHISON,  a  successful  Chi- 
rft  cagoan  now  living  in  practical  retirement, 
|  is  a  Scotchman  by  nativity  and  spent  his 
youth  upon  the  banks  of  the  river  Leven,  the 
outlet  of  Loch  Lomond,  a  locality  which  has  been 
rendered  famous  in  song  and  story,  and  abounds 
with  historic  interest  and  romantic  scenery.  His 
birth  occurred  on  the  3oth  day  of  April,  1828,  in 
the  village  of  Alexandria,  Dumbartonshire.  His 
parents,  James  and  Janet  (Weir)  Hutchison, 
were  in  humble  circumstances  and,  though  able 
to  afford  their  offspring  but  a  rudimentary  intel- 
lectual training,  endowed  them  with  habits  and 


principles  which  fitted  them  for  filling  responsible 
and  useful  positions  in  life. 

James  Hutchison  was  born  at  Abernathy,  near 
Perth,  Scotland,  but  removed  during  his  youth 
to  Dumbartonshire  where  his  later  life  was  spent. 
Mrs.  Janet  Hutchison  was  a  daughter  of  Donald 
Weir,  a  well-to-do  farmer  and  herdsman  of  Argyle- 
shire.  But  three  of  their  nine  children  are  now 
living,  and  Francis  is  the  only  resident  of  the 
United  States.  The  other  survivors  are  Rev. 
John  Hutchison,  an  Independent  (Congrega- 
tional) minister  at  Ashton-under-line,  England, 
who  has  filled  his  present  pastorate  for  upwards 


FRANCIS  HUTCHISON. 


539 


of  forty  years,  and  Donald  Hutchison,  who  is 
the  chief  engineer  of  a  steamship  company,  which 
operates  a  line  of  vessels  plying  between  Liver- 
pool and  the  La  Plata  river  in  South  America. 

At  the  age  of  eight  years,  Francis  Hutchison 
began  to  earn  his  daily  bread  by  laboring  in  the 
print  and  dye  works  which  abound  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  his  birthplace.  At  fourteen  he  was  set  to 
learn  the  carpenter  trade  serving  five  years  ap- 
prenticeship at  that  industry.  He  was  afterwards 
employed  as  a  ship-carpenter  and  acquired  a  de- 
gree of  skill  and  proficiency  which  has  since 
served  him  in  good  stead. 

Having  heard  fabulous-sounding  stories  of  the 
great  land  beyond  the  Atlantic  ocean,  he  deter- 
mined to  see  and  investigate  its  wonderful  re- 
sources by  a  personal  visit  and,  not  without  con- 
siderable misgivings  as  to  the  duration  of  his 
sojourn,  in  1858  he  took  passage  upon  the  steamer 
"Kangaroo"  for  New  York,  arriving  in  that  city 
on  the  ninth  day  of  June.  He  went  from  there 
to  Rochester,  New  York,  and  after  spending  a 
few  mouths  at  that  place,  took  passage  by  way  of 
the  lakes  for  Chicago  whither  he  arrived  in  due 
time,  landing  upon  a  temporary  pier  at  Clark 
Street.  His  destination  was  the  home  of  his  uncle, 
Donald  Weir,  who  lived  on  the  Des  Plaines  river 
near  "the  Sag,"  but  as  the  address  which  had 
been  furnished  him  was  rather  vague,  he  spent 
several  days  in  unnecessary  travel  before  reach- 
ing the  place,  a  delay  which  was  amply  atoned 
for  by  the  hearty  welcome  accorded  him  upon  his 
arrival.  As  a  number  of  farm  houses  were  being 
erected  in  that  neighborhood,  he  found  a  ready 
demand  for  his  services,  and  his  first  season's 
earnings  so  far  exceeded  any  sum  he  had  ever 
received  for  a  corresponding  period  of  time  that 
all  doubts  concerning  the  superior  advantages  of 
this  country  as  a  permanent  place  of  residence 
were  dispelled  from  his  mind  and  he  determined 
to  become  an  American  citizen. 

In  the  fall  of  1860  he  went  to  Helena,  Arkan- 
sas, where  he  \vas  employed  at  his  trade  until  the 
following  spring,  when,  owing  to  the  outbreak  of 
the  rebellion  and  not  wishing  to  be  pressed  into 
the  Confederate  service,  he  returned  to  the  North 
without  being  able  to  collect  the  money  he  had 


earned  there.  His  brief  residence  at  the  South 
had  given  him  a  good  understanding  of  the  con- 
ditions which  prevailed  there,  however,  and  en- 
abled him  to  take  a  more  conservative  view  of 
the  questions  which  divided  the  union  than  pre- 
vailed among  the  more  enthusiastic  partisans  of 
the  North. 

The  prevailing  wages  for  house-builders  in 
Chicago  at  this  time  ranged  from  seventy-five 
cents  to  one  dollar  per  day,  and  Mr.  Hutchison 
found  it  more  profitable  to  engage  in  ship  car- 
pentry. He  was  subsequently  employed  in  build- 
ing gun-boats  for  the  United  States  Government 
at  St.  Louis,  and  at  Cairo,  Illinois.  In  1863  he 
purchased  an  interest  in  a  distillery  at  Joliet,  but 
as  some  features  of  the  business  became  distaste- 
ful to  him,  he  sold  out  the  following  year  and  in- 
vested his  profits  in  vessels  plyin  g  between  Chi- 
cago and  the  lower  lake  ports.  He  continued 
the  carrying  trade  for  the  next  nine  or  ten  years, 
and  in  the  meantime  purchased  several  lots  and 
a  residence  at  the  corner  of  Van  Buren  and 
Throop  Streets.  The  rapid  growth  of  the  city 
soon  created  a  demand  for  this  location  for  com- 
mercial purposes  and  he  replaced  his  residence 
with  several  substantial  business  blocks.  He  has 
since  bought  and  improved  other  valuable  west- 
side  property,  and  of  recent  years  the  care  and 
renting  of  these  buildings  has  absorbed  most  of 
his  time  and  attention. 

Mr.  Hutchison  was  married  in  1864  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Jones,  daughter  of  Thomas  Jones,  who 
died  in  Chicago  in  1882,  at  the  age  of  more  than 
eighty  years.  The  lady  was  born  in  Denbigh- 
shire, Wales,  and  came  to  America  in  1856.  She 
has  been  an  able  helpmeet  and  counsellor  of  her 
husband,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed  with 
four  children,  three  of  whom  are  still  under  the  par- 
ental roof,  namely:  Elizabeth  Agnes,  Catherine 
Jane,  wife  of  S.  B.  Foster,  James  Francis  and  Jean- 
nette  Weir.  All  the  members  of  this  family  are 
identified  with  the  Jefferson  Park  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Mr.  Hutchison  is  a  man  of  simple  tastes,  and 
leads  a  quiet  and  unostentatious  life,  though  he 
does  not  think  it  out  of  place  to  crack  an  occa- 
sional joke  among  his  old-time  friends.  Since  the 


54° 


W.   B.  SNOW. 


war  he  has  been  a  pronounced  Republican,  but 
sometimes  ignores  party  lines  concerning  ques- 
tions of  local  import.  When  he  first  arrived  in 
Chicago  his  total  cash  assets  were  comprised  in 
a  gold  quarter  eagle.  This  he  carefully  hoarded 
for  some  time  and  when  obliged  to  spend  a  por- 


tion of  it  for  repairing  his  shoes,  he  received  in 
change  a  one-dollar  bill  of  "wild-cat"  currency, 
which  proved  to  be  worthless.  His  subsequent 
prosperity,  therefore,  may  be  attributed  solely  to 
his  frugal,  industrious  habits,  correct  judgment 
and  integrity  of  character. 


WILLIAM   B.  SNOW. 


P  GJlLLIAM  BLAKE  SNOW,  who  put  on  track 
\A/  *^e  first  railway  passenger  coach  built  in 
Y  V  Chicago,  is  descended  from  an  old  Ameri- 
can family.  The  environment  of  the  New  Eng- 
land fathers  was  calculated  to  develop  all  that  was 
sturdy  in  mind  and  body,  and  in  many  of  their 
descendants  are  found  the  qualities  which  enabled 
them  to  survive  the  hardships  they  were  com- 
pelled to  endure  and  caused  them  to  prosper  in 
the  midst  of  most  forbidding  conditions.  The 
spirit  of  adventure  and  progress  which  led  to  the 
colonization  of  New  England,  still  lives  in  the 
posterity  of  the  Pilgrims,  and  has  raised  up  sim- 
ultaneously throughout  the  northern  half  of  the 
United  States  churches,  school  houses  and  fac- 
tories. 

William  B.  Snow  was  born  in  Bellows  Falls, 
Vermont,  February  13,  1821,  and  is  a  son  of  Sol- 
omon and  Lucina  Snow.  His  ancestors  were, 
doubtless,  English,  and  early  located  in  America. 
His  paternal  grandfather  was  a  chocolate  manu- 
facturer near  Boston,  and  his  maternal  grand- 
father, "Bill"  Blake,  established  the  Bellows 
Falls  Gazette,  one  of  the  first  newspapers  in  Ver- 
mont. His  wife  was  Polly  Wait,  of  Milbury, 
Massachusetts. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  passed  his  boy- 
hood in  his  native  village,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  schools  there  existing.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  he  began  working  in  his  father's 
wagon  and  carriage  shop,  becoming  expert  in  the 


use  of  woodworking  implements.  For  some  years 
he  was  employed  by  his  uncles  in  a  paper  mill. 
When  twenty -two  years  of  age,  he  set  out  to  make 
his  fortune,  going  to  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  took  contracts  for  carpenter  work.  From 
there  he  went  to  Seymour  (then  called  Hum- 
phreysville),  Connecticut,  where  he  was  employed 
by  the  American  Car  Company,  and  moved  with 
that  establishment  to  Chicago  in  1852.  At  this 
time  he  had  a  contract  with  the  company  for 
building  coaches,  and  set  up  the  first  one  ever 
constructed  in  this  city.  This  was  purchased  by 
the  Chicago  &  Galena  Union  Railroad,  then  in 
its  infancy.  An  account  of  the  origin  of  that  en- 
terprise will  be  found  in  this  work,  in  the  sketch 
of  John  B.  Turner,  who  was  its  founder.  When 
the  American  Car  Company  sold  out  to  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  Company,  Mr.  Snow  was 
employed  by  the  new  proprietor,  with  whom  he 
continued  from  1857  to  1872.  His  integrity  and  ex- 
ecutive ability  had  meantime  become  known  to 
many  Chicago  citizens,  and  he  was  offered  a  lucra- 
tive position  by  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company, 
for  which  he  traveled  three  years.  At  the  end  of 
this  period,  he  again  took  employment  with  the 
Illinois  Central  Company,  and  so  continued  until 
he  retired  from  active  business  in  October,  1891. 
Mr.  Snow  has  always  been  a  quiet  citizen,  giv- 
ing his  undivided  attention  to  business,  and  leav- 
ing others  to  manage  their  concerns  in  their  own 
way.  He  has  been  a  faithful  attendant  of  the 


A.  G.  LULL. 


Reformed  Episcopal  Church,  with  which  his  fam- 
ily is  affiliated,  being  identified  with  Bishop  Che- 
ney's congregation.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  a  demitted 
Freemason.  His  early  political  associations  were 
with  the  Whig  party,  and  he  has  adhered  to  the 
Republican  organization  since  it  came  into  exist- 
ence. He  has  never  sought  political  preferment, 


but  has  fulfilled  that  imperative  duty — as  well  as 
privilege — of  the  good  American  citizen,  a  vote 
in  every  important  contest.  In  1843  ne  wa$  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Orra  L.  Dyke,  of  American  parentage, 
and  two  children  have  blessed  this  union.  The 
eldest,  Frank  Austin  Snow,  resides  in  Chicago, 
as  does  also  the  other,  Lottie,  wife  of  A.  G.  Farr, 
of  the  firm  of  N.  W.  Harris  &  Company. 


ALBERT  G.  LULL, 


GILBERT  GALLATIN  LULL  was  born  in 
J  I  Windsor,  Vermont,  February  20,  1827,  and 
/  I  died  in  Chicago,  February  13,  1892.  His 
parents,  Joel  and  Celia  (Smith)  Lull,  were  na- 
tives of  the  Green  Mountain  State,  the  Lull  fam- 
ily being  one  of  the  oldest  in  that  commonwealth. 
Mrs.  Celia  Lull  died  in  Windsor,  and  her  hus- 
band afterwards  came  to  Chicago,  where  he 
served  as  constable  for  several  years.  His  death 
occurred  in  1880,  at  North  Attleboro,  Massachu- 
setts. 

After  leaving  the  public  schools,  Albert  G.  Lull 
became  a  student  for  a  time  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege. At  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  he  took  up 
the  study  of  gunsmithing  and  mechanics.  In 
1849,  he  came  to  Chicago  and  obtained  employ- 
ment in  the  machine  shop  of  H.  P.  Moses.  While 
thus  engaged,  he  assisted  in  the  construction  of 
the  first  water  works  in  the  city.  He  was  subse- 
quently employed  by  Foss  Brothers.in  a  large  plan- 
ing mill  on  Canal  Street,  near  Monroe,  the  site  of 
which  is  now  occupied  by  the  Union  Passenger 
Station  and  railroad  tracks.  When  this  mill  was 
torn  down,  preparatory  to  the  construction  of  the 
depot,  he  purchased  the  machinery,  in  company 
with  his  brother-in-law,  Isaac  Holmes,  and  built 
a  new  mill  on  the  west  side  of  Canal  Street,  be- 
tween Jackson  and  Van  Buren  Streets.  The  firm 
dealt  in  lumber  and  carried  on  the  manufacture 
of  packing  boxes,  doing  an  extensive  business 
until  1871,  when  the  entire  plant  was  consumed 


in  the  fire,  which  occurred  on  Saturday  night,  the 
8th  of  October,  preceding  by  one  day  the  memor- 
able "great  fire."  The  disaster  which  destroyed 
the  mills  of  Lull  &  Holmes  made  a  gap  which 
saved  the  West  Side  from  the  ravages  of  the  suc- 
ceeding fire.  The  firm  rescued  the  safe  contain- 
ing their  books  from  the  ruins  and  placed  them  in 
the  office  of  a  friend,  on  the  south  side  of  Van  Buren 
Street,  only  to  be  lost  in  the  greater  conflagration 
of  the  following  day.  This  alone  inflicted  a  serious 
loss  on  Mr.  Lull,  who  never  recovered  his  fortunes 
and  suffered  a  permanent  loss  of  health  from  the 
shock  and  exertions  in  trying  to  rescue  his  prop- 
erty. He  retired  a  few  years  later  from  all  busi- 
ness activities. 

On  the  5th  of  April,  1855,  he  was  married  to 
Mrs.  Mary  Sammons,  daughter  of  John  and  Ellen 
Holmes,  widow  of  Elijah  H.  Sammons.  Mrs. 
Lull  was  born  at  Bradford,  England,  and  came  to 
America  with  her  parents  in  1835,  arriving  in 
Chicago  in  April  of  that  year.  She  is  still  active 
in  mind  and  body,  and  relates  many  incidents  of 
pioneer  life  in  Chicago.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Cathedral  Church  of  SS.  Peter  and  Paul,  in 
which  Mr.  Lull  was  also  a  communicant.  Two 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lull — Rich- 
ard H.,  who  is  a  physician  now  practicing  in 
Chicago,  and  Mary  C.,  who  is  the  wife  of  Mark 
R.  Sherman,  an  attorney  of  the  same  city. 

Mr.  Lull  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  and  likewise,  of  the  Independent 


542 


E.  F.   DANIELS. 


Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  last  fraternity  he 
had  taken  all  the  degrees  and  was  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  United  States.  From  the 
first  organization  of  the  Republican  party,  he  was 


one  of  its  most  steadfast  and  consistent  suppor- 
ters, and  as  a  man  and  citizen,  he  ever  sought  to 
promote  the  material,  moral  and  intellectual 
growth  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 


EDWIN  F.  DANIELS. 


IT  DWIN  F.  DANIELS,  an  enterprising  busi- 
1^  ness  man  of  Chicago,  was  born  at  Concord. 
I  Jackson  County,  Michigan,  January  23, 
1848.  He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Delzina  (John- 
ston) Daniels,  both  of  whom  died  before  he  was 
five  years  old.  George  Daniels  was  born  at  Hull, 
England,  and  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  chil- 
dren who  came  to  America  with  their  parents  in 
1832.  They  settled  at  Dearborn,  Michigan,  near 
Detroit.  George  Daniels  afterwards  moved  to 
Jackson  County,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1854,  at  the  age  of  thirty -two  years.  His  wife 
was  of  Irish  descent. 

Edwin  F.  Daniels  lived  with  his  paternal 
grandparents  and  attended  school  at  Hudson, 
Michigan.  Before  completing  his  education,  how- 
ever, he  went  to  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  to  as- 
sist his  uncle,  Capt.  William  H.  Johnston,  who 
was  a  commissary  officer  in  charge  of  forage  for 
the  army.  He  continued  in  that  employment 
until  Sherman's  army  started  on  its  famous  '  'march 
to  the  sea,"  when  he  became  a  messenger  in 
charge  of  forage  on  the  railroad  from  Chattanoo- 
ga to  Atlanta.  At  the  time  when  the  rebels 
tore  up  the  track,  at  Big  Shanty,  Georgia,  the 
train  on  which  he  was  serving  returned  to  Al- 
toona,  just  in  time  to  escape  capture.  After  the 
battle  between  Hood  and  Corse,  in  which  the  for- 
mer was  defeated,  Mr.  Daniels  returned  to  Chatta- 
nooga and  soon  afterwards  left  the  service  and 
returned  to  his  boyhood  home  in  Michigan.  He 
then,  for  some  years,  engaged  in  the  manufac- 


ture of  woodenware  and  also  operated  a  planing 
mill. 

In  February,  1876,  he  came  to  Chicago,  and 
was  employed  for  four  years  as  Clerk  in  the 
County  Treasurer's  office.  In  1881,  he  began 
dealing  in  coal,  an  occupation  which  he  has  con- 
tinuously and  successfully  followed  until  the 
present  time.  The  original  firm  of  Weaver, 
Daniels  &  Co. ,  was  succeeded  in  turn  by  Pea- 
body,  Daniels  &  Co.,  and  Edwin  F.  Daniels  & 
Co.  Since  1890,  Mr.  Daniels  has  been  sole  pro- 
prietor, and  the  business,  which  was  inaugurated 
on  a  rather  limited  scale,  has  grown  to  immense 
proportions  and  is  now  one  of  the  most  extensive 
in  its  line  in  the  city. 

He  was  married  in  1880,  to  Miss  Kate  Elkins, 
daughter  of  Henry  K.  Elkins,  whose  biography 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mrs.  Daniels 
was  born  in  Chicago,  and  has  presented  her  hus- 
band with  two  sons,  Henry  Elkins  and  Raymond 
Elkins  Daniels.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniels  are  mem- 
bers of  the  First  Unitarian  Church  of  Chicago, 
and  the  former  is  identified  with  the  Union 
League,  Kenwood,  Chicago  Athletic  and  Tolles- 
ton  Shooting  Clubs,  and  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade.  During  the  hunting  season,  he  finds 
recreation  by  making  weekly  trips  to  Tolleston 
for  shooting  water  fowl.  He  is  an  advocate  of 
Republican  principles,  but  ignores  party  lines  in 
voting  upon  local  issues.  His  success  may  be  at- 
tributed to  his  enterprising  business  methods, 
ready  decision  and  integrity  of  character. 


I,. 


CLARK. 


543 


LYMAN  C.  CLARK. 


I  YMAN  C.  CLARK  is  one  of  the  leading  and 
I  C  prominent  business  men  of  Turner,  where 
l~)  he  has  made  his  home  since  1870.  During 
the  years  which  have  since  passed,  he  has  con- 
tinuously engaged  in  the  insurance  business.  He 
was  born  June  10,  1833,  in  Darien,  Genesee 
County,  N.  Y.,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  S.  and  Deb- 
orah R.  (Carpenter)  Clark.  The  paternal  grand- 
father, Joshua  Clark,  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier 
and  served  under  Gens.  Washington  and  Green. 
He  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  and  after  his  re- 
moval to  New  York  he  took  up  several  hundred 
acres  of  land.  Throughout  his  life  he  followed 
farming  as  a  livelihood.  A  prominent  and  influ- 
ential citizen,  he  was  honored  with  the  office 
of  Justice  of  the  Peace  for  over  forty  years.  His 
death  occurred  in  the  Empire  State  at  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-seven.  In  his  family  were 
thirteen  children,  twelve  of  whom  grew  to  mature 
years.  The  maternal  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
James  Carpenter,  was  a  native  of  Connecticut,  and 
his  entire  life  was  spent  in  that  State,  where  he 
died  at  an  advanced  age. 

Henry  S.  Clark  was  born  in  Rhode  Island,  and 
became  a  contractor  and  builder  of  New  York. 
He  also  engaged  in  painting,  and  his  death  was 
the  result  of  his  being  poisoned  by  paint,  in  1855, 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  in  Connecticut,  died  in  the  Empire 
State  in  1881,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  Both 
were  members  of  the  Baptist  Church,  and  the 
father  was  a  local  preacher  of  that  denomina- 
tion. He  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812, 
and  his  widow  received  a  pension  on  that  account. 
In  their  family  were  four  sons  and  five  daughters, 
of  whom  the  following  are  now  living:  Henry  H. ; 
Lyman  C. ;  Lorinda  E. ,  wife  of  William  Waldrou, 


of  Trenton,  Canada;  and  Susan  M.(  wife  cf  Albert 
Blackmail,  of  Erie  County,  N.  Y.  Two  brothers 
lost  their  lives  during  the  late  war.  Jerome  was 
killed  at  Bentonville,  N.  C.,  and  Dennis  died  at 
home  from  injuries  received  in  the  service. 

We  now  take  up  the  personal  history  of  our 
subject,  who  was  reared  in  the  State  of  his  nativ- 
ity, and  in  the  common  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood acquired  a  good  English  education.  When 
about  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  began  learning 
the  trade  of  carriage-maker,  which  he  followed 
continuously  until  1865.  The  following  year  he 
emigrated  westward  and  took  up  his  residence  in 
Davenport,  Iowa,  where  he  embarked  in  the  life- 
insurance  business.  In  1870  he  came  to  Turner, 
where  he  has  since  devoted  his  time  and  energies 
to  the  same  pursuit  with  good  success. 

On  the  i8th  of  September,  1855,  Mr.  Clark  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  E.  Babcock, 
daughter  of  Rev.  R.  and  Lucinda  (Gilbert)  Bab- 
cock,  the  former  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  and 
the  latter  of  New  York.  Seven  children  have 
been  born  of  this  union,  two  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters. Altie  Florence  is  the  wife  of  C.  E.  Norris,  of 
Turner,  by  whom  she  has  four  children:  Charles 
H.,  Carroll  W.,  Ernest  L.  and  Florence.  Clar- 
ence Henry,  deceased,  was  a  twin  brother  of  Altie 
Florence.  Clara  Louise,  Henrietta  and  Charles 
Herbert  are  all  deceased.  Ella  Laura  is  the  wife 
of  E.  B.  Holmes,  of  Turner;  and  Lulu  Pauline 
completes  the  family. 

The  parents  are  both  members  of  the  Method- 
ist Episcopal  Church  and  take  a  most  active  part 
in  church  and  benevolent  work.  Mr.  Clark  has 
been  Steward  of  the  church  for  thirty -seven  con- 
secutive years,  and  has  also  served  as  Trustee 
and  Class-leader  for  many  years.  He  is  now  Su- 


514 


E.  H.  CASTLE. 


perintendent  of  the  Sunday-school,  which  is  mak- 
ing good  progress  under  his  able  management. 
He  has  also  been  prominently  identified  with  tem- 
perance work.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  socially  is  connected  with  Amity  Lodge  No. 
472,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Doric  Chapter  No.  166,  R. 
A.  M.;  and  Siloam  Commandery  No.  54,  of  Oak 
Park.  He  and  his  wife  are  both  members  of  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  Mr.  Clark  has  a  good 


home  and  other  town  property  in  Turner,  and  is 
numbered  among  the  valued  and  representative 
citizens  of  this  community.  He  has  lived  an  up- 
right, honorable  life,  and  his  career  is  one  well 
worthy  of  emulation.  He  has  the  confidence  and 
high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought 
in  contact,  and  it  is  with  pleasure  that  we  present 
to  our  readers  this  record  of  his  life. 


EDWARD  HERRICK  CASTLE. 


|~DWARD  HERRICK  CASTLE.  To  the 
ft)  student  of  human  progress,  or  the  youth  who 
_  seeks  an  example  worthy  of  his  emulation, 
the  history  of  this  successful  man  offers  especially 
interesting  features.  His  career  has  been  full  of 
adventure  and  excitement,  and  yet  the  experi- 
ences of  his  life  have  made  his  mind  philosophical 
and  his  heart  sympathetic.  When  he  was  born, 
the  nation  was  young  and  still  almost  an  experi- 
ment, so  that  men  were  not  encouraged  to  ven- 
ture into  strange  fields  of  action.  He  has  lived  to 
see  the  American  nation  become  one  of  the  great- 
est of  the  earth;  and  now,  in  his  old  age,  he  re- 
joices that  he  has  been  permitted  to  witness  the 
triumph  of  the  institutions  of  liberty. 

E.  H.  Castle  was  born  in  Amenia,  Dutchess 
County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  5th  of  August,  1811,  and 
is  now  nearing  the  completion  of  his  eighty-third 
year.  His  great-grandfather,  Gideon  Castle,  was 
one  of  the  early  Colonists  who  came  from  Eng- 
land. A  brother  went  to  Virginia,  while  another 
accompanied  him  to  New  York.  Gideon,  son  of 
Gideon  Castle,  who  lived  to  the  age  of  ninety- 
six  years,  occupied  an  honorable  place  in  his- 
tory as  a  member  of  Gen.  Washington's  per- 
sonal staff.  He  was  with  the  immortal  com- 
mander through  the  Revolutionary  War  as  Com- 
missary of  Subsistence,  He  owned  a  mill  in 


Dutchess  County,  which  manufactured  flour  for 
the  Continental  army.  After  the  treaty  of  peace  he 
removed  to  Amenia,  where  his  son,  William 
Castle,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
passed  his  life.  His  farm  was  situated  about  two 
miles  from  the  village  of  Amenia,  and  here  Ed- 
ward H.  Castle  grew  up  to  be  a  strong  and  hearty 
youth,  full  of  ambition.  He  longed  to  go  to  sea 
and  visit  strange  lands,  and  to  make  his  fortune 
in  the  world.  However,  he  remained  upon  his 
father's  farm  until  about  ten  years  of  age,  attend- 
ing the  small  school  in  the  vicinity.  He  after- 
ward attended  Dr.  Taylor's  academy  in  Cortland 
County,  but  his  restless  disposition  soon  drove 
him  to  sea,  and  he  shipped  on  a  bark  bound  for  a 
distant  port.  After  a  voyage  of  many  months, 
he  returned  to  find  his  mother  dead  and  the  house- 
hold in  mourning. 

This  seems  to  have  been  a  turning-point  in  Mr. 
Castle's  life.  The  death  of  his  dear  mother  af- 
fected him  deeply.  He  had  started  out  into  the 
world  full  of  youth's  bright  hopes,  and  this  sud- 
den bereavement  was  a  severe  blow.  He'hadnot 
been  permitted  to  close  the  dying  eyes  of  his  best 
friend  on  earth,  or  receive  her  last  blessing.  He 
determined  to  honor  her  memory  by  making 
something  of  himself.  In  deference  to  his  father's 
earnest  wish,  he  consented  to  enter  the  office  of 


E.  H.  CASTLE. 


545 


his  father's  attorney,  Samuel  Perkins,  and  take 
up  the  study  of  law.  He  studied  faithfully  two 
years,  until  an  attack  of  measles  resulted  in  a 
partial  loss  of  his  eyesight.  He  had  long  been 
convinced  that  he  was  not  calculated  to  make  a 
lawyer,  and  on  being  relieved  from  his  studies, 
he  began  to  look  about  for  an  opportunity  to  enter 
a  business  life,  much  to  his  father's  disappoint- 
ment. His  subsequent  fortune  shows  the  wisdom 
of  his  choice. 

Soon  after  attaining  his  majority,  on  the  ist  of 
September,  1832,  Mr.  Castle  started  out  from  his 
father's  home  in  Freetown,  Cortland  County, 
whither  he  had  moved  from  Dutchess  County. 
He  traveled  on  foot  over  a  lonely  road  to  Carbon- 
dale,  Pa.,  one  hundred  miles  distant.  At  Car- 
bondale,  Deacon  Hodgden  had  a  force  of  men  and 
horses  employed  in  hauling  coal  from  the  mines 
to  the  canal.  Young  Castle  applied  to  him  for 
employment,  and  was  offered  $14  per  month  and 
board.  He  stipulated,  however,  for  what  he 
proved  to  be  worth  at  the  end  of  three  months,  a 
unique  plan,  which  was  accepted  by  the  Deacon 
with  alacrity.  Before  the  day  of  settlement  came 
around,  Castle  was  foreman  and  was  paid  $40  per 
month.  By  gradual  increase  his  salary  soon  rose 
to  $100  per  month,  and  he  shortly  bought  out  his 
employer,  giving  in  payment  his  personal  note, 
which  was  promptly  paid  when  due. 

After  three  years  of  business,  Mr.  Castle  en- 
tered into  partnership  with  Stephen  Clark, 
and  the  firm  carried  on  a  large  lumber  trade  and 
opened  a  general  store.  They  also  secured  through 
attorneys  the  lease  of  the  Fall  Brook  coal  mines 
for  ninety-nine  years,  and  added  mining  to  their 
lumbering  and  mercantile  business.  Mr.  Castle 
finally  became  sole  owner  by  purchasing  his  part- 
ner's interest,  and  continued  to  prosper  until  his 
store  and  stock  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  1838. 

The  year  previous  to  that  last  above  mentioned 
had  brought  reports  to  Mr.  Castle's  Pennsyl- 
vania home  of  the  wonderful  village  on  the  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan,  under  the  shadow  of  Ft.  Dear- 
born. During  that  year  this  village  began  to  be 
a  thriving  business  center,  and  streets  were  opened 
&•  far  west  along  the  main  river  as  the  north  and 
SOUT'O  branches.  A  paper  was  established  by 


John  Calhoun,  of  New  York,  and  was  making 
the  prospective  advantages  of  the  town  known. 
Although  he  had  been  very  successful  in  Carbon- 
dale,  Mr.  Castle  felt  that  the  growing  West  of- 
fered him  greater  advantages  than  he  had  hith- 
erto enjoyed.  He  purchased  a  stock  of  goods  in 
Philadelphia,  which  was  transported  by  the  only 
method  then  known — by  wagon — over  the  moun- 
tains to  Pittsburgh.  Here  he  added  iron,  nails, 
and  the  heavy  goods  manufactured  at  Pittsburgh, 
and  chartered  a  steamer  to  carry  his  stock,  with 
which  he  proceeded  down  the  Ohio  and  up  the 
Mississippi  and  Illinois  Rivers  to  Peru.  Here  he 
decided  to  open  business,  and  soon  after  started 
another  store  at  Joliet,  having  added  to  his  stock 
at  St.  Louis  on  the  way  up.  In  a  short  time, 
Mr.  Castle  went  into  partnership  with  Gov.  Mat- 
terson  and  Hiram  Blanchard,  in  a  contract  for 
excavating  a  part  of  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal. 

In  the  spring  of  1839,  Mr.  Castle  became  a 
resident  of  Chicago,  arriving  on  the  ist  of  May, 
having  previously  disposed  of  his  mercantile  bus- 
iness at  Peru  and  Joliet.  He  opened  a  store  in  an 
unfinished  building  at  the  corner  of  Lake  and 
Wells  Streets,  so  far  out  of  the  then  business  cen- 
tre that  his  venture  was  considered  risky  by  many. 
The  business  soon  grew  to  be  profitable,  however, 
and  Mr.  Castle  shortly  became  a  pioneer  in  what 
has  since  proved  one  of  the  greatest  glories  of  the 
western  metropolis — the  grain  trade.  Although 
the  modern  grain  elevator  was  then  unknown,  he 
handled  in  one  year  100,000  bushels,  shipping  by 
lake  and  canal  to  New  York. 

With  his  usual  business  foresight,  Mr.  Castle 
early  secured  large  tracts  of  land,  entering  one 
tract  of  swamp  lands  in  the  Illinois  Valley,  em- 
bracing six  hundred  acres,  at  ten  cents  per  acre. 
Many  derided  him  for  buy  ing  this  worthless  land, 
but  he,  with  others,  secured  the  passage  of  a 
drainage  act  by  the  State  Legislature,  and  within 
ten  years  after  its  purchase  he  sold  portions  of  it 
for  $50  per  acre.  Mr.  Castle  also  opened  a  dairy 
farm  at  Wheeling,  and  found  a  ready  market  for 
the  product  of  his  fifty  cows  in  the  city. 

Navigation  seemed  natural  to  Mr.  Castle,  and 
we  find  him  engaged  in  the  Mississippi  River 


546 


E.  H.  CASTLE. 


trade  for  seven  winters,  exchanging  the  products 
of  the  St.  Louis  markets  for  those  of  New  Or- 
leans. At  one  time  he  sailed  the  fine  steamer 
' '  Alonzo  Child. ' '  He  secured  a  tract  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land  in  Washington  County,  Tex. , 
and  several  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  making 
a  beautiful  plantation  of  this  land. 

In  November,  1849,  Capt.  Castle  bade  farewell 
to  his  Chicago  friends  and  set  out  for  the  newly- 
discovered  gold  fields  of  California.  Proceeding 
down  the  Mississippi  River  to  New  Orleans,  he 
accepted  the  position  of  mate  on  the  "Florida," 
and  set  sail  for  Chagres.  Crossing  the  Isthmus, 
he  found  at  Panama  the  good  ship  "Unicorn," 
of  the  Aspinwall  Line,  and  was  tendered  its  com- 
mand by  the  owner.  On  account  of  the  crowded 
condition  of  the  port,  it  was  found  impossible  to 
carry  all  who  wished  to  go,  and  a  plot  was  made 
by  some  of  the  disappointed  ones  to  murder  Capt. 
Stout,  but  the  plot  was  overheard  by  Capt.  Castle 
and  a  friend,  and  was  frustrated.  With  a  crew 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty  men  and  seven  hun- 
dred passengers,  Capt.  Castle  set  sail  for  San 
Francisco,  stopping  on  the  way  at  Acapulco  to 
secure  as  much  provisions,  cattle  and  coal  as 
could  be  procured.  January  5,  1850,  found  them 
in  San  Francisco  without  accident.  Among  all 
the  hordes  found  there,  one  desire  seemed  para- 
mount— gold.  Fabulous  prices  were  paid  for  all 
the  necessaries  of  life,  and  the  most  fortunate 
were  those  who  discreetly  remained  in  town  and 
sold  merchandise.  Capt.  Castle  was  one  of  these. 
He  plied  a  small  steamer,  the  "Eldorado,"  be- 
tween San  Francisco  and  Sacramento,  and  opened 
a  store  in  the  latter  city.  On  the  5th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1850,  he  opened  a  hotel,  called  the  Illinois 
House,  in  San  Francisco,  which  at  once  did  a 
thriving  business.  He  also  purchased,  or  secured 
the  consignment  of,  over  four  hundred  cargoes, 
and  operated  a  very  extensive  warehouse  trade. 

Being  admonished  by  failing  health  to  return 
home,  Capt.  Castle  sailed  on  the  steamer  "Col- 
umbus" for  Panama  in  the  fall  of  1851.  The  sea 
voyage  and  careful  nursing  which  he  received 
from  the  ship's  matron  soon  made  him  compara- 
tively well.  During  the  voyage,  he  was  sent  for 
by  a  Mr.  Saltpaugh,  who  had  noticed  that  Capt. 


Castle  was  a  Mason.  Mr.  Saltpaugh  was  dying 
with  cholera,  and  confided  to  Capt.  Castle's  care 
his  money  ($1,200)  to  be  delivered  to  Mrs.  Salt- 
paugh at  Port  Gibson,  N.  Y.  The  captain  of 
the  vessel  claimed  the  custody  of  this  money  un' 
der  a  United  States  law,  but  Capt.  Castle  said: 
"I  promised  that  man,  who  was  a  brother  Mason, 
to  deliver  the  money  to  his  widow,  and  you  can 
only  secure  it  from  my  dead  body. ' '  The  matter 
was  not  pressed  any  further,  and  Capt.  Castle 
subsequently  had  the  pleasure  of  delivering  the 
money  to  its  rightful  owner.  By  steamer  '  'Fal- 
con" to  Cuba,  and  "Ohio"  to  New  York,  Capt. 
Castle  was  once  more  united  with  his  wife  and 
daughter,  who  met  him  in  New  York,  and  the 
meeting  was  a  joyful  one. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  Chicago,  Capt.  Castle 
was  appointed  Western  Agent  of  the  Erie  Rail- 
road, and  administered  its  affairs  for  four  years, 
largely  increasing  its  traffic,  and  at  the  same  time 
he  dealt  more  or  less  in  city  property,  with  profit 
to  himself.  During  most  of  this  period  he  acted 
as  General  Agent  for  the  entire  Mississippi  Val- 
ley. After  retiring  from  the  railroad  agency,  Mr. 
Castle  engaged  in  the  real-estate  business  on  a 
large  scale,  in  partnership  with  Lewis  W. 
Clark,  which  continued  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Clark,  after  which  Mr.  Castle  continued  alone. 

In  1858,  Mr.  Castle  turned  his  attention  to  rail- 
road construction,  and  secured,  after  much  ef- 
fort, a  charter  from  the  State  of  Missouri  for 
a  road  from  Canton  to  the  Missouri  River,  a 
distance  of  two  hundred  miles.  The  people  along 
the  line  promptly  subscribed  for  double  the  stock, 
and  he  had  completed  about  fifty  miles  of  track 
when  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  stopped  all 
operations  and  caused  him  a  heavy  loss.  The 
rebel,  Gen.  Greene,  drove  Capr.  Castle  and  his 
men  from  the  State  and  seized  all  the  stores,  iron 
and  cars,  valued  at  about  $2 ,000,000.  Nearly  all 
of  Capt.  Castle's  force  was  composed  of  single 
men,  who  were  loyal  to  the  Union,  and  when  he 
asked  them  to  join  the  Union  army  they  responded 
almost  to  a  man.  Chartering  a  steamer,  he  took 
them  to  St.  Louis,  where  they  were  accepted  by 
Maj.-Geu.  Fremont,  and  Mr.  Castle  was  made  a 
colouel  on  Fremont's  staff.  Col.  Castle  was  made 


E   H.   CASTLE. 


547 


Sxi^rintendent  of  Railroads  for  the  Western  De- 
partment, comprising  twenty-seven  lines,  with 
headquarters  at  St.  Louis.  By  his  arrangement, 
various  lines  centering  there  were  connected,  and 
a  vast  amount  of  delay  and  expense  thus  saved  to 
the  Government.  He  prepared  a  uniform  scale 
of  freight  rates,  which  was  accepted  by  Congress 
and  known  as  the  Castle  Rates.  He  and  his  faith- 
ful men  were  kept  busy  in  repairing  the  damage 
to  bridges  and  grades  by  the  rebels,  who  well 
knew  that  the  success  of  the  Union  troops  was 
much  enhanced  by  rapid  transportation. 

A  warm  friendship  sprang  up  between  Col. 
Castle  and  his  brave  commander,  which  contin- 
ued as  long  as  both  of  them  were  permitted  to 
live.  When  Gen.  Fremont  was  ordered  to  Vir- 
ginia, Col.  Castle  accompanied  him  and  was  em- 
ployed in  bridge-building.  He  had  bridges  and 
wagons  for  their  transportation  built  in  Pitts- 
burgh, and  because  of  his  presence  every  where  in 
preparing  a  way  to  cross  rivers  on  pontoon  bridges, 
the  soldiers  dubbed  him  "Col.  Pontoon." 

After  Sheridan's  famous  raid  up  the  Shenan- 
doah  River,  Col.  Castle  was  summoned  to  Wash- 
ington by  President  Lincoln,  for  whom  he  per- 
formed some  special  services,  and  received  the 
thanks  of  the  President  and  Congress.  After  the 
surrender  of  Vicksburg,  Col.  Castle  contracted  to 
furnish  Gen.  Grant's  army  with  twenty-eight 
thousand  tons  of  ice,  which  was  done  with  con- 
siderable difficulty  on  account  of  the  fall  of  water 
in  the  Mississippi,  necessitating  the  employment 
of  railroad  transportation  a  part  of  the  way,  and 
re-shipment  by  boat  at  Cairo.  When  the  ice  was 
delivered  at  Vicksburg,  Gen.  Grant  thanked  Col. 
Castle  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  and  the  town  was 
illuminated.  Col.  Castle  was  sent  by  the  Presi- 
dent to  confer  with  Gen.  Banks  at  New  Orleans 
concerning  the  contemplated  Red  River  expedi- 
tion, but  Banks  spurned  the  advice  of  Col.  Castle, 
who  showed  him  the  disaster  that  was  sure  to  re- 
sult from  his  plans,  and  the  result  proved  the  wis- 
dom of  Col.  Castle's  conclusions,  based  upon  his 
long  experience  in  travel  and  navigation.  Iiithe 
spring  of  1865,  he  again  entered  the  real-estate 
business,  with  office  on  La  Salle  Street,  in  which 
he  continued  to  be  successful.  About  two  years 


later  he  experienced  religion,  and  devoted  much 
of  his  time  to  the  cause  of  the  Master,  with  tell- 
ing effect  among  his  neighbors  and  friends. 

Col.  Castle's  first  wife,  Miss  Caroline  E.  John- 
son, of  Norwich,  Conn.,  was  a  woman  of  deep 
piety  and  many  beautiful  graces.  He  first  met 
her  in  Carbondale,  Pa. ,  and  after  a  married  life 
of  thirteen  years  she  was  called  to  her  reward  in 
heaven.  His  present  wife,  Mrs.  Emeline  Castle, 
was  born  in  Pittston,  Luzerne  County,  Pa.,  in 
1818.  She  is  descended  from  Quaker  ancestors, 
and  married  Wells  Bennett,  of  Wilkes  Barre,  Pa., 
for  her  first  husband,  with  whom  she  came  to 
Illinois  more  than  fifty  years  ago.  She  was  one 
of  the  pioneers  of  Methodism  in  northern  Illi- 
nois. 

Col.  Castle  has  been  for  over  fifty  years  a  Free 
Mason,  and  more  than  forty  years  a  Master 
Mason.  He  believes  the  society  has  led  him  to 
high  and  noble  resolves,  and  has  contributed  more 
than  $25,000  to  the  benefit  of  the  order.  He  is 
the  only  surviving  charter  member  of  Cambrian 
Lodge  No.  58,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  of  Carbondale,  to 
which  he  has  been  a  liberal  contributor. 

As  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Union  Veteran 
Club,  he  has  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  old  soldiers.  His  great  pleasure  now,  how- 
ever, is  the  Mission  on  West  Lake  Street,  near 
Garfield  Park,  which  is  now  known  as  the  Garfield 
Park  Methodist  Church.  It  was  his  interest  in 
this  mission  which  led  him  to  sever  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Park  Avenue  Methodist  Church  two 
years  ago,  in  order  to  devote  more  time  to  mis- 
sion work.  He  is  one  of  the  supporting  mem- 
bers of  the  Lake  Street  Mission. 

At  the  present  time,  Col.  Castle  is  actively  en- 
gaged in  business,  and  attends  to  his  large  inter- 
ests with  a  regularity  remarkable  for  one  of  his 
great  age.  His  large  hall  at  the  corner  of  Lake 
and  Paulina  Streets  is  occupied  by  the  Salvation 
Army,  and  a  good  work  is  being  accomplished  by 
this,  the  greatest  corps  in  the  world. 

And  now,  as  the  long  and  eventful  career  draws 
to  a  close,  Col.  Castle  looks  back  over  the  many 
years  of  struggle  and  strife  with  a  tranquil  mind. 
Having  done  the  best  that  he  could,  he  leaves  the 
rest  with  his  God.  His  life  is  well  worth  the 


548 


E.  D.  PARMEIvEE. 


study  of  any  young  man.  His  is  a  character  of 
true  nobility,  formed  by  years  of  honest  labor  and 
honorable  dealings  with  his  fellow-men.  No  dif- 
ficulty was  so  great  that  it  could  not  be  overcome, 
and  no  path  so  rough  that  could  not  be  made 
smooth.  He  can  well  say  to  the  young,  with 
Bryant: 


"  So  live,  that  when  thy  summons  comes  to  join 
The  innumerable  caravan  that  moves 
To  that  mysterious  realm  where  each  shall  take 
His  chamber  in  the  silent  halls  of  death, 
Thou  go  not,  like  the  quarry  slave  at  night, 
Scourged  to  his  dungeon;  but  sustained  and  soothed 
By  an  unfaltering  trust,  approach  thy  grave 
Like  one  who  wraps  the  drapery  of  his  couch 
About  him,  and  lies  down  to  pleasant  dreams." 


EDWARD  DAVID  PARMELER 


IT  DWARD  DAVID  PARMELEE,  city  ticket 
ft)  agent  at  Chicago  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
I  western  Railroad,  claims  New  York  as  the 
State  of  his  nativity,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Aurora,  Cayuga  County,  August  27,  1859.  His 
parents  were  David  L-  and  Jeannette  Brown 
(Kimball)  Parmelee.  His  father  was  born  in 
Middlefield  Centre,  Otsego  County,  N.  Y.,  and 
was  a  graduate  of  Hamilton  College,  of  Clinton, 
N.  Y.  Later  he  served  as  Principal  of  the  Cay- 
uga Lake  Academy,  and  subsequently  carried  on 
a  private  bank  in  Aurora,  N.  Y.,  where  he  made 
his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1866, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  years.  In  politics,  he 
was  a  Republican,  and  was  connected  with  a  num- 
ber of  college  societies.  In  religious  belief,  he 
was  a  Presbyterian,  and  lived  an  honorable,  up- 
right life,  which  won  him  high  regard.  His  wife 
was  born  in  Chicago,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Mark 
Kimball,  who  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  this  city. 
Her  birth  occurred  on  Monroe  Street,  near  the 
present  office  of  the  Adams  Express  Company, 
which  locality  was  then  one  of  the  chief  residence 
portions  of  the  metropolis.  The  lake  then  ex- 
tended to  Michigan  Avenue. 

In  the  Parmelee  family  were  four  children,  but 
our  subject  is  the  only  survivor.  He  had  one 
sister,  Fannie,  who  died  in  Canton,  N.  Y.,  about 
six  years  since,  and  the  other  two  died  in  infancy. 
He  was  a  lad  of  seven  years  when  the  family  re- 
moved to  Orange,  N.  J.  Subsequently  they  took 


up  their  residence  in  Adams,  N.  Y. ,  where  hf  At- 
tended Hungerford's  Collegiate  Institute,  piqu- 
ing a  classical  course  of  study.  At  the  age  of 
seventeen,  just  before  completing  the  course,  he 
came  to  Chicago,  to  accept  a  position  as  clerk  in  the 
General  Baggage  Agent's  office  of  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  Railroad.  Since  that  time  he 
has  been  with  the  same  company,  and  has  won 
promotion  from  time  to  time,  until  he  has  attained 
his  present  responsible  position.  He  was  first 
made  assistant  depot  ticket  agent,  and  in  1884 
was  made  assistant  city  ticket  agent  at  the  old  of- 
fice in  the  Sherman  House.  Since  1887  he  has 
filled  his  present  position,  and  a  large  volume  of 
business  is  transacted  under  his  supervision  and 
management. 

Mr.  Parmelee  supports  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  was  one  oj  the  original 
members  of  the  Marquette  Club.  He  served  for 
several  years  on  its  board  of  directors,  during 
which  time  it  first  nominated  Benjamin  Harrison 
for  the  Presidency.  He  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Athletic  Association,  and  is  a  cultured 
and  accomplished  gentleman,  who  has  gradually 
risen  to  his  present  responsible  position  by  fidel- 
ity and  strict  attention  to  business.  He  merits 
and  receives  the  confidence  and  good-will  of  the 
traveling  public  as  well  as  that  of  his  superior 
officers.  A  courteous  aud  genial  gentleman,  he  is 
well  fitted  for  his  position,  which  he  is  acceptably 
and  creditably  filling. 


CHARLES  ADAMS. 


549 


CHARLES  ADAMS,  M.  D. 


ADAMS,  M.  D.,  oneofthephysi- 
cians  of  Chicago  who  have  risen  by  their  own 
\J  unaided  efforts  to  a  conspicuous  place  among 
the  medical  practitioners  of  the  city,  is  of  English 
birth.  He  was  born  in  Northamptonshire,  Eng- 
land, on  the  29th  of  May,  1847.  His  father,  John 
Adams,  was  of  a  yeoman  family,  which  for  gen- 
erations had  been  engaged  in  agricultural  pur- 
suits and  stock-raising.  His  mother,  Elizabeth 
(Clarke)  Adams,  was  a  daughter  of  a  gentleman 
farmer  of  the  same  country. 

At  an  early  age  the  Doctor  began  his  studies, 
and  when  a  youth  of  ten  he  had  completed  the 
course  in  the  grammar  school  at  Wellingborough, 
in  his  native  county.  In  1856,  his  father  bade 
adieu  to  Old  England,  and  the  fair  fields,  pretty 
leas  and  spreading  elms  that  cause  its  scenery  to 
be  so  long  remembered,  and,  accompanied  by  his 
family,  sailed  for  the  United  States.  He  settled 
in  the  then  new  and  crude  West,  which  years  of 
patient  effort  are  making  to  resemble,  in  its  phys- 
ical features  and  in  many  of  its  institutions,  the 
land  of  our  forefathers.  The  Adams  family  first 
located  in  Milwaukee,  where  they  remained  until 
1 86 1,  when  they  came  to  Chicago. 

During  that  period,  the  Doctor  spent  the  greater 
part  of  his  time  in  school,  but  on  moving  to  Chica- 
go he  became  book-keeper  for  his  father,  who  was 
engaged  in  the  live-stock  business.  There  he 
continued  until  1868.  Much  of  his  leisure  time 
was  devoted  to  study,  and  in  this  way  he  obtained 
a  wide  and  varied  knowledge.  In  connection 
with  his  general  reading,  he  also  took  up  the 
study  of  medicine,  mastered  various  works  on  that 
science,  and  resolved  to  make  the  practice  of  the 
healing  art  his  life  work.  He  finally  entered  the 
office  of  Dr.  J.  S.  Mitchell,  and,  after  spending 


some  time  there  as  a  student,  he  entered  Hahne- 
mann  Medical  College  of  this  city,  from  which  in- 
stitution, on  the  completion  of  a  three-years  course, 
he  was  graduated  in  1872.  The  year  after  his 
graduation  he  spent  as  house  surgeon  in  Scammon 
Hospital,  of  Chicago.  The  greater  part  of  the 
year  1873  he  passed  in  Europe,  taking  a  special 
course  of  surgery  in  London.  On  his  return  to  the 
United  States,  he  took  up  the  practice  of  medicine 
in  Chicago,  where  his  thorough  training  and  fit- 
ness for  the  profession  soon  brought  him  a  profit- 
able practice  among  the  upper  classes  of  Chicago's 
citizens. 

In  1875,  Dr.  Adams  again  crossed  the  Atlantic 
and  visited  the  land  of  his  nativity.  He  went  to 
Wellingborough,  and  was  there  wedded  to  Miss 
Mary  Curtis,  daughter  of  Thomas  S.  Curtis,  a  mer- 
chant of  that  place.  By  their  union  were  bora  two 
children,  one  of  whom,  Cuthbert,  a  young  man  of 
eighteen,  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Adams  died  in  1888, 
and  the  following  year  the  Doctor  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Mitchell)  Gaylord, 
of  Chicago,  widow  of  Henry  Gaylord,  and  a 
daughter  of  W.  H.  Mitchell,  the  well-known  Vice- 
President  of  the  Illinois  Trust  and  Savings  Bank. 

When  he  again  came  to  the  United  States,  in 
1873,  Dr.  Adams  accepted  the  chair  of  surgical 
pathology  in  Hahnemann  College  and  thus  served 
until  1875,  when,  on  the  organization  of  the  Chi- 
cago Homeopathic  College,  he  accepted  the  chair 
of  principles  and  practice  of  surgery,  which  he 
filled  for  some  years.  Now,  after  an  absence  of 
considerable  length,  he  again  occupies  that  posi- 
tion. The  Doctor  is  also  surgeon  of  the  Chicago 
Homeopathic  Hospital,  the  Chicago  Nursery,  the 
Half  Orphan  Asylum  and  the  First  Regiment, 
Illinois  National  Guards.  He  is  a  member  of  the 


550 


HENRY  BUDDE. 


Association  of  Military  Surgeons  of  the  United 
States,  of  the  Illinois  Homeopathic  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, the  Chicago  Medical  Association,  belongs 
to  the  Academy  of  Science  of  Chicago,  and  is  a 
Fellow  of  the  Royal  Microscopical  Society  of 
London. 

Dr.  Adams  possesses  a  large  library  of  profession- 
al works  and  also  of  general  literature,  the  charac- 
ter of  which  shows  his  wide  knowledge  of  books, 


and  splendid  ability  to  select  the  best,  and  none 
other.  He  not  only  possesses  a  library,  but  has  a 
knowledge  of  the  contents  of  almost  every  volume 
in  it,  whether  English,  French  or  German.  His 
success  is  a  fitting  reward  of  his  labors.  He  has 
been,  and  still  is,  a  hard  student,  an  earnest,  pains- 
taking and  successful  practitioner,  a  faithful  friend 
and  a  cultured,  genial  gentleman. 


HENRY  BUDDE. 


HENRY  BUDDE,  a  well-known  farmer  of 
Niles  Township,  Cook  County,  residing  on 
section  17,  is  the  youngest  in  a  family  of 
three  sons,  whose  parents  were  Conrad  and  Leo- 
nore  (Baesner)  Budde.  He  was  born  December 
5,  1815,  in  Messenkomp,  Hanover,  Germany, 
and  his  brothers  were  William  and  Christian 
Budde.  His  parents  died  when  he  was  only  two 
years  of  age.  Losing  the  entire  estate  which 
came  to  them  from  their  father,  the  three  brothers 
separated,  and  Henry,  when  only  a  child,  was 
thrown  upon  the  mercies  of  a  cold,  and  often  pit- 
iless, world.  In  July,  1845,  he  left  his  native 
land  and  sailed  for  America,  landing  in  New 
York  after  a  voyage  of  five  weeks.  He  at  once 
came  to  Cook  County,  arriving  July  20,  1845. 
Here,  during  the  following  winter,  he  chopped 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  cords  of  wood,  re- 
ceiving in  compensation  for  his  hard  labor  three 
shillings  per  cord.  The  next  year  he  became  the 
possessor  of  sixty  acres  of  land  on  section  17, 
Niles  Township,  where  he  now  resides. 

In  1846,  when  war's  cruel  tongue  was  calling 
for  brave  men  to  do  battle  against  the  Mexicans, 
Mr.  Budde  believed  it  his  duty  to  enlist  in  de- 
fense of  his  country,  for  although  he  was  not 
an  American  born,  he  was  now  an  American  cit- 
izen. In  June  he  became  a  member  of  Company 


K,  First  Illinois  Infantry,  under  Capt.  Mowers, 
and  was  honorably  dischaiged  in  1847.  At  the 
battle  of  Buena  Vista,  on  the  22d  of  February  of 
that  year,  he  was  wounded  in  the  left  leg. 

Returning  from  the  scene  of  strife,  he  laid  aside 
the  weapons  of  war  for  Cupid's  bow  and  arrow, 
and  wooed  and  won  Miss  Marie  Linaman,  who 
became  his  wife  April  8,  1848.  They  had  four 
children:  Henry,  born  October  4,  1850;  Marie, 
May  20,  1852;  John,  born  in  1854;  and  Louis, 
January  21,  1859.  After  the  death  of  his  first 
wife,  Mr.  Budde,  in  July,  1882,  married  Mrs. 
Marie  Ludwig,  who  was  called  to  the  home  be- 
yond December  5,  1887,  at  the  age  of  fifty  years. 
He  was  again  married,  for  the  third  time,  August 
23,  1894,  to  Mrs.  Sophia  Uhrscheller,  widow  ot 
Charles  Uhrscheller,  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Budde's 
first  husband,  Henry  Schmidt,  served  many 
years  on  board  of  a  United  States  man-of-war. 
From  New  York  he  removed  to  Chicago  about 
1864,  and  died  there  in  1878. 

Mr.  Budde  has  devoted  the  greater  part  of  his 
time  and  attention  through  life  to  agricultural 
pursuits.  He  received  from  the  Government  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  return  for  his 
services  as  a  Mexican  soldier,  and  this  he  traded 
for  the  farm  upon  which  he  now  resides.  It  is  a 
valuable  place,  highly  cultivated  and  well  im- 


JOHN  UNOLD. 


proved,  and  its  neat  and  thrifty  appearance  indi- 
cates the  careful  supervision  of  the  owner.  He 
has  erected  thereon  a  fine  brick  residence,  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  homes  in  this  locality. 

Mr.  Budde  holds  membership  with  the  Luth- 
eran Church,  in  which  he  is  now  serving  as 
Trustee.  For  several  years  he  has  served  as 
School  Director,  and  the  cause  of  education  finds 
in  him  a  warm  friend.  He  cast  his  first  Presi- 
dential vote  in  1848.  He  said,  "I  went  so  far 


astray  as  to  vote  for  Buchanan,  but  since  that 
time  I  have  been  a  Republican,"  and  he  is  true 
to  the  party  of  his  choice  to  this  day .  In  Mr. 
Budde  is  seen  a  self-made  man,  who  began  life 
without  capital,  but  success  crowned  his  efforts 
and  he  has  won  a  handsome  competence.  He  is 
now  recognized  as  one  of  the  substantial  agricul- 
turists of  this  community,  as  well  as  one  of  its 
highly  respected  citizens. 


CAPT.  JOHN  UNOLD. 


EAPT.  JOHN  UNOLD,  who  is  now  living  a 
retired  life  in  La  Grange,  is  one  of  the  hon- 
ored veterans  of  the  late  war,  who  followed 
the  Old  Flag  in  defense  of  the  Union  for  about 
three  years  and  faithfully  aided  in  securing  the 
victory  that  made  the  United  States  inseparable. 
He  was  born  in  Germany  on  the  2gth  of  Novem- 
ber, 1829,  and  is  a  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Brechiesen)  Unold.  The  family  numbered  six 
children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters,  as  follows: 
George  and  David,  both  now  deceased;  Chris- 
topher, who  is  the  owner  of  a  factory  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  wooden- ware  in  Germany;  Elizabeth, 
who  is  still  living  in  the  Fatherland;  and  Mary, 
now  deceased.  George  Unold  was  a  millwright 
by  trade,  and  in  Germany  he  spent  his  entire  life, 
as  did  the  mother  of  our  subject. 

The  Captain  was  born  and  reared  in  his  native 
village,  and  attended  the  public  schools  of  Ger- 
many until  thirteen  years  of  age,  when  he  was 
bound  out  for  a  three-years  apprenticeship  to  the 
harness-maker' s  trade.  He  then  traveled  through 
Germany  for  three  years,  working  at  that  occupa- 
tion, and  in  1849,  when  a  young  man  of  twenty 
years,  he  crossed  the  broad  Atlantic  to  America 
on  a  sailing-vessel,  which  after  six  weeks  upon 
the  bosom  of  the  Atlantic  dropped  anchor  in  the 
harbor  of  New  York  City.  He  made  his  first  lo- 


cation in  Newark,  N.  J. ,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  for  two  years.  He  then  went  to  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  where  he  spent  the  four  succeed- 
ing years  of  his  life,  and  in  1855  removed  to  Chi- 
cago. For  two  years  he  was  there  employed  as  a 
harness-maker,  after  which  he  went  to  Fullers- 
burg,  DuPage  County,  where  he  started  a  shop 
of  his  own  and  engaged  in  business  until  1861. 
He  also  carried  on  a  general  store  at  that  place, 
and  was  Postmaster  of  Fullersburg  for  a  time, 
but  in  1862  he  disposed  of  his  business  interests 
in  order  to  enter  the  service  of  his  adoped  coun- 
try. 

Mr.  Unold  had  watched  with  interest  the  prog- 
ress of  events  and  saw  that  the  war  was  to  be  no 
holiday  affair;  so,  prompted  by  patriotic  impulses, 
on  the  isth  of  August,  1862,  he  became  a  private 
of  Company  D,  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  Illinois 
Infantry.  Before  he  was  mustered  into  service, 
which  event  took  place  at  Dixon,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Company  I,  and  became  Second  Sergeant. 
The  first  active  engagement  in  which  he  partici- 
pated was  at  Frankfort,  Ky.  He  afterwards  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Resaca,  New  Hope  Church, 
Cassville,  Kennesaw  Mountain,  Peach  Tree  Creek 
and  Clintonville.  He  was  wounded  in  the  left 
ankle  by  a  shell  at  the  battle  of  New  Hope 
Church,  but  did  not  go  to  the  hospital.  At  At- 


552 


L.  P.  HASKELL. 


lanta,  lie  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  First  Lieu- 
tenant, and  was  mustered  out  as  Captain.  He  re- 
ceived his  discharge  June  15,  1865,  for  the  war 
was  then  practically  over,  and  the  preservation  of 
the  Union  an  assured  fact. 

Capt.  Unold  at  once  returned  to  his  home  in 
Fullersburg,  where  he  established  another  har- 
ness shop,  which  he  carried  on  until  1868,  when  he 
came  to  La  Grange,  and  opened  a  general  store. 
He  carried  on  business  along  that  line  until  1887, 
when  he  sold  out  and  has  since  lived  retired.  He 
was  successful  in  his  business  dealings  and  there- 
by acquired  a  comfortable  competence, which  now 
enables  him  to  enjoy  the  rest  which  he  has  so 
truly  earned  and  richly  deserves.  He  now  owns 
considerable  real  estate  in  La  Grange. 

On  the  5th  of  February,  1852,  Capt.  Unold  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Martha  Hoppach. 
Unto  them  have  been  born  nine  children,  namely: 
Willemanie,  now  deceased;  Lewis,  who  holds 
the  position  of  book-keeper  in  his  brother's 


store  in  La  Grange;  George,  who  carries  on  a 
large  general  merchandise  establishment  in  La- 
Grange;  Julia,  deceased;  Amelia,  wife  of  Ed- 
ward Tillotson,  who  is  living  in  Michigan;  Ottil- 
da,  widow  of  Samuel  Clifford;  and  Amanda,  Lou- 
isa and  Sherman,  all  of  whom  have  now  passed 
away. 

In  politics,  Capt.  Unold  is  a  supporter  of  the 
Republican  party,  and  from  1869  until  1875  he 
served  as  Postmaster  of  La  Grange.  He  was  for 
seventeen  years  one  of  its  School  Directors,  and 
did  effective  service  in  the  cause  of  education, 
proving  a  capable  officer.  Socially,  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  came  to  this  country  a  poor  boy  and  has  made 
all  that  he  possesses  by  his  own  careful  business 
management,  his  thrift  and  enterprise.  His  life 
has  been  well  and  worthily  spent,  and  he  has 
achieved  a  success  which  now  enables  him  to 
spend  his  declining  years  surrounded  by  all  the 
comforts  and  many  of  the  luxuries  of  life. 


LOOMIS  POMROY  HASKELL. 


I  OOMIS  POMROY  HASKELL,  who  has  for 
thirty-seven  years  been  successfully  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  Chicago,  has 
won  a  reputation  for  skill  and  ability  that  has 
made  him  known  not  only  in  this  city  but  through- 
out the  world.  His  prominence  in  professional 
circles  makes  him  well  worthy  of  representation 
among  the  leading  citizens  of  Cook  County. 

Dr.  Haskell  was  born  in  Bangor,  Me. ,  April 
25,  1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary 
(Fuller)  Haskell,  who  were  natives  of  Gloucester, 
Mass.  The  Haskell  family  in  America  was 
founded  by  three  brothers,  who  in  an  early  day 
emigrated  from  England,  their  native  land,  to  the 
New  World,  and  became  early  settlers  in  the  Mass- 
achusetts Colony.  About  1823,  the  father  of  our 


subject  removed  to  Bangor,  Me. ,  and  five  years 
later  went  to  Marblehead,  Mass. ,  where  his  last 
days  were  passed,  his  death  occurring  in  1830. 
He  was  a  shoe-maker  by  trade,  and  opened  the 
first  shoe-store  in  Bangor,  Me.  His  wife,  who 
survived  him  thirty  years,  died  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  in  1860.  She  was  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
Thomas  Fuller,  a  Congregational  minister  of 
Gloucester,  Mass.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haskell 
were  members  of  the  Congregational  Church,  and, 
socially,  he  was  connected  with  the  Masonic 
order. 

After  the  death  of  the  father  the  family  removed 
to  Salem,  Mass. ,  where  the  Doctor  attended  school 
until  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  then  went  to  Bos- 
ton and  entered  a  printing-office,  where  he  was 


J.  O.  HUTCHINSON. 


553 


employed  for  four  years.  His  experience  there 
formed  an  excellent  supplement  to  the  limited  ed- 
ucational privileges  he  had  previously  received. 
On  leaving  the  printing-office,  he  took  up  the 
study  of  dentistry  in  the  office  of  his  brother-in- 
law,  Dr.  M.  P.  Hanson,  of  Chelsea,  Mass.,  and 
in  connection  with  the  latter  he  gave  considerable 
attention  to  the  manufacture  of  carved  block 
teeth.  It  was  through  this  means  that  he  became 
widely  known  among  his  professional  brethren  in 
New  England. 

Ere  leaving  the  East,  Dr.  Haskell  was  united 
in  marriage  with  Sarah  E.  Wason,  a  native  of 
Chester,  N.  H.  Six  children  were  born  of  their 
union,  but  only  four  of  the  number  are  now  liv- 
ing, namely:  Ella  P.;  Lizzie  M.,  wife  of  Rev.  W. 
J.  Clark,  of  Lamoille,  111. ;  Sarah  Isabel,  wife  of 
Col.  J.  B.  Parsons,  of  Dwight,  111.;  and  Anna  N., 
wife  of  W.  T.  Barr,  of  Hinsdale,  111.  The  two 
children  now  deceased  are  Harriet  N. ,  who  died 
in  infancy ;  and  Mary  F. ,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years. 

In  1856,  Dr.  Haskell  left  his  old  New  England 
home  and  removed  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.  The 
following  year  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  has 
since  been  almost  continuously  engaged  in  prac- 
tice. He  demonstrated  the  excellence  of  his 
methods  for  two  terms  in  the  Baltimore  College 
of  Dental  Surgery,  and  for  two  terms  in  the  Minn- 
eapolis College.  He  was  Professor  of  prosthetic 
dentistry  in  the  Chicago  College  of  Dental  Sur- 
gery for  four  years,  and  for  three  years  in  the 
dental  department  of  the  Northwestern  Univer- 
sity. In  1888  he  established  the  first  post-grad- 
uate school  of  dentistr>r,  which  since  that  time 


has  furnished  instruction  to  hundreds  of  students, 
mostly  practicing  dentists  from  all  parts  of  North 
America,  as  well  as  England,  Germany,  Holland, 
Chile,  Australia  and  New  Zealand.  The  Doctor 
is  a  frequent  contributor  to  dental  journals,  and 
is  the  author  of  "The Student's  Manual  and 
Hand  Book  for  the  Dental  Laboratory,"  which 
circulates  extensively  among  the  profession  in 
America,  and  has  been  republished  in  France  and 
Germany.  Since  the  organization  of  the  part}-, 
Dr.  Haskell  has  been  a  stanch  Republican.  In  1848 
he  cast  his  first  vote,  supporting  Martin  Van  Buren 
on  the  Free-Soil  ticket,  and  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  first  Free-Soil  Convention  ever  held  in 
the  United  States,  which  met  at  Worcester, 
Mass.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Dental 
Club,  the  Illinois  State  Dental  Society,  and  the 
American  Dental  Association.  He  and  his  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Congregational  Church  of 
Hinsdale,  where  they  make  their  home.  He  has 
practiced  dentistry  longer  than  any  other  dentist 
in  Chicago,  and  with  one  exception  has  been  ac- 
tively engaged  in  dental  work  here  longer  than 
any  other  member  of  the  profession.  He  keeps 
fully  abreast  of  the  times,  and  is  continually 
studying  to  gain  new  knowledge  on  the  subject 
to  which  he  has  given  his  life  work.  Thus  has 
he  won  a  front  rank  among  the  dentists  of  the 
world.  He  is  a  gentleman  of  pleasing  address 
and  prepossessing  manner,  and  is  an  interesting 
writer  and  able  speaker.  So  well  known  is  he 
throughout  the  Northwest,  that  the  history  of 
Cook  County  would  be  incomplete  without  this 
sketch. 


JAMES  O.  HUTCHINSON. 


(TAMES   O.    HUTCHINSON,    who   for   nine 
I    years   has  been   in  the  employ  of  the  well- 
G/  known  firm  of  Thomas  Cook  &  Sons,  now  oc- 
cupies  the   position  of  General  Western  Agent, 
with  headquarters  at  No.  234  South  Clark  Street, 


Chicago.  His  long  continuance  with  the  com- 
pany is  a  testimonial  of  his  ability  and  fidelity 
more  expressive  than  any  words  could  be.  Mr. 
Hutchinson  was  born  in  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  in 
1845,  and  comes  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  of 


554 


C.  A.  COOLEY. 


the  Empire  State.  His  ancestors  were  originally 
natives  of  Scotland,  and  came  from  that  country 
to  America  not  long  after  the  Colonies  had  been 
founded  on  the  shores  of  the  New  World.  The 
father  of  our  subject  was  a  man  of  prominence 
and  influence,  and  served  as  a  member  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  New  York.  The  maternal 
grandfather,  Judge  Strong,  sat  on  the  Supreme 
Bench  of  the  State  in  1812,  and  was  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  history  of  that  time. 

James  O.  Hutchinson  spent  the  days  of  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  in  his  parents'  home,  acquiring 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the 
naval  academy.  He  acted  as  Lieutenant  for  five 
years,  from  1860  until  1865,  and  then  became 
Chief  Clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Adjutant-General 
of  New  York.  There  he  remained  until  1880. 
Two  years  later  he  formed  a  connection  with  the 
firm  of  Thomas  Cook  &  Sons,  which  has  contin- 
ued up  to  the  present  time,  and  which  has  seen 
him  advanced  from  one  position  to  another,  until 
he  is  now  General  Agent  for  all  western  territory, 
having  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  position 
on  the  aoth  of  April,  1893, 

Thomas  Cook  &  Sons  are  general  steamship 
and  railway  agents,  and  secure  passage  for  sin- 


gle tourists  or  parties  visiting  any  known  point 
on  the  face  of  the  globe.  They  have  their  agents 
in  all  countries,  who  make  the  traveling  arrange- 
ments, and  secure  a  hotel  and  other  accommoda- 
tions for  visitors,  thus  giving  the  tourist  time  for 
sight-seeing  which  otherwise  would  be  largely 
taken  up  in  planning  and  executing  the  trip. 
They  also  issue  letters  of  credit  and  do  all  ex- 
change business  with  the  banks. 

Mr.  Hutchinson  himself  has  made  several  trips 
to  distant  lands,  has  visited  Asia,  spent  some 
time  in  India,  China  and  Egypt,  and  has  seen 
many  of  the  points  of  interest,  historical  and 
otherwise,  in  Europe.  He  expects  soon  to  start 
for  Japan,  where  he  will  spend  seven  months 
among  one  of  the  most  interesting  peoples  known. 

In  his  social  relations,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  in  his  political 
affiliations  is  a  Democrat.  His  life  has  been  a 
busy  one,  and  he  well  merits  the  confidence  and 
trust  reposed  in  him  by  the  company  with  which 
he  is  now  connected.  His  position  is  a  responsi- 
ble one,  for  he  is  agent  for  the  entire  Western 
Territory,  and  attends  to  all  the  business  of  this 
section  of  the  country. 


CLARK  A.  COOLEY. 


ELARK  A.  COOLEY  is  the  efficient  Clerk 
of  Elk  Grove  Township,  Cook  County. 
He  resides  on  section  16,  and  is  numbered 
among  the  prominent  farmers  of  the  community. 
His  entire  life  has  been  spent  in  this  locality,  and 
an  honorable,  upright  career  has  gained  him  the 
high  regard  of  all  with  whom  he  has  been  brought 
in  contact.  He  was  born  in  Elk  Grove  Town- 
ship, this  county,  September  21,  1847,  and  comes 
of  an  old  New  England  family.  His  father, 
Charles  Cooley,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  and 
emigrated  to  Illinois  in  1845,  locating  in  Elk 
Grove  Township,  where  he  took  up  a  claim  from 


the  Government  and  began  the  development  of  a 
farm,  transforming  the  raw  prairie  into  rich  and 
fertile  fields.  There  he  carried  on  agricultural 
pursuits  and  made  his  home  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1884,  in  his  sixty- fourth  year. 
In  politics,  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  served  as 
School  Director.  Mrs  Cooley,  who  bore  the 
maiden  name  of  Clara  Green,  is  a  native  of  Mass- 
achusetts, and  is  yet  living,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
two.  Both  families  were  of  English  origin. 

In  the  Cooley  family  were  seven  children,  our 
subject,  who  is  the  eldest,  being  the  only  son. 
The  daughters  were:  Kittie,  wife  of  William 


LOUIS  VOLTZ. 


555 


Higgins,  of  Elk  Grove  Township;  Mary,  who 
died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Sarah,  widow  of 
John  B.  Weeks,  and  a  resident  of  Beadle  County, 
S.  Dak.;  Addie,  who  died  at  the  age  of  a  year  and 
a-half;  Clara,  wife  of  John  Carson,  a  resident  of 
Iowa;  and  Mary,  who  is  engaged  in  teaching 
school,  and  makes  her  home  in  Arlington 
Heights. 

C.  A.  Cooley  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood 
and  youth  in  the  usual  manner  of  farmer  lads,  and 
in  the  schools  of  Elk  Grove  Township  acquired  a 
good  English  education.  From  an  early  age  he 
has  been  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  farming, 
for  as  soon  as  old  enough  to  handle  the  plow  he 
began  work  in  the  fields,  and  to  agricultural  pur- 
suits has  since  devoted  his  energies.  In  his  deal- 
ing, he  has  been  quite  successful.  His  farm  com- 
prises one  hundred  and  fifty-six  acres  of  valuable 
land,  and  is  considered  one  of  the  best  in  the  town- 
ship, for  the  fields  are  well  tilled,  and  it  is  sup- 
plied with  all  modern  accessories  and  conven- 
iences. In  connection  with  general  farming,  the 


owner  also  carries  on  stock-raising  and  dealing, 
and  has  met  with  success  in  this  line. 

In  1871,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Cooley  and  Miss  Rosa  J.  Crego,  a  native  of  New 
York,  who,  when  a  maiden  of  twelve  summers, 
removed  with  her  parents  to  Arlington  Heights, 
111.  There  her  girlhood  days  were  passed.  Two 
children  grace  this  union,  a  son  and  daughter, 
Frank  A.  and  Anna  E. ,  both  of  whom  are  still 
at  home. 

In  his  political  affiliations,  Mr.  Cooley  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  in  1893  was  elected  Clerk  of  his 
township,  which  position  he  is  now  creditably  fill- 
ing. He  has  also  served  as  School  Director,  and 
has  filled  other  offices.  Having  spent  his  entire 
life  in  this  community,  Mr.  Cooley  has  witnessed 
the  many  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  the 
county,  has  seen  its  growth  and  upbuilding,  and 
has  aided  in  its  development.  He  has  ever  been 
a  progressive  and  public-spirited  man,  and  is  rec- 
ognized as  a  valued  citizen. 


LOUIS  VOLTZ. 


I  GUIS  VOLTZ,  who  is  successfully  engaged 
I  C  in  farming  on  section  10,  Northfield  Town- 
12  ship,  Cook  County,  claims  Germany  as  the 
land  of  his  birth.  He  was  born  in  Hesse-Darm- 
stadt, September  30,  1833,  and  is  the  second  in  or- 
der of  birth  in  a  family  of  six  children  whose  par- 
ents were  Louis  and  Elizabeth  Voltz.  They  were 
also  natives  of  Germany.  In  the  common  schools 
of  the  neighborhood  our  subject  acquired  his  edu- 
cation. No  event  of  special  importance  occurred 
during  his  boyhood  and  youth,  which  were  quietly 
passed  in  his  father's  home.  Having  arrived  at 
years  of  maturity,  he  determined  to  seek  his  for- 
tune in  America,  and  in  1857  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  the  New  World.  He  made  his  way  direct  to  Chi- 
cago, and  thence  removed  to  McHenry  County, 
111.,  where  he  secured  work  as  a  farm  hand  by  the 


month.  When  he  had  acquired  a  sufficient  capi- 
tal, he  purchased  land  in  Jefferson  Township,  Cook 
County,  and  began  farming  in  his  own  interest. 
For  a  time  he  continued  the  cultivation  and  im- 
provement of  that  tract,  but  at  length  sold  out,  and 
in  1870  purchased  the  farm  on  which  he  now  re- 
sides in  Northfield  Township. 

Mr.  Voltz  was  married  in  Jefferson  Township 
in  1862,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  Miss  Mar- 
garet Kilwy,  a  native  of  Germany,  who  at  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  left  the  Fatherland  and  came 
to  the  United  States.  By  the  union  of  this  worthy 
couple  were  born  the  following  children:  Louis, 
who  is  now  deceased;  William,  who  is  married; 
Katie,  who  has  passed  away;  Charlie,  at  home; 
Emma,  deceased;  Emma,  the  second  of  that  name; 
Edward,  Walter,  Sophia,  Ella,  George,  Frank, 


S56 


A.  SOHM. 


Richard  and  Albert,  all  of  whom  are  yet  under 
the  parental  roof.  The  children  were  all  born  in 
Cook  County,  and  nine  of  the  number  are  still  at 
home. 

Mr.  Voltz  now  carries  on  general  farming,  and 
is  the  owner  of  one  hundred  and  six  acres  of  good 
land,  which  he  has  placed  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  He  has  also  made  many  good  im- 
provements upon  his  farm,  audits  neat  and  thrifty 
appearance  indicates  his  careful  supervision.  His 
life  has  been  a  busy  one,  and  as  the  result  of  his 
energy  and  untiring  labors  he  has  become  the 
possessor  of  a  comfortable  propert)'.  He  may 
truly  be  called  a  self-made  man. 


In  religious  belief,  Mr.  Voltz  is  a  Lutheran,  and 
in  politics  is  a  Republican,  having  supported  his 
party  by  his  ballot  for  many  years.  He  has 
held  the  office  of  School  Director  for  a  long  period, 
and  the  cause  of  education  finds  in  him  a  warm 
friend.  For  six  years  he  served  as  Township 
Commissioner,  and  is  now  Township  Treasurer. 
In  September,  1883,  he  was  elected  Supervisor  of 
Northfield  Township,  and  has  held  that  position 
continuously  since,  discharging  his  duties  with  a 
promptness  and  fidelity  that  have  not  only  caused 
his  retention  in  office,  but  have  also  won  him  the 
high  commendation  of  all  concerned. 


A.  SOHM. 


a  SOHM  is  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  leading 
engraving  establishments  of  Chicago,  and  is 
doing  a  good  business,  which  has  been  se- 
cured through  excellent  workmanship,  courteous 
treatment  and  honorable  dealing.  His  success  is 
therefore  well  deserved.  Mr.  .Sohrn  claims  Aus- 
tria as  the  land  of  his  birth,  which  occurred  in 
1862.  His  father,  Joseph  Sohm,  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  Austria.  Under  the  parental  roof  our 
subject  was  reared  to  manhood,  the  days  of  his 
boyhood  being  quietly  passed.  The  schools  of 
the  vicinity  afforded  him  his  educational  privi- 
leges, and  when  he  had  mastered  the  common 
branches  of  learning,  he  turned  his  attention  to 
business  pursuits,  whereby  he  might  earn  his 
own  livelihood.  For  some  time  he  engaged  in 
block-cutting. 

At  length  Mr.  Sohm  resolved  to  try  his  fortune 
in  America,  for  he  had  heard  much  of  its  advan- 
tages and  privileges,  and  believed  that  he  might 
thereby  benefit  his  financial  condition.  In  1881 
he  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  New  World,  and  on 
his  arrival  in  America  learned  the  engraving 
business  in  the  establishment  of  the  Acme  En- 
graving Company,  of  Chicago.  He  spent  three 
years  in  mastering  the  trade,  becoming  a  most 
excellent  workman,  and  then  for  five  years  fol- 


lowed that  vocation  in  the  employ  of  other  firms 
in  the  city. 

It  was  in  1888  that  Mr.  Sohm  embarked  in 
business  for  himself,  being  then  located  on  La 
Salle  Street.  About  a  year  later,  however,  he 
removed  to  the  Staats  Zeitung  Building,  where 
he  has  now  been  for  the  past  four  years.  He  en- 
gages in  mechanical  engraving,  and  the  artistic 
work  which  he  turns  out  has  secured  for  him  a 
liberal  patronage.  He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
best  engravers  in  the  city,  and  his  high  reputa- 
tion is  well  deserved. 

In  the  year  1891,  was  celebrated  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  Sohm  and  Miss  Gertrude  Bruh.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and 
in  the  social  circles  in  which  they  move  they  have 
many  friends  who  esteem  them  highly.  In  his 
political  views,  our  subject  is  a  supporter  of  the 
Democracy,  but  has  never  been  an  aspirant  for 
public  office,  preferring  to  devote  his  entire  time 
and  attention  to  other  interests.  It  proved  a  for- 
tunate day  for  him  when  he  determined  to  leave 
his  native  land  and  make  a  home  in  the  New 
World,  and  he  has  never  yet  had  occasion  to  re- 
gret the  change,  for  he  has  here  won  a  prosperity 
that  would  probably  not  have  come  to  him  had 
he  remained  upon  his  native  soil. 


MATHIAS  HOFFMAN. 


557 


MATHIAS  HOFFMAN. 


|ATHIAS  HOFFMAN,  a  prosperous  and 
highly  respected  farmer  of  Niles  Township, 
Cook  County,  residing  on  section  18,  was 
born  on  the  25th  of  July,  1825,  on  the  River 
Rhine,  in  Prussia,  and  is  a  son  of  Peter  and  Su- 
sannah (Saul)  Hoffman,  both  of  whom  were  born 
in  Prussia  in  the  year  1799.  The  grandfather, 
Mathias  Hoffman,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same 
country  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In 
1842,  the  parents  with  their  children  turned  their 
faces  toward  the  setting  sun  and  started  for  the 
New  World.  They  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  a 
sailing-vessel  and  made  their  way  to  Chicago, 
taking  up  their  residence  on  the  northwest  quar- 
ter of  section  18,  Niles  Township,  Cook  County, 
where  the  father  purchased  a  farm  of  ninety -five 
acres,  paying  $3  per  acre.  At  his  death  in  1846, 
he  was  the  possessor  of  two  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  a  valuable  and  desirable  place. 

The  children  born  to  Peter  and  Susannah 
Hoffman  were:  Mathias;  John,  who  was  a  farmer 
of  Northfield  Township;  Michael,  who  lives  in 
Des  Plaines;  Marguerite;  Nicholas,  a  fanner  of 
Niles  Township;  and  Mrs.  Catherine  Schmelzer. 
John  and  Marguerite  are  deceased. 

Mathias  Hoffman  was  in  his  seventeenth  year 
when,  with  the  family,  he  bade  adieu  to  the  Fa- 
therland and  came  to  the  United  States.  In  Niles 
Township  he  has  since  made  his  home,  and  during 
the  long  years  which  have  since  passed  his  hon- 
orable, upright  life  has  made  him  many  friends. 
He  was  married  on  the  yth  of  September,  1850, 
to  Miss  Barbara  Harsom,  daughter  of  John  Har- 
som,  a  farmer  and  a  native  of  Bavaria.  The  lady 
was  born  September  19,  1828,  and  by  their  union 
have  been  born  five  children,  who  in  order  of 
birth  are  as  follows:  William,  who  was  born  Sep- 
tember ii,  1851,  and  is  now  a  carpenter  of  South 


Evanston;  John,  born  February  24,  1853,  who  is 
now  living  retired  at  Gross  Point;  Nicholas,  a 
farmer  of  Northfield  Township,  born  October  19, 
1854;  Catherine,  who  was  born  March  23,  1857, 
and  is  now  the  wife  of  James  Dalton,  of  South  Chi- 
cago; and  Marguerite,  who  was  born  March  u, 
1859,  and  is  the  wife  of  Anton  Mayer,  a  farmer 
of  Hamlet,  Indiana. 

Mr.  Hoffman  received  as  his  portion  of  his 
father's  estate  forty  acres  of  the  old  home  place 
and  twelve  acres  of  timber-land.  All  his  other 
property  has  been  acquired  through  his  own  ef- 
forts. By  perseverance  and  untiring  industry-,  he 
has  made  life  a  success  and  has  acquired  a  hand- 
some competency.  Some  years  since  he  gave  to 
each  of  his  children  seventy  acres  of  valuable 
prairie  land,  and  ten  acres  of  timber,  save  to 
one  daughter,  to  whom  he  gave  $7,000  in  cash. 
He  has  ever  been  of  a  liberal  and  generous  nature, 
free  and  open-handed  with  those  in  whom  he 
takes  an  interest,  and  cannot  do  too  much  to  en- 
hance the  happiness  and  promote  the  welfare  of 
his  family.  Although  he  has  transacted  a  large 
volume  of  business,  he  has  never  had  a  lawsuit, 
but  has  ever  been  at  peace  with  all  mankind. 

The  parents  and  their  children  are  all  members 
of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  are  highly  respected, 
having  many  friends  in  this  community.  In  his 
political  views,  Mr.  Hoffman  is  a  Democrat,  and 
cast  his  first  Presidential  vote  in  1848.  Although 
he  has  never  been  an  office-seeker,  he  has  served 
as  Assessor  of  Niles  Township  for  twenty-four 
years,  has  been  Road  Commissioner  six  years,  and 
School  Director  for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  Be- 
ing a  man  of  excellent  judgment,  he  has  made 
an  efficient  officer,  and  his  fidelity  to  duty  is  well 
attested  by  his  long  service. 


558 


T.  S.  ROGERvS. 


CAPT.  THEODORE  S.  ROGERS. 


EAPT.  THEODORE  S.  ROGERS  is  one  of 
the  leading  citizens  of  Downer's  Grove,  and 
an  honored  veteran  of  the  late  war,  who 
wore  the  blue  in  defense  of  the  Union,  and  vali- 
antly followed  the  Old  Flag  in  many  of  the  most 
hotly  contested  battles  of  that  struggle,  which 
not  only  did  away  with  slavery,  but  made  the 
Union  more  indissoluble  than  before.  The  Cap- 
tain was  born  in  Morristown,  St.  Lawrence 
County,  N.  Y.,  August  30,  1831.  The  family  is 
of  English  lineage.  The  father,  Joseph  I.  Rogers, 
was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island.  Removing  to 
the  Empire  State,  he  there  married  Caroline 
Smith,  who  was  born  in  New  York,  and  was  also 
of  English  extraction.  Her  father  was  a  well- 
educated  man,  and  kept  a  hotel  in  New  York  for 
a  number  of  years.  In  1844  Mr.  Rogers  came 
with  his  family  to  Illinois,  making  the  journey 
by  water  to  Chicago,  where  he  hired  a  team,  with 
which  he  came  to  DuPage  County.  Here  he 
purchased  a  farm,  upon  which  he  spent  his  re- 
maining days.  He  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  took  quite  an  active  part  in  local  politics. 
His  death  occurred  in  this  county,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-two  years.  He  was  the  only  son  of  the 
family  who  lived  to  any  age,  but  has  a  sister, 
Mrs.  Julia  Aldrich,  who  is  now  living  in  this 
county,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-five  years. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  still  survives  her  hus- 
band, and  although  now  in  her  eighty-third  year, 
her  mental  and  physical  faculties  are  well  pre- 
served. 

The  Rogers  family  numbered  six  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  but  Ella  is  now 
deceased.  The  others  are  Mary  I,.,  widow  of 
Chauncy  Harmon,  and  a  resident  of  Downer's 
Grove,  Theodore  S.;  Joseph  W.,  a  prosperous 


merchant  of  this  place;  Francis  A.,  a  successful 
farmer  of  Downer's  Grove  Township;  and  Sarah, 
wife  of  John  A.  Kinley,  of  Aurora,  111. 

Capt.  Rogers  spent  the  first  thirteen  years  of 
his  life  in  the  State  of  his  nativity,  and  in  1844 
came  with  his  parents  to  Illinois.  He  remained 
at  home  until  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he  be- 
gan teaching  school  in  this  county.  For  twelve 
winters  he  followed  that  profession,  while  in  the 
summer  months  his  labors  were  devoted  to  work 
upon  the  home  farm.  He  had  attended  the  com- 
mon schools,  and  was  graduated  from  the  Down- 
er's Grove  High  School.  On  the  igth  of  July, 
1862,  prompted  by  patriotic  impulses,  he  re- 
sponded to  the  country's  call  for  troops,  and  en* 
listed  as  a  private  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth 
Illinois  Infantry.  On  the  organization  of  Com- 
pany B,  he  was  elected  Captain.  The  regiment 
went  into  camp  at  Dixon,  and  was  mustered  into 
the  United  States  service  September  2,  1862,  and 
sent  thence  to  Louisville  and  Frankfort,  Ky.,  en- 
gaging at  the  skirmish  at  the  latter  place.  Capt. 
Rogers  took  part  in  the  battles  of  Bowling  Green, 
Taylor's  Ridge,  Smoke  Creek  Gap,  and  at  the 
battle  of  Resaca  had  charge  of  the  skirmish  line 
in  front  of  the  assaulters.  He  led  his  men  at 
Calhoun,  Cassville,  the  advance  on  Dallas,  New 
Hope  Church,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Lookout 
Mountain,  Golgotha,  the  assault  on  Kenesaw,  the 
battle  of  Marietta,  Chattahoochee  River,  Peach 
Tiee  Creek,  the  battle  of  Atlanta,  and  the  siege 
of  that  city.  On  the  3oth  of  September,  1864, 
he  resigned  and  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  service.  He  participated  in  many  skirmishes 
and  battles,  and  his  war  record  is  one  of  which  he 
may  well  be  proud. 

On  the   1 3th  of  December,  1855,  the  Captain 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

!»!|yw!!TY  OF  Hi  !NOifJ 


CAPT.  THEO.  S.  ROGERS. 


P.  C.  GARDNER. 


559 


married  Miss  Helen  M.,  a  daughter  of  Dexter 
and  Nancy  (Capron)  Stanley,  who  were  among 
the  early  settlers  of  DuPage  County.  She  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  February  6,  1833,  but 
since  her  second  year  has  made  her  home  in  this 
county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rogers  had  two  children, 
Bertha  and  Glen,  but  both  died  in  infancy. 

The  Captain  was  elected  Sheriff  of  DuPage 
County  in  1860,  but  on  entering  the  service  of 
his  country  he  left  reliable  deputies  to  perform 
the  duties  of  that  office.  He  has  served  as  Super- 
visor, Township  Clerk  and  Collector.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Town  Trustees  for  four- 
teen years,  and,  with  the  exception  of  one  year, 
was  President  during  that  entire  time.  He  cast 
his  first  Presidential  vote  for  Scott,  but  it  is  need- 
less to  say  that  he  is  now  a  stanch  Republican, 
supporting  that  party  which  was  formed  to  pre- 
vent the  further  extension  of  slavery.  In  1892 
he  was  appointed  by  Gov.  Fifer  on  the  Board  of 
Equalization  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Henry  L-  Bush.  He  is  a  prominent 
Grand  Army  man,  and  with  the  exception  of  one 
year  has  been  Commander  of  Naper  Post  No. 
468,  G.  A.  R.,  of  Downer's  Grove,  since  its  or- 
ganization. At  that  time  he  refused  to  have  the 
office,  but,  his  comrades  insisting  upon  his  ac- 
cepting the  position  again,  he  is  now  the  incum- 
bent. He  has  served  as  Superintendent  of  the 
Agricultural  Society  of  the  county  for  a  number 


of  years,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity of  Downer's  Grove,  and  the  Royal  Arcanum 
of  Hinsdale.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Loyal 
Legion  of  Illinois,  the  last  two  being  societies  of 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  and  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee. 

After  his  return  from  the  war,  the  Captain  en- 
gaged in  teaching  school  for  a  year,  then  spent 
one  year  in  the  insurance  business,  and  in  July, 
1866,  embarked  in  the  market  and  provision  busi- 
ness in  Chicago.  In  1871,  in  the  great  fire,  he 
was  burned  out,  and  again  in  1874,  but  with 
characteristic  energy  he  rebuilt,  retrieved  his 
losses,  and  has  since  successfully  carried  on  busi- 
ness. He  now  has  one  of  the  finest  markets  in 
Chicago,  located  at  the  corner  of  Wabash  Ave- 
nue and  Eighteenth  Street.  His  possessions  have 
all  been  acquired  through  his  own  earnings,  and 
he  has  gained  a  handsome  competence,  but  in- 
stead of  using  it  all  for  selfish  ends,  he  gives  lib- 
erally to  charitable  and  benevolent  work.  The 
needy  are  never  turned  from  his  door  empty- 
handed,  and  probably  no  man  has  contributed  so 
much  to  the  poor  of  Downer's  Grove  as  has 
Capt.  Rogers.  He  has  a  beautiful  home  here 
and  several  lots  and  business  houses.  Through- 
out DuPage  and  Cook  Counties  he  has  a  host  of 
friends,  and  is  held  in  the  highest  regard  by  all 
with  whom  he  has  been  brought  in  contact. 


CAPT.  PETER  G.  GARDNER. 


EAPT.  PETER  G.  GARDNER,  one  of  the 
representative  citizens  of  La  Grange,  and  a 
man  prominent  in  public  affairs  in  this  com- 
munity, claims  Ohio  as  his  native  State.    He  was 
born  near  Zanesville,   September   12,    1842,   and 
was  the  second  in  a  family  of  four  children,  three 
sons  and  a  daughter,  born  unto  Adam  and  Eliza- 
beth Gaertner.     The  mode  of  spelling  the  sur- 
uame  was  changed  to  Gardner  by  the  Captain. 


The  father  was  born  in  Germany,  and  there  grew 
to  mature  years.  Having  married,  he  came  to 
this  country,  locating  near  Zanesville,  Ohio.  His 
wife  died  in  1846,  after  which  the  family  was 
scattered,  and  the  father  joined  an  Ohio  regiment 
for  service  in  the  Mexican  War.  He  was  killed 
in  the  siege  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 

Capt.  Gardner  was  only  four  years  of  age  at 
the  time  of  his  mother's  death.     He  was  bound 


560 


P.  C.  GARDNER. 


out  to  a  farmer  near  Zanesville,  and  there  resided 
until  fifteen  years  of  age,  when  he  began  work- 
ing as  a  farm  hand  by  the  month  through  the 
summer  season,  and  in  the  winter  he  attended 
the  common  schools.  On  the  jyth  of  April,  1861, 
he  joined  Company  A,  of  the  Fifteenth  Ohio  In- 
fantry, for  three  months'  service,  being  among  the 
first  to  respond  to  the  call  for  troops.  When  that 
term  had  expired,  he  immediately  re-enlisted,  and 
was  made  Corporal  March  7,  1862.  He  was  ap- 
pointed Sergeant  January  i,  1864,  and  was  made 
First  Lieutenant  February  9,  1865.  On  the  ist 
of  January,  1864,  he  again  enlisted  for  another 
term  of  three  years,  if  the  war  continued  so 
long.  On  the  gth  of  February,  1865,  he  was  dis- 
charged as  an  enlisted  man,  to  accept  a  commis- 
sion as  First  Lieutenant  of  his  old  company  and 
regiment.  On  the  22d  of  December,  1865,  in 
Columbus,  Ohio,  he  received  his  final  discharge. 
He  participated  in  the  engagement  at  Philippi, 
W.  Va. ,  and  afterwards  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Carricks  Ford,  Cheat  Mountain  and  Shiloh. 
He  also  participated  in  the  engagement  at  Liberty 
Gap,  Chickamauga  and  Mission  Ridge,  and  was 
in  the  entire  campaign  from  Chattanooga  to  At- 
lanta, which  lasted  from  May  i  until  Septem- 
ber i,  1864.  During  all  that  time  hardly  an  hour 
passed  during  which  the  sound  of  the  guns  could 
not  be  heard.  He  took  part  in  the  engagements 
at  Resaca,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  New  Hope  Church, 
Kennesaw  Mountain,Chattahoochee  River,  and  for 
five  weeks  was  in  the  siege  of  Atlanta.  The  army 
then  went  South,  and  after  the  battle  of  Franklin 
the  regiment  in  which  Mr.  Gardner  served,  which 
formed  a  part  of  the  rear-guard,  had  to  destroy 
the  bridge  at  that  place.  They  then  returned  to 
Nashville,  Tenn.,  with  Gen.  Thomas  in  com- 
mand, and  participated  in  the  campaign.  In  June, 
1865,  Capt.  Gardner  was  sent  to  western  Texas, 
and  during  the  month  of  August,  with  his  troops, 
marched  from  Matagorda  Bay  to  San  Antonio, 
where  he  remained  on  duty  until  December,  1865. 
He  then  marched  back  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
after  which  he  returned  home.  He  received  no 
serious  wounds,  but  had  some  very  narrow  es- 
capes. He  still  has  in  his  possession  the  sword 
which  he  carried  through  the  greater  part  of  the 


war,  and  upon  it  is  a  large  scar  that  was  caused 
by  a  piece  of  shell  striking  it. 

When  his  country  no  longer  needed  his  serv- 
ices, Capt.  Gardner  returned  to  his  home  in 
Zanesville,  Ohio,  but  after  a  short  time  went  to 
visit  his  sister  in  Mattoon,  111.  The  eldest 
brother  of  the  family,  now  deceased,  was  in  the 
Sixth  Iowa  Infantry.  The  Captain  had  not  seen 
him  since  the  home  was  broken  up  until  the 
night  following  the  battle  of  Shiloh,  when  they 
chanced  to  meet.  The  brother  was  wounded  at 
the  battle  of  Missionary  Ridge,  and  was  a  cripple 
throughout  the  remainder  of  his  life.  George  A., 
another  brother,  was  a  member  of  the  same  com- 
pany and  regiment  as  our  subject,  and  is  now 
residing  in  Chula,  Mo.,  a  retired  farmer  and 
prominent  citizen  of  that  place,  where  he  is  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  business.  Their  sister, 
Catherine,  is  now  the  wife  of  Henry  Hortinstine, 
a  farmer  residing  in  Chillicothe,  Mo. 

Removing  to  Clinton,  Iowa,  in  1866,  Capt. 
Gardner  there  engaged  in  the  fire-insurance  bus- 
iness until  1869,  when  he  went  to  Chicago,  where 
he  followed  the  same  pursuit  and  where  he  is 
still  engaged  in  business.  In  the  spring  of  1871, 
he  came  to  where  the  town  of  LaGrange  now 
stands,  being  the  first  resident  of  the  village. 
Purchasing  a  lot  on  the  prairie,  he  has  made 
this  place  his  home  continuously  since. 

In  June,  1869,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  Gardner  and  Miss  MaroaE.  Conklin,  of  Dar- 
ien,  Wis.,  who  died  in  1873,  leaving  one  son, 
Charles  A.,  who  is  now  in  the  Treasurer's  office 
of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad, 
filling  a  responsible  position.  Our  subject  was 
again  married,  in  December,  1874,  his  second  un- 
ion being  with  MissLuella  W.  Humphry,  of  Port- 
land, Me.  They  had  five  children,  but  three  of 
the  number  died  in  infancy,  and  William  R.,  a 
young  man  of  much  promise,  died  at  the  age  of 
seventeen.  Eugene,  the  youngest,  is  a  lad  of 
eleven  years. 

Mr.  Gardner  takes  considerable  interest  in  civic 
societies,  especially  in  Masonry,  in  which  he  has 
taken  the  Thirty -second  Degree.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  La  Grange  Lodge,  and  an  honorarj- 
member  of  Garden  City  Lodge  of  Chicago.  He 


N.  S.  CARRINGTON. 


belongs  to  the  Commandery  of  the  military  order 
of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States,  and  to 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  Hiram  McClintock  Post  No. 
667,  G.  A.  R.,  of  La  Grange,  and  was  its  first 
Commander.  He  also  organized  the  Masonic 
lodge  at  this  place,  was  its  Master  for  six  years, 
and  is  now  High  Priest  of  the  Chapter.  With 
the  Royal  Arcanum  he  is  also  connected.  In  his 
political  views,  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  who 
always  gives  his  support  to  the  men  and  meas- 
ures of  his  party.  He  is  now  serving  as  Secre- 
tary of  the  High  School  Board,  is  Secretary  and 


Treasurer  of  the  Music  Hall  Association  of  La- 
Grange,  is  a  warm  friend  to  education,  and  is  a 
patron  of  all  those  enterprises  which  are  calcu- 
lated to  uplift  humanity.  He  is  now  doing  a 
large  insurance  business  in  Chicago,  and  has  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him.  He  is 
an  honored  member  of  various  societies,  and  has 
won  prominence  through  merit  and  ability.  He 
was  ever  true  to  his  country  in  her  hour  of  peril, 
and  for  four  years  and  a-half  was  actively  en- 
gaged in  her  service,  faithfully  defending  the  Old 
Flag  which  now  floats  so  proudly  over  the  united 
nation. 


N.  STARR  CARRINGTON. 


STARR  CARRINGTON,  who  resides  upon 
a  farm  on  section  18,  Lyons  Township,  is 
numbered  among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Cook 
County  of  1836.  His  residence  therefore  in  this 
community  covers  a  period  of  fifty -seven  years. 
He  was  born  in  Middletown,  Conn.,  on  the  i2th 
of  December,  1816,  and  is  a  son  of  Henry  and 
Susan  (Starr)  Carrington,  both  of  whom  were  of 
English  descent.  The  Starr  family  was  founded 
in  America  in  1634.  The  grandfather,  Nathan 
Starr,  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  Unto 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carrington  were  born  seven  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Susan,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Henry, 
Starr,  Lorrania  and  William,  but  our  subject  is 
now  the  only  one  living.  While  in  the  East,  the 
father  served  as  cashier  of  the  Middletown  Bank. 
At  length  he  determined  to  seek  a  home  on  the 
broad  prairies  of  the  West,  and  emigrated  to  Chi- 
cago, then  a  small  town,  giving  little  or  no  evi- 
dence of  its  future  growth  and  importance.  He 
there  engaged  in  the  brokerage  business  in  con- 
nection with  E.  K.  Hubbard  until  1837,  when  he 
removed  to  the  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  which  he  had  purchased  of  B.  Jacobs  for 
$1^.50  per  acre  the  year  previous.  Upon  this 
farm  he  made  his  home  until  1840,  when  he  re- 


turned to  Middletown,  Conn.,  and  became  Treas- 
urer and  Secretary  of  the  Savings  Bank  of  that 
place.  He  was  entirely  a  self-made  man,  and  for 
the  success  of  his  life  deserves  great  credit.  With 
the  Congregational  Church  he  held  membership, 
and  his  career  was  an  honorable,  upright  one. 
He  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-three 
years. 

In  the  schools  of  his  native  town,  Mr.  Carring- 
ton of  this  sketch  acquired  a  good  business  edu- 
cation and  under  the  parental  roof  he  spent  his 
childhood  days.  With  his  father  he  came  to  Illi- 
nois, but  he  remained  in  Chicago  only  a  short 
time.  On  leaving  that  place  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence upon  the  farm  which  is  now  his  home. 
There  were  no  improvements  upon  the  place,  save 
a  log  cabin,  which  is  still  standing,  one  of  the  few 
landmarks  that  yet  remain.  Chicago  was  the 
nearest  trading-point  and  they  hauled  all  their 
grain  and  farm  produce  to  that  place.  When  he 
first  reached  that  city,  Mr.  Carrington  boarded  at 
the  old  Lake  Street  Hotel.  There  was  not  a 
bridge  in  the  place,  and  many  portions  that  are 
now  solidly  built  up  with  fine  residences  or  busi- 
ness houses  were  then  only  wet  prairie.  Mr. 
Carrington  now  owns  two  hundred  and  twenty 


562 


WESLEY  POLK. 


acres  of  good  land,  and  carries  on  general  farming 
and  stock-raising.  Idleness  is  utterly  foreign  to 
his  nature,  and  a  busy  and  well-spent  life  has 
brought  him  a  comfortable  competence. 

On  the  1 6th  of  August,  1841,  Mr.  Carrington 
was  joined  in  marriage  with  Miss  Laura  Butler, 
and  unto  them  have  been  born  eight  children, 
namely:  William  H.,  now  deceased;  Susan; 
Mary;  Elizabeth;  William  H.;  Lorriana,  de- 
ceased; Laura  and  Edward. 

In  his  political  affiliations,  in  early  life,  Mr. 
Carrington  was  a  Whig,  and  since  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Republican  party  has  been  one  of  its 
stanch  supporters.  He  has  been  honored  with 


some  public  offices,  has  served  as  Commissioner, 
for  the  past  twelve  years  has  filled  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  is  the  present  incum- 
bent. The  best  interests  of  the  community  have 
ever  found  in  him  a  friend.  His  co-operation  and 
support  are  given  to  worthy  enterprises,  and  all 
that  is  calculated  to  benefit  the  community  re- 
ceives his  assistance.  The  history  of  Cook 
County  is  well  known  to  him,  for  since  its  early 
days  he  has  watched  its  growth  and  advance- 
ment. He  may  truly  be  classed  among  the  hon- 
ored pioneers,  and  it  is  with  pleasure  that  we  pre- 
sent to  our  readers  the  sketch  of  this  worthy  gen- 
tleman. 


WESLEY  POLK. 


fDQESLEY  POLK  was  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
\Al  He  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  on  the 
Y  Y  4th  of  November,  1818,  and  was  one  of  six 
children  whose  parents  were  Edmund  and  Mar- 
garet Polk.  Their  children  were  H.  H.,  James, 
William,  Wesley  and  Wilson,  but  Henry  H.  is 
the  only  one  now  living. 

Our  subject  was  born  and  reared  upon  the 
home  farm  in  Kentucky,  and  acquired  the  greater 
part  of  his  education  outside  the  school-room. 
He  began  life  for  himself  when  a  young  man,  and 
was  afterward  dependent  upon  his  own  resources. 
In  1831  he  left  the  State  of  his  nativity  and  re- 
moved to  Indiana,  where  he  made  his  home  un- 
til 1833,  when  he  came  to  Illinois,  making  the 
journey  by  wagon.  He  located  in  Lyons  Town- 
ship, where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  wild,  uncul- 
tivated land  on  section  21 ,  upon  which  a  log  cabin 
was  built.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  parents 
and  family,  and  they  experienced  all  the  hard- 
ships and  trials  of  life  on  the  frontier.  The  In- 
dians were  still  numerous  in  the  settlement,  and 
Chicago  was  the  trading-point  of  the  pioneers. 

Mr.  Polk  grew  to  manhood  upon  the  new  farm, 
and  there  made  his  home  until  1849,  when,  in 


connection  with  his  brother  H.  H.,  and  three 
other  young  men,  they  started  with  pack  mules 
for  California.  They  walked  much  of  the  dis- 
tance, but  at  length  after  traveling  for  several 
months  reached  their  destination.  There  Mr. 
Polk  engaged  in  prospecting  and  mining  from 
1849  until  1851.  His  trip  proved  quite  a  success- 
ful one,  and  he  returned  home  by  way  of  New 
York  City  and  the  water  route.  He  then  came 
back  to  the  farm,  and  to  agricultural  pursuits  de- 
voted his  energies  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
war,  when,  in  1861,  prompted  by  patriotic  im- 
pulses, he  responded  to  the  country's  call  for 
troops.  He  enlisted  as  a  private,  was  assigned 
to  Company  H,  One  Hundred  and  Twenty -seventh 
Illinois  Infantry,  and  was  mustered  into  service  in 
Chicago.  He  faithfully  followed  the  Old  Flag  for 
three  years,  and  during  that  time  was  never  either 
wounded  or  taken  prisoner,  but  was  always  found 
at  his  post  of  duty,  participating  in  all  the  engage- 
ments in  which  the  regiment  took  part,  a  faithful 
and  valiant  defender  of  the  Union.  When  mus- 
tered out  he  held  the  rank  of  Corporal. 

When  the  war  was  over,   Mr.   Polk  returned  to 
the  old  farm,  where  he  lived  until  1881.    He  theii 


, 


C.  H.    HARRISON,  JR. 


563 


purchased  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  family.  It 
comprised  one  hundred  and  ninety  acres  of  rich 
and  valuable  land,  under  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion and  well  improved  with  all  the  accessories 
and  conveniences  of  a  model  farm.  Mr.  Polk  be- 
gan life  a  poor  boy,  but  his  career  was  a  success- 
ful one,  for  he  was  diligent  and  enterprising  and 
possessed  good  business  ability. 

In  1860  Mr.  Polk  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Miss  Mary  J.  Bielby.  Her  birthplace  was  near 
Utica,  N.  Y.  They  had  only  one  child,  Edmund 
R.,  who  was  born  March  7,  1866.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  from  the 
Metropolitan  Business  College  of  Chicago.  On 
the  1 4th  of  January,  1891,  he  married  Miss  Agnes 
Little,  and  they  have  become  the  parents  of  one 
son,  Wesley  W.  Edmund  now  carries  on  the 


home  farm  and  is  a  wide-awake  and  enterprising 
agriculturist. 

The  father  was  called  to  his  final  rest  May  23, 
1893,  and  his  remains  are  interred  in  Lyonsville 
Cemetery.  He  had  the  respect  of  all  who  knew 
him  and  his  death  was  deeply  mourned.  In  poli- 
tics, he  was  a  stalwart  advocate  of  the  Republican 
party  and  its  principles,  and  did  all  in  his  power 
to  insure  its  success.  For  fourteen  successive 
years  he  creditably  and  ably  filled  the  office  of 
Justice  of  the  Peace,  was  Township  Collector,  and 
also  served  as  Supervisor.  Socially,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  post,  and  in  religious 
belief  he  was  a  Congregationalist.  Alike  true  in 
public  and  private  life,  and  faithful  to  every  trust, 
he  had  the  confidence  and  regard  of  all  with  whom 
business  or  social  relations  brought  him  in  contact. 


CARTER  H.  HARRISON,  JR. 


H.  HARRISON,  JR.,  the  editor  of 
the  Chk  go  Times,  the  leading  Democratic 
\J  newspaptrof  the  city,  has  spent  his  entire 
life  here,  with  the  exception  of  three  years  spent 
in  Germany  and  the  time  passed  in  college.  The 
Harrison  family  has  been  prominently  connected 
with  the  city's  interests  since  an  early  day,  and 
the  ancestors  of  our  subject  were  among  those 
who  aided  in  achieving  the  independence  of  this 
country.  The  family  originated  in  England,  and 
some  of  its  members  came  from  that  country  to 
the  United  States  in  the  seventeenth  century,  lo- 
cating in  Virginia.  It  had  several  representatives 
in  the  Colonial  army  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  Gen.  William  Russell,  one  of  the  ma- 
ternal ancestors  of  our  subject,  won  his  title  during 
that  eight-years  struggle.  Benjamin  Harrison, 
who  first  came  to  America,  was  a  man  of  promi- 
nence in  Virginia,  and  served  as  Colonial  Gov- 
ernor. For  three  generations  after  him  the  blood 
was  transmitted  through  a  Benjamin  Harrison. 


The  fourth  Benjamin  had  two  sons,  Benjamin 
and  Carter.  In  direct  line  the  descendants  of  the 
former  are  William  Henry,  Scott  H.  and  Benja- 
min. Of  the  latter  they  are  Robert  Carter,  Carter 
H.,  Carter  H.  (the  late  Mayor  of  the  city), 
Carter  H.,  Jr.,  of  this  sketch,  and  his  little  son, 
who  also  bears  the  name  of  Carter  H. 

The  gentleman  whose  name  heads  this  record 
was  born  in  Chicago,  on  the  23d  of  April,  1860. 
His  father  had  located  here  several  years  previ- 
ous, and  from  that  time  until  his  death  was  ac- 
tively connected  with  the  welfare  of  the  city. 
The  son  was  educated  in  private  schools  until 
1873,  when  he  went  to  Germany.  In  1876,  he 
attended  college  in  New  York,  and  later  was 
graduated  from  St.  Ignatius'  College,  of  Chicago. 
He  afterwards  entered  Yale  College,  and  com- 
pleted the  law  course  in  that  renowned  institution 
in  the  Class  of '83. 

Returning  to  his  home,  Mr.  Harrison  then  em- 
barked in  the  real-estate  business,  and  carried  on 


564 


CHRISTIAN  THIELE. 


operations  along  that  line  for  a  number  of  years, 
when,  in  1891,  in  connection  with  his  father,  he 
bought  out  the  Chicago  Times,  and  assumed 
charge  of  the  editorial  department  of  the  paper. 
The  Times  is  too  well  known  to  need  mention 
here.  It  is  an  old  paper,  yet  its  success  and  high 
reputation  have  been  greatly  increased  since  Mr. 
Harrison's  connection  with  it. 

In  the  year  1887,  our  subject  was  united  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Edith  Ogden,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert N.  Ogden,  of  New  Orleans,  La. ,  and  to  them 
has  been  born  a  son,  who  was  named  for  his  father 
and  grandfather.  Mr.  Harrison  holds  member- 
ship with  the  University  Club  and  the  Chicago 


Athletic  Club.  His  connection  with  the  Times  al 
once  indicates  his  political  views  to  be  Democratic. 
He  is  well  known  in  his  native  city,  his  father's 
prominence  having  brought  him  a  wide  acquaint- 
ance among  leading  people,  while  his  own  qualities 
have  gained  for  him  their  high  regard  and  es- 
teem. He  possesses  the  same  attractive  manner 
for  which  the  Harrison  family  is  noted.  Although 
yet  a  young  man,  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
leading  and  influential  citizens  of  the  second  city 
in  the  Union,  and  whether  he  should  continue  in 
newspaper  work  or  leave  the  journalistic  field  he 
is  sure  to  occupy  a  position  of  importance. 


CHRISTIAN  THIELE. 


CHRISTIAN  THIELE,  a  well-known  citizen 
1 1  of  Proviso  Township,  this  county,  is  a  native 
U  of  Germany,  his  birth  having  occurred  in 
Hanover,  on  the  igth  of  January,  1834.  His  boy- 
hood and  youth  were  quietly  passed;  the  common 
schools  afforded  him  his  educational  privileges, 
and  in  his  native  land  he  learned  the  carpenter's 
trade.  Thinking  to  better  his  financial  condition 
by  emigrating  to  the  New  World,  in  1850  he 
sailed  for  America,  and  after  a  voyage  of  nine 
weeks  landed  in  New  York  City.  During  the 
trip  across  the  water  he  served  as  the  ship's  car- 
penter. He  left  home  with  a  capital  of  $50,  which 
his  father  gave  him,  and  with  this  he  started  out 
in  life  in  the  United  States,  a  stranger  in  a 
strange  land.  After  remaining  in  New  York 
City  for  a  short  time,  he  took  an  emigrant  train  to 
Chicago. 

On  reaching  that  place,  Mr.  Thiele  found  that 
his  money  was  exhausted,  but  he  soon  secured 
employment  as  a  carpenter,  and  thus  worked  for 
about  eighteen  months.  He  then  went  to  what 
is  now  Addison,  and  worked  at  his  chosen  trade, 
building  houses  for  the  farmers  of  that  locality 
for  a  period  of  about  nine  years.  With  the  capi- 


tal thus  acquired,  he  purchased  a  ten-acre  tract  of 
land  where  the  village  of  Proviso  now  stands,  and 
has  here  made  his  home  continuously  since.  He 
rented  an  additional  tract,  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  farming,  which  he  carries  on  in  connection 
with  the  hay  business. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Thiele  was  joined  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Minnie  Summerman,  of  Cook  County, 
and  unto  them  were  born  two  children:  Henry, 
who  is  now  carrying  on  a  grocery  on  Madison 
Street,  in  Oak  Park,  Chicago;  and  Sophia,  wife 
of  William  Ruchty,  a  resident  of  Fullersburg. 
In  the  year  1872,  the  mother  of  this  family  was 
called  to  her  final  rest,  and  in  1874  Mr.  Thiele 
was  again  married,  his  second  union  being  with 
Miss  Margaret  Bernard,  by  whom  he  has  two 
children,  a  son  and  daughter,  Arno  and  Lizzie, 
both  at  home. 

Mr.  Thiele  is  now  the  owner  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  valuable  land  in  Cook  County, 
together  with  a  handsome  brick  residence,  store 
and  saloon,  which  are  valued  at  $23,000.  He 
also  has  a  granary  worth  $6,000.  Everything 
that  he  now  possesses  has  been  acquired  through 
his  own  efforts.  When  he  reached  Chicago,  he 


A.  F.  WEBB. 


565 


slept  for  two  nights  in  the  depot,  for  he  had  not 
money  enough  to  pay  for  lodging.  Undaunted, 
however,  by  the  difficulties  in  his  path,  he  soon 
secured  work,  and  as  he  was  enabled  to  save 
something  from  his  earnings,  he  made  judicious 
investments  of  his  capital,  and  is  now  numbered 


among  the  substantial  citizens  of  this  community. 
He  may  be  truly  called  a  self-made  man.  In  his 
political  views,  Mr.  Thiele  is  a  Republican,  and 
has  served  his  township  as  Highway  Commis- 
sioner. 


ALBERT  F.  WEBB. 


Gl  LBERT  F.  WEBB,  superintendent  of  the 
Lj  Stinson  Stock  Farm  at  Thornton,  was  born 
/  1  in  Chicago,  on  the  ist  of  March,  1863,  and 
is  a  son  of  Francis  and  Amelia  (Wheeler)  Webb. 

The  father  was  a  native  of  England,  born  near 
Ivondon.  In  1861,  he  took  up  his  residence  near 
Thornton,  having  that  year  crossed  the  Atlantic 
to  America,  and  upon  the  farm  where  he  located 
he  made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1 88 1,  at  the  age  of  fifty-one  years.  His  widow 
still  resides  on  the  old  homestead.  She  was 
born  in  Oxford,  England,  and  came  to  America 
in  1862.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webb  had  a  family  of 
four  children,  but  two  of  the  number  died  in  child- 
hood. Albert  F.  and  Bessie  are  the  survivors. 
The  father  of  this  family  was  a  well-known  citi- 
zen of  Thornton  and  vicinity  for  some  years. 
For  a  long  time  he  carried  on  a  general  store  in 
the  village  of  Thornton  and  did  a  good  business 
in  that  way.  At  the  same  time  he  operated  his 
farm,  and  it  also  yielded  him  a  good  income.  He 
was  not  a  member  of  any  church,  but  was  an  hon- 
orable, upright  man,  and  for  several  years  was 
superintendent  of  a  union  Sabbath- school  in 
Thornton,  and  was  always  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  useful  and  esteemed  citizens  of  the  place. 

Albert  F.  Webb  attended  the  public  schools, 
where  he  acquired  a  fair  English  education,  and 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he  began  clerking  in  a 
grocery  store  in  Chicago.  Thus  he  started  out 
in  life  for  himself  and  since  that  time  he  has  made 


his  own  way  in  the  world.  For  a  year  he  con- 
tinued to  serve  as  a  salesman,  and  then  began 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  followed 
for  nine  years.  On  the  expiration  of  that  period, 
in  the  spring  of  1890,  he  became  the  superintend- 
ent of  the  Stinson  Stock  Farm  at  Thornton, 
which  position  he  yet  fills.  This  farm  com- 
prises about  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  and  is 
devoted  to  the  breeding  of  trotting  horses  and 
Jersey  cattle.  About  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thoroughbred  trotters  are  kept  on  the  farm,  most 
of  them  bred  under  the  management  of  Mr. 
Webb.  His  stables  are  extensive,  are  well 
lighted  and  ventilated  and  are  models  of  conven- 
ience in  all  particulars.  They  were  built  under 
the  personal  supervision  of  Mr.  Webb  and  indi- 
cate his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  needs  and 
care  of  horses.  The  farm  is  now  a  first-class 
stock-breeding  establishment.  About  thirty  men 
are  employed  upon  the  place,  including  several 
expert  trainers,  and  altogether  it  is  considered 
one  of  the  best  stock  farms  in  the  State.  Since 
locating  here  Mr.  Webb  has  also  superintended 
the  establishment  of  another  stock  farm  on  a 
similar  plan  at  Highlands,  Indiana. 

In  1882,  was  celebrated  the  marriage  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  Miss  Winnie  Wendt, 
daughter  of  Frederick  Wendt,  of  Homewood.  She 
was  born  in  Germany,  and  came  with  her  par- 
ents to  Cook  County  when  four  years  of  age. 
Two  children  were  born  of  thek  union,  but  the 


566 


E.  P.  FATCH. 


son,  George,  died  at  the  age  of  ten  years.     The 
daughter,  Amy,  is  still  with  her  parents. 

Mr.  Webb  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  frater- 
nity and  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 
In  politics,  he  has  been  a  life-long  Republican, 
and  is  a  warm  advocate  of  the  principles  of  his 
party.  He  served  for  two  terms  as  School  Direc- 


tor of  Thornton.  His  position  as  Superintendent 
of  the  Stinson  Stock  Farm  he  has  filled  for  four 
years,  and  in  its  management  has  given  entire 
satisfaction.  He  is  a  systematic  farmer  and  busi- 
ness man,  a  practical  and  enthusiastic  stockman, 
and  a  public-spirited  citizen. 


EDWARD  P.  FATCH. 


[TOWARD  PATRICK  PATCH,  Clerk  of  the 
Ya  village  of  Wilmette,  is  a  native  of  Cook 
I  County  who  reflects  credit  upon  the  place  of 
his  nativity.  He  was  born  in  Chicago,  on  Saint 
Patrick's  Day,  1867,  and  is  a  son  of  Theodore  J. 
and  Rose  (Cassidy)  Fatch,  the  former  a  native  of 
Albany,  New  York,  and  the  latter  of  Ireland. 

T.  J.  Fatch  is  still  a  resident  of  Chicago,  where 
he  located  in  1844,  settling  on  the  West  Side,  and 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  the  dray  and  ex- 
press business.  He  has  built  up  a  large  business, 
and  employs  a  number  of  men  and  teams.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Germany,  the  name  being 
originally  spelled  Fach.  Mrs.  Fatch  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1851,  and  after  living  five  years  in  Brook- 
lyn, came  to  Chicago.  Her  father,  Edward 
Cassidy,  was  a  Captain  in  the  British  army,  and 
lost  his  life  at  the  battle  of  Waterloo.  His  widow, 
Bridget  Cassidy,  died  in  Chicago,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-eight  years.  Mr.  Fatch  was  born  in  1855, 
and  his  wife  two  years  later. 

Edward  P.  Fatch  was  educated  at  the  school 
attached  to  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Family,  at 
Twelfth  and  Morgan  Streets,  completing  the 
course  before  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  He  im- 
mediately entered  the  employ  of  the  North  Amer- 
ican Accident  Insurance  Company,  and  continued 
one  year.  For  the  past  nine  years  he  has  been 


with  the  Standard  Life  and  Accident  Insurance 
Company,  for  the  last  five  years  in  the  capacity 
of  manager  of  its  general  agency  at  Chicago.  He 
has  supervision  of  the  business  of  the  company 
all  over  the  West,  which  is  chiefly  transacted 
with  railroad  employes.  His  long  continuance 
and  steady  progress  with  his  present  employers 
attest  his  faithfulness  and  business  ability. 

In  1890  Mr.  Fatch  took  up  his  residence  at  Wil- 
mette, where  he  built  a  handsome  home,  and  in 
April,  1895,  he  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  village. 
Since  August,  1894,  he  has  been  the  Wilmette 
correspondent  of  the  North  Shore  News.  He  is  a 
progressive,  public-spirited  citizen,  and  takes  an 
intelligent  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  native 
country.  He  keeps  thoroughly  informed  on  all 
questions  of  the  day,  and  adheres  to  the  Republi- 
can party  in  matters  of  public  policy,  because  its 
principles  and  practice  exemplify  his  ideas  of 
good  government.  He  is  a  member  of  Ouilmette 
Council  of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

May  27,  1889,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lavinia 
M.  Bruno,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  one  child, 
Rose  Louise,  aged  five  years.  Mrs.  Fatch  is  a 
native  of  Geneva,  Illinois,  and  is  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Louise  M.  Bruno.  Her  father  died 
from  wounds  received  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States  during  the  Civil  War. 


HENRY  GREENEBAUM. 


567 


HENRY  GREENEBAUM. 


HENRY  GREENEBAUM,  a  well-known  bus- 
iness man  of  Chicago  of  long  years'  stand- 
ing, is  descended  from  very  ancient  and  hon- 
orable families.  His  grandfather,  EHas  Greene- 
baum,  was  an  iron  merchant  at  Reipolskirchen, 
in  Rhenish  Bavaria.  It  is  notable  that  this  line  of 
mercantile  industry  has  been  continued  to  the 
present,  one  of  the  leading  iron  houses  of  Chicago 
having  been  until  recently  conducted  by  great- 
grandsons  of  EHas  Greenebaum.  Being  a  Jew, 
the  last-named  was  at  a  great  social  disadvantage 
in  Germany,  yet  such  were  his  energy,  capability 
and  integrity,  that  he  was  appointed  Treasurer 
of  his  county.  This  position  involved  great  re- 
sponsibility at  that  time,  owing  to  the  existence  in 
the  neighborhood  of  a  powerful  bandit,  who  com- 
manded a  strong  organization  of  followers,  whom 
he  ruled  with  despotic  power.  He  was  known 
by  the  nickname  of  "Schinderhannes, "  and  acted 
much  upon  the  plan  of  the  Robin  Hood  of  Eng- 
lish history,  who  took  from  the  rich  and  gave 
largely  to  the  poor.  For  many  years  he  was  a 
terror  to  the  people  and  officers  of  the  region 
where  he  flourished,  but  was  finally  captured  and 
beheaded  at  Mainz.  During  his  term  of  official 
life  EHas  Greenebaum  was  compelled  to  maintain 
a  strong  guard  about  his  premises  continually  to 
protect  the  public  funds,  as  well  as  his  own,  from 
attacks  of  the  robber  king. 

Jacob  Greenebaum  and  Sarah  Herz,  parents 
of  the  subject  of  this  biography,  were  cousins, 
and  grandchildren  of  "Jakob,"  of  Rathskirchen, 
who  was  born  in  the  early  part  of  the  eight- 
eenth century,  and  whose  descendants  have  been 


active  and  prominent  citizens  in  many  lands.  One 
of  his  sons,  Herz  Felsenthal,  was  a  delegate  to 
the  synod  held  in  Paris  in  1806,  by  decree  of 
Napoleon  I.  It  was  during  this  time  that  the 
Jews  in  Germany  took  surnames,  and  this  family 
assumed  that  of  Felsenthal.  Among  Jakob's 
great-grandchildren  were  Dr.  Felsenthal,  an  emi- 
nent physician  of  Darmstadt,  who  died  in  1885, 
and  Dr.  Greenebaum,  who  was  Rabbi  emeritus  at 
l,andau,  Bavaria,  and  died  in  1893.  Dr.  B.  Fel- 
senthal, of  Chicago,  now  in  his  seventy-fifth  year, 
and  long  known  here  as  a  man  of  science  and  pub- 
lic spirit,  is  one  of  the  great-great-grandchildren; 
so  also  is  August  Blum,  Cashier  of  the  Union  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Chicago;  Eli  B.  Felsenthal,  an  at- 
torney-at-law,  and  a  Trustee  of  the  Chicago  Uni- 
versity; also  Mrs.  Hannah  Greenebaum  Solomon, 
President  of  the  National  Council  of  Jewish 
Women  of  America.  A  niece  of  Mrs.  Solomon, 
and  representing  the  sixth  generation  from  Jakob, 
was  married  in  San  Diego,  California,  at  the 
home  of  her  parents,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Max  L,esem, 
in  1894. 

Jacob  Greenebaum  was  born  at  Reipolskirchen, 
and  lost  his  father  by  death  when  he  was  six 
years  old.  He  was  brought  up  to  commercial 
pursuits,  having  the  advantage  of  a  thorough  ed- 
ucation in  the  German,  French  and  Hebrew  lan- 
guages, and  became  a  merchant  at  Eppelsheim, 
in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Darmstadt.  He  possessed 
a  taste  for  agriculture,  and  gradually  came  into 
possession  of  land  in  the  Commune  of  Eppelsheim 
and  adjoining  territory,  until  he  owned  and  man- 
aged a  large  estate.  His  wife,  of  sacred  memory, 


568 


HENRY  GREENEBAUM. 


was  a  daughter  of  Michael  and  Jetta  (Felsen- 
thal)  Herz,  of  Eppelsheim,  where  Mr.  Herz  was 
a  veterinary  surgeon  and  a  livestock  dealer.  They 
were  able  to  give  their  children  the  benefit  of 
the  best  schools,  and  did  not  fail  to  thus  perform 
their  duty  in  preparing  them  for  the  stations  for 
which  they  were  fitted  by  birth  and  capability. 
In  1852  Mr.  Greenebaum  sold  his  possessions  and 
came  to  Chicago  to  be  near  his  sons,  three  of 
whom  had  preceded  him  by  several  years.  He 
did  not  engage  in  active  business  after  coming 
here,  but  made  real-estate  purchases  and  built  a 
number  of  houses  for  rent.  He  died  in  1870,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-three  years,  and  was  followed  to 
the  grave  by  a  very  large  concourse  of  people, 
the  large  courthouse  bell  being  tolled  as  the  pro- 
cession moved,  May  n,  1870.  His  wife  survived 
him  thirteen  years,  reaching  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years.  Eight  of  their  thirteen  children 
came  to  America,  the  others  having  died  before 
the  removal  of  their  parents  from  Eppelsheim, 
several  of  them  in  infancy.  Elias,  the  eldest,  is 
a  prominent  banker  in  Chicago.  Michael,  the 
second,  was  an  iron  merchant,  and  did  an  exten- 
sive business  in  Chicago,  where  he  died  in  1894, 
leaving  a  widow  and  a  large  and  interesting  fam- 
ily of  sons  and  daughters.  He  came  to  America 
in  1846,  and  to  Chicago  the  next  year.  Jacob, 
the  third,  died  here  in  1871,  and  Isaac  in  1885. 
The  latter  was  a  hardware  merchant,  and  later  in 
life  became  a  broker  in  Chicago.  Henry  is  the 
next  in  order  of  birth.  Hannah  died  while  the 
wife  of  Gerhard  Foreman,  an  old-time  banker  of 
this  city.  Barbara  is  the  wife  of  A.  Wise,  of 
Chicago;  and  David  S.,  the  youngest  of  the  fam- 
ily, is  engaged  in  the  banking  business  in  the 
same  city.  Elias,  Michael  and  Henry  preceded 
the  rest  of  the  family  to  Chicago. 

Henry  Greenebaum  was  born  at  Eppelsheim, 
Germany,  June  18,  1833.  He  received  his  prim- 
ary education  in  the  public  schools,  where  he 
early  attracted  the  favorable  notice  of  the  teachers 
and  school  officers.  He  then  took  up  the  classics 
at  Alzey  and  Kaiserslautern,  and  only  left  off 
his  literary  researches  when  he  started  for  Amer- 
ica. He  arrived  in  Chicago  October  25,  1848, 
and  at  once  took  employment  as  a  hardware  sales- 


man in  the  establishment  of  W.  F.  Dominick, 
who  conducted  a  strictly  cash  and  one-price  busi- 
ness. Young  Greenebaum  found  this  employ- 
ment congenial,  especially  as  its  conduct  harmon- 
ized with  his  ideas  of  integrity  and  sound  financial 
management.  After  two  years  of  service,  in 
which  he  did  not  fail  to  improve  his  opportunities, 
he  engaged  as  clerk  in  the  banking  house  of 
General  R.  K.  Swift.  Here  he  met  many  prom- 
inent citizens  of  the  state,  and  his  intercourse  with 
them  enhanced  his  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs. 
He  was  inspired  with  a  laudable  ambition  to  be- 
come a  man  of  business,  and  he  so  applied  him- 
self as  to  be  thoroughly  conversant  with  banking 
in  the  course  of  four  years,  during  which  time  he 
made  a  trip  to  Europe  and  formed  business  con- 
nections for  his  employer. 

At  the  end  of  this  period,  in  connection  with 
his  elder  brother,  Elias,  a  clerk  in  the  same  bank, 
he  opened  a  similar  business  on  his  own  account. 
In  fact,  all  of  the  Greenebaum  brothers,  except 
Jacob,  became  at  one  time  or  another  bankers, 
though  not  in  the  same  bank.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  did  not  follow  the  limited  lines  of 
nationality  or  religious  affiliation,  but  fraternized 
with  New  Englanders  and  Southerners,  as  well 
as  the  natives  of  the  Fatherland.  He  was  a  reader 
and  lover  of  books,  and  joined  the  Young  Men's 
Library  Association,  in  whose  affairs  he  was  an 
active  officer,  with  Robert  Collyer  and  others,  until 
the  Great  Fire.  He  was  among  the  early  officers 
of  the  Athenaeum,  another  literary  institution 
after  the  fire,  and  was  among  the  promoters  of 
the  City  Library.  As  a  member  of  the  commit- 
tee of  which  the  late  Thomas  Hoyne  was  Chair- 
man, he  went  to  Springfield  and  aided  in  securing 
the  permanent  establishment  of  this  great  institu- 
tion, which  has  grown  to  be  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  valuable  establishments  of  the  city 
of  his  home. 

He  became  President  of  the  German-National 
Bank,  which  was  compelled  by  the  panic  of  1877 
to  close  its  doors  after  a  long-continued  run,  in 
which  it  paid  eighty  per  cent,  of  its  liabilities  in 
cash,  and  within  a  comparatively  short  time  paid 
the  balance,  with  interest.  The  German  Sav- 
ings Bank,  of  which  he  was  also  President,  had 


HENRY  GREENEBAUM. 


569 


a  similar  experience  at  the  same  time,  and  met 
its  liabilities  in  the  same  honorable  manner.  The 
aggregate  deposits  of  these  banks  in  the  time  of 
their  highest  prosperity  approximated  five  mill- 
ions of  dollars. 

In  his  social  and  benevolent  activities  Mr. 
Greenebaum  has  accomplished  a  stupendous 
work,  the  simple  enumeration  of  which  almost 
exceeds  the  capacity  of  this  article.  His  great 
heart  and  wide  popularity  are  evidenced  by  the 
mere  mention  of  these  associations.  He  is  a  life 
member  of  the  Chicago  Historical  Society,  the 
Academy  of  Sciences,  the  Astronomical  Society, 
and  of  several  kindred  associations.  Through 
secret  and  benevolent  societies  he  has  been  per- 
mitted to  do  more  for  his  fellows  than  often  falls 
in  the  way  of  a  single  man.  All  Jewish  interests, 
congregational,  charitable  and  educational,  owe  a 
heavy  debt  to  the  tireless  energy  and  enthusiasm 
of  Mr.  Greenebaum.  In  1855,  at  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
he  joined  the  nearest  lodge  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  B'nai  B'rith,  and  two  years  later  took  a 
card  of  withdrawal  in  order  to  assist  in  institut- 
ing Rammah  Lodge  Number  33,  of  that  frater- 
nity, in  Chicago.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
District  Lodge  Number  2  for  ten  years,  and  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Cleveland  Orphan  Asy- 
lum, of  whose  Board  of  Trustees  he  is  still  a 
member.  At  the  convention  of  the  order  in  1868, 
at  New  York,  as  a  member  of  the  Committee  on 
Constitution,  he  was  largely  instrumental  in  plac- 
ing the  entire  body  upon  a  Democratic  basis,  es- 
tablishing the  sovereignty  of  lodges.  At  that 
convention  a  charter  was  granted  to  District  Grand 
Lodge  Number  6,  of  which  he  became  the  first 
Grand  President  by  unanimous  choice,  and  twice 
succeeded  himself.  His  usefulness  in  these  and 
other  matters  is  well  known  to  the  great  body 
of  the  Jewish  people  in  Chicago,  and  has  become 
almost  as  well  established  in  foreign  lands.  In 
June,  1885,  he  assisted  Julius  Bien,  President  of 
this  order,  in  instituting  District  Grand  Lodge 
Number  8  at  Berlin,  Germany.  Five  years  later 
he  was  in  attendance  at  the  convention  of  the  order 
at  Richmond,  Virginia,  representing  the  Berlin 
District  Grand  Lodge,  and  in  May,  1895,  repre- 
sented District  No.  9,  Roumauia,  at  the  conven- 


tion in  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  He  has  delivered  many 
addresses  in  various  conventions,  the  last  being 
at  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  in  February,  1892, 
upon  "Knowledge  and  Character."  His  spoken 
and  written  matter  is  always  clear  and  effective. 
He  is  an  officer  of  the  Jewish  Training  School,  a 
Director  in  the  German  Altenheim,  and  holds 
membership  in  many  other  organizations. 

In  the  purely  religious  institutions  of  his  people 
in  Chicago  he  has  ever  been  foremost  and  efficient. 
Before  he  was  of  age  he  was  Secretary  of  the  con- 
gregation B'nai  Sholom.  In  1855  he  withdrew 
to  join  that  of  Anshe  Maarib,  and  was  elected  an 
honorary  member  of  the  congregation  of  B'nai 
Sholom.  He  was  one  of  a  minority  in  Anshe 
Maarib  who  proposed  a  modification  of  forms  of 
Jewish  worship,  and  was  associated  with  Levi 
Rosenfeld  and  Lazarus  Silvermau  as  a  commit- 
tee to  make  the  desired  changes  in  the  official  rit- 
ual. Although  the  majority  were  favorable  to 
their  report,  Mr.  Greenebaum  would  not  consent 
to  its  adoption  by  a  mere  majority,  and  accord- 
ing to  his  desire  the  reformers  were  induced  to 
go  out  and  form  a  new  congregation,  which  is 
now  known  as  Sinai,  and  is  the  strongest  con- 
gregation in  Chicago.  In  1864  Mr.  Greenebaum 
was  the  founder  of  Zion  Temple  on  the  West  Side, 
and  was  its  President  seven  years.  In  1882  he 
was  requested  to  take  charge  again,  which  he 
did  for  two  years,  and  during  this  time  the  move- 
ment was  started  for  the  building  of  the  beautiful 
temple  of  the  society  erected  at  Washington 
Boulevard  and  Ogden  Avenue.  In  the  fall  of 
1 895  a  large  number  of  co-religionists  living  south 
of  Thirty-ninth  Street  united  to  organize  the 
Isaiah  Temple,  a  Jewish  Reform  congregation, 
with  Dr.  Joseph  Stoltz  as  Rabbi,  and  Mr.  Greene- 
baum was  elected  the  first  President  of  the  con- 
gregation by  a  unanimous  vote. 

Mr.  Greenebaum  was  one  of  the  foremost  in 
placing  on  a  firm  foundation  the  United  Hebrew 
Charities,  formerly  known  as  the  United  Hebrew 
Relief  Association.  It  built  and  maintained  a  hos- 
pital on  La  Salle  Avenue.  At  the  laying  of  its  cor- 
ner-stone, when  Mayor  John  B.  Rice  was  the  only 
speaker  beside  Mr.  Greenebaum,  the  latter  said: 
"While  it  is  true  that  it  is  to  be  built  and  when 


570 


HENRY  GREENEBAUM. 


completed  will  be  maintained  by  the  Jews  of  Chi- 
cago, yet  its  doors  will  ever  be  open  to  any  poor  or 
sick  man,  without  any  reference  to  nationality,  de- 
nomination, creed  or  color;"  and  his  utterance 
was  deeply  applauded  by  the  Jewish  people  pres- 
ent. He  takes  a  just  pride  in  the  fact  that  he  is 
an  honorary  member  of  Johanna  Lodge,  the  lead- 
ing organization  of  Jewish  ladies  in  Chicago, 
devoted  to  charity  and  intellectual  culture.  He 
is  also  President  of  the  Past- Presidents'  Associa- 
tion of  District  Grand  Lodge  Number  6, 1.O.B.B., 
and  for  thirty  years  officiated  in  Zion  Temple  as 
reader  on  the  most  important  Jewish  holiday,  the 
eve  of  the  Day  of  Atonement. 

As  early  as  1856  he  took  an  active  part  in  or- 
ganizing several  German  societies,  and  was  Pres- 
ident of  the  German  Aid  Society  in  1861.  He 
was  the  first  President  of  the  Orpheus  Mannaer- 
chor,  in  1869.  On  account  of  his  services  in  fur- 
thering the  war  for  the  preservation  of  the  Amer- 
ican Union,  he  is  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Eighty-second  Illinois  Veteran  Association.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  he  maintained  a  recruiting  of- 
fice in  Chicago  at  his  own  expense,  and  furnished 
a  man  to  serve  in  the  army  as  his  representative. 
He  was  Chief  Marshal  on  the  following  occasions: 
the  Siegel  Festival  in  1862;  the  great  Peace  Jubi- 
lee of  1871;  the  opening  of  Humboldt  Park  by 
the  German  people;  and  the  unveiling  of  the 
Humboldt  monument.  He  was  Division  Marshal 
at  the  unveiling  of  the  Fritz  Reuter  monument, 
and  was  Adjutant-General  on  German  Day  at 
the  World's  Fair  in  1893,  and  also  at  the  recent 
commemoration  of  the  German  victory  at  Sedan. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that  he  is  and  has  been  for 
forty  years  a  prominent  representative  of  the  best 
German  element  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Greenebaum  has  never  been  a  politician, 
and  holds  broad  and  liberal  views  on  political,  as 
well  as  religious,  questions.  He  originally  af- 
filiated with  the  Democratic  party,  and  was  a 
warm  admirer  of  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  whose 
personal  friend  he  was.  Without  his  previous 
knowledge,  he  was  placed  on  the  Democratic 
electoral  ticket  in  1 860.  His  only  political  office 
previous  to  that  was  that  of  Alderman  from  the 
Sixth  Ward,  defeating  in  the  election  the  "know- 


nothing"  '  candidate.  In  the  City  Council  he  act- 
ed as  Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee.  After 
the  war  he  became  a  Republican,  and  was  chosen 
Elector-at- Large  on  the  Presidential  ticket  of  that 
party  in  1872.  With  Charles  B.  Farwell,  he 
represented  Cook  County  on  the  first  Equaliza- 
tion Board  of  the  state,  and  the  clear  financial 
ideas  of  these  two  gentlemen  enabled  the  first 
board  to  complete  its  business  in  five  days.  He 
was  appointed  by  Governor  Palmer  a  delegate  to 
a  national  convention  at  Indianapolis  to  devise 
means  for  protecting  European  immigrants,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  committee  which  laid  the 
matter  before  Congress.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Committee  on  Finance  to  make  preliminary 
arrangements  for  the  Philadelphia  Exposition  of 
1876.  He  was  active  in  promoting  the  adoption 
of  Chicago's  park  system,  and  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  West  Chicago  Park  Commission 
in  1869,  and  was  once  re-appointed.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  promoters  of  direct  trade  between 
Chicago  and  Europe,  and  for  many  years  his  let- 
ters-of-credit  were  readily  cashed  throughout  the 
civilized  world. 

In  1855  Mr.  Greenebaum  was  married,  in  New 
York,  to  Miss  Emily  Hyman,  whose  birthplace 
is  not  far  from  that  of  her  husband.  Having  been 
trained  in  the  same  manner  and  under  the  same 
customs,  they  have  been  happily  united  all  these 
years  in  aim  and  thought,  and  are  warmly  wel- 
comed in  general,  as  well  as  Jewish,  society. 
Mrs.  Greenebaum  sympathizes  wholly  with  her 
husband's  benevolent  disposition,  and  does  her 
part  in  aiding  him.  For  twenty-two  years  she 
has  been  the  representative  of  the  Jewish  people 
in  the  directory  of  the  Home  for  the  Friendless, 
and  has  fulfilled  her  duties  in  perfect  accord  with 
her  associates.  The  only  child  of  this  couple, 
born  August  24,  1856,  was  named  George  Wash- 
ington, and  died  on  the  day  which  completed  his 
first  year  of  life.  Several  orphaned  children  of 
relatives  have  been  reared  by  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Greenebaum  with  the  same  loving  care  which 
their  own  would  have  received  had  he  been 
spared  to  them. 

Though  still  influenced  much  by  his  early  Ger- 
man training,  Mr.  Greenebaum  is  a  true  Ameri- 


D.  S.  SMITH. 


can,  loyal  through  and  through.  He  is  a  student 
of  literature  and  modern  languages,  of  which  he 
speaks  half  a  dozen,  and  is  much  interested  in 
music.  He  has  contributed  liberally  to  the  mu- 
sical culture  of  Chicago,  and  to  providing  a  home 
for  musical  art.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the 
power  of  woman  in  the  ethical  development  of  the 
world,  and  approves  of  every  effort  to  remove  her 
trammels  and  make  her  the  equal  of  man  in  lib- 
erties and  power,  as  she  is  in  talent. 

Mr.  Greenebaum  is  a  resident  Manager  at  Chi- 


cago of  the  Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society  of 
the  United  States,  and  has  been  connected  with 
the  company  since  the  spring  of  1882.  His  ster- 
ling character  and  business  activity  have  secured 
for  him  a  large  business  from  the  best  element  of 
Chicago,  and  won  for  him  a  deserved  respect  and 
confidence  on  the  part  of  the  general  officers  of  the 
society.  Although  in  his  sixty-third  year,  he  is 
a  special  favorite  of  the  young  people,  to  whom  he 
is  sympathetic  and  congenial  as  an  associate.  He 
is  an  optimist,  and  always  pleasant  and  agreeable. 


PROF.  DAVID  S.  SMITH,  M.  D. 


.  D.  S.  SMITH,  M.  D.,  late  President  of 
yr  the  Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Chicago, 
K>  was  born  in  Camden,  New  Jersey,  April  28, 
1816.  His  father,  Isaac  Smith,  was  born  in  Salem 
County,  of  that  state.  His  mother's  family  name 
was  Wheaton,  a  family  of  Welsh  extraction. 
The  sturdy,  manly  principles  which  mark  the 
career  of  Professor  Smith  are  largely  due  to  the 
character  he  inherited  from  his  parents.  They  were 
both  noted  for  great  force  of  character,  and  they 
trained  their  children  in  ways  of  strict  right- 
eousness and  integrity.  Besides  this  training, 
David  received  from  his  parents  a  nature  full  of 
energy  and  perseverance,  attributes  which  were 
strong  factors  in  leading  him  to  a  grand  success 
in  the  field  of  labor  he  eventually  chose  as  his 
life  work.  From  his  mother,  particularly,  he 
received  a  taste  for  learning  that  led  him  to  be- 
come a  most  diligent  student.  He  made  rapid 
progress  in  his  studies,  and  early  evinced  a  strong 
inclination  for  the  study  of  medicine.  In  this  he 
was  encouraged,  and  when  only  seventeen  became 
a  medical  student  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Isaac  Mul- 
ford,  of  Camden,  New  Jersey.  He  attended  three 
full  terms  of  lectures  at  the  Jefferson  Medical  Col- 
lege in  Philadelphia,  and  graduated  in  1836. 


Chicago,  at  that  time,  began  to  attract  the  en- 
terprising youth  of  the  East,  and  Dr.  Smith, 
with  his  references,  began  practice  in  Chicago. 
He  was  successful  from  the  start,  and  in  1837 
went  back  to  Camden  to  visit  his  parents.  It 
was  a  momentous  visit,  as  it  was  then  that  Dr. 
Smith  attained  the  first  insight  into  the  then  new 
doctrine  of  homoeopathy.  So  interested  did  he 
become  in  the  subject,  that  he  resolved  to  investi- 
gate it  thoroughly.  He  bought  all  the  books  he 
could  find  in  the  English  language  treating  upon 
the  matter,  and  brought  them  with  him  when  he 
returned  to  Chicago.  Circumstances  led  him  to 
Joliet  for  a  time,  and  there  he  studied  assiduously 
the  doctrines  of  Hahnemann.  The  world  to-day 
knows  the  result  of  his  researches.  Dr.  Smith 
brought  the  new  science  to  the  front  to  such  pur- 
pose that  he  has  been  called  ' '  the  Father  of 
Western  Homoeopathy."  He  procured  from  the 
Illinois  Legislature,  in  1854-55,  the  charter  of 
Hahnemann  Medical  College  of  Chicago.  The 
original  draft  of  this  charter  was  written  by  Dr. 
Smith  in  the  law  office  of  Abraham  Lincoln  at 
Springfield,  Illinois.  The  achievement  of  con- 
ceiving and  establishing  this  college  gave  to  Ur. 
Smith  great  honor  and  credit. 


572 


D.  S.  SMITH. 


Dr.  Smith  remained  in  Joliet  until  1842,  when 
he  returned  to  Chicago.  In  the  spring  of  1843 
he  adopted  the  new  system  in  his  practice.  He 
was  thus  the  first  physician  to  introduce  homoe- 
opathic practice  west  of  the  Great  Lakes,  a  region 
that  now  has  six  medical  colleges,  twice  as  many 
hospitals,  and  more  than  two  thousand  prac- 
titioners to  represent  what  he  stood  for  singly  and 
alone.  He  was  both  surprised  and  gratified  at 
the  favor  with  which  the  new  system  was  received 
by  the  public.  He  soon  had  more  calls  than  he 
could  respond  to,  and  other  practitioners  were 
attracted  to  his  side.  So  rapidly  did  the  new 
school  increase  in  members,  that  a  medical  body 
was  soon  formed  whose  power  has  kept  pace  with 
the  other  great  factors  in  the  growth  of  the  west- 
ern metropolis.  Dr.  Smith  was  naturally  elected 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Hahnemann 
Medical  College  when  it  was  organized.  He  held 
that  position  until  1871,  when  he  resigned  in 
favor  of  Dr.  A.  E.  Small.  At  the  death  of  the 
latter  he  was  again  elected  President,  and  held 
the  office  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was 
obliged  to  desist  from  his  labors  on  account  of 
failing  health  at  various  times,  and  in  1866  he 
went  to  Europe,  where  he  spent  a  year  in  travel. 
His  reputation  had  preceded  him,  and  he  was 
received  at  the  various  hospitals  and  colleges 
which  he  visited  with  the  friendliest  attention 
and  consideration  from  the  distinguished  mem- 
bers of  the  profession.  When  he  returned  home, 
in  1867,  he  was  fully  restored  to  health,  and  fol- 
lowed his  profession  till  the  day  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Smith  was  an  attendant  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  through  his  mother's  in- 
fluence he  became  early  imbued  with  a  deep 
religious  conviction.  He  was  a  man  of  sterling 
integrity  and  unflinching  uprightness,  simple  in 
his  habits,  dignified,  urbane  and  generous.  His 
noble  efforts  and  humane  spirit  were  recognized 
when  the  cholera  epidemic  fell  upon  the  city  from 
1848  to  1854.  Instances  of  his  devotion  to  the 
suffering  poor  at  that  time  can  be  related  which 
place  him  in  the  ranks  of  the  most  noted  bene- 
factors of  the  human  race.  He  was  hospitable 
in  the  extreme,  and  an  attentive  listener  to  all 
who  sought  his  ear  for  counsel.  Thoroughly  ac- 


curate in  his  own  habits,  he  was  a  strict  disciplin- 
arian, and  demanded  the  same  adhesion  to  duty 
which  he  rendered  himself.  In  recognition  of 
his  ability,  and  in  appreciation  of  his  services  to 
the  cause  of  homoeopathy,  an  honorary  degree 
was  conferred  upon  him,  in  1856,  by  the  Homoe- 
opathic Medical  College  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In 
1857  he  was  elected  General  Secretary  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy,  in  1864  was 
chosen  President,  and  in  1865  Treasurer  of  this 
national  association. 

Naturally,  with  his  many  professional  duties, 
Dr.  Smith  never  sought  political  honors,  but  he 
lived  and  died  a  stalwart  Republican.  He  was 
President  of  the  Second  Ward  Republican  Club 
in  its  palmiest  days,  during  the  Hayes  campaign. 
He  was  at  the  time  of  his  death  the  honored  and 
popular  President  of  the  old  Tippecanoe  Club  of 
Chicago,  which  was  organized  in  July,  1887,  by 
those  who  ad  voted  for  General  Harrison  in 
1840. 

Dr.  Smith  was  married,  in  1837,  to  Miss 
Rebecca  Ann  Dennis,  a  native  of  Salem,  New 
Jersey,  who  survives  him.  She  came  to  Chicago 
in  1835  with  her  uncle,  E.  H.  Mulford,  in  whose 
family  she  resided  until  her  marriage.  Four 
children  blessed  their  union,  two  of  whom  survive. 
The  eldest  is  the  widow  of  Maj.  F.  F.  White- 
head,  of  the  United  States  army.  Caroline  is  the 
wife  of  E.  L.  Ely,  of  New  York  City. 

Dr.  Smith  died  in  Chicago,  April  29,  1891. 
The  following  resolutions  were  adopted  by  the 
faculty  of  Hahnemann  Medical  College  and  Hos- 
pital of  Chicago,  and  the  members  of  the  hospital 
staff: 

' '  Inasmuch  as  we  have  been  deeply  grieved  by 
the  death  of  our  worthy  and  venerable  colleague, 
Dr.  David  S.  Smith,  we,  as  a  faculty,  in  expres- 
sion of  deep  sorrow,  and  in  acknowledgment  of 
his  inestimable  services,  do  hereby  adopt  the  fol- 
lowing resolution: 

' '  Resolved,  That  we  recognize  first  of  all  the  loss 
of  the  profession  at  large,  in  which,  as  the  first 
representative  of  our  school  of  practice  in  this 
locality,  his  undaunted  energy  and  marked  abil- 
ity during  the  pioneer  clays  have  given  the  im- 
print of  success  and  of  character  to  the  modern 


F.  I.  JACOBS. 


573 


standard  of  medicine.  What  he  knew  to  be  right 
he  faithfully  prescribed.  What  he  honestly  be- 
lieved he  bravely  defended  and  earnestly  applied. 
To  his  ability  and  his  faithfulness  the  followers  of 
homoeopathy  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude,  and  the 
generations  to  come  will  bow  in  reverence  to  his 
name. 

' '  Resolved,  That  as  the  President  of  our  College 
and  Hospital,  we  shall  miss  his  guiding  spirit 
and  his  encouraging  presence.  In  all  our  work 
he  has  ever  been  a  willing  helper  and  a  good  ad- 
viser. His  life  was  consecrated  to  the  college  he 
established  and  loved,  and  his  pride  was  centered 
in  her  prosperity.  The  joy  of  his  last  days  was 
the  realization  that  '  Old  Hahnemann  '  had  ful- 
filled the  desire  of  his  heart  and  had  become  the 


largest  homoeopathic  college  of  the  world.  To 
every  student  his  words  were  an  encouragement 
to  honest  ambition.  To  every  graduate  he  gave 
the  inspiration  of  hope. 

' '  Resolved,  That  more  than  all  we  admire  the 
manly  qualities  and  the  Christian  character  of  his 
life.  In  all  things  he  was  ennobling.  At  all 
times  the  silent  dignity  of  his  faith  gave  a  strength 
to  his  work.  His  absence  will  ever  be  mourned 
and  his  memory  forever  honored.  In  our  loss  we 
shall  sacredly  prize  the  record  he  leaves  us. 

' '  Resolved,  That  to  his  bereaved  family  we  ten- 
der our  sincere  sympathy,  and  offer  the  token  of 
love  we  bore  our  departed  friend  and  associate  in 
their  sorrow." 


FRANCIS  I.  JACOBS. 


f~  RANCIS  IRVING  JACOBS,  a  gallant  vet- 
JW  eran  of  the  great  Civil  War,  residing  at  Wil- 
|  *  mette,  was  born  at  Spafford  Hollow,  Onon- 
daga  County,  New  York,  October  4,  1846.  He 
is  the  son  of  Rev.  Milo  E.  and  Cornelia  (O'Far- 
rel)  Jacobs.  Milo  E.  Jacobs  was  born  in  Ver- 
mont, and  removed  with  his  parents  to  New 
York  in  boyhood.  His  father,  Elias  Jacobs,  was 
a  native  of  Vermont,  of  German  descent.  Betsey 
Jacobs,  wife  of  the  latter,  was  of  Welsh  descent. 
The  Jacobs  family  dates  from  early  Colonial  times 
in  this  country,  Elnathan  Jacobs,  the  father  of 
Elias,  having  been  born,  probably  in  Vermont, 
in  1750. 

Milo  E.  Jacobs  was  educated  at  Cazenovia, 
New  York.  He  entered  the  Methodist  ministry 
while  a  young  man.  In  1857  he  went  to  Ogle 
County,  Illinois,  and  settled  on  a  farm.  Two 
years  later  he  removed  to  Winnebago,  Illinois, 
where  he  joined  the  Rock  River  Conference,  and 
was  successively  located  at  Lena,  Richmond,  Sand 
Lake,  Lanark  and  other  charges.  He  died  in 


Winnebago,  on  accouat  of  an  injury  received  in 
Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1874,  aged  fifty-one 
years.  His  widow  died  in  Chicago  in  1893,  aged 
seventy-two  years.  She  was  born  at  Spafford 
Hollow,  New  York.  Her  father,  William  O'Far- 
rel,  who  was  born  August  28,  1784,  was  a  farmer, 
of  Irish  descent.  His  wife,  Dinah,  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Catharine  Turbush,  of  Fishkill, 
New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milo  E.  Jacobs  had 
three  sons  and  a  daughter:  Francis  I. ;  Charles 
H.,  of  Marble  Rock,  Iowa;  Wilbur  F.,  of  Rock- 
ford,  Illinois;  and  Alfaretta,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  eleven  years,  at  Winnebago. 

Francis  I.  Jacobs  attended  the  public  schools 
until  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War.  In  August, 
1861,  being  then  fourteen  years  and  ten  months 
old,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Thirty-seventh 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  nearly 
five  years,  beginning  with  Fremont's  campaign  in 
Missouri.  This  included  the  battles  of  Pea  Ridge 
and  Prairie  Grove  (where  five  thousand  Union 
troops  drove  twenty  thousand  rebels  from  the 


574 


F.  I.  JACOBS. 


field) ,  and  other  engagements  of  minor  character. 
After  the  Missouri  service  he  was  taken  down  the 
river  to  Vicksburg,  and  took  part  in  the  siege  of 
that  place  and  other  expeditions  in  Mississippi. 
Thence  he  went  to  Port  Hudson,  where  he  was 
stationed  for  some  time,  and  later  he  was  at  Mor- 
ganza  Bend,  Louisiana.  He  camped  at  New 
Orleans  and  various  points  in  Louisiana.  He  was 
on  the  Texas  frontier  during  the  winter  of  1863 
-64,  where  the  regiment  re-enlisted,  and  he  re- 
ceived a  veteran's  furlough. 

While  returning  to  the  front  after  the  expira- 
tion of  his  furlough,  Mr.  Jacobs  met  General 
Banks'  army  on  retreat  from  its  disastrous  Red 
River  expedition.  The  steamers  going  down 
stream  met  those  going  up  and  formed  a  bridge, 
on  which  the  army  crossed  from  the  west  bank  to 
an  island  in  the  river.  This  temporary  bridge 
was  instantly  and  readily  removed  before  the 
enemy  could  advance  and  take  possession.  Mr. 
Jacobs  continued  to  New  Orleans.  Later  the 
regiment  went  to  Pensacola  by  boats,  thence 
overland  to  Mobile  Bay,  and  helped  capture  the 
forts  opposite  the  city ,  with  severe  fighting.  After 
the  capture  of  Mobile,  they  encamped  three  miles 
from  the  city,  where  pieces  of  iron  fell  in  camp  at 
the  explosion  of  the  arsenal  at  Mobile  Bay.  From 
here  they  went,  by  way  of  Selma,  to  Montgomery, 
Alabama,  and  heard  of  Lee's  surrender  on  the 
march. 

Mr.  Jacobs  was  soon  afterward  sent  to  New 
Orleans,  and  thence  went  on  an  expedition  to 
Sabine  Pass,  Columbus  and  Houston,  Texas. 
While  on  the  levee  at  Morganza  Bend,  Louisiana, 
he  was  detailed  to  serve  in  the  artillery  force. 
Being  surprised  by  the  enemy  while  saddling  a 
horse,  he  received  a  kick  from  the  animal,  in  con- 
sequence of  its  pain  at  being  shot.  This  consti- 
tuted the  only  injury  he  received  during  his  service 
of  four  years  and  ten  months,  though  frequently 
exposed  to  a  galling  fire.  He  was  captured  that 
evening  and  marched  about  a  mile  to  the  enemy's 
camp.  Being  unable  to  walk  on  account  of  lame- 
ness from  the  kick  of  the  horse,  he  was  assigned 
to  an  ambulance,  and  helped  to  care  for  the 
wounded.  During  the  night  a  Union  ambulance 
corps  arrived,  under  cover  of  a  flag  of  truce,  and 


by  claiming  to  be  wounded  he  was  taken  in  the 
wagon  to  the  Union  camp.  Among  several  hun- 
dreds of  his  comrades  captured  on  that  day,  most 
were  kept  prisoners  for  eighteen  months,  and  many 
were  starved  and  killed.  While  on  duty  guard- 
ing a  plantation  in  Texas,  he  was  offered  the  use 
of  a  large  cotton  plantation  for  three  years,  free  of 
cost.  The  owner  was  about  to  leave  the  state  lor 
fear  of  arrest  for  treason,  and  thought  he  could 
leave  his  property  in  no  safer  hands  than  those  of 
a  Union  soldier;  but  his  offer  was  declined.  Dur- 
ing his  service  he  traveled  over  13,000  miles, 
marching  on  foot  about  one-fourth  of  that  dis- 
tance, and  took  part  in  four  battles  and  thirteen 
skirmishes. 

After  the  war  he  was  engaged  in  stock-farming 
at  Downer's  Grove,  Illinois,  where  he  reared 
thoroughbred  horses  and  cattle.  In  the  fall  of 
1871,  he  moved  to  Chicago,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed in  overseeing  preparations  for  rebuilding 
the  burned  city.  He  was  also  engaged  in  buying 
old  iron  for  an  eastern  foundry.  For  two  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  grocery  trade  on  West 
Madison  Street,  and  two  years  in  commission 
business  on  South  Water  Street.  Five  years 
were  spent  in  the  office  of  the  ' '  Panhandle ' ' 
Railroad,  at  Crown  Point,  Indiana.  The  next  six 
years  were  passed  on  a  stock  farm  in  Franklin 
County,  Iowa,  breeding  high-grade  horses,  cattle 
and  swine.  Since  1887  he  has  been  connected 
with  the  commission  firm  of  Wayne  &  Low,  on 
South  Water  Street,  Chicago,  taking  charge  of 
their  butter  trade. 

Since  the  fall  of  1894  Mr.  Jacobs  has  lived  at 
Wilmette,  where  he  built  a  pleasant  home.  His 
business  career  has  been  marked  by  integrity, 
activity  and  thoroughness. 

He  was  married,  in  1869,  to  Miss  Julia  Flora 
Hudson,  daughter  of  Horace  Hudson,  of  Winne- 
bago,  Illinois.  They  have  one  adopted  child, 
Edith  Wilson  Jacobs.  Mr.  Jacobs  is  a  member 
of  George  H.  Thomas  Post  Number  5,  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic.  While  living  at  Crown 
Point  he  joined  the  Masonic  order.  He  takes 
considerable  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  gives 
his  enthusiastic  support  to  Republican  candidates 
and  principles. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

OF  ILLINOIS 


GEORGE  McKINNEY. 


(From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT). 


GEORGE  McKINNEY. 


575 


GEORGE  McKINNEY. 


0EORGE  McKINNEY  was  born  in  Hender- 

bson  County,  Illinois,  November  18,  1836. 
His  ancestors  were  the  hardy  and  thrifty 
people  of  Scotland.  On  the  authority  of  Alex- 
ander McKenzie,  one  of  the  most  noted  genealo- 
gists of  Scotland,  in  the  revised  edition  of  his 
celebrated  work,  published  in  1894,  the  family  is 
a  very  old  one,  and  is  traced  back  to  the  O'Beolan, 
Earls  of  Ross,  or  Gilleoin  of  the  Aird,  one  of  the 
Celtic  earls  who  besieged  King  Malcolm  at  Perth, 
in  1160;  and  we  find  from  the  oldest  Norse  Saga 
connected  with  Scotland,  that  the  ancestor  of  the 
Earls  of  Ross  was  chief  in  Kintail  as  early  as  the 
beginning  of  the  tenth  century.  This  powerful 
chief  in  the  north  of  Scotland,  named  O'Beolan, 
married  the  daughter  of  Ganga  Rolfe,  or  Rollo, 
the  noted  pirate,  who  afterward  became  the  cele- 
brated Earl  of  Normandy.  Following  down  the 
genealogy  of  the  family,  it  will  be  seen  that  they 
are  descended  from  the  ancient  Celtic  McAlpine 
line  of  Scottish  kings;  from  the  original  Anglo- 
Saxon  kings  of  England,  and  from  the  Scandina- 
vian, Charlemagne  and  Capetian  lines  as  far  back 
as  the  beginning  of  the  ninth  century.  Through 
their  inter-marriages  they  formed  the  network  of 
cousinship  which  ultimately  included  all  the  lead- 
ing families  in  the  Highlands,  every  one  of  which, 
through  these  alliances,  has  the  royal  blood  of 
all  the  English,  Scottish  and  Scandinavian  kings, 
including  the  royal  blood  of  Bruce  and  the  Plan- 
tagenet  royal  blood  of  England,  and  many  of 
the  early  foreign  monarchs,  coursing  in  their 
veins.  The  family  name  was  derived  from  John, 
the  son  of  Kenneth,  who  would  be  called  in  the 
original  native  Gaelic  "Ian  MacChoinnich,"  the 


pronunciation  of  which,  to  a  foreigner,  would  be 
as  if  spelled  MacKenny,  and  it  is  from  this  pro- 
genitor the  McKennies,  McKinneys  and  McKen- 
zies  derive  their  family  name.  In  the  case  of  the 
McKenzies,  in  Scotland  the  Z  has  the  sound  of 
Y,  and  the  name  is  pronounced  as  if  spelt  "Mc- 
Kenyie." 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
Collin  McKinney  and  his  wife,  with  three  broth- 
ers of  this  old  family,  emigrated  to  America,  loca- 
ting in  Virginia.  A  part  of  the  family  remained 
there,  and  have  occupied  many  positions  of  hon- 
or and  trust  in  the  Old  Dominion,  one  having  re- 
cently been  Governor  of  the  state.  Others  moved 
out  into  East  Tennessee,  from  which  family  came 
Judge  McKinney,  of  Knoxville,  who  for  many 
years  was  upon  the  Supreme  Bench  of  Tennessee. 

Collin  McKinney  had  five  sons  and  three  daugh- 
ters. A  part  of  the  family,  among  whom  was 
his  son,  George  McKinney,  the  grandfather  of 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  moved  to  Casey  Coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  in  1800.  While  on  their  way 
thither,  over  the  mountains,  he  became  attached 
to  Ann  Riley,  a  beautiful  Irish  lassie,  whom  he 
married,  and  who  was  closely  related  to  Barnabas 
Riley,  the  author  of  the  first  Ohio  code  of  laws. 
To  them  were  born  a  number  of  sons  and  daugh- 
ters, the  latter  noted  for  their  beauty,  which  they 
inherited  from  their  mother.  The  children  were: 
John,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Col- 
lin, who  spent  most  of  his  life  in  Tennessee,  as  a 
minister  of  the  Presbyterian  Church;  Archibald, 
who  was  a  noted  lawyer  and  Judge  in  Texas  at 
the  time  of  his  death;  Margaret,  Mary  and  Ann. 

A  portion  of  the  family  who  came  out  to  Ken- 


576 


GEORGE  McKINNEY. 


tucky,  led  by  Uncle  Collin  McKinney,  went  to 
Texas  and  settled  in  Collin  County,  of  which  Mc- 
Kinney is  the  county  seat. 

John  McKinney  was  born  in  Lincoln  County, 
Kentucky,  November  2,  1 80 1,  and  was  married 
there,  in  November,  1827,  to  Elizabeth  Goode,  a 
native  of  the  same  state.  In  early  life  he  was  a 
farmer,  and  then  spent  five  years  in  the  office  of 
John  Riley,  Clerk  of  Butler  County,  Ohio;  and 
he  later  on  studied  law  in  the  office  of  Hon.  John 
Pope,  in  Springfield,  Kentucky,  who  had  been  a 
United  States  Senator,  and  was  afterward  ap- 
pointed Governor  of  Arkansas  by  President  Jack- 
son. Here  he  obtained  a  good  knowledge  of 
human  affairs,  but  he  soon  tired  of  the  confine- 
ment of  an  office,  and  returned  to  farming.  He 
had,  before  studying  law,  in  1825,  settled  his  fa- 
ther's estate  in  Kentucky.  He  settled  on  Gov- 
ernment land  in  Illinois  in  1832,  at  a  place  since 
known  as  McKinuey's  Grove,  in  Henderson 
County,  where  he  pre-empted  a  large  tract  of 
land  and  lived  like  a  patriarch,  surrounded  by  a 
large  family  and  a  host  of  friends.  In  Ohio  he 
had  become  an  Abolitionist,  which  induced  him 
to  settle  in  a  free  state.  He  was  quite  prosperous 
as  a  farmer,  and  owned  eight  hundred  acres  of 
land.  In  1844  he  removed  to  Oquawka,  where 
he  became  a  merchant  and  pork -packer.  Success 
followed  his  efforts,  and  he  removed  to  Aledo,  the 
county  seat  of  Mercer  County,  Illinois,  and  en- 
gaged in  banking,  with  a  partner,  under  the  style 
of  McKinney  &  Gilmore.  After  a  time  he  pur- 
chased the  interest  of  his  partner  in  the  banking 
business.  He  died  at  Aledo,  rich  in  years,  honors 
and  in  this  world's  goods,  January  14,  1892,  hav- 
ing attained  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-one  years. 
Elizabeth,  his  first  wife,  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
six  years.  The  following  are  the  children  who 
grew  to  maturity:  Hiram,  Ann,  Elizabeth,  John, 
George  and  Collin.  Of  these,  Hiram  and  John 
are  now  deceased.  Another  son,  William,  died 
in  infancy.  Mr.  McKinney's  second  wife  was 
Mary  M.  Stewart.  She  was  the  mother  of  Ade- 
laide, James,  Archibald,  Mrs.  Mary  Bergen  and 
Robert  McKinney,  who  are  yet  living. 

John  McKinney  had  a  personal  acquaintance 
with  many  of  our  National  statesmen,  especially 


of  the  West,  among  them  Henry  Clay,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  Horace  Greeley, 
William  H.  Seward,  Gov.  William  Bross,  Rich- 
ard Yates,  and  others.  In  early  life,  at  one  time 
he  occupied  the  same  bed  at  a  hotel  with  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  then  a  young  law  student.  He,  at 
one  time  or  another,  entertained  most  of  these 
people  at  his  home  in  Oquawka,  Illinois. 

George  McKinney  was  partially  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Oquawka,  but,  tiring  of 
school  life,  he  requested  his  father  to  allow  him 
to  learn  the  printer's  trade,  which  he  did,  enter- 
ing as  an  apprentice,  or  "devil,"  in  the  office  of 
the  Oquawka  Plaindealer,  edited  by  F.  A.  Dai- 
lam,  a  well-known  journalist.  After  a  year's  ap- 
prenticeship, he  entered  Knox  College,  at  Gales- 
burg,  Illinois,  but,  having  been  badly  burned  by 
the  explosion  of  a  lamp  in  which  burning  fluid 
was  used,  he  was  unable  to  pursue  his  studies, 
and  hence  left  the  college  about  the  time  Pres- 
ident Blanchard  left  the  institution.  Through 
ill -health,  and  a  love  of  adventure  and  roving, 
which  he  has  retained  to  the  present  day,  he  was 
induced  to  accompany  his  brother-in-law  on  a 
trip  to  New  Mexico,  visiting  Santa  Fe  and  Los 
Vegas.  At  the  latter  place  he  bought  a  Mexican 
mustang,  and,  joining  a  wool  train,  returned  to 
the  Missouri  River.  At  Topeka,  Kansas,  he  dis- 
posed of  his  pony,  and  after  working  a  short  time 
in  a  printing-office,  returned  home,  via  the  Mis- 
souri and  Mississippi  Rivers.  Arriving  in  Oquaw- 
ka, he  returned  to  the  store,  filling  the  position 
of  bookkeeper  and  clerk.  Here  Mr.  McKinney 
was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Frances  Chickering, 
daughter  of  Joseph  Chickering,  a  talented  musi- 
cian and  popular  citizen  of  that  place.  Rev.  J. 
W.  Chickering,  the  well-known  divine,  was  a 
brother  of  Mrs.  McKinney's  father.  Only  two 
of  the  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKinney 
survived  the  period  of  childhood,  namely:  Alice 
and  William.  The  former,  Alice,  is  now  deceased, 
and  the  other,  William,  is  connected  with  a  Chi- 
cago business  house  as  bookkeeper. 

Before  the  war  the  father  of  Mr.  McKinney  had 
retired  from  business,  and  turned  the  store  over 
to  his  sons.  The  eldest,  Hiram,  died  in  Novem- 
ber, 1861.  Another  son,  Collin,  enlisted  in  the 


R.  J.  HAMILTON. 


577 


army  at  the  first  call  for  troops,  and  he  was  fol- 
lowed to  the  field  by  John.  This  left  only 
George  to  manage  the  store,  and,  his  health  fail- 
ing, he  sold  the  store  back  to  his  father,  and,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife,  went  to  California  by  the 
Nicaragua  route,  returning  two  years  later  by  the 
Panama  route,  and  locating  in  Chicago  in  the  fall 
of  1864.  His  health  began  to  improve  gradually, 
and  he  became  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trade. 
His  field  of  operation  was  chiefly  in  the  grain- 
commission  business,  and  for  eighteen  years  he 
was  a  well-known  figure  in  business  marts.  He 
had  the  required  perseverance,  and  was  rewarded 
by  satisfactory  results.  He  began  early  to  invest 
in  North  Shore  real  estate,  and  yet  owns  valuable 
property  there. 

In  the  spring  of  1872  he  took  up  his  residence 
at  Winnetka,  and  has  been  ever  since  a  useful 
citizen  of  that  suburb.  He  feels  an  interest  in 
every  movement  calculated  to  further  the  moral 


and  material  welfare  of  the  community  in  which 
he  resides.  He  has  always  been  a  Republican 
in  political  sentiment,  because  he  believes  the 
Republican  party  most  active  in  promoting  the 
general  welfare  of  the  people,  regardless  of  local 
or  personal  factions,  but  has  at  times  been  inde- 
pendent in  his  votes,  especially  when  the  old  par- 
ties conflicted  with  his  moral  ideas  of  reform 
movements.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McKinney  are  char- 
ter members  of  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Winnetka,  where  both  are  held  in  high  esteem. 
Mrs.  McKinney  was  organist  for  many  years  in 
the  church  and  Sunday-school,  and  she  and  her 
husband  were  active  in  the  early  upbuilding  of 
the  church.  They  originally  united  with  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church  in  Oquawka, 
and  while  in  California  became  charter  members 
of  the  first  Congregational  Church  in  Redwood 
City,  and  later  of  the  Tabernacle  Church  of 
Chicago. 


RICHARD  J.  HAMILTON. 


RICHARD  JONES  HAMILTON,  who  is 
famous  in  the  annals  of  Cook  County  as  its 
first  Circuit  Court  Clerk,  was  born  at  Jones- 
boro,  near  Danville,  Mercer  (now  Boyle)  Coun- 
ty, Kentucky,  August  21,  1799,  his  parents  be- 
ing James  L.  and  Sarah  (Jones)  Hamilton.  The 
father  was  born  in  England,  but  his  parents  emi- 
grated to  this  country  when  he  was  only  a  year 
old,  and  settled  in  South  Carolina,  on  the  Savan- 
nah River.  At  the  age  of  twenty  the  father  went 
northward  into  Kentucky,  and  after  his  marriage 
with  Miss  Sarah  Jones,  settled  near  Danville,  in 
that  state.  Sarah  Jones  was  a  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard Jones,  of  Kentucky,  whose  wife  was  a  Miss 
Wills,  of  Maryland.  In  1803  he  removed  to 
Shelby  County,  where  Richard  J.  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  youth  and  received  his  early  education, 


chiefly  at  the  Shelbyville  Academy,  then  in 
charge  of  instructors  of  some  eminence,  among 
others  Rev.  Mr.  Gray  and  Rev.  Mr.  Cameron. 
Finishing  his  academic  education  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  young  Hamilton  then  entered  a  store 
at  Shelbyville,  as  clerk,  and  later  held  a  similar 
position  at  Jefferson,  devoting  altogether  some 
fifteen  months  to  this  calling,  which  seems,  how- 
ever, to  have  had  little  attraction  for  him.  In 
1818  he  went  to  Louisville,  where  he  studied  law 
until  1820,  then  removing  to  Jonesboro,  Union 
County,  Illinois,  in  company  with  his  friend, 
Abner  Field.  The  two  young  men  owned  a  horse 
jointly,  and  the  journey  was  made  in  alternate 
stages  of  walking  and  riding,  the  horse,  which 
constituted  their  sole  property,  being  sold  on 
their  arrival  at  their  destination.  Here  Mr. 


578 


R.  J.  HAMILTON. 


Hamilton  taught  school  for  some  time,  still,  how- 
ever, continuing  his  law  studies  at  intervals,  un- 
der the  direction  of  Charles  Dunn,  who  had  re- 
cently been  admitted  to  the  Bar,  and  who  gained 
great  distinction  as  a  lawyer,  finally  becoming 
Chief- Justice  of  the  then  territory  of  Wisconsin. 

At  its  session  of  1820-21  the  Second  General 
Assembly  of  Illinois  established  the  old  State 
Bank,  and  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Directors  at 
Vandalia,  a  branch  was  authorized  at  Browns- 
ville, Jackson  County,  and  Mr.  Hamilton  was 
appointed  its  Cashier.  In  1822  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Diana  W.  Buckner,  of  Jefferson  County, 
Kentucky,  but  then  residing  near  Jackson,  Cape 
Girardeau  County,  Missouri.  Mrs.  Hamilton 
was  a  daughter  of  Col.  Nicholas  Buckner,  of  the 
historic  Kentucky  family  of  that  name. 

January  14,  1826,  by  the  General  Assembly, 
Mr.  Hamilton  was  confirmed  as  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  Jackson  County,  and  March  31,  1827, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Bar.  In  1829  he  is  on 
record  as  one  of  the  itinerant  lawyers  who  rode 
the  circuit  of  the  southern  counties,  deriving  a 
meagre  and  precarious  subsistence  from  the  few 
and  scattered  clients  who  fell  to  his  share  in  those 
early  days  in  Illinois,  when  the  cases  were  rare 
and  fees  were  small.  The  Brownsville  branch 
bank  closed  its  career  about  this  time,  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton retaining  to  the  last,  as  far  as  known,  his  po- 
sition of  Cashier,  the  duties  of  which,  especially 
in  those  later  years,  were  neither  exhaustive  nor 
remunerative. 

He  now  turned  his  eyes  toward  northern  Illi- 
nois, and  was  elected  by  the  General  Assembly 
as  the  first  Probate  Judge  of  the  new  county  of 
Cook,  January  29,  1831.  His  friend,  Judge 
Young,  of  the  Fifth  Judicial  District,  appoint- 
ed him  Clerk  of  Cook  County  Circuit  Court, 
and  Governor  Reynolds,  who  was  also  especially 
interested  in  his  welfare,  commissioned  him  as 
Notary  Public  and  Recorder.  He  arrived  in  Chi- 
cago early  in  March,  being  present  at  the  organ- 
ization of  the  county  on  the  8th  of  the  month, 
and  removed  his  family  (which  consisted  at  this 
time  of  his  wife  and  two  children,  Richard  N. 
and  Sarah  A.)  from  Brownsville  in  August.  In 
October  he  was  appointed  Commissioner  of  School 


Lands  for  Cook  County,  and  the  school  fund  re- 
mained in  his  charge  until  1840.  As  an  illustra- 
tion of  the  backward  condition  of  Chicago  at  the 
period  of  his  arrival,  he  used  to  refer  to  the  lim- 
ited mail  facilities,  saying  that  special  care  was 
used  in  reading  the  older  papers  first,  that  they 
might  be  properly  advised  of  the  events  in  the 
outside  world  in  the  order  of  occurrence.  He  re- 
sided with  his  family  in  Fort  Dearborn  for  some 
time  after  his  arrival,  and  there  his  second  daugh- 
ter, Eleanor,  was  born,  February  14,  1832.  This 
daughter,  now  Mrs.  E.  H.  Keenon,  is  still  a  resi- 
dent of  the  city,  and  is  stated  to  be  the  first  child 
of  purely  American  parentage  born  here;  she  is 
certainly  the  oldest  woman  living  a  native  of  the 
city.  The  eldest  daughter  is  the  widow  of  Col. 
Henry  A.  Mitchell,  who  died  from  the  effects  of 
a  bullet  wound  received  at  the  battle  of  Perry- 
ville,  in  the  Civil  War.  He  had  previously  com- 
manded a  revenue  cutter  on  the  Great  Lakes, 
and  was  Provost- Marshal  at  Covington,  Ken- 
tucky, after  he  was  wounded. 

The  year  that  witnessed  his  daughter's  birth 
saw  Mr.  Hamilton  appointed  Clerk  of  the  Coun- 
ty Commissioners'  Court,  which  office  he  held 
until  1837.  Besides  discharging  the  duties  of 
his  various  offices,  which  were  more  numerous 
than  remunerative,  he  took  a  pioneer  part  in  tem- 
perance work,  and  in  1832  co-operated  energetic- 
ally with  Colonel  Owen,  the  Indian  Agent,  and 
other  influential  men,  in  keeping  the  Indians  in 
this  section  from  joining  the  hostile  bands  in  the 
disturbances  of  that  year.  Public-spirited  in  the 
highest  degree,  he  was  the  first  of  thirty-seven 
volunteers  who,  on  May  2,  1832,  "promised  obe- 
dience to  Capt.  Gholson  Kercheval  and  Lieuts. 
George  W.  Dole  and  John  S.  Hogan,  as  com- 
manders of  the  militia  of  Chicago,  until  all  appre- 
hension of  danger  from  the  Indians  may  have 
subsided."  Later  in  the  month,  with  Capt.  Jesse 
B.  Brown,  Joseph  Naper  and  twenty-five  mount- 
ed men,  he  scoured  the  Fox  River  country  to 
carry  succor  and  encouragement  to  the  scattered 
settlements.  Unfortunately,  they  did  not  arrive 
at  Indian  Creek  until  the  22d  of  the  month,  the 
day  after  the  terrible  massacre  by  the  Indians  at 
that  point.  Here  they  found  thirteen  dead  bod- 


R.  J.  HAMILTON. 


579 


ies,  those  of  members  of  the  families  of  Davis, 
Hall  and  Pettigrew,  terribly  mangled.  The  com- 
pany escorted  some  of  the  refugees  to  Chicago, 
where  a  much  larger  number  had  sought  refuge 
as  early  as  the  loth.  Colonel  Hamilton  (whose 
title  seems  to  have  been  one  of  courtesy,  due  to 
the  fact  of  his  identification  with  the  state  militia 
for  some  years)  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
appointed  to  supply  them  with  food  and  shelter, 
and  was  indefatigable  in  his  efforts  in  their  behalf. 
He  moved  his  family  into  the  old  agency-house 
about  this  time,  the  fort  being  crowded  with  ref- 
ugees, and  being  occupied  after  July  by  the 
troops  who  had  arrived  to  take  part  in  the  Black- 
hawk  War. 

In  the  spring  of  1833,  iQ  conjunction  with 
Colonel  Owen,  Colonel  Hamilton  employed  John 
Watkins  to  teach  a  small  school,  near  the  old 
agency-house,  where  he  still  resided,  but  which 
he  soon  abandoned  for  his  own  house,  built  on 
what  is  now  Michigan  Street,  between  Cass 
and  Rush  Streets,  where  he  lived  for  nineteen 
years.  He  was  one  of  the  voters  for  the  incorpora- 
tion of  Chicago  August  5,  and  for  its  first  Board 
of  Trustees  five  days  later.  He  was  a  subscrib- 
ing witness  to  the  Indian  Treaty  of  September 
26,  and  his  claim  of  $500  was  allowed.  The  claims 
allowed  against,  and  paid  in  behalf  of,  the  Indians 
at  that  time  aggregated  in  their  entirety  about 
$175,000.  In  October,  as  Commissioner  of 
School  Lands,  in  compliance  with  a  petition 
signed  by  the  principal  residents  of  the  place,  he 
authorized  the  sale  of  the  Chicago  School  Section. 
November  13  of  that  year,  in  virtue  of  his  office 
as  Probate  Judge,  he  performed  a  marriage  cere- 
mony between  John  Bates,  junior,  and  Miss  Har- 
riet E.  Brown.  He  was  one  of  the  original  sub- 
scribers to  the  first  Chicago  newspaper,  which 
appeared  November  26,  and  in  December  he  ad- 
vertised $10,000  to  loan,  which  was  probably 
part  of  the  net  cash  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  school 
lands  two  months  before.  In  1834  he  was  Pres- 
ident of  the  Board  of  School  Trustees,  and  with 
characteristic  energy  labored  tirelessly  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  early  schools  of  Chicago.  In  con- 
junction with  Hiram  Pearsons,  he  laid  out  four 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  at  Canalport,  adjoin- 


ing what  is  now  Bridgeport,  which,  judging  from 
the  first  preliminary  survey,  they  supposed  would 
be  the  actual  terminus  of  the  Illinois  &  Michi- 
gan Canal,  but  which  the  final  survey  passed  by 
and  left  comparatively  worthless. 

In  1834  Colonel  Hamilton  suffered  a  deep  be- 
reavement in  the  death  of  his  first  wife,  soon 
after  the  birth  of  her  fourth  child,  who  was  named 
Diana  B.  in  memory  of  her  mother.  Mrs.  Ham- 
ilton was  highly  esteemed  as  an  intelligent  and 
zealous  Christian  lady,  one  who  suffered  the  hard- 
ships of  pioneer  life  uncomplainingly,  and  proved 
a  devoted  wife  and  mother.  She  was  a  member 
of  the  first  Methodist  Church  of  Chicago,  in 
whose  behalf  she  took  an  active  and  efficient  in- 
terest. March  25,  1835,  the  Colonel  married  Miss 
Harriette  L.  Hubbard,  sister  of  Henry  G.  Hub- 
bard,  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Harriette  Hamilton  died 
February  7,  1842,  leaving  one  child,  Henry  E. 
She  had  lost  an  infant  daughter  named  Pauline 
August  21,  1839,  and  another  of  the  same  name 
about  two  years  before.  The  son  is  now  famil- 
iarly known  as  "Colonel  Hamilton,"  as  it  were, 
by  right  of  inheritance. 

About  1834  the  subject  of  this  sketch  became 
largely  interested  in  outside  lands,  being  also 
probably  the  most  extensive  owner  in  the  county 
and  the  whole  Northwest.  These  lands  were 
often  purchased  on  joint  account  with  non-resi- 
dents, and  perhaps  at  the  time  with  no  larger  in- 
terest on  his  part  than  a  commission  for  the 
transaction  of  the  business,  but  they  were  usually 
made  and  recorded  in  his  name  for  greater  con- 
venience in  transfer  and  negotiation.  About  1835 
he  became  a  candidate  for  election  as  Recorder, 
and  published  the  following  card  in  answer  to 
certain  cavilings  about  his  many  ofiices: 

"In  1831  I  received  the  appointment  of  Clerk 
of  Circuit  Court,  Judge  of  Probate  and  Notary 
Public.  I  then  moved  to  Chicago,  and  found 
that  nobody  wanted  these  ofiices.  Soon  after, 
the  gentleman  holding  the  position  of  Clerk  of 
the  County  Commissioners'  Court  resigned,  and 
I  was  appointed.  The  office  of  School  Commis- 
sioner was  then  held  by  Col.  T.  J.  V.  Owen, 
who  resigned.  Up  to  September,  1834,  that  of- 
fice has  yielded  me  in  all  about  $200;  notary 


58o 


R.  J.  HAMILTON. 


fees  have  not  exceeded  $50;  probate  fees  have 
not  amounted  to  more  than  $50.  I  have  not  re- 
alized from  all  offices,  including  that  of  Recorder, 
during  four  years  more  than  $1,500.  The  whole 
number  of  instruments  recorded,  including  a  large 
number  of  Receiver's  certificates  for  lands  pur- 
chased at  late  sales,  have  been  to  July  i,  1835, 
about  thirteen  hundred,  at  seventy  cents  each." 

At  the  August  election  of  1835  he  was  elected 
Recorder  by  six  hundred  two  votes,  and  removed 
his  office,  toward  the  end  of  October,  to  the 
new  building  recently  erected  by  the  county  on  the 
public  square.  In  December  he  became  a  Di- 
rector in  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  new  State 
Bank.  The  offices  he  held  at  this  time  were: 
Judge  of  Probate,  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  Clerk 
of  Commissioners'  Court,  Recorder  of  Deeds, 
Notary  Public,  School  Commissioner  and  Bank 
Commissioner.  He  continued  to  discharge  the 
various  duties  of  these  offices,  with  the  help  of 
deputies  and  clerks  in  the  more  exacting  ones  as 
the  volume  of  business  in  each  required.  As 
Clerk  of  the  Circuit  Court,  his  first  deputy  was 
Henry  Moore,  in  1834,  succeeded  by  J.  Young 
Scammon  in  1835.  Solomon  Wills,  who  had 
married  the  sister  of  his  first  wife,  became  his 
deputy  in  1836,  and  was  succeeded  in  1837  by 
George  Manierre,  who  gave  way  to  Thomas 
Hoyne  in  1839.  All  these  were  lawyers,  and 
nearly  all  young  men,  who  served  as  his  assist- 
ants until  the  protessional  business  of  each  suc- 
cessively required  his  entire  attention. 

Colonel  Hamilton  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
new  Board  of  School  Inspectors  for  the  city  of 
Chicago  May  12,  1837,  in  recognition  of  his  serv- 
ices and  interest  in  the  early  schools,  and  of  his 
position  as  School  Commissioner.  Pinched  by 
the  financial  depression  of  1837,  he  weathered 
the  storm  without  becpming  bankrupt,  or  failing 
to  meet  his  financial  obligations.  In  1840  he  was 
nominated  Alderman  of  the  Sixth  Ward  by  the 
Democrats,  and  was  elected;  and  the  same  year 
he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  State  Democratic 
Convention  held  at  Springfield. 

In  contemporary  notices  of  the  press  Colonel 
Hamilton  appears  frequently  as  an  active  mem- 
ber in  public  meetings  of  the  period  on  all  ques- 


tions of  social,  political,  educational  and  religious 
interest,  and  he  was  frequently  chosen  on  com- 
mittees of  all  sorts  for  the  furtherance  of  public 
business,  being  apparently  one  of  that  worthy 
class  of  men  who  suffer  themselves  to  be  over- 
worked rather  than  shirk  the  responsibilities 
of  active  citizenship.  He  was  prominent  in  the 
meeting  held  in  memory  of  President  Harrison 
in  1841,  and  was  no  less  active  in  the  reception 
given  the  same  year  to  Governor  Carlin  in  Chi- 
cago. Meanwhile  the  time  had  arrived  for  re- 
linquishing some  of  his  offices,  the  increased  du- 
ties of  which  had  now  made  them  too  unwieldy 
even  for  superintendence  by  one  individual.  In 
1835  he  had  ceased  to  be  Judge  of  Probate,  in 
1837  Clerk  of  the  Commissioners'  Court,  and  in 
1839  Recorder  of  Deeds.  In  1840  William  H. 
Brown  was  elected  School  Agent,  an  office  which 
entitled  him  to  the  care  of  the  school  funds  of 
Chicago,  which  therefore  passed  out  of  the  care 
of  Colonel  Hamilton  with  the  close  of  that  year. 
He  still,  however,  retained  his  position  as  Com- 
missioner of  School  Lands  for  the  county,  for  he 
is  found  to  have  advertised  section  16,  township 
41,  for  sale  August  9,  1841,  as  such.  On  the 
reorganization  of  the  judicial  system  in  1841, 
Cook  County  fell  within  the  circuit  of  Associate- 
Justice  Theophilus  W.  Smith,  who  appointed  his 
son-in-law,  Henry  G.  Hubbard,  to  replace  Col- 
onel Hamilton,  who  resumed  the  practice  of  law, 
his  clerkship  terminating  March  12,  1841. 

About  1843  the  Colonel  formed  a  law  partner- 
ship with  J.  S.  Chamberlaine,  which  was,  how- 
ever, dissolved  in  1845,  and  in  1846  his  firm  be- 
came Hamilton  &  Moore,  Francis  C.  Moore  be- 
ing the  junior  member.  In  1847  this  partnership 
was  also  dissolved,  and  he  remained  alone  until 
his  retirement  from  practice,  which  took  place  in 
1850.  In  1849  he  was  elected  Alderman  from  the 
Ninth  Ward,  upon  the  resignation  of  Samuel 
McKay,  and  in  1850  and  1851  as  his  own  suc- 
cessor. He  was  Presidential  Elector  on  the  Dem- 
ocratic ticket  in  1852,  and  in  1856  he  was  a  can- 
didate for  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  same  ticket, 
which  was,  however,  defeated  by  the  Repub- 
licans. 

His  appearance  as  a  candidate  for  the  above 


J.  F.  HENROTIN. 


office  seems  to  have  closed  his  long,  useful  and 
honorable  public  career.  December  26,  1860,  he 
died  of  paralysis,  in  his  sixty-second  year.  Five 
children  and  his  widow,  his  third  wife,  whom  he 
married  in  1843,  survived  him.  She  was  for- 
merly Mrs.  Priscilla  P.  Tuley,  of  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, and  the  mother  of  the  present  Judge  Tuley, 
of  Chicago.  Colonel  Hamilton  was  buried  on 
the  28th  of  December,  1860,  with  Masonic  hon- 
ors. He  had  long  been  a  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic order,  and  stood  high  in  its  counsels  and 
honors,  having  been  an  officer  in  the  first 
grand  lodge  in  Illinois.  At  a  memorial  meet- 
ing of  the  Bar  held  on  the  same  day,  Judge 
Morris  said:  '  'There  is  scarcely  a  lawyer  here  now 
but  owes  much  in  his  early  life  to  Colonel  Ham- 
ilton. He  took  every  young  practitioner  who 
came  here  by  the  hand,  and  helped  him  to  busi- 
ness and  practice."  Judge  Wilson  said:  "Mr. 
Hamilton  was  a  gentleman  remarkable  in  many 
particulars;  of  very  high  notions  as  a  gentleman, 
and  of  unusual  sympathies. ' '  Judge  Manierre  re- 
ported a  series  of  resolutions,  from  which  the  fol- 
lowing are  extracted:  "His  death  has  removed 
one  of  our  most  distinguished  citizens  and  pio- 
neers, and  the  oldest  member  of  the  legal  frater- 
nity; we  take  pleasure  in  bearing  testimony  to 


the  high  character  of  the  deceased  as  a  man  and 
a  citizen.  His  life  was  a  career  of  active  useful- 
ness. He  was  foremost  in  all  public  enterprises 
for  the  advancement  and  prosperity  of  the  com- 
munity. We  remember  with  pleasure  the  social 
and  genial  qualities  of  our  deceased  brother.  He 
was  a  zealous  friend;  his  heart  was  warm  and 
his  hand  ever  ready.  In  losing  him  the  com- 
munity has  lost  one  of  its  most  valued  citi- 
zens, and  this  Bar  one  of  its  most  respected  mem- 
bers." Twenty  years  after  death  he  was  char- 
acterized by  Hon.  Thomas  Hoyne  as  being  "of  a 
generous  and  open  nature,  a  good  citizen,  and  a 
kind  man,  and  one  of  those  men  who  were  then 
shaping  the  destinies  of  the  state. ' ' 

During  the  last  years  of  his  life  Colonel  Ham- 
ilton lived  on  the  West  Side,  in  a  residence  he  had 
erected  himself,  "on  Madison,  west  of  Bull's 
Head,"  afterward  the  southwest  corner  of  Hoyne 
Avenue.  He  devoted  the  remaining  years  of 
his  life  largely  to  beautifying  this  place,  which 
was  then  regarded  as  a  suburban  home.  Towards 
the  close  of  1860  he  became  a  member  of  the 
South  Presbyterian  Church,  the  denomination 
with  which  he  had  most  intercourse  in  early  life, 
and  to  which  his  wife  belonged. 


DR.  JOSEPH  F.  HENROTIN. 


0R.    JOSEPH    FORTUNAT    HENROTIN 
was  among  the  early  physicians  of  Chicago, 
and  endeared  himself  to  a  large  number  of 
citizens,  especially  on  the   North   Side,  by  his 
brave  and  unselfish  labors  during  the  cholera  epi- 
demic of  1849  to  1855.     At  that  time  there  was  a 
large  German  settlement  between  State  Street 
and  the  lake  shore,  north  of  Chicago  Avenue, 


known  as  New  Buffalo,  the  gratitude  of  whose 
denizens  toward  the  "good  French  Doctor,"  as 
they  called  him,  was  unbounded.  Without  stop- 
ping to  inquire  about  the  certainty  of  his  fees, 
when  many  others  had  left  the  city  in  alarm,  Dr. 
Henrotin  went  among  the  poor  and  rich  alike, 
carrying  good  cheer  and  healing  balm  to  the 
stricken  ones.  His  success  in  exterminating  the 


J.  F.  HENROTIN. 


scourge  gave  him  at  once  a  very  large  practice, 
and  he  acquired  what  is  a  large  fortune  to  be 
gained  in  medical  practice  in  a  few  years.  It  was 
only  his  lack  of  a  thorough  knowledge  of  our  lan- 
guage that  prevented  his  taking  the  prominence  in 
the  professional  and  literary  world  that  he  de- 
served. He  was  a  ripe  scholar,  and  his  diction 
in  French  was  considered  an  ornament  to  the 
language.  His  reports  to  his  native  Government 
while  serving  as  Consul  are  still  preserved  as 
models  of  elegance,  clearness  and  practical  value. 

Joseph  Fortunat  Henrotin  was  born  in  Tellin, 
Belgium,  March  17,  1811.  His  grandfather  was 
a  farmer  at  that  place.  His  father,  Dr.  Clement 
Henrotin,  was  a  graduate  of  the  Medical  Univer- 
sity of  Paris,  France,  to  which  place  he  walked  in 
youth,  because  of  the  limited  means  of  transporta- 
tion in  that  day  and  region,  to  gain  an  education  in 
medicine.  While  there  he  befriended  and  en- 
couraged young  Dubois  (who  afterward  became 
the  French  Court  Physician)  to  take  up  the  study 
of  the  healing  art.  Dr.  Clement  Henrotin  prac- 
ticed medicine  sixty-five  years  at  Tellin,  where 
he  died,  full  of  honors,  at  the  age  of  ninety-six 
years.  His  wife  was  Miss  Rossion. 

Joseph  F.  Henrotin  pursued  his  elementary 
studies  in  his  native  town,  and  entered  the  Uni- 
versity of  Liege,  Belgium,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  He  then  spent 
three  years  in  further  study  in  the  Belgian  hos- 
pitals, being  a  pupil  and  friend  of  Dr.  Seutin,  the 
inventor  of  the  starch  bandage,  who  secured  his 
appointment,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  as  sur- 
geon in  the  national  army,  with  the  privilege  of 
further  pursuing  his  investigations  and  studies  in 
the  hospitals.  He  continued  to  hold  this  position 
for  nearly  twelve  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  resolved  to  come  to  America. 

He  arrived  in  Chicago  in  the  autumn  of  1848, 
and,  as  above  related,  soon  acquired  a  large  and 
remunerative  practice.  This  was  general  through- 
out the  city,  but  most  of  his  work  was  done 
on  the  North  and  Northwest  3ides.  Having 
placed  himself  in  independent  circumstances  by 
eight  years  of  arduous  and  incessant  labor,  he 
returned  to  his  native  land,  in  1856.  A  year  later 
he  was  appointed  by  the  Belgian  Government  to 


be  Consul  to  the  Northwestern  States  of  this 
country,  and  returned  to  Chicago,  leaving  several 
of  his  children  abroad  to  be  educated.  In  1858 
he  was  commissioned  by  Belgium  to  make  a  spe- 
cial inspection  of  the  states  of  Illinois,  Wisconsin 
and  Minnesota  and  report  on  their  adaptability  as 
homes  for  Belgian  emigrants.  In  the  fulfillment 
of  this  charge  he  traveled  throughout  the  states 
named,  rendering  a  prompt  and  exhaustive  re- 
port to  his  Government.  For  this  service  he  re- 
ceived the  thanks  of  the  Belgian  Parliament,  on 
account  of  its  practical  value  and  literary  merit, 
and  copies  of  the  report  were  widely  distributed 
over  Germany  and  other  neighboring  countries, 
as  well  as  throughout  Belgium.  He  continued 
to  serve  as  Consul  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
March  17,  1876,  on  the  sixty-fifth  anniversary 
of  his  birth.  He  was  succeeded  in  office  by  his 
eldest  living  son,  a  sketch  of  whom  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Dr.  Henrotin  was  a 
heavy  sufferer  by  the  great  fire  of  1871,  but  par- 
tially recovered  from  his  loss  before  his  death. 

In  the  fall  of  1840,  Dr.  Henrotin  married  Adele 
Kinsoen,  a  native  of  Tournai,  Flanders,  born  in 
1821,  and  daughter  of  Henri  Kinsoen,  who  had 
a  contract  to  furnish  the  Dutch  army  with  sup- 
plies. A  brother  of  Henri  Kinsoen  was  a  noted 
portrait  painter,  who  numbered  the  members  of 
the  French  Court  among  his  patrons.  Both  were 
natives  of  Bruges,  Belgium,  as  was  Mrs.  Henro- 
tin's  mother,  Josephine  Brice. 

Besides  his  widow,  Dr.  Henrotiu  left  eight 
children.  The  eldest  son,  Henry,  was  killed  at 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg,  Mississippi,  during  the 
Civil  War,  while  serving  in  Taylor's  Battery. 
All  the  living,  save  the  sixth,  who  is  engaged  in 
business  in  Havre,  France,  are  residents  of  Chi- 
cago. Following  are  their  names:  Charles;  Mar- 
garet, Mrs.  James  H.  B.  Daly;  Dr.  Fernand; 
Adolph;  Mary;  Victor;  Fortuni,  wife  of  George 
Le  Jeune;  and  Louise,  now  Mrs.  Maurice  Pin- 
coffs.  Mrs.  Henrotin  survived  her  husband  many 
years,  dying,  widely  mourned,  November  29, 
1 893.  She  was  an  able  helpmate  to  her  husband, 
whom  she  nobly  aided  in  his  labors  among  the 
cholera  sufferers,  and  was  held  in  high  regard  by 
all  who  enjoyed  her  acquaintance. 


W.  M.  COULTER. 


583 


WILLIAM   M.  COULTER. 


p  GJ  fLLIAM  MITCHELL  COULTER,  one  of 
\  A  I  the  survivors  of  the  war  with  Mexico,  re- 
V  Y  siding  in  Chicago,  is  a  native  of  the  Key- 
stone State.  His  birth  occurred  in  Oliver  Town- 
ship, Mifflin  County,  Pennsylvania,  November 
17,  1823.  He  is  a  son  of  Irwin  Coulter  and  Mary 
C.  Mitchell.  The  latter  was  the  daughter  of  an 
Irish  gentleman  named  George  Mitchell,  who  was 
born  near  Belfast,  Ireland.  He  married  a  Scotch 
lady  named  Elizabeth  Thompson,  and  they  emi- 
grated to  America  previous  to  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Mr.  Mitchell  became  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers in  Mifflin  County,  on  the  banks  of  the 
Juniata  river.  He  cleared  and  improved  a  large 
farm,  and  became  one  of  the  most  prominent  citi- 
zens of  that  county. 

Irwin  Coulter,  whose  Christian  name  was  given 
him  to  perpetuate  the  family  name  of  his  mother, 
was  a  native  of  Mifflin  County.  His  father, 
David  Coulter  was  born  in  the  North  of  England, 
but  became  a  loyal  citizen  of  Pennsylvania  dur- 
ing the  colonial  days.  Soon  after  the  beginning 
of  the  Revolutionary  conflict,  he  enlisted  under 
General  Washington,  and  afterwards  became  the 
captain  of  his  company.  He  was  wounded  while 
doing  gallant  service  at  the  battle  of  the  Brandy- 
wine.  The  rifle  which  he  carried  into  that  war 
and  the  sword  which  he  wore  in  his  official  capac- 
ity are  still  preserved  in  the  family.  Irwin  Coul- 
ter succeeded  to  the  ownership  of  the  Mitchell 
homestead,  where  his  death  occurred  about  1830, 
at  the  age  of  forty-nine  years.  Both  the  Coulter 
and  Mitchell  families  were  ardent  adherents  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  exhibited  many  ad- 
mirable characteristics,  being  firm  in  the  support 
of  principle  and  fearless  in  defense  of  their  con- 
victions. 

William  M.  Coulter  passed  his  boyhood  in  his 


native  county  and,  at  an  early  age  began  to  take 
an  active  part  in  local  political  affairs.  He  was 
frequently  chosen  as  a  delegate  to  local  and  State 
conventions  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  helped 
to  nominate  several  Governors  of  the  common- 
wealth. When  the  United  States  Government 
called  for  volunteers  to  help  prosecute  the  war  with 
Mexico,  he  enlisted  as  a  member  of  Company  D, 
of  the  Eleventh  United  States  Infantry.  After 
being  drilled  for  a  time,  with  other  recruits,  near 
Corpus  Christie  on  the  coast  of  Texas,  they  were 
sent  forward  to  join  General  Scott's  army  at 
Puebla,  Mexico.  As  Scott's  limited  force  did  not 
permit  him  to  leave  any  garrisons  at  places  he 
had  vanquished,  the  recruits  were  forced  to  fight 
their  way  over  the  route  previously  pursued 
by  the  main  army.  One  of  their  duties  was 
to  escort  a  pay  train,  loaded  with  many  thousands 
of  dollars  in  gold  sent  to  pay  Scott's  army.  The 
Mexicans  having  knowledge  of  this  fact,  made 
desperate  efforts  to  capture  the  train,  and  the 
whole  course  of  the  journey  was  almost  a  con- 
tinuous battlefield.  At  the  National  Bridge,  the 
enemy  lay  in  ambush,  and  made  extraordinary  ef- 
forts to  destroy  the  little  band  of  devoted  Ameri- 
can troops.  Several  wagons,  containing  accoutre- 
ments and  supplies  of  the  soldiers,  were  thrown 
over  a  high  precipice  in  the  struggle  and  des- 
troyed, and  Mr.  Coulter  narrowly  missed  accom- 
panying one  of  these  wagons  in  its  fall.  The  at- 
tack was  repulsed,  and  a  portion  of  the  knapsacks 
and  other  paraphernalia  was  recovered  next  day. 
The  train  was  turned  over  to  General  Scott  at 
Puebla  in  June,  1847,  without  the  loss  of  a  dollar, 
after  many  days  of  struggle  in  its  defense. 

After  joining  the  main  army,  Mr.  Coulter  pnr- 
ticipated  in  the  battles  of  Contreras  Mountain, 
Cherubusco,  Chapultepec?nd  the  numerous  figbts 


584 


T.  E.  HILL. 


about  the  gates  of  Mexico.  It  is  a  matter  of  his- 
tory that  the  American  troops,  in  a  strange  land, 
far  from  their  base  of  supplies,  conquered  im- 
mensely superior  numbers  throughout  their  march 
and  triumphantly  entered  the  city  of  Mexico  on 
the  I3th  of  September,  1847,  having  traversed 
more  than  a  thousand  miles  of  distance,  over 
mountain  ranges  and  across  lava  beds  and  other 
regions  supposed  by  the  Mexicans  to  be  impass- 
able. At  the  capture  of  Molino  del  Rey,  where 
the  Mexicans  were  engaged  in  casting  cannon, 
most  of  his  superior  officers  having  been  killed  or 
disabled,  Corporal  Coulter  took  command  of  a 
company,  and  held  possession  of  the  foundry  un- 
til Lieutenant  U.  S.  Grant  came  up  and  received 
the  swords  of  the  captured  Mexican  officers,  who 
refused  to  deliver  them  to  a  non-commissioned 
officer.  For  his  gallantry  on  this  and  other  oc- 
casions, he  was  made  Second  Sergeant  and  re- 
ceived honorable  mention  by>Maj.  John  F.  Hun- 
ter, commanding  the  Eleventh  regiment.  Mr. 
Coulter  gives  a  very  graphic  description  of  a  brief 
engagement  on  the  igthof  August,  where  eight 
thousand  mounted  Mexican  lancers  rode  down 
upon  three  brigades  of  American  infantry,  with 
the  evident  intention  of  overwhelming  them. 
The  lancers  were  quickly  repulsed  by  the  infan- 
try, formed  in  a  hollow  square,  with  fixed  bayo- 
nets, who  reserved  their  fire  until  the  enemy  came 
within  close  range.  So  deadly  were  the  volleys 


that  met  the  onslaught  that  the  lancers  were 
thrown  into  confusion,  and  the  survivors  turned 
and  fled.  The  Americans  suffered  but  slight  loss, 
and  this  incident  illustrates  the  superiority  of 
courage  and  discipline  over  mere  strength  of  num- 
bers, even  when  accompanied  by  the  advantage 
of  position.  The  impression  which  this  brief  en- 
counter made  upon  the  mind  of  Mr.  Coulter  is 
one  never  to  be  effaced. 

In  1858,  Mr.  Coulter  moved  from  Pennsylvania 
to  Monroe  County,  Missouri,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  agriculture  for  some  years,  and  during 
his  residence  there  served  two  terms  in  the  Missouri 
Legislature.  His  business  career  reflects  equal 
credit  with  his  military  record  upon  the  character 
of  Mr.  Coulter.  In  1876  he  became  a  resident  of 
Chicago,  where  he  has  since  been  dealing  in  real 
estate. 

He  was  married  in  1856,  to  MissLydia  F.  Cox, 
of  McVeytown,  Pennsylvania,  and  four  of  their  five 
children  still  survive.  Mr.  Coulter  is  still  iden- 
tified with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  faith 
of  which  he  was  reared.  In  early  life,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
Having  inherited  a  powerful  frame  and  iron  con- 
stitution from  his  ancestors,  Mr.  Coulter  is  still 
the  picture  of  robust  manhood  and  strength,  and  is 
evidently  prepared  to  continue  his  honorable  busi- 
ness career  and  socially-useful  life  for  many  years 
to  come. 


THOMAS  EDIE  HILL. 


'HOMAS  EDIE  HILL  was  born  in  Sand- 
gate,  Bennington  County,  Vt.,  February  29, 
1832.     He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm, 
attending  in  the  winter  the  district  schools  of 
that  vicinity,  and  finishing  his  school  instruction 
at  the  Cambridge  Academy,  at  Cambridge,  N.  Y. 
Possessing  natural  aptitude  for  teaching,  Mr. 


Hill  entered  upon  that  work,  and  taught  his  first 
school  at  Eagleville,  East  Salem,  N.  Y.,  receiv- 
ing therefor  $10  per  month;  following  which, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  taught  the  winter  school 
in  Londonderry,  Vt.,  receiving  $14  per  month 
and  "boarding  'round."  Fitting  himself  in  Bos- 
ton for  teaching  penmanship,  he  entered  upon  the 


T.  E.  HILL. 


585 


work  of  conducting  evening  schools,  teaching 
penmanship  and  forms,  and  followed  that  profes- 
sion during  the  fifteen  succeeding  years,  the  field 
of  his  teaching  being  in  Vermont,  New  York, 
Ohio,  Wisconsin  and  Illinois.  He  left  this  work 
in  1866,  and  has  taught  none  since,  except  a 
school  in  parliamentary  practice,  which  (being 
deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of  such  a 
school)  he  opened  at  the  Chicago  Athenaeum  in 
1891,  conducting  the  same  for  several  months  and 
closing  with  a  public  exhibition.  This  class  was 
the  first  of  its  kind,  up  to  the  time  when  it  was 
established. 

Settling  at  Waukegan,  111.,  in  1854  with  his 
wife,  formerly  Miss  Rebekah  J.  Pierce,  of  Lon- 
donderry, Vt.,  by  whom  he  had  one  child,  Flor- 
ence G.,  at  present  Mrs.  George  M.  Porteous,  he 
remained  there  until  1866,  when  he  located  at 
Aurora,  111. ,  and  began  the  publication  of  the 
Aurora  Herald,  from  which  he  severed  his  con- 
nection a  few  years  afterward.  He  continued  his 
residence  in  that  city  for  twelve  years,  during 
which  time  he  founded  and  obtained  a  large  cir- 
culation for  the  Herald.  He  also  established  the 
Suburban  Chicago  Purchasing  Agency  business, 
and  as  manager  for  a  time  of  the  Aurora  Silver 
Plate  factory,  placed  that  institution  upon  a  suc- 
cessful basis.  While  Mayor  of  Aurora,  in  1876 
and  1877,  he  introduced  various  improvements 
into  the  city,  among  them  being  the  suppression 
of  cows  from  running  at  large,  the  setting  out  of 
thousands  of  shade  trees,  the  taking  down  offences 
around  dwellings,  and  the  organizing  of  an  im- 
provement society,  which  since  that  time  has 
been  largely  instrumental  in  making  that  city  the 
metropolis  of  the  Fox  River  Valley. 

-Giving  a  liberal  portion  of  the  property  which 
he  had  accumulated  up  to  that  time  (1878)  to  his 
wife,  she  secured  a  separation  from  him  by  mutual 
consent,  he  taking  up  his  residence  in  Chicago  to 
give  personal  supervision  to  the  management  of 
"Hill's  Manual  of  Social  and  Business  Forms," 
which  had  been  brought  out  by  Moses  Warren,  a 
publisher  of  Chicago,  in  1873,  Mr.  Hill  assuming 
the  publishing  of  it  in  1879.  Subsequently  mar- 
rying Mrs.  Ellen  M.  Whitcomb,  at  Shushan, 
N.  Y..  he  continued  his  residence  in  Chicago  un- 


til 1885,  at  which  time  he  purchased  a  farm  ad- 
joining the  village  of  Prospect  Park,  DuPage 
County,  111.  In  the  succeeding  year  he  settled 
thereon,  returning  thus  to  the  employment  with 
which  he  had  been  familiar  in  his  boyhood.  His 
return  to  farming  was  voluntary  and  not  of  neces- 
sity, a  phrenologist  on  one  occasion,  when  exam- 
ining his  head,  having  told  him  when  he  began 
his  teaching  that  he  would  succeed  in  anything 
that  he  undertook. 

With  large  natural  love  of  the  ornamental  in 
landscape  and  building,  he  became  the  publisher 
and  editor,  in  1884,  of  the  Chicago  National 
Builder,  in  which  he  gave  to  the  world  many 
beautiful  designs  of  buildings  and  ornamental 
grounds.  Retiring  from  this  publication  after 
making  it  the  best  magazine  of  its  class,  he  or- 
ganized a  land  syndicate  at  Prospect  Park,  en- 
abled several  of  the  old  farmers  of  that  vicinity 
to  sell  their  farms  so  well  as  to  retire  on  a 
competency,  changed  the  name  of  the  village  to 
Glen  Ellyn,  and  secured  the  making  of  the  charm- 
ing little  Lake  Glen  Ellyn,  the  construction  of  an 
elegant  hotel  upon  its  borders,  and  the  develop- 
ment of  several  springs  near  the  lake,  among 
them  being  the  famous  Glen  Ellyn  Apollo,  the 
waters  of  which  have  large  sale  in  Chicago. 

Among  Mr.  Hill's  literary  works  have  been 
several  books  of  large  circulation,  of  which  "Hill's 
Manual' '  has  had  a  sale  of  about  four  hundred 
thousand  copies  at  this  writing,  at  an  average 
price  of  $6  per  copy;  "Hill's  Album  of  Biogra- 
phy," having  a  cireulation  of  eighty  thousand 
copies;  "Hill's  Guide  to  Chicago;"  "Ways  of 
Cruelty,"  an  illustrated  pamphlet  used  in  great 
numbers  by  humane  societies;  "Right  and  Wrong 
Contrasted;"  and  "Money  Found,"  the  latter  a 
popular  book  on  the  subject  of  finance. 

This  latest  work  is  an  original  publication, 
which  fully  outlines  the  plan  by  which  the  Gov- 
ernment may  assume  the  ownership  of  banks, 
and  may  operate  them  at  all  central  points,  guaran- 
teeing depositors  against  loss,  preventing  finan- 
cial panics,  and  the  consequent  depressions  in  busi- 
ness. Mr.  Hill  is  the  first  person  to  put  forth  to 
the  world  a  practical  method  by  which  Govern- 
mental banking  may  be  established.  At  this 


L.  C.  RUTH. 


writing,  the  book,  "Money  Found,"  is  having  an 
immensely  large  sale,  with  a  fair  probability  of 
so  educating  the  people  as  to  cause  them  to  de- 
mand Government  ownership  of  banks  in  the  very 
near  future,  thus  revolutionizing  the  present  in- 
secure system  of  banking,  giving  the  profits  per- 
taining to  the  handling  of  the  people's  money  to 
the  people;  and  at  the  same  time  securing  relief 
from  bank  failures,  and  permanent  financial  pros- 
perity for  all. 


While  Mr.  Hill's  efforts  have  been  crowned 
with  success  for  himself,  his  labors  have  been 
largely  of  a  public  character,  and  have  resulted 
in  great  educational  benefit  to  the  people  in  all 
parts  of  the  country.  Though  a  quiet  resident  of 
Glen  Ellyn,  his  works  have  had  such  large  circu- 
lation as  to  make  his  name  much  more  familiar 
to  the  inhabitants  of  New  England,  the  Middle 
States  and  the  Pacific  Coast  than  it  is  to  the  peo- 
ple of  DuPage  County. 


LINUS  C    RUTH. 


I  INUS  C.  RUTH,  of  Hinsdale,  is  a  prominent 
I C  member  of  the  DuPage  County  Bar,  and 
|_3  well  deserves  representation  in  this  volume. 
He  has  the  honor  of  being  a  native  of  Illinois,  for 
he  was  born  at  Long  Grove,  Lake  County,  on 
the  1 8th  of  December,  1854.  His  parents  were 
Irwin  and  Leah  (Brown)  Ruth,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  family  is  of  English  origin,  and 
was  founded  in  America  by  George  E.  Ruth,  the 
grandfather  of  our  subject,  who  left  England,  his 
native  land,  and  emigrated  to  America,  locating 
in  Northumberland  County,  Pa.  The  year  1836 
witnessed  his  arrival  in  Illinois.  He  settled  near 
Waukegan,  then  called  Little  Fort,  where  he  died 
when  past  the  age  of  sixty  years.  He  reared  a 
family  of  eight  children.  The  maternal  grand- 
father, John  Brown,  was  born  in  the  Keystone 
State,  and  was  for  some  years  engaged  in  mer- 
chandising in  Philadelphia.  He  came  to  the 
West  in  1838,  settling  in  Cedarville,  111.,  where 
he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years. 

Mr.  Ruth  whose  name  heads  this  record  spent 
his  early  boyhood  upon  the  home  farm,  aiding  in 
the  labors  of  the  field  through  the  summer  months, 
while  in  the  winter  season  he  attended  the  district 
school  and  acquired  the  rudiments  of  his  educa- 
tion. Later,  he  was  a  student  in  the  High  School, 


and  in  the  Iowa  State  College,  of  Ames,  Iowa. 
On  the  completion  of  his  literary  education,  he  en- 
tered Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College  of 
Chicago,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1873. 
His  time  was  then  devoted  to  business  interests 
for  several  years,  after  which  he  determined  to 
enter  upon  a  professional  career,  and  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  Union  College  of  Law  in  Chi- 
cago. Two  years  later  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Bar.  During  several  succeeding  years,  he  was 
engaged  in  delivering  lectures  on  commercial  law 
and  the  law  of  real  property  in  Bryant  &  Strat- 
ton's College,  in  which  he  had  formerly  been  a 
student. 

On  the  1 8th  of  August,  1880,  Mr.  Ruth  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Ella  F.  Reardon. 
Three  children  have  been  born  of  their  union: 
Irwin,  Chester  and  Linus  C.  The  parents  are 
members  of  the  Hinsdale  Unity  Church,  and  con- 
tribute liberally  to  its  support.  They  occupy  an 
enviable  position  in  social  circles,  and  have  won 
the  high  regard  of  all  who  know  them. 

In  1 88 1  Mr.  Ruth  came  to  Hinsdale,  and  has 
since  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  with 
excellent  success.  He  has  been  honored  with  a 
number  of  official  positions,  having  served  as  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and  the  Board  of 


C.   B.  SMITH. 


587 


Health,  and  for  three  years  has  been  Village  At- 
torney. He  discharges  his  duties  with  a  prompt- 
ness and  fidelity  that  have  won  him  high  com- 
mendation, and  his  public  and  private  life  are  alike 
above  reproach.  In  politics,  he  is  a  supporter  of 
the  Republican  party.  He  owns  some  good  prop- 
erty in  Hinsdale,  including  his  pleasant  residence, 
and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Hinsdale 


Building  and  Ix>an  Association,  of  which  he  has 
served  as  attorney  from  the  start.  He  is  ever 
found  in  the  front  rank  of  any  enterprise  calcu- 
lated to  prove  of  public  benefit,  and  is  alive  to 
the  best  interests  of  this  community  and  its  wel- 
fare. Public-spirited  and  progressive,  he  is  a 
valued  citizen  and  a  man  of  sterling  worth. 


CHARLES  BENNETT  SMITH. 


/TJHARLES  BENNETT  SMITH,  only  son  of 
IT  William  G.  Smith,  a  pioneer  of  DuPage 
U  County,  this  State,  is  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful business  men  of  Wheaton.  He  was  born 
in  Whitehall,  N.  Y.,  April  6,  1853,  and  was 
brought  to  Illinois  when  an  infant.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  at  Warrenville  and  Wheaton, 
and  was  a  student  of  Wheaton  College  two  years. 
At  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  began  learning  the 
railroad  station  business  at  Elmhurst,  and  soon 
found  employment  in  the  station  at  Wheaton,  be- 
coming a  skillful  telegraph  operator.  In  the 
spring  of  1872  he  was  made  agent  for  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  Railway  and  the  American  Ex- 
press Company  at  Westside,  Crawford  County, 
Iowa,  and  filled  that  position  eight  years.  He 
then  took  charge  of  the  station  at  Carroll,  an  im- 
portant division  point  on  the  Northwestern  sys- 
tem, for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  at 
his  request,  he  was  transferred  to  the  charge  of 
Wheaton  Station,  being  at  the  time  the  oldest 
agent  in  point  of  sendee  on  the  Northwestern 
line  west  of  Boone.  Mr.  Smith  was  determined 
to  improve  his  opportunities,  and  soon  after  locat- 
ing at  Wheaton,  he  opened  a  real-estate  and  in- 
surance office,  in  which  he  transacted  a  large 
amount  of  business.  He  is  one  of  those  who  are 
responsible  for  the  incorporation  of  the  city,  and 


for  the  modern  improvements  which  make  it  a 
desirable  place  of  residence.  He  served  four 
years  as  City  Clerk,  but  has  never  been  a  seeker 
after  political  preferment.  He  is  keenly  alive  to 
business  opportunities,  and  is  quite  content  to  let 
others  handle  the  reins  of  government.  He  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  company  which  supplies  the 
city  with  electric  light,  and  during  the  Columbian 
Exposition  was  Vice- President  of  the  Epworth 
Hotel  Restaurant  Company,  an  organization  which 
built  and  operated  a  successful  hotel  near  the 
Fair  grounds. 

In  1890  Mr.  Smith  was  appointed  Assistant 
Claim  Agent  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway  Company,  a  position  that  he  has  accept- 
ably filled  since.  With  no  influence  to  push  him, 
save  his  own  energy  and  ability,  he  has  attained 
a  responsible  position  with  an  extensive  corpora- 
tion at  an  age  when  many  are  still  apprentices. 
Mr.  Smith  is  an  active  and  enthusiastic  Republi- 
can, and  carries  an  influence  in  local  political  af- 
fairs. He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  of  several  fraternal  orders. 

On  the  3oth  of  December,  1875,  Mr.  Smith 
was  married  to  his  childhood's  playmate  and 
schoolmate,  L,aura  Elizabeth,  youngest  daughter 
of  Jude  P.  Gary,  a  pioneer  of  DuPage  County. 
Mrs.  Smith  was  born  in  Winfield  Township,  and 


588 


J.  R.  WHEELER. 


is  a  valuable  member  of  Wheaton  society.  To 
the  aged  parents  of  Mr.  Smith  she  is  like  one 
born  to  them,  and  in  every  relation  of  life  is  the 
worthy  helpmate  of  a  popular  citizen.  Mrs. 
Smith  has  been  throughout  her  adult  life  one  of 
the  most  faithful  and  efficient  members  of  the 
Methodist  .Episcopal  Church,  and  has  been  for 
many  years  the  leading  soprano  singer  in  the 


choir  of  the  Wheaton  Church.  Two  children 
have  been  given  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith,  namely, 
Laura  Eoleen  and  Winifred  Alice. 

In  1892  Mr.  Smith  built  the  fine  residence 
which  he  occupies  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
West  Street  and  Washington  Avenue.  It  is  the 
seat  of  quiet  elegance  and  refined  hospitality. 


JOHN  R.  WHEELER, 


(TOHN  R.  WHEELER,  for  many  years  promi- 
I  nent  in  the  business,  social  and  religious  life 
G/  of  Chicago,  was  born  in  East  Greene,  Che- 
nango  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  3ist  of  Decem- 
ber, 1827.  His  grandfather,  Samuel  Wheeler, 
came  with  his  family  from  England  and  settled  in 
East  Greene  in  1792.  At  that  time  the  town  of 
East  Greene  had  not  been  created.  It  was  taken 
from  the  town  of  Union,  Tioga  (now  Broome) 
County,  in  1798,  and  was  named  for  Gen.  Na- 
thaniel Greene,  of  Revolutionary  fame.  A  set- 
tlement of  French  refugees  was  made  on  the  east 
side  of  the  river  at  Greene  in  1792,  and  a  few 
families  of  these  remained  to  form  a  part  of  the 
permanent  settlement,  though  most  of  them 
moved  away  in  a  short  time.  Samuel  Wheeler 
was  among  the  settlers  of  the  northern  part  of  the 
town,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  died  in  1808. 

Capt.  Samuel  Wheeler,  son  of  Samuel,  was  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  1812.  The  subject  of  this 
biography  was  the  seventh  in  a  family  of  nine 
children  born  to  him  and  his  wife,  Tamar  Barnes. 
Their  names  in  order  are:  William,  Melissa,  Har- 
riet, George,  Sarah  Ann,  Charles  H.,  John  R., 
Mary  and  Margaret. 
John  R.  Wheeler  passed  his  minority  upon  his 


father's  farm,  completing  his  school  days  at  the 
academy  in  Greene.  In  early  life  he  taught 
school  at  East  Greene  and  Oxford,  and  for  five 
years  engaged  in  farming  near  Oxford,  after  which 
he  kept  a  general  store  twelve  years  at  Oxford, 
N.  Y.  He  served  several  terms  in  Oxford  as 
Town  Supervisor  and  County  School  Commis- 
sioner. Having  been  moderately  successful,  the 
result  of  persistent  attention  to  business,  he  re- 
solved to  seek  a  new  field  of  operations  in  the 
great  West,  and  removed  to  Chicago  in  March, 
1869.  Here  he  invested  his  capital  in  real  estate, 
and  with  such  good  judgment  did  he  handle  his 
holdings  that  he  was  made  independent.  He 
always  took  an  intelligent  interest  in  questions 
affecting  the  general  welfare,  and  was  soon  called 
upon  to  serve  his  fellows  in  various  official  capac- 
ities. For  a  time  he  served  as  Superintendent  of 
the  Western  Railway  Weighing  Association.  Be- 
lieving in  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  he  gave  his  earnest  support  to  the 
cause  of  that  organization.  In  1884  he  was  a 
delegate  from  the  Third  Illinois  District  to  the 
National  Republican  Convention,  and  was  in- 
tensely devoted  to  Mr.  Elaine.  The  next  year 
he  presided  over  the  Cook  County  Republican 
Convention,  and  the  following  spring  was  elected 


LEONARD  PRATT 


5»9 


Alderman  from  the  then  Ninth  Ward.  He  was  the 
Republican  Presidential  Elector  from  the  Third 
District  in  1888,  and  was  appointed  a  member  of 
the  State  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commission 
the  next  year,  being  made  Chairman  of  the  Board. 
He  was  re-appointed  in  1891,  and  acted  until 
about  a  month  before  his  death,  which  sad  event 
occurred  February  19,  1893.  His  demise,  soon 
after  the  completion  of  his  sixty-fifth  year,  was 
supposed  to  be  the  result  of  a  severe  attack  of 
la  grippe  in  the  spring  of  1892. 

Mr.  Wheeler  was  for  eighteen  years  a  Deacon 
in  the  Second  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago.  In 
every  relation  of  life,  he  strove  to  do  his  whole 
duty,  and  entered  into  every  undertaking  with 
his  full  strength.  During  the  Civil  War  he  at- 
tempted to  give  his  services  in  defense  of  the 
Union,  but  was  rejected  on  account  of  an  injury 
which  he  sustained  in  earlier  years.  By  precept 
and  example,  he  sought  to  lead  others  in  the  way 
of  duty  and  right. 

In  July,  1849,  Mr.  Wheeler  took  for  a  help- 
mate Miss  Eliza  Ann  Tremaine,  who  was  born 
in  East  Greene,  and  was  three  months  and  eleven 


days  his  junior.    She  is  the  fifth  of  the  eight  chil- 
dren of  Erastus  and  Lucretia  Tremaine,  the  lat 
ter's  maiden  name  having  been  Race.    Her  grand- 
father, Daniel  Tremaine,  was  among  the  pioneers 
of  East  Greene,   and  was  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist Church  organized  there  in  1795.     It  is  prob 
able  that   he  was   a   descendant  of  a  Huguenot 
refugee  in  America,  as  the  name  is  of  undoubted 
French  origin.     Daniel  Tremaine  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  army,  and  was  present  at  the  sur 
render  of  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga  in  1777.     He 
reached  the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety-four  years, 
passing  his  latter  years  with  his  son  Erastus,  the 
father  of  Mrs.  Wheeler,  near  East  Greene. 

Three  children  were  given  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wheeler,  namely:  George  A.,  Luella  and  Ida. 
The  daughters  were  married  on  the  same  day,  in 
October,  1873,  the  elder  becoming  the  wife  oi 
John  W.  Midgley,  Chairman  of  the  Western 
Freight  Association,  and  the  other  wedding  En- 
field  D.  Moore,  Manager  of  the  Chicago  Car 
Service  Association.  Mrs.  Midgley  is  the  mother 
of  four  children,  Stanley,  Arthur,  Ethel  and 
Edith. 


DR.  LEONARD  PRATT. 


0R.  LEONARD  PRATT,  for  many  years  a 
leading  physician  of  Wheaton,  and  now  a 
resident  of  San  Jose,  Cal.,  is  a  native  of 
Towanda,  Pa.  His  parents,  Russell  and  Olive 
(Towner)  Pratt,  whose  names  indicate  English 
ancestry,  passed  their  lives  in  that  place,  where 
Russell  Pratt  carried  on  a  cooperage  business. 
Leonard  Pratt  was  born  December  23,  1819,  and 
is  therefore  now  in  his  seventy -fourth  year,  but  is 
still  vigorous  in  mind  and  body  and  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  re- 
ceived his  primary  education  in  the  Pennsylvania 
conimou  schools,  and  his  medical  training  at 


Jefferson  and  Hahnemann  Medical  Colleges  in 
Philadelphia.  For  more  than  fifty  years  his  time 
has  been  employed  in  the  healing  art,  the  first 
years  of  his  practice  being  passed  in  his  native 
town.  In  1852  he  removed  to  Carroll  County, 
111.,  settling  on  a  farm  in  Rock  Creek  Township, 
one  of  the  finest  farms  in  that  county.  He  re- 
moved in  1865  to  Wheaton,  111.,  for  the  purpose 
of  educating  his  son,  a  biography  of  whom  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  He  built  a  fine 
brick  mansion  on  Main  Street  (now  occupied  by 
Dr.  E.  C.  Guild) ,  where  his  home  remained  until 
1889,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  residence. 


590 


F.  D.  COSSITT,  JR. 


Dr.  Pratt  is  a  member  of  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Homeopathy  and  of  the  Illinois  and  Cali- 
fornia State  Associations  of  that  school,  and  is  a 
man  of  fine  attainments  and  progressive  ideas. 
He  has  always  given  his  political  allegiance  to  the 
Republican  party  since  its  organization.  His 
religious  faith  is  represented  by  the  New  Church, 
commonly  known  as  the  Swedenborgian.  His  time 
has  been  given  to  the  demands  of  a  large  medical 
practice,  and  he  has  been  able  to  devote  but  little 
personal  attention  to  public  affairs,  although  he 
always  took  a  deep  interest  in  any  effort  to  pro- 
mote and  secure  good  government.  The  original 
charter  of  the  town  of  Wheaton,  which  has  since 
become  a  city,  was  the  work  of  his  mind  and  pen. 

Dr.  Pratt  was  for  seven  years  a  member  of  the 
faculty  of  Hahnemann  Medical  College,  of  Chi- 
cago, filling  the  chair  of  Special  Pathology  and 
Diagnosis,  and  was  an  extensive  contributor  to 


medical  literature,  being  the  first  Western  physi- 
cian to  call  the  attention  of  the  profession  to  the 
clinical  thermometer.  At  the  same  time  he  was 
constantly  employed  in  attending  patients  in  and 
about  Wheaton  and  Chicago. 

Dr.  Pratt's  wife,  Betsy,  is  a  daughter  of  Lemuel 
Belding,  of  L,e Raysville,  Bradford  County,  Pa., 
a  widely  known  Swedenborgian  clergyman  and 
physician,  who  was  eminently  successful  in  both 
capacities.  He  was  a  calm,  logical  speaker,  and 
achieved  considerable  reputation  as  an  orator. 
The  Belding  family  is  of  English  lineage.  Two 
sons  and  two  daughters  were  born  to  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Pratt,  one  son  dying  in  infancy,  and  a 
daughter,  Hattie,  at  the  age  of  thirteen  yeais, 
the  latter  being  carried  off  by  the  first  case  oi 
diphtheria  known  in  Rock  Creek,  Carroll  County, 
111.  One  daughter,  Nettie  I,.,  is  a  successful 
teacher  of  music  at  San  Jose,  Cal. 


FRANKLIN  DWIGHT  COSSITT,  JR. 


f~  RAN  KLIN  DWIGHT  COSSITT,  JR.,  only 
|Q  surviving  son  of  F.  D.  and  Martha  1,. 
(Moore)  Cossitt,  was  born  in  La  Grange, 
Tenn.,  December  4,  1861,  and  during  his  infancy 
was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Chicago.  About  a 
year  later  his  mother  died,  and  he  was  taken  back 
by  her  sister  to  Tennessee,  where  he  continued 
to  make  his  home  until  1869.  In  his  eighth  year 
he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  attended  its  public 
schools  and  pursued  a  course  in  one  of  its  busi- 
ness colleges.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  opened 
a  general  store  in  La  Grange,  whicli  he  conducted 
for  three  years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he 
sold  out,  and  again  took  up  study  at  a  business 
college.  He  next  became  associated  with  his  fa- 
ther in  the  real-estate  business,  a  connection  which 
has  continued  until  the  present  time. 

On  the  loth  of  February,  1886,  Mr.  Cossitt 
married  Miss  Margaret  A. ,  daughter  of  Dr.  George 
M.  Fox,  a  prominent  citizen  of  La  Grange,  whose 


biography  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Foui 
children  have  been  born  to  them,  namely:  Frank- 
lin D.,  named  for  his  paternal  grandfather;  George 
M.,  named  for  his  maternal  grandfather;  Jean, 
who  bears  the  name  of  her  maternal  grandmother; 
and  Margaret,  her  mother's  namesake. 

In  1889  Mr.  Cossitt  was  elected  Trustee  of  the 
village  of  La  Grange,  and  has  twice  been  re- 
lected,  now  serving  his  third  term.  In  1892  he 
was  elected  Highway  Commissioner  of  Lyon? 
Township,  and  is  now  Treasurer  of  that  town- 
ship. In  political  sentiment,  he  is  a  Democrat, 
and  is  now  serving  his  second  term  as  a  membei 
of  the  County  Democratic  Central  Committee. 
The  prominent  part  which  he  has  taken  in  public 
affairs,  and  especially  in  the  upbuilding  of  this 
community,  entitles  him  to  representation  among 
the  public-spirited  and  progressive  citizens  o/ 
Cook  County. 


LIBRARY 
OF  [HE 

OF  ILLINOIS 


HENRY  JOHNSON 


(From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT) 


HENRY  JOHNSON. 


HENRY  JOHNSON. 


I  I ENRY  JOHNSON,  a  prominent  business  man 
RJ  of  the  northwestern  part  of  the  city,  is  one  of 
I  |  that  group  of  valuable  citizens  who  have 
gained  wealth  and  business  standing  entirely 
through  their  own  resources.  He  was  born  in 
Denmark  June  28,  1844,  and  is  a  son  of  Jens 
and  Caron  Hanson.  His  father  was  a  butcher  by 
trade  and  carried  on  a  business  of  his  own  in  that 
line. 

Henry  Johnson  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  land,  and  having  learned  the 
butcher's  trade  he  continued  with  his  father  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two  years.  He  then 
left  home,  and  in  1866  came  to  America,  locating 
at  first  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  worked  in  a  saw 
mill.  He  came  to  Chicago  the  next  year  and  for 
a  period  of  sixteen  years  worked  in  various  fur- 
niture factories  of  the  city,  acquiring  considerable 
mechanical  skill  and  saving  quite  a  sum  of  money. 
He  next  opened  a  furniture  factory  on  Erie 
Street,  in  company  with  Hans  Paulson,  but  two 
years  later  sold  out  his  interest  and  again  took 
up  factory  work. 

In  1886,  for  the  second  time,  he  entered  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  establishing  an  under- 


taking office  at  Nos.  794  and  796  West  North 
Avenue.  So  successful  was  this  venture  that  he 
has  continued  the  business  at  the  same  location 
ever  since.  He  erected  the  building  at  the  above 
number  in  1885, and  in  1897  built  another  building 
at  No.  264  Milwaukee  Avenue,  where  he  has 
another  undertaking  establishment.  He  also  con- 
ducts a  fine  livery  in  connection  with  each  branch. 
In  the  conduct  of  his  affairs  he  has  ever  been  en- 
ergetic and  economical,  the  result  being  that  all 
his  efforts  have  been  crowned  with  the  greatest 
success. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  1869  to  Miss  Kittie 
Rasmonsou,  who  died  in  1891.  She  was  the 
mother  of  two  children,  William  and  Amy,  both 
living.  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  1892  to 
Gensena  Marie  Madsen.  Two  children  have 
blessed  this  marriage,  Gensena  and  Lenora  Chris- 
tina. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Honor,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees.  He 
has  held  various  offices  in  these  orders  and  is  pop- 
ular among  their  members.  Politically  he  sup- 
ports the  Republican  party, 


592 


JACOB  SCHNABLE. 


JACOB  SCHNABLE. 


(I  ACOB  SCHNABLE  has  been  a  resident  of 
Chicago  more  than  half  a  century,  and  has 
G)  witnessed  almost  the  entire  growth  of  the 
great  Metropolis  of  the  West.  His  interests 
have  been  with  it  and  the  people  that  reside  in  it, 
and  his  influence  has  been  used  in  their  favor  at 
all  times.  He  was  born  in  Alsace,  then  a  part  of 
France,  November  6,  1826,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
and  Margaret  Schnable,  both  natives  of  Alsace. 

Jacob  Schnable,  senior,  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  in  1845  both  parents,  with  two 
daughters  and  two  sons,  left  their  native  land  on 
April  16,  bound  for  the  New  World.  They 
sailed  from  Havre  on  a  sailing  vessel  and  forty- 
five  days  later  landed  in  New  York.  They 
came  direct  to  Chicago,  as  their  proposed  destin- 
ation was  the  State  of  Illinois,  where  a  neigh- 
bor had  located  a  year  previously.  Arriving  at 
Chicago  they  stopped  for  a  few  days  on  Clark 
Street. 

There  were  seven  families  who  came  together 
from  the  same  place,  and  they  separated,  three 
families  going  to  Naperville,  in  Du  Page  County. 
Four  families,  including  that  of  Mr.  Schnable, 
removed  to  Lake  Count}-.  At  Wheeling  Mr. 
Schnable  met  an  acquaintance  who  induced  him 
to  go  to  Long  Grove,  Lake  County.  There  he 
subsequently  purchased  a  farm  and  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death,  which  occurred  July  i, 
1868,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  His  wife 
died  January  14,  1871,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year 
of  her  age.  Their  children  were:  Jacob,  of  this 
article;  George,  a  tiller  of  the  soil  in  Lake 


County;  Sarah,  who  died  in  Lake  County;  and 
Ellen,  wife  of  Daniel  Roth,  who  resides  at  the 
corner  of  Hoyne  and  Haddon  Avenues,  Chicago. 

Jacob  Schnable,  whose  name  heads  this 
notice,  was  educated  in  the  parish  schools  of  his 
native  place.  He  was  sixteen  years  old  when  he 
entered  into  a  two-years'  apprenticeship  to  learn 
the  cabinet-maker's  trade.  After  his  arrival  in 
Chicago  he  was  employed  at  this  trade  by  John 
Weir,  and  later  with  Clark  &  Hesse,  located  at 
the  corner  of  Madison  and  Dearborn  Streets. 
For  a  period  of  eighteen  months  he  was  with 
Coe  &  Mills,  and  subsequently  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Jacobus  Brothers,  in  their  factory.  He 
continued  thus  occupied  about  nine  years,  and 
then  entered  the  service  of  Cleveland  &  Russell, 
having  charge  of  a  machine  for  making  sash 
and  doors.  After  the  business  went  into  the 
hands  of  S.I.  Russell,  he  continued  with  him 
and  was  occupied  at  general  machine  work. 

Being  a  natural  machinist,  he  could  turn  his 
hand  to  any  kind  of  mechanism,  and  his  services 
were  valued  at  all  times  in  this  line.  After 
Mr.  Russell  removed  to  Twenty-second  Street 
and  established  a  planing-mill  and  box  factory 
Mr.  Schnable  became  the  engineer.  Later  Mr. 
Russell  removed  to  the  corner  of  Washington 
and  Jefferson  Streets  and  with  F.  W.  Krause 
carried  on  the  business  of  the  Franklin  Machine 
Works. 

Mr.  Schnable  did  nearly  all  kinds  of  work, 
from  putting  up  machinery  to  pattern  making. 
He  remained  there  until  the  partnership  was  dis- 


CHARLES  PETERSON. 


593 


solved,  after  which  he  went  with  J.  O.  Perin  and 
operated  an  engine  for  him  for  a  short  time.  He 
was  subsequently  in  the  employ  of  J.  K.  Russell, 
located  at  the  corner  of  Fulton  and  Des  Plaines 
Streets,  and  managed  a  stationary  engine  for  him 
until  Mr.  Russell  sold  out.  Mr.  Schnable  re- 
mained with  the  successors  until  July,  1893.  He 
was  economical  and  saved  his  earnings,  and  in- 
vested in  a  lot  on  Pearce  Street,  where  he  built  a 
house.  He  later  sold  this  house  and  built  a 
larger  house  on  the  same  lot.  In  1881  he  erected 
a  house  on  Superior  Street,  and  in  1892  purchased 
property  at  No.  318  North  Robey  Street,  and 
built  his  present  commodious  residence,  where 
he  and  his  estimable  wife  live  in  retirement. 

His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Lewis 
Cass.  He  supported  John  C.  Fremont  in  1856, 
and  on  the  organization  of  the  Republican  party 
he  joined  its  ranks.  He  supported  it  for  several 
years,  but  lately  has  acted  independently,  sup- 
porting the  man  whom  he  thinks  is  best  qualified 
to  properly  discharge  the  duties  of  official  station. 
He  has  been  a  member  of  Harmonia  Lodge 
No.  221,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 


since  1864,  and  is  a  member  of  Germania  En- 
campment, and  his  wife  of  the  Rebekah  degree, 
in  the  same  order. 

In  the  fall  of  1854  ne  married  Miss  Barbara 
Sigwalt,  who  came  to  Cook  County  in  1844. 
They  have  two  children:  Emil  Rudolph,  a  civil 
engineer,  resident  of  Ravenswood;  and  Clara 
Emma,  a  successful  teacher,  who  is  em- 
ployed in  the  Wells  School.  Mrs.  Schnable  died 
March  i,  1874,  mourned  by  her  family  and  many 
friends.  In  1881  Mr.  Schnable  married  Mrs. 
Augusta,  widow  of  Conrad  Bodenschatz.  She 
was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany.  By  her  first 
marriage  she  has  two  sons,  Jacob  and  Henry, 
both  of  whom  have  been  several  years  in  the  em- 
ploy of  H.  M.  Hooker  &  Company.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Schnable  are  Protestants,  but  not  connected 
with  any  religious  organization.  Mr.  Schnable 
is  an  interesting,  intelligent  man,  who  keeps  him- 
self informed  on  the  questions  of  the  day,  and 
converses  freely  on  many  interesting  incidents  in 
the  early  history  of  Chicago.  He  has  witnessed 
the  growth  of  the  great  city  from  a  population  of 
about  twenty-five  thousand  people. 


CHARLES  PETERSON. 


EHARLES  PETERSON,  who  is  one  of  the 
most  upright  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  born 
January  17,  1844.     At  the  time  of  his  birth 
his  parents,  John   and   Eliza  Peterson,  resided  in 
Smoland,  Sweden.     Though  he  never  forgets  the 
beauties  of   the  land  of  his   birth,  he   is  loyal  to 
his  adopted  country. 

John  Peterson,  his  wife  and  four  children,  ar- 
rived in  Chicago  July  18,  1854.  The)- reached 
Boston  July  4,  having  sailed  from  Guttenburg, 
Sweden,  eight  weeks  and  three  days  previously. 


John  Peterson  was  a  cabinet-maker  and  had  pos: 
sessed  his  own  shop  in  his  native  land.  On 
reaching  Chicago  he  located  on  the  West  Side,  on 
Austin  Avenue.  He  was  employed  in  a  lumber 
yard,  following  the  trade  of  a  carpenter.  The 
climate  did  not  agree  with  him  in  this  city,  and 
in  1858  he  removed  to  Porter  County,  Indiana. 
He  lived  there  until  his  death,  and  his  remains 
were  interred  in  that  place.  He  was  born  Decem- 
ber 2,  1816,  and  died  December  6,  1887.  Mrs. 
John  Peterson  was  born  in  1810,  and  died  in  1869. 


594 


JOHN  OTT. 


Her  children  were:  Andrew,  John,  Charles, 
Annie,  August  (deceased),  August,  and  one 
daughter  who  died  young. 

Charles  Peterson  left  his  father's  farm  in  Indi- 
ana in  1864,  and  located  in  Chicago.  He  learned 
the  painter's  trade  with  John  Walsh,  who  was  lo- 
cated on  Ontario  Street,  and  with  whom  he  re- 
mained three  years.  He  subsequently  did  jour- 
neyman work  and  after  the  fire  of  1871  contracted 
for  his  own  interests.  He  is  at  present  occupied 
as  journeyman.  Being  very  successful  and  eco- 
nomical, in  1884  he  was  able  to  erect  a  residence 
at  No.  6747  Lafayette  Avenue,  where  he  has 
since  been  located. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  married  December  13,  1872, 
to  Miss  Emma  Anderson,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Monson)  Anderson.  Mrs.  Peterson  was 
born  May  i,  1849,  at  Sabe,  Smoland,  Sweden, 
and  came  to  America  in  1864.  Her  children  are 
as  follows:  Alma  Josephine,  born  December  16, 
1873,  died  September  22,  1875;  Martha  Emma 
Alice,  born  January  25,  1876,  married  James  E. 
Freeman,  and  resides  at  No.  6844  Wabash  Ave- 


nue, her  only  child  being  named  Catherine;  Carl 
Oscar  August,  born  January  24,  1878,  died  March 
25,  1879;  Alice  Christina,  born  December  6, 
1879;  Oscar  Edwin,  born  January  24,  1882;  Carl 
Robert,  born  March  15,  1884,  died  October  9, 
1884;  Anna  Mabel,  born  October  7,  1885;  Harry 
Arthur,  born  January  i,  1888;  Raymond  W. 
born  October  3,  1890;  Carrie  Esther  Marie,  born 
May  30,  1893;  and  an  infant  boy,  born  December 
28,  1895,  died  next  day. 

Of  a  cheerful  disposition,  Mr.  Peterson  is  al- 
ways entertaining  and  a  pleasant  companion.  He 
is  a  good  conversationalist  and  a  gentleman  in 
every  sense  of  the  word.  Mrs.  Peterson  is  of  a 
like  temperament  and  their  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  still  at  home,  partake  of  the  character- 
istics of  their  parents.  They  are  bright,  wide- 
awake and  up-to-date  Americans.  Mr.  Peterson's 
pleasant  home  on  Lafayette  Avenue  was  the  third 
built  in  the  block,  and  is  one  of  the  neatest  and 
handsomest  on  the  street.  He  has  never  sought 
public  office,  but  upholds  the  principles  and  can- 
didates of  the  Republican  party. 


JOHN  OTT. 


(JOHN  OTT.  Histories  of  the  great  Chicago 
I  fire  tell  of  many  cases  where  the  work  of  re- 
G/construction  was  begun  before  the  blackened 
bricks  and  stones  were  cold,  but  there  is  au- 
thentic record  of  only  one  instance  in  which  the 
rebuilding  of  a  burned  structure  was  commenced 
so  quickly  that  the  still-smoldering  ruins  set  fire 
to  the  first  scaffold  erected. 

John  Ott,  of  No.  626  North  Robey  Street,  was 
the  hero  of  that  instance,  which  was  due  to  the 
great  energy  that  is  a  marked  characteristic  of 
his  life.  He  erected  the  first  building  on  North 
Clark  Street  (at  No.  625)  after  the  fire,  and  the 
scaffold  was  built  amid  ruins  which  were  so  hot 


that  it  was  set  on  fire  and  quickly  consumed. 
Another  scaffold  was  promptly  raised,  and  the 
building  that  followed  still  stands  as  a  monument 
to  the  pluck  of  a  typical  Chicagoan. 

Mr.  Ott  has  been  prominently  identified  with 
the  building  interests  of  Chicago  many  years  and 
is  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  that  line  of 
business.  He  was  born  in  Holstein,  Germany, 
on  the  30th  of  August,  1840,  and  is  a  son  of 
Peter  and  Dorothy  Ott,  both  of  whom  died  in  the 
Fatherland. 

After  leaving  school,  where  he  received  an 
excellent  education,  John  Ott  learned  the  trade 
of  carpenter  and  followed  it  until  April,  1863, 


C.  F.   GRIINER. 


595 


when  he  sailed  from  Hamburg  on  the  clipper 
ship,  "John  Bertram."  Fifty-three  days  later 
he  landed  in  New  York,  after  a  stormy  passage. 
With  the  same  farsightedness  that  he  subse- 
quently displayed  in  business,  he  selected  Chi- 
cago as  the  city  offering  the  greatest  induce- 
ments to  the  honest  young  man  who  wanted  to 
cut  out  his  own  fortune,  and  came  here  direct. 

At  the  end  of  five  years,  during  which  time  he 
worked  on  a  salary,  he  had  saved  up  enough 
money  to  go  into  business  for  himself,  and  hung 
out  his  sign  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  He  was 
successful  from  the  first  and  the  fidelity  with 
which  he  executed  all  his  trusts  laid  the  foun- 
dation for  a  valuable  and  enviable  reputation. 
He  was  kept  very  busy  after  the  fire  of  1871, 
and  in  that  and  the  succeeding  four  years  built 
many  residences  and  business  blocks  in  all  parts 
of  the  city.  In  1874  he  started  a  lumber  yard 
on  the  north  branch  of  the  Chicago  River,  at  the 
foot  of  Lessing  Street,  two  blocks  west  of  Halsted 
Street,  which  is  now  conducted  under  the  name 
of  the  Ott  Lumber  Company. 

In  1896,  after  a  successful  career  of  spotless  in- 


tegrity, Mr.  Ott  laid  aside  the  cares  of  active 
business  life,  and  retired  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his 
labor.  In  1883  he  returned  to  Germany  and 
spent  three  months  visiting  the  scenes  of  his  boy- 
hood days.  He  has  always  manifested  a  keen 
interest  in  public  affairs,  and  has  shown  his  sin- 
cerity and  unselfishness  by  never  seeking  office  of 
any  kind.  In  national  politics  he  supports  the 
Republican  party,  but  in  local  affairs  he  is  for 
good  government,  regardless  of  party. 

Mr.  Ott  is  a  member  of  Goethe  Lodge  No. 
329,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  to  which 
he  has  belonged  twenty-eight  years.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  Humboldt  Encampment  No.  101, 
of  the  same  order,  and  of  Teutonic  Maennerchor. 
June  5,  1864,  Mr.  Ott  married  Miss  Fredericka 
Hock,  and  they  have  five  children,  namely: 
Mary,  wife  of  William  A.  Boettiger,  who  is  em- 
ployed by  Marshall  Field  &  Company,  and  re- 
sides in  Hinsdale;  John  F.,  Herman  A.;  Dora, 
whose  husband,  Adam  Boettiger,  is  with  the 
Union  Trust  Company;  and  Bertha.  The  family 
has  long  been  identified  with  St.  Peter's  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church. 


CHRISTIAN  F.  GRIINER. 


eHRISTIAN  FREDERICK  GRIINER, 
M.  D.  C.  Man's  wonderful  ability  in  over- 
coming natural  obstacles  and  carrying  on 
trade  has  been  greatly  increased  by  the  use  of 
animals,  and  especiall}'  the  horse.  The  connec- 
tion of  that  noble  animal  with  the  history  of  men 
and  nations  is  well  known,  and,  though  steam 
and  electricity  have  lowered  his  pride,  the  horse 
is  still  an  important  element  in  the  business  and 
pleasure  of  man.  Therefore,  one  who  puts  forth 
his  effort  to  increase  the  comfort  and  utility  of 
the  horse  follows  a  dignified  and  necessary  call- 
ing. Such  is  the  business  of  the  man  whose 


name  heads  this  article,  for  he  has  advanced  in 
this  line  from  the  work  of  shoeing  the  horse  to 
attending  to  the  animal's  diseases  in  a  scientific 
manner. 

He  was  born  in  Denmark,  May  10,  1866,  and 
spent  his  school  days  and  early  boyhood  near  the 
place  of  his  birth.  His  parents  being  poor  he 
was  obliged  to  earn  his  own  living,  and  conse- 
quently began  life  as  a  blacksmith.  For  lack  of 
opportunities  he  might  have  continued  in  this 
calling  if  he  had  remained  in  his  native  land,  but 
he  resolved  to  seek  greater  advantages  in  Amer- 
ica. In  1886  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  located 


596 


A.  T.  LINDBERG. 


in  Waukesha,  Wisconsin,  where  he  commenced 
learning  the  English  language  and  worked  as  a 
horseshoer.  In  this  work  he  became  very  skillful 
and  took  pride  in  his  knowledge  of  the  hoof  of 
the  horse  and  its  needs.  After  two  years  at  this 
location  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  con- 
tinued the  same  work.  Here  he  had  excellent 
opportunities  for  observation,  and  gained  a  repu- 
tation for  careful,  intelligent  work. 

In  1889  he  opened  a  shop  of  his  own  at  No.  88 1 
West  North  Avenue,  and  soon  secured  a  large 
patronage  among  those  who  required  expert  work 
in  his  line.  Two  years  later  he  built  his  present 
shop  and  residence  at  No.  792  West  North  Ave- 
nue. His  large  experience  has  made  him  famil- 
iar with  the  symptoms  and  treatment  of  many  of 
the  diseases  peculiar  to  horses,  and  he  decided 
to  add  to  this  knowledge  by  a  scientific  study  of 
veterinary  surgery.  He  accordingly  took  a 
course  in  the  Chicago  Veterinary  College,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1897.  Since  that 


time  he  has  practiced  in  his  profession  and  has 
conducted  a  veterinary  hospital  at  the  above 
number.  He  has  also  kept  up  his  horseshoeing 
establishment,  where  he  employs  the  most  skilled 
workmen  to  be  obtained.  Thus  he  has  attained 
a  laudable  ambition  and,  though  he  began  life  in 
his  adopted  country  without  capital,  he  has  accu- 
mulated property  which  places  him  beyond  the 
reach  of  want.  As  he  is  just  entering  the  prime 
of  life  a  bright  future  is  before  him,  which,  if  he 
but  pursues  the  same  course  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed in  the  past,  will  be  crowned  with  success. 
In  1893  Mr.  Griiner  was  married  to  Miss  Caro- 
line Schneider,  and  their  union  has  been  blessed 
by  the  birth  of  one  son,  Arthur,  born  January 
19,  1897.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  belongs  to 
Garden  City  Lodge  No.  141,  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Royal  League,  the  Royal  Arcanum  and  the  State 
and  City  Veterinary  Associations.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat. 


AXEL  T.  LINDBERG. 


Gl  XEL  THEODORE  LINDBERG,  who  car- 
Li  ries  on  an  undertaking  business  at  No. 
/  I  261  Grand  Avenue,  is  an  enterprising  man 
who  has  resided  in  Chicago  nearly  a  third  of  a 
century.  He  was  born  in  the  southern  part  of  Swe- 
den, July  13,  1849,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Lena 
Lindberg,  who  came  to  America  about  1864. 
They  had  four  sons  and  four  daughters,  namely : 
August,  who  is  in  the  employ  of  Marshall  Field 
&  Company;  Christina,  wife  of  Carl  Lindahl; 
Axel  T. ,  of  this  article;  Charles,  also  with  Mar- 
shall Field  &  Company;  Emma;  Fred,  who  is  in 
business  at  the  corner  of  State  and  Illinois  Streets; 
and  Tillie,  deceased.  The  father  died  in  Cook 
County  about  1878,  and  the  mother  passed  away 
in  Chicago  in  1882. 


A.  T.  Lindberg  was  reared  to  farm  life  and 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  land. 
He  came  to  America  in  1868,  being  the  last  of  the 
family  to  emigrate,  and  came  directly  to  Chicago 
to  join  his  parents.  Soon  after  his  arrival  he 
entered  the  wholesale  house  of  Marshall  Field  & 
Company,  as  a  porter,  but  was  soon  taken  into 
Henry  Field's  office  as  a  clerk.  Active,  ener- 
getic, capable  and  prompt  in  the  discharge  of 
every  duty,  he  was  promoted  from  time  to  time 
until  he  became  one  of  the  most  successful  sales- 
men in  the  employ  of  the  firm,  and  remained 
with  them  nearly  seventeen  years. 

In  1884  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Segersten  in  the  undertaking  business,  at  No. 
121  East  Chicago  Avenue.  This  connection  con- 


T.  F.  STOFFREGEN. 


597 


tinued  a  year  and  one-half,  when  the  partnership 
was  dissolved  and  Mr.  Lindberg  started  his 
present  business,  which  he  has  since  conducted 
with  gratifying  success.  Mr.  Lindberg  supports 
the  candidates  of  the  Republican  part}'  in  national 
elections,  but  acts  independently  in  local  affairs. 
In  1875  he  married  Miss  Julia  Severson,  of 
Stoughton,  Wisconsin.  In  social  and  fraternal 
societies  he  takes  a  lively  interest,  being  a  mem- 


ber of  the  Masonic  Order,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Chosen  Friends.  Mr.  Lindberg  is  not  a  num- 
ber of  any  religious  organization,  but  is  a  man  of 
good  morals  and  exemplary  habits,  and  con- 
tributes liberally  of  his  means  to  the  support  of 
the  different  churches  in  his  vicinity,  and  freely 
gives  his  influence  in  support  of  every  worthy 
enterprise. 


THEODORE  F.  STOFFREGEN. 


'HEODORE  FREDERICK  STOFFREGEN 

one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  and 
business  men  in  the  vicinity  in  which  he 
resides,  was  born  June  7,  1864,  in  Hanover, 
Germany.  His  parents  were  Henry  and  Augusta 
(Mertens)  StofFregen.  Henry  Stoffregen  was 
born  January  i,  1824,  and  died  in  the  spring  of 
the  year  1867. 

He  was  a  cloth  weaver  by  occupation  and  mar- 
ried for  his  first  wife  Louisa  Mertens,  and  his 
children  were  named:  Augusta,  born  July  9, 
1851;  William,  who  still  remains  in  Germany; 
and  John,  who  lives  at  No.  6208  Morgan  Street, 
Chicago.  John  Stoffregen  came  to  America  in 
1865,  and  located  in  Chicago.  His  uncle,  August 
Stoffregen,  had  located  here  twenty-five  years 
before. 

In  1852  Henry  Stoffregeu  married  Augusta 
Mertens  for  his  second  wife,  a  young  lady  who 
was  no  relation  of  his  first  wife,  though  of  the 
same  name.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Frederick 
and  Doretta  Mertens,  and  was  bom  December  15, 
1832,  in  Osteroda.  Her  paternal  grandfather 
was  William  Mertens,  who  had  three  children : 
Frederick,  Louisa  and  one  other  whose  name  is 
not  recorded.  Mrs.  Stoffregen  and  her  step- 
daughter, Augusta,  and  Theodore,  who  was  then 
but  three  years  of  age,  reached  Chicago  July  i, 


1867.  She  had  but  little  money  and  immediately 
began  to  seek  employment  to  support  herself  and 
family.  She  conducted  a  boarding  house  seven 
years  at  the  corner  of  Thirty-ninth  Street  ana 
Wentworth  Avenue,  and  subsequently  went  to 
live  with  her  son,  and  still  makes  her  home  with 
him. 

Theodore  F.  Stoffregen  attended  the  Springer 
School,  where  he  graduated,  and  night  sessions 
of  Bryant  &  Stratton's  Business  College.  He 
began  to  work  for  P.  D.  Armour  at  the  Stock 
Yards,  as  cash  boy,  and  later  began  to  cut  medt. 
He  continued  thus  occupied  seven  years  in  the 
retail  department,  and  the  same  length  of  time 
in  the  wholesale  department.  He  then  ventured 
into  business  for  his  own  interests,  and  located 
at  No.  3908  Wentworth  Avenue,  keeping  a  meat 
market.  After  three  years  he  sold  out  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Calumet  Canning  Com- 
pany, at  the  southwest  corner  of  Canal  and 
Jackson  Streets,  filling  the  position  of  shipping 
clerk  three  months.  He  subsequently  entered 
business  with  John  Ramm,  the  firm  name  becom- 
ing Stoffregen  &  Company,  located  at  No.  3858 
Wentworth  Avenue.  He  remained  at  this  loca- 
tion in  the  business  of  selling  meat  two  years 
before  he  embarked  in  the  same  business  at  No. 
6708  State  Street.  In  1892  he  divided  the  busi- 


CHARLES  MEISTER. 


ness,  retaining  his  shop  on  State  Street.  He 
purchased  property  at  Nos.  6718-6720  State 
Street  and  erected  a  building  on  the  ground, 
conducting  a  like  business  at  this  number,  and 
in  1898  built  at  No.  6718,  having  made  the  pur- 
chase in  1897.  He  now  has  both  places  occupied 
by  his  store,  and  conducts  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful and  extensive  grocery  stores  and  meat 
markets  in  East  Englewood. 

Mr.  Stoffregen  was  married  March  n,  1891, 
to  Minnie  Otto,  daughter  of  Edward  and  Elizabeth 
(Arnold)  Otto.  She  was  born  on  Harrison 
Street,  near  State  Street,  March  4,  1864.  Her 
father  resides  at  No.  7030  Rhodes  Avenue.  Mrs. 
Stoffregen  is  the  mother  of  three  children.  Theo- 
dore Edward  was  born  January  2,  1892,  died  No- 
vember 27,  1892;  Alma  Roberta  was  born  July 
22,  1894;  and  Irene  Augusta,  January  9,  1897. 

Mr.  Stoffregen  was  made  a  Mason  in  Waldeck 
Lodge  No.  674.  He  is  also  connected  with  Acme 
Tent,  Knights  of  the  Maccabees;  and  Court 
Conklin  No.  162,  Independent  Order  of  Forest- 


ers. He  is  a  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church,  and  is  independent  in  his  political  views. 
Although  of  foreign  birth,  Mr.  Stoffregen  was 
brought  to  America  when  so  young  that  he  is  in 
all  essential  respects  an  American.  He  is  very 
loyal  to  the  interests  of  his  adopted  country,  has 
a  good  business  established,  and  is  on  the  rapid 
road  to  success.  He  is  a  man  of  pleasing  address, 
which  he  inherits  from  his  mother,  who  is  a 
lady  of  extraordinary  strength  of  character  and 
bravery  of  heart.  She  emigrated  from  her  native 
land  with  but  little  of  this  world's  goods,  and 
three  children  to  care  for,  the  youngest — the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  article — scarce  out  of 
arms.  She  did  what  she  could  that  her  children 
might  be  given  the  advantages  of  life  in  the  New 
World,  and  it  is  no  more  than  just  to  say  that  in 
her  old  age,  the  evening  of  her  life,  she  is  amply 
repaid  in  seeing  three  of  her  children  more  than 
prosperous  and  an  honor  to  her  and  themselves 
as  well  as  the  world  at  large.  She  will  have  a 
happy  home  as  long  as  she  is  spared  to  them. 


CHARLES  MEISTER. 


EHARLES  MEISTER,  who  died  at  his  home 
No.  142  Fry  Street,  January  15,  1899,  after 
an  illness  of  but  a  few  hours,  was  a  builder 
and  contractor  in   Chicago  nearly   forty  years. 
He  was  born  in  Schwarzburg,   Sunderschausen, 
Germany,   July   25,    1824.      His  parents  were 
William  and   Dorothy    Meister,  both  of  whom 
died  in  Germany. 

Charles  Meister  learned  the  business  of  a  stone 
and  brick  mason  in  the  Fatherland,  and  became 
proficient  in  every  detail  of  the  trade.  In  1850 
he  married  Miss  Augusta  Doll,  a  native  of  the 
same  place  as  himself,  and  in  1854  they  came 
to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Chicago, 
where  for  three  years  he  worked  at  his  trade  for 


wages.  In  the  year  1857  ne  began  taking  con- 
tracts for  building  on  his  own  account.  He  car- 
ried on  a  successful  business  for  many  years,  and 
built  numerous  residences  and  business  places, 
and  at  times  furnished  work  for  large  numbers  of 
skilled  mechanics  and  laborers.  His  operations 
along  this  line  continued  up  to  1896,  when,  hav- 
ing accumulated  a  comfortable  competence,  he 
retired  from  active  work  and  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Louis  Meister. 

From  the  time  he  came  to  the  city  he  lived  in 
the  Sixteenth  Ward,  and  during  his  long  resi- 
dence and  successful  business  career  in  Chicago, 
made  many  warm  friends.  He  enjoyed  the  con- 
fidence and  respect  of  all  with  whom  business  or 


WILLIAM  SENGER. 


599 


social  relations  brought  him  in  contact.  His  was 
a  quiet  but  industrious  and  unostentatious  life  of 
usefulness,  and  in  his  demise  the  community  lost 
a  good  citizen. 

In  social  orders  he  took  especial  interest,  as  he 
was  many  years  a  member  of  Goethe  Lodge  No. 
329,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of 
Humboldt  Encampment  No.  101,  of  the  same 


fraternity,  and  also  of  the  Sons  of  Herman.  He 
leaves  a  widow,  who  was  his  faithful  companion 
nearly  half  a  century,  and  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  Oscar,  Louis  and  Emma.  The  latter 
is  the  wife  of  Swan  Swanson.  The  first  was  born 
in  Germany  and  the  last  two  in  Chicago.  All 
are  members  of  St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  and  respected  members  of  society. 


WILLIAM  SENGER. 


(DQlLLIAM  SENGER  belongs  to  that  class  of 
\ A/  (^ennan  People  who  adopt  the  United 
V  Y  States  as  their  home  and  prosper  as  many 
Americans  cannot  do.  They  possess  that  stamina 
and  stability  of  character  that  persevere  in  spite 
of  all  obstacles.  Born  September  20,  1846,  in  the 
village  of  Jenkendorf,  Posen,  Prussia,  he  is  a  son 
Ludwig  and  Louisa  (Jans)  Senger.  He  reached 
Chicago  November  26,  1869,  and  although  he 
cherishes  a  fond  memory  of  his  native  country, 
is  loyal  to  the  interests  of  his  adopted  country 
and  its  people. 

He  entered  the  employ  of  the  Lake  Shore  & 
Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company,  first  on 
track  work,  and  for  thirty  years  has  been  a  valu- 
able servant  of  this  corporation.  He  has  worked 
his  way  upward  until  he  now  occupies  a  position 
of  trust.  For  six  years  he  was  in  the  same  place 
and  was  then  made  section  foreman,  covering  the 
tracks  from  the  crossing  at  Forty-third  Street  to 
the  one  at  Twenty-second,  including  the  yard. 
After  filling  this  station  five  years,  he  was  given 
charge  of  the  tracks  from  Forty;  third  Street  to 
Englewood,  which  was  in  his  care  three  years, 
and  in  1881  he  was  made  a  clerk  in  the  road- 
master's  office.  He  was  subsequently  made 
assistant  road  master  and  fills  that  position  at 
present. 


In  1887  Mr.  Senger  purchased  his  residence  at 
No.  5920  La  Salle  Avenue,  and  has  since  resided 
there.  He  erected  a  house  at  No.  4043  Armour 
Avenue  in  1872,  and  lived  there  until  he  moved 
into  his  present  home,  and  now  rents  the  house 
on  Armour  Avenue.  He  was  first  married  in 
1869,  to  Miss  Louisa  Radtke,  daughter  of  Lud- 
wig Radtke.  Mrs.  Senger  was  born  February 
29,  1852,  in  the  same  village  as  her  husband,  and 
came  to  America  in  1869.  She  died  May  24, 
1879,  deeply  mourned  by  family  and  friends,  and 
her  remains  were  interred  in  Oakwoods  Cemetery. 
She  had  four  children,  who  are  thus  mentioned: 
John  William,  born  January  5,  1871,  married 
Harriet  Soylon,  March  20,  1892.  He  is  a  clerk 
in  the  service  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railroad  Company,  at  its  shops  at 
the  corner  of  Sixty-third  and  State  Streets.  His 
children  were  named:  Harriet;  Robert,  who  died 
at  the  age  of  three  months;  and  Nellie.  Karl 
August,  the  second  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Senger,  was  born  February  28,  1873,  and  is 
following  the  trade  of  a  carpenter.  Emma  Louisa, 
born  July  23,  1875,  married  August  Huntstein, 
a  laundryman,  and  resides  No.  4618  State  Street. 
Louis  Frederick,  born  February  14,  1877,  re- 
sides with  his  father. 

For  his  second  wife  Mr.   Senger  married  Miss 


6oo 


J.  S.  BIELFELDT. 


Louisa,  daughter  of  Frederick  Shweppe,  Decem- 
ber 20,  1884.  Mrs.  Senger  died  December  8, 
1893,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years,  her  remains 
being  interred  in  Oakwoods  Cemetery.  She  had 
three  children:  George  Frederick,  born  January 
17,  1885;  Charles  Gustav,  December  9,  1887;  and 
Elizabeth  Annie,  March  12,  1889. 

May  26,  1895,  Mr.  Senger  was  married  to  Miss 
Emily  Othelia,  daughter  of  Christoph  and  Bertha 
(Pipher)  Erdman.  Mrs.  Senger  was  born  in 
Posen,  Prussia,  Germany,  January  23,  1870,  and 


came  to  America  in  1891.  Her  children  are: 
Helen  Augusta,  born  January  31,  1896,  and 
Adolph  Albert,  October  25,  1897.  Mr.  Senger  is 
a  stanch  Republican,  and  comes  of  a  Protestant 
family.  He  is  one  of  the  prosperous  German- 
born  citizens  who  help  to  make  up  the  better 
part  of  our  city.  He  has  been  faithful  to  the 
trust  reposed  in  him,  and  came  near  losing  his 
life  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  sustaining 
serious  injuries,  whose  effects  remain  to  the  pres- 
ent time,  and  was  for  a  time  unable  to  be  about. 


JOHN  S.  BIELFELDT. 


flOHN  SIMON  BIELFELDT,  who  comes  of 
I  a  very  old  and  respected  family,  is  the  most 
(~)  prominent  citizen  of  Thornton,  Illinois, 
which  town  was  insignificant  until  the  family  of 
Bielfeldt  located  there,  and  the  name  Thornton  is 
associated  with  the  large  breweries  owned  by  the 
man  whose  name  heads  this  article.  He  was  born 
January  26,  1834,  in  the  town  of  Hemme,  Hoi- 
stein,  Germany,  and  is  a  type  of  the  popular 
German- American  citizen  who  has  adopted  this 
country  for  his  home.  His  parents  were  Simon 
and  Katharine  (Paulson)  Bielfeldt,  and  his  father 
possesses  many  of  the  energetic  and  sterling 
qualities  which  he  inherits. 

The  great-grandfather  of  John  Simon  Biel- 
feldt, Henry  Bielfeldt,  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and 
lived  to  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  He  had 
two  sons,  Henry  and  Simon,  and  three  daugh- 
ters. The  maternal  great-grandfather  was  John 
Peters,  who  lived  to  the  advanced  age  of  ninety 
years.  He  had  four  children:  John,  Cornelius, 
Katharine  and  one  other  whose  name  is  not 
recorded.  J.  S.  Bielfeldt's  maternal  grandfather 
was  a  carpenter  and  joiner  and  died  in  1826,  at 
the  age  of  fifty  years.  His  wife  died  in  1851, 
aged  eighty-eight  years.  Her  children  by  Mr. 


Paulson  were:  Hermann,  Simon,  Henry,  Kath- 
arine and  Elizabeth.  He  was  twice  married,  this 
being  his  second  wife. 

Simon  Bielfeldt,  father  of  the  subject,  was  born 
May  i,  1810,  a  son  of  Simon  and  Katrina  (Peters) 
Bielfeldt,  in  the  province  of  Schleswig,  Germany. 
He  learned  several  trades,  but  followed  that  of 
carpenter  and  wagon-maker  after  locating  in 
America.  He  was  married  in  October,  1831,  to 
Miss  Katharine  Paulson,  daughter  of  John  Paul- 
son. Mrs.  Bielfeldt  was  born  in  1803  and  her 
children  were:  John  Simon,  Frederick,  Katharine, 
Elizabeth,  and  three  others.  With  their  chil- 
dren, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bielfeldt  emigrated  from 
their  native  land  in  1851,  and  located  in  Blue 
Island,  where  they  remained  one  year.  They 
subsequently  removed  to  Homewood,  where  they 
conducted  a  hotel  two  years. 

In  1857  John  Simon  Bielfeldt,  the  son  of  Simon 
Bielfeldt,  and  the  oldest  of  his  father's  children, 
located  in  Thornton  and  erected  a  brewery,  and 
started  in  business  in  1858,  with  a  ten  barrel 
kettle.  In  1876  he  built  the  building  which  is 
on  the  site  at  the  present  time  and  began  a  twen- 
ty barrel  business.  In  1895  he  was  enabled  to 
place  a  fifty  barrel  kettle,  and  in  1896  put  up  an 


JAMES  SKALLERUP. 


60 1 


ice  plant,  having  increased  the  size  of  the  brew- 
ery the  previous  year.  He  is  doing  a  thriving 
business,  the  market  being  in  the  surrounding 
towns,  mostly  in  Blue  Island,  Lansing,  Hege- 
wisch,  Thornton  and  other  towns. 

In  1876  he  erected  a  residence,  and  also  owns 
property  on  Bowen  Avenue  and  on  Thirty-eighth 
Street,  near  Langley  Avenue.  He  also  possesses 
residence  property  on  South  Chicago  Avenue, 
near  One  Hundred  and  Second  Street,  and  in 
Chicago  Heights.  January  26,  1858,  Mr.  Biel- 
feldt  was  married  to  Miss  Criscentia,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Elizabeth  Ladoux.  She  was  born 
September  13,  1835,  in  Canton  Berne,  Switzer- 
land. Her  death  occurred  August  14,  1895. 

Ten  children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Biel- 
feldt.  Elizabeth  was  born  February  18,  1859, 
and  resides  with  her  husband,  Henry  Templin, 
in  Thornton.  Of  William  Simon  further  mention 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Frederick 
Joseph,  born  May  22,  1863,  married  Minnie  Mil- 


ler and  resides  at  Homewood.  Emma  died  at  the 
age  of  nine  months,  and  Tena  was  born  Novem- 
ber 27,  1866.  John  Bernhardt,  born  October  13, 
1868,  resides  at  home  with  his  parents.  Edward 
died  at  the  age  of  three'years.  Dorothea  Char- 
lotte, born  January  12,  1873,  married  Rudolph 
Schreiber,  a  machinist,  and  lives  at  Roseland. 
Amelia  Mary  was  born  May  15,  1876,  and 
Francis,  August  19,  1878. 

Mr.  Bielfeldtis  a  Republican,  and  was  honored 
one  term  with  a  seat  in  the  Legislature,  but  find- 
ing it  took  too  much  of  his  time,  he  declined  to 
serve  another  term.  This  was  in  1877,  and  he 
was  on  Committees  on  Roads,  Bridges  and  License. 
His  ancestors  were  German  Lutheran.  The  town 
of  Thornton  was  settled  in  1834,  and  as  has  been 
stated,  amounted  to  next  to  nothing  until  the 
family  of  Bielfeldt  settled  there.  The  brewery 
has  increased  the  business  of  the  section  and  the 
most  of  its  growth  has  been  during  the  past  two 
3rears. 


JAMES  SKALLERUP. 


(I  AMES  SKALLERUP,  who  has  made  a  repu- 
I  tation  for  excellent  business  methods  and 
Qj  stong  personal  qualities  in  the  city  of  his 
adoption,  was  born  nearThisted,  Denmark,  Janu- 
ary 4,  1858.  He  is  a  son  of  Christian  Nielsen 
and  Anna  (Jens-daughter)  Skallerup.  The 
parents  of  Christian  N.  Skallerup  were  natives  of 
the  village  of  Skallerup,  and  when  the  father 
entered  the  Danish  army  he  was  given  the  cog- 
nomen of  Skallerup  as  a  surname.  Christian  N. 
and  Anna  Skallerup  emigrated  to  America  in 
1869,  with  their  family  of  seven  children.  The 
two  youngest  died  soon  after  their  arrival,  a  son 
Otto,  aged  three  years,  and  a  daughter,  Karen, 
aged  one  year.  The  other  five  children  are  still 
living.  Niels  resides  in  Chicago;  Mary  is  the 


wife  of  Charles  K.  Foster,  of  Colesburg,  Iowa; 
James  is  the  next  in  order  of  birth;  and  Christ  H. 
and  James  Peter  are  in  the  commission  business 
in  South  Water  Street,  Chicago.  The  mother  of 
this  family  died  in  1894  in  Pine  River,  Waushara 
County,  Wisconsin,  and  in  spite  of  his  advanced 
age  of  seventy -four  years  the  father  is  now  en- 
gaged in  buying  and  shipping  produce  at  Sey- 
mour, Wisconsin. 

James  Skallerup  resided  on  the  farm  operated 
by  his  father  until  the  family  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica. He  attended  school  three  years  and  learned 
the  elements  of  the  language  of  his  native  land. 
At  the  age  of  ten  years  he  found  himself  in  the 
rapidly  developing  city  of  Chicago,  which  was  to 
be  the  scene  of  his  future  activities.  He  was 


602 


WILLIAM  CAREER. 


able  to  supplement  his  education  with  a  few 
months  in  the  public  school  located  at  the  corner 
of  Harrison  and  Halsted  Streets.  At  the  age  of 
twelve  years  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  cigar  maker, 
and  subsequently  worked  eighteen  years  as  a 
journeyman.  So  well  did  he  attend  to  the  busi- 
ness which  he  had  chosen  that  he  became  very 
proficient  in  his  art  and  when,  in  1890,  the  Daily 
News  offered  a  medal  in  a  contest  given  at  Far- 
well's  Hall,  Mr.  Skallerup  won  the  prize  as  the 
speediest  workman. 

In  1890  he  launched  into  business  for  himself, 
at  No.  869  North  Whipple  Street,  where  he  has 
built  up  a  successful  trade.  He  erected  a  con- 
venient factory  at  the  above  number,  and  has 
made  a  reputation  as  a  careful  manager.  His 
best  known  brand  is  "The  Expert." 

The  subject  of  this  notice  has  taken  an  earnest 
interest  in  all  affairs  affecting  the  laboring  classes 
and  has  been  for  many  years  influential  in  labor 
unions.  He  is  a  stirring  member  of  the  Cigar 
Makers'  Union,  which  he  has  served  as  treasurer 
and  president.  In  1889  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
International  Cigar  Makers'  Convention  at  New 
York,  and  again  in  1891  at  Indianapolis.  In 
1890  he  was  president  of  the  Chicago  Trade  and 
Labor  Assembly,  which  comprises  sixty-eight 
local  unions,  and  served  as  grand  marshal  of  the 
Labor  Day  parade  of  that  year.  In  1891  he  was 


honored  by  the  Cigar  Makers'  International  Union 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada  with  the  office  of 
fourth  vice-president. 

The  same  qualities  which  have  made  Mr. 
Skallerup  a  leader  among  his  associates  in  labor 
circles  have  won  for  him  the  respect  of  his  fellow- 
citizens  of  all  classes.  Early  in  life  he  became 
affiliated  with  the  Republican  party  and  has  used 
his  customary  energy  in  working  for  the  success 
of  his  principles.  In  1891  he  was  elected  by  his 
party  to  the  office  of  county  commissioner  and 
filled  the  post  with  such  credit  that  he  was  given 
the  nomination  again  the  next  year,  only  to  meet 
defeat  with  many  others  in  the  Democratic  vic- 
tory of  that  year.  He  is  ready  in  the  expression 
of  his  views  and  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Northwest  Debating  and  Improvement  Club. 
He  is  a  member  of  other  societies,  including  the 
Valhalla  Society,  the  largest  Danish  society  in 
America;  Dagmar  Lodge  No.  446,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  of  which  he  is  past  chancellor;  and  the 
North  American  Union,  a  fraternal  insurance 
society. 

October  i,  1880,  Mr.  Skallerup  was  married  to 
Miss  Midde  Jensen,  one  of  twin  sisters  born 
in  Abenrade,  Schleswig,  Germany.  This  union 
has  been  blessed  with  six  children,  of  whom  the 
three  youngest,  Harry  W. ,  Walter  T.  and  Otto 
R.,  are  living. 


WILLIAM  CAREER. 


|ILLIAM  CAREER,  the  leading  merchant 
of  the  village  of  Lyons,  is  a  native  of  Buf- 
falo, New  York,  born  on  the  first  day  of  the 
year  1848.  His  parents,  Christian  and  Lucy  J. 
(Raber)  Garber,  were  natives  of  Switzerland, 
who  emigrated  to  America  previous  to  1830  and 
settled  in  Buffalo.  The  father  was  a  tanner  by 
trade,  and  engaged  in  the  business  of  making 


leather  at  Buffalo,  where  both  he  and  his  wife 
ended  their  days.  Their  children  were  named: 
Frank  G.,  John  J.,  Christian  C.,  Eliza  (now  Mrs. 
F.  Trankle)  and  William. 

The  last-named  was  but  four  years  old  when 
his  parents  were  taken  away.  He  came  to 
Chicago  at  the  age  of  eleven  years,  in  1859.  He 
busied  himself  at  various  employments,  such  as 


ANDERS  LAURSEN. 


603 


a  boy  might  undertake,  and  supported  himself 
from  his  arrival  in  this  city.  From  1860  to  1865 
he  worked  in  a  grocery  store,  and  for  the  next 
six  years  served  the  interests  of  the  American 
Express  Company. 

From  1871  to  1892  he  was  employed  as  travel- 
ing salesman  by  Sherman  S.  Jewett  &  Company, 
among  the  largest  manufacturers  of  stoves  in  the 
country.  This  long  term  in  the  service  of  one 
concern  proves  the  sterling  nature  of  his  charac- 
ter, as  well  as  his  integrity  and  industry.  In  the 
fall  of  1892  he  embarked  in  business  for  himself 
at  Lyons,  opening  at  that  time  a  general  store, 
which  he  has  since  conducted  successfully.  The 
same  qualities  which  have  enabled  him  to  serve 
others  faithfully  have  contributed  to  his  own  suc- 
cess, and  he  is  recognized  as  a  factor  in  the  busi- 
ness community. 


November  14,  1886,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Jennie,  daughter  of  Ambrose  D.  and  Martha 
(Wiley)  Hayward,  of  Chicago,  formerly  of  Massa- 
chusetts. They  settled  in  Chicago  in  1856.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Garber  are  named,  in 
order  of  birth:  Irene,  William,  George,  Ethel 
and  Edna — the  last  two  being  twins. 

Mr.  Garber  is  an  active  and  useful  member  of 
the  Masonic  brotherhood.  He  has  always  taken 
an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs,  and  has 
wielded  considerable  influence  in  the  local  coun- 
cils of  the  Republican  party.  Though  he  has 
never  sought  official  honors  for  himself,  he  has 
helped  many  others  to  attain  success  politically. 
In  the  way  of  performing  his  duty  toward  his  fel- 
low-townsmen, he  has  accepted  and  filled  the  po- 
sitions of  village  trustee  and  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  in  Lyons. 


ANDERS  LAURSEN. 


G|  NDERS  LAURSEN,  who  adopted  Chicago 
LJ  as  his  home  over  thirty  years  ago,  was  born 
|  I  in  Denmark  February  12,  1840.  In  his 
native  land  he  learned  the  trade  of  tailor,  and 
later  spent  two  and  one-half  years  in  the  Danish 
army.  He  was  subsequently  a  revenue  officer 
for  a  term  of  three  and  one-half  years.  Like 
many  others  of  his  countrymen,  he  resolved  to 
leave  the  crowded  cities  of  Europe  and  seek  for- 
tune in  the  new  and  roomy  West. 

Therefore,  severing  his  connections  in  Den- 
mark, he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  in  a  few  weeks 
found  himself  in  the  busy  young  city  of  Chicago. 
He  soon  found  employment  at  his  trade,  and  be- 
gan learning  the  language  and  business  customs 
of  the  New  World,  and  in  a  few  years  began  a 
clothing-cutting  business  for  wholesale  clothing 
houses.  In  this  he  found  his  greatest  success,  and 
has  continued  the  work  up  to  the  present  time. 


In  1877  Mr.  Laursen  erected  a  residence  in 
what  is  now  Artesian  Avenue,  and  in  1887  built 
a  fine  three-story  brick  building  at  the  corner  of 
Rockwell  Street  and  West  North  Avenue,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home.  The  lower  floor  is 
occupied  by  a  drug  store,  and  portions  of  the  rest 
are  also  rented.  At  the  time  Mr.  Laursen  located 
there  very  few  buildings  had  been  built  in  that 
section,  the  nearest  house  on  the  north  side  of 
North  Avenue  being  at  California  Avenue. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  first  married  in 
Denmark,  and  to  this  union  was  born  a  son,  who 
was  christened  Loritz  C.  The  latter  resides  with 
his  father,  and  is  engaged  in  the  tea  and  coffee 
business  at  No.  317  East  Division  Street.  Mr. 
Laursen  was  married  a  second  time  January  22, 
1876,  to  Martha  Ericksen,  a  native  of  Sweden. 

Being  a  man  of  rare  social  qualities,  Mr. 
Laursen  is  sought  after  by  all  classes  and,  very 


604 


B.  J.  CIGRAND. 


naturally,  has  become  identified  with  various 
social  and  benevolent  orders.  He  is  a  member  of 
Humboldt  Park  Lodge  No.  658,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  Dania  Lodge  No. 


2665,  Knights  of  Honor.  He  is  president  of  the 
latter,  and  has  held  that  office  once  before.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Danish  Mutual 
Aid  Association,  and  was  its  first  president. 


B.  J.  CIGRAND. 


CIGRAND,  B.  S.,  M.  S.,  D.  D.  S.,  al- 
though still  a  young  man,  has  crowded  into 
his  few  years  of  active  life  more  of  mental 
activity  than  makes  up  the  life  history  of  many 
of  his  fellow-men.  He  was  born  October  i,  1866, 
at  Fredonia,  Wisconsin,  and  it  was  there  he  re- 
ceived his  early  education.  Having  graduated 
from  the  high  school,  he  spent  some  time  on  the 
state  survey — his  share  of  the  work  being  usually 
to  attend  to  the  compass.  With  a  desire  to  help 
himself  to  a  higher  education,  he  in  1882  entered 
the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School  at  Valpa- 
raiso, Indiana,  and,  dividing  his  time  between 
teaching  and  study, finished  his  pedagogical  course 
in  1885.  He  pursued  a  scientific  course  the  next 
year,  receiving  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sciences, 
and  then  taught  four  terms  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  town,  two  of  which  his  principal  subject 
was  German. 

He  had  already  spent  one  year  in  the  study 
of  medicine  preparatory  to  taking  a  course  in 
dental  surgery  at  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal 
School,  and  he  accordingly  entered  the  dental  de- 
partment of  Lake  Forest  University,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  as  valedictorian  of  his  class 
in  1888,  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Dental 
Surgery .  With  a  full  determination  to  thoroughly 
equip  himself  for  his  life  work  he  continued 
his  studies  in  various. institutions;  was  graduated 
from  the  Chicago  School  of  Sciences  in  1891, 
the  Haskell  School  of  Prosthetics  in  1892,  and, 
with  a  view  to  rounding  out  his  mental  develop- 
ment, took  a  non-resident  course  in  Industrial, 


Educational  and  Political  Economy  in  Chicago 
University  in  1892  and  1893. 

During  part  of  this  time  Dr.  Cigrand  was  also 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in 
which  he  met  with  the  success  which  his  educa- 
tional career  seemed  to  foretell.  He  has  since 
greatly  added  to  his  clientage  and  numbers 
among  his  patrons  the  best  citizens  of  his  section. 
He  has  been  located  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  the  city  about  twelve  years,  his  office  being 
at  the  corner  of  North  and  Milwaukee  Avenues. 

Aside  from  his  large  practice  he  has  found 
time  to  devote  to  many  matters  growing  out  of 
his  rank  as  one  of  the  professional  dentists  in  the 
country.  In  1892  he  was  elected  to  the  chair  of 
Prosthetic  Dentistry  in  the  American  College  of 
Dental  Surgery,  and  received  an  additional  pro- 
fessorship in  metallurgy  the  following  year.  He 
was  president  of  the  same  institution  for  several 
years  and  conferred  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S.  on 
upwards  of  three  hundred  students.  He  was 
elected  to  the  chair  of  Dental  Prosthesis  in  North- 
western University  in  1896,  at  which  time  the 
America  College  of  Dental  Surgery  became  con- 
solidated with  the  university. 

It  is  natural  that  a  man  of  his  prominence 
should  be  sought  after  as  a  member  by  various 
organizations  and  he  is  a  valuable  member  of 
several.  Among  them  might  be  mentioned  the 
Illinois  State  Dental  Society,  the  Chicago  Dental 
Society,  the  Odontographic  Society,  the  Hayden 
Dental  Society,  Dental  Protective  Association 
and  the  Columbian  Dental  Club.  He  is  an  hon- 


JOSEPH  WEYER. 


605 


orary  member  of  the  Southwest  Michigan  Dental 
Society  and  of  the  Northwestern  University 
Alumni  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Psi 
Omega  Greek  Letter  Society  of  the  Northwestern 
University,  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  National 
Union,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  was 
formerly  a  state  officer  of  the  Sons  of  America. 
He  was  a  member  and  held  an  official  position  at 
the  Columbian  Dental  Congress,  as  one  of  the 
editorial  staff  of  the  Dental  Review,  and  in  1894 
was  elected  to  membership  in  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Dental  Faculties.  In  1894  he  was 
instrumental  in  organizing  the  Alumni  Associa- 
tion of  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School,  and 
was  its  first  president. 

He  has  been  invited  at  various  times  to  address 
state  dental  gatherings  and  has  always  acquitted 
himself  with  credit.  One  of  the  most  notable  of 
these  conventions  was  the  Dental  Congress  held 
at  Baltimore  in  1898,  and  has  been  a  clinitian 
before  many  dental  conventions. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  has  been  a  very  pro- 
lific writer  on  many  subjects,  and  those  on  den- 
tistry appear  in  the  leading  journals  of  the  profes- 
sion. He  is  the  author  of  a  "Compendium  of 
Dentistry"  and  a  "History  of  Dentistry,"  both  of 
which  are  used  in  dental  colleges.  He  has  served 
as  editor  of  various  periodicals,  dental  and  other- 
wise, among  them  being  the  Chicago  Argus;  the 
Dental  World;  Home,  School  and  Nation;  The 
American  Standard  Magazine;  and  he  is  at  pres- 


ent associate  editor  of  the  standard  dental  publi- 
cation, the  Dental  Digest.  He  has  also  contrib- 
uted numerous  articles  to  periodicals  and  to  the 
Chicago  dailies,  for  which  he  receives  compensa- 
tion. Among  his  other  literary  works  are  "The 
Story  of  the  Great  Seal  of  the  United  States,"  in 
two  volumes, and  containing  seven  hundred  origin- 
al engravings;  "The  Genealogy  of  the  Cigrands," 
and  "Historical  Queries  and  Answers." 

Dr.  Cigrand  possesses  a  commendable  public 
spirit  and  is  especially  interested  in  the  education 
of  the  youth  of  the  country.  He  was  influential 
in  the  organization  of  the  American  Flag  Day 
Association,  of  which  he  was  its  first  secretary  and 
twice  elected  president.  He  has  been  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  011  the  list  of  speakers  appointed  by 
the  Cook  County  Memorial  Society  to  address  the 
pupils  of  the  schools  on  various  patriotic  occasions. 
He  was  also  chosen  on  the  committee  to  award 
Victor  Lawson  Medals  in  the  schools  during  1896, 

1897  and  1898.     On  January  12,  1898,  the  North- 
ern Indiana  Normal  School  conferred  upon  him 
the  honorary  degree   of  Master  of  Science.     In 

1898  he  was  elected  president  of  the  Illinois  Vol- 
unteer Relief  Society,  auxiliary  to  the  Army  and 
Navy  League  of  Chicago. 

In  1889  Dr.  Cigrand  was  married  to  Miss  Allie 
Needham  Crispe,  of  Chicago,  and  is  the  father  of 
three  children:  Bernie,  Joice  and  Elroy.  The 
family  occupies  a  magnificent  residence,  which 
was  erected  in  1898  at  the  northeast  corner  of 
Logan  Square  and  Humboldt  Boulevard. 


JOSEPH  WEYER. 


("JOSEPH  WEYER,  a  promising  young  citizen 

I    of  Chicago,  has  lived  his  entire  life  in  this 

G/  city.      He  was  born  here  July  21,  1869,  and 

comes  of  a  well-known  and  refined  family.     He 

has  received  a  good  education,  and  fully  appre- 


ciates the  advantages  that  have  been  afforded 
him.  For  his  ancestry  refer  to  the  biography  of 
Frederick  Weyer  on  another  page  of  this  work. 
Joseph  Weyer  attended  the  Jones  School  until 
he  was  seventeen  years  of  age,  at  which  time  he 


6o6 


BEN  DUXSON. 


resolved  to  fit  himself  for  a  business  career  and 
was  in  Bryant  &  Stratton's  school  one  year,  tak- 
ing a  course  in  stenography.  He  subsequently 
entered  the  employ  of  the  South  Branch  Lumber 
Company.  Later  Mr.  Weyer  became  private 
secretary  for  W.  Renshaw,  superintendent  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company.  He  proved 
himself  faithful  and  competent,  and  his  services 
have  ever  been  compensated  accordingly. 

Nothing  is  more  conducive  to  the  success  of  a 
young  man  than  a  cheerful,  helpful  life  compan- 
ion, such  as  Mr.  Weyer  was  successful  in  obtain- 
ing. Miss  Alforetta  Skelly,  daughter  of  James 


Skelly,  became  Mrs.  Weyer  May  31,  1894.  She 
was  born  in  Chicago  and  is  the  mother  of  two  in- 
teresting children.  Jeanette  Grace  is  now  two 
and  one-half  years  old  and  Rodney  William  one. 
Mr.  Weyer  is  a  member  of  General  Sherman 
Council,  Royal  League,  and  is  a  stanch  and  loyal 
Republican.  He  is  an  ambitious,  energetic  young 
man  and  deserves  the  success  which  his  efforts 
are  sure  to  bring  him.  His  character  is  honor- 
able and  upright,  and  such  virtues  are  not  to  be 
overlooked,  in  these  times  of  strife  and  jealousy 
among  men.  He  has  many  friends,  as  has  also 
his  worthy  and  refined  wife. 


BEN   DUXSON. 


BEN  DUXSON,  who  is  one  of  the  respected 
and  well-known  citizens  of  the  portion  of 
Chicago  surrounding  his  home,  is  a  valued 
employe  in  the  Stock  Yards.  He  was  born  De- 
cember 29,  1861,  in  Cambridgeshire,  England, 
and  is  a  son  of  James  and  Jane  (West)  Duxson. 
James  Duxson,  with  his  wife  and  four  children, 
came  to  America  twenty-five  years  ago,  in  1874, 
and  located  in  Chicago.  He  was  a  blacksmith 
by  occupation  and  conducted  his  own  shop,  both 
in  his  native  land  and  after  coming  to  America. 
His  two  sons,  Ben  and  William,  engaged  in 
teaming  in  Chicago.  The  former's  name  heads 
this  article  and  a  history  of  the  life  of  the  latter 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The  two  sons 
now  reside  at  the  old  homestead,  at  No.  5916 
State  Street,  which  the  father  erected  in  1883. 
J.  Duxson  died  about  1888,  and  the  mother  is 
also  deceased.  Their  children  were  named:  Ben, 
William,  Sarah  and  Elizabeth. 

Ben  Duxson  carried  on  the  enterprise  of  team- 
ing and  general  hauling,  and  is  now  an  employe 
of  the  Continental  Packing  Company,  at  the 
Union  Stock  Yards,  having  charge  of  the  ice  ma- 


chines. During  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition in  Chicago  he  was  driver  of  Engine  Com- 
pany, No.  i,  of  the  Chicago  Fire  Department. 

He  was  married  November  2,  1881,  to  Miss 
Johanna  Duggan,  who  was  born  in  a  building  at 
the  corner  of  Sixty -fifth  and  State  Streets,  Chi- 
cago. The  house  is  only  a  short  distance  from 
where  she  now  lives.  Her  sister  became  the  wife 
of  the  brother  of  Mr.  Duxson,  William  Duxson, 
and  the  two  families  reside  at  the  old  homestead. 
This  is  an  instance  where  two  brothers  married 
two  sisters  and  the  families  on  both  sides  were 
residents  of  the  same  neighborhood  for  several 
years,  where  the  daughters  were  born. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ben  Duxson  are 
as  follows:  James,  born  December  25,  1882; 
Sarah,  March  2,  1886;  and  Katy,  December  30, 
1889.  The  family  of  Duxson  has  ever  been  a 
highly  respected  and  honored  one,  and  success 
has  followed  the  endeavors,  energy  and  ambition 
which  are  characteristic  of  the  name.  Mr.  Dux- 
son  has  a  pleasant  home,  a  congenial  life  compan- 
ion, and  interesting  children,  who  will  prove  the 
blessing  he  and  his  worthy  wife  deserve. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILUNOI', 


HENRY  NIEMEYER. 


HENRY  NIEMEYER. 


607 


HENRY  NIEMEYER. 


HENRY  NIEMEYER  was  for  many  years 
prominently  connected  with  the  business  in- 
terests of  Chicago.  He  was  born  September 
28,  1825,  close  to  Mariensee,  Hanover,  Germany, 
and  was  the  oldest  son  of  Diedrich  and  Wilhemina 
(Dempwolf)  Niemeyer,  both  of  whom  were 
members  of  old  and  respected  German  families. 
Henry  was  educated  in  the  parochial  school,  and 
on  attaining  the  age  of  fourteen  years  was  con- 
firmed in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 
His  father  was  a  tailor  by  trade  and  after  leaving 
school  Henry  served  a  regular  apprenticeship  with 
him,  and  worked  at  the  trade  of  tailor  until  he 
emigrated  to  America.  In  1847  he  left  his  be- 
loved Fatherland  and  came  to  the  United  States, 
and  after  a  monotonous  and  uneventful  ocean 
voyage  landed  at  New  York.  He  remained  in 
that  city  one  year,  working  at  his  trade.  The 
next  year  he  came  to  Chicago  and  for  some  time 
worked  as  a  journeyman  tailor.  Being  industri- 
ous and  ambitious  to  succeed  in  the  world  he 
carefully  saved  his  earnings,  and  when  he  had  a 
snug  little  sum  on  hand  he  began  business  for 
himself  in  a  small  way.  His  first  venture  was 
keeping  a  fruit  stand,  which  proved  a  profitable 
investment  and  soon  developed  into  a  store. 
Later  he  kept  the  Sailors'  Hotel  on  Water  Street. 
While  thus  employed  he  invested  the  profits  of 
his  business  in  real  estate  on  the  northwest 
corner  of  Canal  and  Fourteenth  Streets,  upon 
which  he  built  a  three-story  building. 

He  opened  a  hotel  there  and  did  a  profit- 
able business  until  his  premises  were  destroyed 
by  fire  in  the  summer  of  1861 ,  meeting  a  total  loss. 
Being  out  of  business  he  decided  to  take  a  few 
months'  vacation,  during  which  time  he  visited 
Germany  and  spent  some  time  in  his  native 


place.  On  his  return  to  Chicago  he  rebuilt,  this 
time  with  stores  for  renting.  In  the  days  of  his 
prosperity  he  had  bought  property  on  Milwaukee 
Avenue  at  the  corner  of  Green  Street.  In  the 
winter  of  1861-62  he  opened  a  hotel  on  that 
property,  continuing  the  business  until  1863, 
when  he  returned  to  Canal  Street,  and  having 
previously  bought  the  lot,  built  on  the  opposite 
corner  from  his  stores,  and  there  followed  the 
same  business  for  a  few  years,  when  he  gave  up 
the  hotel  and  started  a  toy  and  notion  store  and 
did  a  profitable  trade  until  1872,  when  he  gave 
up  business,  moved  to  Englewood,  and  lived  in 
retirement  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  died 
December  8,  1877,  leaving  his  widow  and 
daughter  an  abundance  of  this  world's  goods. 

Mr.  Niemeyer  began  life  a  poor  boy,  in  fact 
on  his  arrival  in  America  was  in  debt  to  a  friend 
for  a  part  of  his  passage  money.  But  by  that  in- 
dustry, characteristic  of  his  nationality,  combined 
with  good  business  ability,  he  won  success  by 
honorable  methods.  Although  he  never  sought 
public  office  of  any  kind,  he  always  took  a  keen 
interest  in  public  affairs  and  was  ever  loyal  to  his 
adopted  country.  He  joined  the  Republican 
party  at  its  organization  and  became  prominent 
in  the  councils  of  the  party  and  not  only  attended 
many  county,  state  and  national  conventions, 
but  spent  much  of  his  time  and  money  to  insure 
the  success  of  the  party.  He  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  "Long  John  Wentworth"  and  had  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  Abraham  Lincoln,  whom 
he  helped  to  nominate  for  the  presidency  in  1860. 

In  social  and  benevolent  orders  he  took  an 
active  part,  having  been  a  member  of  Robert 
Blum  Lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  a  charter  member  of  Hoffuung  Lodge,  of  the 


6o8 


W.  J.  McCORKINDALE. 


same  order,  which  was  organized  through  his 
influence  and  held  in  his  lodge  hall.  In  1853  ^e 
married  Miss  Louise  Tegtemeyer,  by  whom  he 
had  two  children.  Sophia  is  the  wife  of  Theodore 
Hartmann  and  lives  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota, 
and  Frederick  died  in  infancy.  Mrs.  Niemeyer 
died  in  1860.  On  July  8,  1862,  he  married  Miss 


Louise,  daughter  of  Conrad  and  Charlotte 
(Schumacher)  Fromling,  who  was  born  October 
18,  1839,  and  reared  in  the  same  parish  as  himself. 
They  became  the  parents  of  three  children,  all  of 
whom  are  deceased.  Hermina  died  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  years  and  Frederick  and  Christina 
passed  away  in  childhood. 


WILLIAM  J.  McCORKINDALE. 


(DQlLLIAM  JAMES  McCORKINDALE,  su- 
\A/  perintendent  °f  the  Harvey  Transit  Com- 
VV  pany  at  Harvey,  Illinois,  is  a  gentleman 
whose  fitness  for  the  successful  conduct  of  compli- 
cated and  arduous  duties  is  amply  proven.  He  is 
one  of  the  progressive  and  up-to-date  citizens  of 
Harvey,  and  one  whose  judgment  is  widely  ap- 
preciated. It  is  with  pleasure  his  many  friends 
learn  of  his  employers'  determination  to  keep 
him  in  a  position  where  their  best  interests  are 
concerned  and  friends  constantly  gained  for  their 
companies. 

The  Harvey  Transit  Company,  organized  in 
August,  1891 ,  operates  the  water  works,  the  elec- 
tric lighting  system  and  the  street  car  line  to 
West  Harvey.  The  water  works  system  has  been 
kept  abreast  of  the  demands,  now  having  fifteen 
miles  of  mains,  with  one  hundred  and  forty 
hydrants.  The  original  source  of  supply  has 
been  superseded  by  a  system  of  artesian  wells  at 
West  Harvey,  sunk  to  a  depth  of  sixteen  hun- 
dred eight  feet.  The  water  is  raised  by  com- 
pressed air,  which  operates  at  the  same  time  the 
aerating  of  the  water,  thus  liberating  the  obnox- 
ious gases  and  making  the  supply  the  most  desir- 
able for  domestic  use.  Over  twenty-five  thous- 
and dollars  have  been  expended  in  these  later 
improvements.  In  January,  1892,  the  electric 
lighting  plant  was  installed,  so  that  Harvey  has 
ever  been  one  of  the  best  lighted  towns  of  its  size. 


It  has  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  arc  and  thirteen 
hundred  incandescent  lights.  For  six  years  the 
supervision  of  these  plants  has  been  held  by  Mr. 
McCorkindale,  the  number  of  consumers  increas- 
ing during  the  time  from  one  hundred  to  six 
hundred . 

Mr.  McCorkindale  was  born  in  New  Orleans, 
Louisiana,  of  Scotch  parentage.  His  father, 
William  McCorkindale,  is  chief  engineer  of  the 
New  Orleans  Electric-  Light  and  Power  Com- 
pany, the  largest  plant  in  the  south.  Educated 
in  Glasgow,  he  became  a  marine  engineer,  and 
for  twenty-seven  years  had  charge  of  the  engines 
on  various  ocean  vessels.  He  is  well  known  in 
Harvey,  where  he  has  frequently  visited,  and  the 
benefit  of  his  wide  experience  is  somewhat  em- 
bodied in  its  excellent  electric  system. 

William  J.  McCorkindale  spent  considerable 
time  as  a  youth  with  his  father  on  the  ocean  and 
early  became  familiar  with  delicate  and  compli- 
cated machinery.  Educated  in  Tulane  High 
School  and  the  University  at  New  Orleans,  he  be- 
came a  teacher  of  manual  training  in  the  latter 
institution,  until,  in  March,  1891,  he  came  to 
Chicago  as  cashier  of  the  Harvey  Steel  Car  Com- 
pany. The  same  parties  owned  the  Transit  Com- 
pany and  transferred  him,  placing  him  in  charge 
of  the  latter  company's  accounts,  soon  making 
him  secretary  of  the  company,  which  position  in 
less  than  one  year  gave  place  to  the  general  su- 


C.  R.   FURBOOM. 


609 


periutendency  ,a  position  where  his  worth  has  been 
ably  and  repeatedly  shown.  His  value  as  a  citizen 
becoming  recognized,  he  was  asked  to  serve  as  a 
member  of  the  township  school  trustees  and  was 
elected  for  a  three-year  term.  He  is  identified 
with  the  Republican  party,  though  he  holds  to 
quite  liberal  views.  He  is  a  member  of  Magic 
City  Lodge  No.  832,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  is  connected  with  Harvey  Lodge 


No.  80,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
Dirigo  Lodge  No.  399,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of 
which  he  is  Past  Chancellor.  He  also  fraternizes 
with  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Loyal  League,  the 
North  American  Union,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Harvey  Gun  Club.  His  wife  was  Miss  Pauline 
E.  DuFour,  of  New  Orleans.  They  have  two 
children,  Pauline  Fredericka  and  William  J., 
junior. 


CHARLES  R.  FURBOOM. 


CHARLES  REINHOLD  FURBOOM,  who 
1 I  stands  among  the  foremost  mechanics  of  the 
\J  city  of  Chicago  and  is  a  prominent  citizen, 
was  born  in  that  far  away  land  of  health  and 
vigor,  Sweden,  in  the  little  village  of  Nyhammar, 
Province  of  Dalarne,  December  28,  1861.  His 
parents  are  Peter  Reinhold  and  Johanna  Augusta 
(Wickstrom)  Furubom.  The  family  has  long 
been  made  up  of  skilled  mechanics  and  workmen, 
and  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article  proves 
the  rule. 

His  great-grandfather,  Erik  Olson  Furubom, 
was  born  in  the  Province  of  Halsingland,  Sweden, 
was  a  builder,  and  lived  in  Furudal,  Province  of 
Dalarne,  where  his  wife,  Anna  Christine  Sund- 
gren,  was  born.  Their  son,  Peter  Furubom,  was 
born  in  that  place  May  10,  1792,  and  became  a 
blacksmith.  September  29,  1820,  he  married 
Johanna  Fugerstrom,  who  was  born  April  9, 
1798,  in  the  same  place.  Their  children  were 
born  and  named  as  follows:  August  30,  1822, 
Christina  Sophia;  January  6,  1825,  Elizabeth 
Charlotta;  November  16,  1827,  Adolph;  Decem- 
ber 21,  1830,  Jacob  Philipp;  December  24,  1833, 
Peter  Reinhold;  April  18,  1836,  Carl.  Both  of  the 
daughters  are  deceased.  The  youngest  son  emi- 
grated from  his  native  land  in  1880,  and  located 
in  South  Chicago,  where  he  died  July  4,  1884. 
He  married  Clara  Dansare,  and  their  children 


were:  Albertina,  Fiken,  Hilda,  Edward,  Hjal- 
mar  and  Carl  Oscar.  Of  these,  the  third,  fourth 
and  fifth  are  now  deceased.  Carl  Furubom  mar- 
ried for  his  second  wife  Matilda  Hedstrom,  who 
now  resides  with  a  daughter  on  Sixty -third  Court, 
Chicago.  Jacob  Philipp,  another  son  of  Peter 
Furubom,  was  the  father  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Julia,  who  married  John  Geselius,  and  re- 
sides at  Homestead,  Pennsylvania;  Ernest,  a  resi- 
dent of  Chicago;  and  Hjalmar,  who  also  resides 
at  Homestead. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Charles  R.  Fur- 
boom  was  Anders  Gustaf  Wickstrom,  born  No- 
vember 14,  1816.  He  was  married  February  10, 
1839,  to  Anna  Christina  Tilling,  who  was  born 
June  22,  1822.  They  immigrated  to  America  in 
1869,  and  settled  at  Galva,  Henry  Count}',  Illi- 
nois, where  Mr.  Wickstrom  is  still  living,  with 
his  son,  Carl  Gustaf.  Mrs.  Wickstrom  died 
August  4,  1895.  Their  children  were:  Carl  Gus- 
taf, born  September  n,  1840;  Johanna  Augusta, 
April  3,  1843;  Anders  Frederick,  August  4,  1853; 
Carolina  Wilhelmina  (now  deceased),  June  5, 
1855;  Johan  Alfred,  February  9,  1857.  The  sec- 
ond son  resides  in  California,  and  the  youngest  is 
a  physician  located  at  Princeton,  Illinois.  He 
has  changed  the  spelling  of  his  name  to  "Vix- 
trum." 

Peter  Reinhold  Furubom,  father  of  the  subject 


6io 


A.  V.  NELSON. 


of  this  sketch,  was  born  December  24,  1833,  in 
Soderberke,  Province  of  Dalarne,  Sweden,  and  is 
now  living  at  Nyhaminar,  in  the  same  province. 
He  is  a  pattern-maker,  and  has  been  forty  years 
in  the  service  of  the  Nyhammar  Bruk  Company, 
manufacturers  of  iron  and  steel  wares,  being  now 
a  foreman.  March  10,  1860,  he  married  Johanna 
Augusta  Wickstrom,  who  was  born  in  Grangarde, 
Province  of  Dalarne,  and  is  still  living.  They 
had  only  two  children,  both  sons.  The  eldest, 
Peter  Axel,  died  in  1868,  at  the  age  of  seven 
years.  As  will  be  noted,  the  surviving  son  has 
changed  the  orthography  of  the  sur-name,  to  con- 
form to  English  spelling  and  pronunciation. 

Charles  Reinhold  Furboom  attended  school 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  and 
learned  the  trade  of  a  pattern-maker  from  his 
father,  who  was  skilled  in  the  art,  and  was  with 
that  worthy  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and 
twenty  years.  He  reached  Boston  June  15,  1881, 
and  arrived  in  Chicago  June  1 8  of  the  same  year. 
He  entered  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company  at  the  South  Park  station, 
and  subsequently  engaged  in  the  service  of  Pal- 
mer, Fuller  &  Company,  at  the  corner  of  Twenty- 
second  and  Union  Streets,  doing  carpenter  work, 
and  remained  there  until  1881.  He  was  carpen- 
ter for  the  Chicago  Lumber  Company  one  year, 
and  for  Edmund  &  Hayes,  at  the  corner  of  Thir- 
teenth and  Robey  Streets,  six  months.  He  sub- 
sequently visited  his  old  home  in  Sweden,  taking 
eighteen  months,  and  on  his  return  was  employed 


by  the  Cottage  Grove  Manufacturing  Company, 
at  No.  91  Thirty-eighth  Street.  He  was  from 
April  n,  1887,  until  1893  working  as  carpenter, 
after  which  date,  until  1897,  ^e  was  foreman. 
May  i,  1897,  he  was  made  superintendent,  and 
is  occupying  that  position  at  present.  He  has 
charge  of  thirty-eight  men,  the  business  being 
the  manufacturing  of  sashes,  doors  and  blinds. 
He  lost  half  the  index  finger  of  his  left  hand  in  a 
circular  rip-saw  in  1888. 

Mr.  Furboom  built  a  residence  at  No.  7038 
Vincennes  Avenue  in  1893,  and  has  since  lived  at 
that  location.  He  was  married  September  22, 
1888,  to  Miss  Anna  Marie  Peterson,  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Sarah  (Peterson)  Erickson.  Mrs.  Fur- 
boom  was  born  March  28,  1862,  in  the  same  town 
in  Sweden  as  her  husband,  and  emigrated  from 
her  native  land  in  1887.  Their  only  child,  born 
May  7,  1890,  died  July  20,  1892.  He  was  named 
Walter  Reinhold. 

Mr.  Furboom  is  connected  with  Carolus  Com- 
mandery  No.  9,  Knights  of  the  Red  Cross,  and 
Skandinaviska  Iduna  Chicago  No.  44,  a  Scan- 
dinavian benefit  society.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Amalgamated  Wood  Workers.  He  upholds 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party  and  votes 
in  favor  of  its  candidates  at  all  times.  Mr.  Fur- 
boom  is  among  the  most  prominent  Scandina- 
vian citizens  of  Chicago,  and  is  honored  and  re- 
spected by  all  who  come  in  contact  with  his 
genial  nature  and  know  his  straightforward  deal- 
ings. 


AUGUST  V.  NELSON. 


Gl  UGUST  VICTOR  NELSON,  who  is  among     eration  bearing  the  name,  emigrated  from  their 


Hthe  most  skillful  carpenters  and  competent 
contractors  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  comes  of  a 
very  old  and  prominent  family,  whose  members 
have  nearly  all,  at  the  time  of  the  present  gen- 


native  land  and  found  homes  in  America.  The 
family  is  made  up  of  men  who  are  employed  at 
a  trade  and  succeed  so  well  that  they  do  not  envy 
men  of  the  professions  their  peculiar  standing  in 


H.  G.  HUDSON. 


611 


the  business  world.  Some  men  can  better  serve 
their  own  and  the  best  interests  of  the  city  if  they 
do  not  have  the  care  of  a  business  to  bear  them 
down  and  the  responsibility  which  kills  so  many 
with  worry.  August  Victor  Nelson  was  born 
October  12,  1857,  on  Farm  Falla,  four  miles  from 
the  city  of  Westervik,  Sweden,  a  son  of  Nels 
Gabriel  and  Caroline  (Turn.)  Nelson.  For  fur- 
ther mention  of  the  ancestors  of  A.  V.  Nelson, 
the  reader  is  referred  to  the  biography  of  G.  L. 
Nelson,  on  another  page  of  this  work. 

Mr.  Nelson  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  in  his 
native  land  and  worked  at  it  there  about  ten  years. 
He  takes  contracts  for  work  when  they  can  be 
procured  and  at  other  times  does  the  work  of 
journeyman.  He  reached  Chicago  July  16,  1887, 
and  had  several  brothers  here  before  him.  He 


at  once  joined  forces  with  his  brother,  Charles 
(see  biography  of  C.  A.  Nelson,  of  this  volume) 
and  the  two  remained  together  to  the  present 
time,  contracting  together  when  the  opportunity 
offers  or  when  nothing  better  is  at  hand.  Mr. 
Nelson  has  worked  on  some  of  the  finest  build- 
ings on  the  South  Side  and  the  work  has  been 
chiefly  on  flat  buildings  and  residences. 

Though  never  ambitious  to  mingle  in  politics 
to  any  great  degree,  he  performs  the  duty  of  vot- 
ing and  upholds  the  candidates  of  the  Republican 
party.  Mr.  Nelson  has  never  married  and  makes 
his  home  with  his  brother's  family,  in  whom  he 
takes  a  lively  interest.  He  is  a  rising  young 
man,  who  will  thrive  at  whatever  he  undertakes. 
His  abilities  are  good  and  he  is  well  liked  by  all 
with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


HARRY  G.  HUDSON. 


HARRY  GEORGE  HUDSON,  who  is  at  the 
present  time  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States   government,  in  the  postoffice,   was 
born  June  15,  1867,  in  Nashville,  Tennessee,  and 
is  a  son   of  George    Henry   and  Mary  (Lane) 
Hudson. 

Mr.  Hudson  took  a  full  course  in  the  South 
Division  Highx  School,  graduating  in  1886.  He 
accepted  a  position  as  messenger  boy  for  the  Pull- 
man Palace  Car  Company  in  September  of  the 
same  year,  later  being  promoted  to  junior  clerk, 
and  subsequently  was  private  stenographer  to 
the  general  manager,  George  F.  Brown,  for 
some  years,  and  was  in  the  general  office  eleven 
years.  He  took  the  city  civil  service  examin- 
ation and  left  the  employ  of  this  concern  in 
March,  1897.  He  secured  a  position  and  began 
work  April  i,  1897,  being  employed  as  stenogra- 
pher for  the  civil  service  commission  until 
October,  1897,  when  he  was  by  his  own  request 


transferred  to  the  street  department,  where  he  re- 
mained until  March,  1898,  when,  having,  taken  a 
government  civil  service  examination,  and  passed 
creditably,  he  resigned  his  city  position  to  go  to 
the  postoffice,  as  stenographer  in  the  executive 
department. 

July  1 6,  1890,  Mr.  Hudson  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Glover,  daughter  of  Joseph  Wine  and 
Minerva  (Austin)  Marshall.  Mrs.  Hudson  was 
born  October  22,  1867,  in  Amelia  County, 
Virginia,  and  came  to  Chicago  in  1872.  Mr. 
Hudson  belongs  to  the  Masonic  order,  being 
connected  with  Mount  Hebron  Lodge,  of  which 
he  is  secretary,  having  occupied  this  office  for 
the  past  eight  years.  He  is  a  stanch  upholder 
of  the  arguments  placed  in  favor  of  the  Repub- 
lican party  and  at  all  favorable  opportunities 
casts  a  vote  or  presents  a  good  word  for  the  said 
party. 

Mr.   Hudson  has  been  very  successful  finan- 


612 


THOMAS  NICHOLS. 


daily,  and  has  a  residence  at  No.  6328  Champlain 
Avenue.  He  is  a  competent  and  valued  employe 
of  the  postoffice  department  and  tries  to  make 
his  services  count  for  all  that  is  possible  in  favor 
of  the  general  public,  and  so  valuable  that  they 
cannot  be  dispensed  with.  He  is  a  man  of  strong 


character  and  is  withal  a  pleasant,  genial  gentle- 
man of  the  highest  refinement.  All  men  respect 
him,  whether  dealing  with  him  in  business  or 
meeting  him  socially,  where  men  prove  their  true 
selves,  in  their  hospitality  and  treatment  of  their 
various  friends  and  enemies. 


THOMAS  NICHOLS. 


'HOMAS  NICHOLS,  who  comes  from  a 
very  old  and  distinguished  English  family, 
has  spent  a  great  deal  of  his  life  in  attention 
to  the  enterprise  of  making  shoes,  but  in  later 
years  has  dealt  to  some  extent  in  real  estate  in 
the  city  of  Chicago.  He  was  born  July  3,  1847, 
in  Kettring,  Northampton  County,  England,  and 
is  a  son  of  James  and  Maria  (Padgett)  Nichols. 
Thomas  Nichols,  grandfather  of  the  man  whose 
name  heads  this  article,  was  born  in  Middleton, 
and  was  a  blacksmith  by  occupation.  He  lived 
in  the  same  vicinity  in  which  he  was  born  during 
his  entire  existence.  His  wife  was  Mary  Ann 
Nichols,  who  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years,  and  they  were  the  parents  of  two  sons  and 
three  daughters.  James  Nichols,  father  of  Thomas, 
is  still  living,  and  is  seventy-seven  years  of  age. 
He  was  born  at  Middleton,  England,  and  moved 
to  Kettring  when  thirty-seven  years  of  age,  and 
has  since  resided  in  that  locality.  He  dealt  in 
rope  and  twine,  which  his  brother  manu- 
factured. Mrs.  Nichols  died  April  21,  1881,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-two  years.  Her  children  were: 
Thomas,  Mary  Ann,  Jane  and  Emma.  Mary 
Ann  was  married  to  George  Enger,  -a  coal 
dealer,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  children.  Joseph , 
the  next,  died  at  the  age  of  six  months.  Jane 
married  Thomas  Foster;  they  have  three  children, 
and  live  in  Kettring,  England.  He  has  a  shoe 
manufactory.  Emma  married  Edward  Smith 
and  they  never  emigrated  from  their  native  land, 


but  still  reside  in  Kettring.  He  also  deals  in 
shoes,  and  has  two  children.  Mrs.  Nichols'  fam- 
ily, the  Padgetts,  were  from  Loughborough,  Eng- 
land, and  were  well-known  manufacturers  of 
hosierj'. 

Thomas  Nichols  was  the  only  one  of  his 
father's  family  to  emigrate  from  their  native 
land,  and  he  reached  the  city  of  Chicago  June 
21,  1871.  Having  learned  the  trade  of  shoe- 
maker in  his  native  land,  he  immediately  be- 
came employed  by  J.  T.  Jewett,  at  the  corner  of 
Dearborn  and  Monroe  Streets,  and  was  with  him 
until  Mr.  Jewett's  death,  which  occurred  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  1885.  He  remained  with  Mr. 
Jewett's  successor,  Richard  Melcher,  until  1888, 
when  he  changed  to  the  service  of  Rasmussen 
Brothers.  He  was  with  the  last-mentioned  con- 
cern until  1890,  whence  practically  retired  from 
active  business  life.  He  began  to  deal  in  real 
estate  about  1880,  and  in  1882  purchased  seventy- 
five  feet  of  property  on  Garfield  Boulevard,  be- 
tween Wright  and  Stewart  Avenues.  He  erected 
three  two-story  houses  and  is  still  in  possession 
of  this  property.  In  1894  he  purchased  fifty 
feet  on  Wabash  Avenue,  between  Sixty-ninth  and 
Seventieth  Streets.  He  built  a  two-story  house 
on  the  last-mentioned  ground  and  has  realized 
much  profit  from  these  investments. 

Mr.  Nichols  was  married  July  14,  1876,  to 
Mrs.  Julia  Thompson,  widow  of  James  Thomp- 
son and  daughter  of  Timothy  and  Mary  (Hogan) 


P.  H.  KELLER. 


613 


McCarth}'.  Mrs.  Nichols  was  born  March  15, 
1846,  in  the  city  of  Cork,  Ireland,  and  came  to 
America  in  1862.  She  came  over  with  her 
brother,  Daniel,  and  spent  three  months  in  New 
York.  She  then  removed  to  Chicago,  her 
mother  coming  over  a  year  later  and  dying  July 
8,  1887,  at  the  age  of  eighty-four  years.  Timo- 
thy McCarthy  died  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  forty 
years.  His  children  were:  Margaret,  Cornelius, 
Mary  Ann,  Ellen,  Daniel,  John,  Julia  and  Timo- 
thy. All  of  this  family  of  children  are  deceased 
except  Ellen,  Daniel  and  Julia.  Mary  Ann 
came  to  America  about  1853.  She  married 
James  Oliver  Ferris  and  lived  in  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut. They  came  to  Chicago  and  made  their 
home  here  many  years,  then  bought  a  farm  near 
Decatur,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Ferris  passed  away  at 
Decatur  August  20,  1867,  aged  thirty -five  years. 
Her  children  were:  Lena,  William,  Oliver,  John. 
The  last-named  is  now  an  Episcopal  clergyman 
in  the  city  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin.  J.  O. 
Ferris  was  a  carpenter  and  survived  his  wife  ten 
years,  dying  at  the  age  of  fifty-five  years,  in 
Stamford.  Ellen,  another  of  the  family  of 
Timothy  McCarthy,  and  sister  of  Mrs.  Nichols, 
came  to  America  in  1855,  and  married  David 
Thompson,  a  moulder  in  Chicago.  They  reside 
at  Monticello,  Indiana,  and  their  children  were 


named  as  follows:  Emily  (deceased),  Janet 
(deceased),  William  (deceased),  George  and 
Robert.  Daniel  McCarthy,  son  of  Timothy 
McCarthy,  married  Kate  Norris,  in  Ireland,  and 
came  over  in  1863.  They  lived  in  Chicago  twelve 
years  and  then  removed  to  Oakland,  California. 
Their  children  are:  Daniel,  William,  Margaret 
(deceased),  James,  Mary, Emily  and  George.  Mr. 
McCarthy  is  a  ship  carpenter.  John  McCarthy, 
a  brother  of  Mrs.  Nichols,  was  drowned  in  Bom- 
bay, India,  while  in  the  merchant  marine. 

Mrs.  Nichols'  children,  by  her  first  husband, 
were:  Mary  Jane,  who  makes  her  home  with  Mr. 
Nichols,  and  John  R.  Mar}'  Jane  married  D.  S. 
Cronin  and  John  R.  married  Sadie  Broderick, 
and  lives  at  No.  543  Garfield  Boulevard.  His 
only  child  is  John  Albert. 

Mr.  Nichols  is  interested  in  the  success  of  the 
Republican  party,  at  all  times,  though  never 
seeking  public  office  of  any  kind.  He  has 
served,  however,  as  assistant  road  master  of  the 
Town  of  Lake,  and  is  a  very  competent  and 
able  man.  His  views  are  of  the  highest  order, 
and  his  sympathies  are  for  the  right  and  his  in- 
fluence used  for  good.  He  exerts  himself  for 
the  benefit  of  his  fellow-men  and  their  interests 
are  his.  _A  pleasant,  genial  gentleman,  he  is 
admired  and  respected  by  all. 


PHILIP  H.  KELLER. 


HENRY  KELLER,  who  keeps  a 
yr  meat  market  at  No.  1258  Wellington  Street, 
[3  is  an  enterprising  and  successful  business 
man,  and  a  member  of  an  old  and  highly  re- 
spected pioneer  family.  He  was  born  March  6, 
1858,  in  Chicago,  the  second  child  and  eldest  son 
of  Henry  Keller,  whose  biography  appears  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  In  the  old  Newberry 
School  and  the  parish  school  of  St.  Paul's  Evan- 


gelical Lutheran  Church,  he  received  his  ed- 
ucation, and  on  attaining  the  proper  age,  was 
confirmed  in  the  church. 

He  learned  the  butcher's  trade  in  his  father's 
shop  on  Reis  Street  and  assisted  his  father  until 
he  was  twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  then  began 
business  on  his  own  account.  One  of  his  first 
business  ventures  was  buying  cattle  at  Aurora 
and  shipping  them  to  Chicago,  which  he  carried 


614 


CHRISTIAN  HEUSER. 


on  successfully  a  few  months.  In  1881  he  went 
to  Colorado  to  try  the  fascinating  but  uncertain 
pursuit  of  mining.  He  spent  about  a  year  in 
that  state  and  still  retains  interests  there.  With 
the  exception  of  the  time  spent  in  Aurora,  Illi- 
nois, and  in  Colorado,  he  has  lived  in  Chicago 
his  entire  life.  For  some  years  he  conducted  a 
meat  market  on  Reis  Street,  and  established  his 
present  business  in  1894. 

Mr.  Keller  is  a  Republican  in  political  views 
and  is  influential  in  the  councils  of  that  party, 
but  though  he  has  attended  its  conventions  he 
has  never  sought  public  office.  July  20,  1882, 


he  married  Miss  Louise,  daughter  of  Jacob  Reich, 
an  old  settler  of  the  city.  She  is  also  a  native  of 
Chicago.  They  have  three  children,  namely: 
Henry,  Robert  and  Philora.  Mr.  Keller  is  a 
social,  genial  gentleman,  and  is  prominent  in 
fraternal  societies.  He  is  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters,  and  is  also  con- 
nected with  the  German  Order  of  Harugari  and 
the  North  End  Gun  Club.  The  members  of  the 
family  belong  to  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  and  are  valued  and  esteemed  by  the 
congregation . 


CHRISTIAN  HEUSER, 


HRISTIAN  HEUSER.  Education  has  not 
always  been  as  easy  to  obtain,  even  by  will- 
ing  students,  as  it  is  at  the  present  time,  and 
to  those  who  have  struggled  with  financial  dis- 
advantages of  the  times  and  with  various  ob- 
stacles they  encountered,  and  have  still  made  a 
success  of  life,  much  credit  is  due.  These  men 
have  proven  to  the  coming  generations  that  suc- 
cess is  to  be  had  and  is  for  those  who  strive  the 
hardest  to  secure  it.  Among  those  who  have 
overcome  all  difficulties  by  their  own  efforts  and 
have  lived  to  exalt  the  name  they  bear,  as  well 
as  enjoy  in  the  evening  of  life  the  fruits  of  well- 
directed  labor,  is  the  man  whose  name  heads  this 
notice.  One  of  the  pioneers  of  the  great  city,  he 
is  prominent  in  business,  as  well  as  social  circles 
at  the  present  day. 

He  has  for  many  years  been  a  manufacturer  of 
vehicles  of  all  kinds  at  No.  129  Clybourn  Ave- 
nue. He  was  born  May  n,  1831,  in  Nassau, 
Prussia,  and  has  been  a  resident  of  Chicago  since 
1856.  He  is  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Heu- 
ser,  natives  of  his  own  birthplace.  Of  their  ten 
children  only  four  came  to  America,  namely: 


Peter,  who  died  in  Ohio;  William,  a  resident  of 
Louisville,  Kentucky;  Christian,  of  this  sketch; 
and  Anton,  of  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin. 

Christian  Heuser  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  which  he  attended  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  fourteen  years.  On  leaving  school  he 
entered  on  an  apprenticeship  at  the  trade  of  car- 
riage-maker with  his  brother,  with  whom  he 
worked  six  years.  He  then  worked  for  a  time 
in  West  Baden.  In  March,  1853,  he  left  his 
native  land  and  went  to  England.  He  embarked 
from  London  in  a  sailing  ship  bound  for  America 
and  arrived  in  New  York  forty-four  days  later. 
He  went  to  Sandusky  City,  Ohio,  and  worked 
for  a  Mr.  Bemis  upon  a  farm.  Three  months 
later  he  removed  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and 
there  worked  at  his  trade  until  1856,  when  he 
came  to  Chicago.  He  was  very  fortunate  in  find- 
ing immediate  employment  with  Mr.  Thein,  at 
the  northwest  corner  of  Chicago  Avenue  and 
Clark  Street.  In  1862  he  purchased  property  at 
the  corner  of  Rees  Street  and  Clybourn  Avenue, 
which  had  upon  it  an  old  shop  building.  At  this 
location  he  embarked  in  business,  but  in  1871  was 


FRANK  WILKE. 


615 


burned  out  and  lost  everything.  Subsequent  to 
the  fire  he  began  again  and  at  the  same  number 
has  since  conducted  a  successful  business. 

Mr.  Heuser  has  at  all  times  been  independent 
in  politics,  though  at  no  time  being  a  political 
agitator.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  was  for  many  years 
a  member  of  the  Druids.  In  July,  1859,  he 
married  Miss  Louise  Schloeder,  who  is  a  native 
of  Germany.  They  had  ten  children,  nine  of 


whom  are  living,  namely:  Leonard;  Anna,  who 
married  F.  W.  Wagner,  and  resides  on  North 
Avenue,  Chicago;  William;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
George  Becker;  Katharine,  now  Mrs.  John  Ja- 
cobs; Lena,  Mrs.  Frederick  Steinke;  Anton, 
Bertha  and  Edward.  The  three  last  named  are 
residing  at  home  with  their  parents. 

The  family  is  one  of  good  standing  wherever 
the  members  are  known  and  all  are  connected 
with  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 


FRANK  WILKE. 


|~~  RANK  WILKE,  a  contractor  and  builder  of 
rft  Chicago,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  city 
I  *  since  1867.  He  was  born  December  8,  1843, 
in  Prussia,  the  oldest  son  of  William  and  Amelia 
(Kruse)  Wilke,  natives  of  Prussia.  William 
Wilke  was  a  tailor  by  trade,  at  which  he  worked 
in  his  native  land.  He  and  his  wife,  Amelia, 
had  eight  children,  as  follows:  Frank,  of  this 
sketch;  Louis;  Johanna,  widow  of  Edward  Hie- 
land;  Gustav;  Hulda,  wife  of  Henry  Hick;  Emil; 
Elizabeth,  now  Mrs.  Henry  Narmes,  all  of  Chica- 
go; and  Mary,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight  years. 
Louis  and  Johanna  came  to  America  in  the  win- 
ter of  1869  and  the  other  members  of  the  family 
came  three  years  later.  The  father  died  on  the 
zd  of  April,  1894,  and  the  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing- 
Frank  Wilke  attended  school  until  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  then  served  an  apprenticeship 
at  the  stone  mason's  trade,  at  which  he  worked 
until  he  emigrated.  December  9,  1866,  he  sailed 
from  Hamburg  in  the  steamer  '  'Sexonia, ' '  bound 
for  New  York,  stopping  three  days  at  South- 
ampton, and  arrived  in  New  York  January  2, 
1867.  Two  days  later  he  started  west,  intending 
to  go  to  Milwaukee,  but  having  limited  means, 
decided  to  go  no  farther  than  Chicago.  He  at 


once  obtained  employment  on  a  farm  at  six  dol- 
lars per  month.  In  the  spring  he  was  enabled 
to  find  work  at  his  trade,  and  in  1 869  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  F.  F.  Haussen ,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Haussen  &  Company.  This  connection 
continued  until  1891,  when  Mr.  Haussen  retired 
and  his  son  continued  the  business,  the  firm 
name  becoming  Haussen  &  Wilke. 

In  1876  Mr.  Wilke  purchased  five  acres  of  land 
in  Jefferson  Township,  where  he  now  lives.  He 
has  never  taken  much  interest  in  politics,  being  in- 
dependent, and  supporting  the  man  of  his  choice, 
rather  than  affiliating  with  any  party  strictly, 
when  he  does  vote.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons  and  the 
Knights  of  Pythias. 

May  i,  1870,  Mr.  Wilke  was  married  to  Miss 
Catharine,  daughter  of  John  and  Antoinette 
(Thompson)  Miller,  natives  of  Holstein,  Ger- 
many, where  Mrs.  Wilke  was  also  born,  October 
9,  1848.  In  1868  she  ca.me  to  America  with  her 
sister,  Margaret,  who  is  now  deceased,  her  par- 
ents remaining  in  the  old  country.  Later  her 
brother,  now  residing  on  Twenty-first  Place,  and 
sister,  Fredericka,  now  Mrs.  Herman  Luciwig, 
of  Blue  Island,  came  to  America.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wilke  have  eight  children,  namely:  Anna,  wife 


6i6 


WILLIAM  CLETTENBERG. 


of  Edward  Repsold;  Amelia,  Oscar,  Emma, 
Frank,  George,  Alma  and  Elsie.  The  members 
of  the  family  are  connected  with  the  St.  Nicholas 
Lutheran  Church  and  are  well  known  and  highly 
respected  by  the  other  members  of  the  congre- 
gation. Mr.  Wilke  is  a  valuable  and  influential 
member,  and  his  efforts  are  recognized  by  all. 


He  is  charitable  to  the  opinions  of  others,  but 
cherishes  very  strong  ideas  of  his  own  of  the 
duties  of  citizens  of  this  country,  respecting  the 
rights  of  others  and  reserving  and  profiting  by  his 
own  rights.  He  is  a  kind  father  and  loving  hus- 
band, and  is  nowhere  beloved  more  than  in  the 
family  circle. 


WILLIAM  CLETTENBERG. 


fDGJlLLIAM  CLETTENBERG,  now  retired, 

\  A  I  has  been  identified  with  the  business  inter- 
YY  ests  of  Chicago  since  1854.  He  was  born 
January  25,  1839,  in  Cologne,  on  the  River 
Rhine,  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Bernhard  and 
Mary  (Moll)  Clettenberg,  who  were  natives  of 
the  same  city.  Bernhard  Clettenberg  was  for 
many  years  a  soldier,  his  father  having  contracted 
with  the  French  Government  to  supply  the  army 
with  grain  and  hay.  The  family  was  prominent, 
and  the  last-named  member  became  very  wealthy 
and  well  known  throughout  the  region  in  which 
he  resided.  The  name  was  originally  Von  Klet- 
tenberg,  the  prefix,  von,  indicating  that  the  fam- 
ily was  of  noble  blood.  This  was  dropped  by  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  brother  on  coming 
to  this  country,  the  first  letter  also  undergoing  a 
change,  which  left  the  name  Clettenberg. 

Bernhard  Clettenberg  was  the  father  of  five  chil- 
dren who  grew  to  maturity:  Frank  M.,  of  Chica- 
go; William;  Katherine,  wife  of  Frank  Gruman; 
Mary,  who  became  Mrs.  Gabriel  Kopp;  and 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  Mathias  Getka.  The  last- 
named  was  born  in  Chicago.  The  family  sailed 
from  Antwerp,  Belgium,  on  the  "Curetuck  of 
Norfolk. ' '  The  voyage  was  forty-eight  days  in 
length,  the  family  landing  in  New  York  at  the 
end  of  this  time.  Mr.  Clettenberg  immediately 
removed  with  his  wife  and  children  to  Chicago, 
though  he  remained  but  a  short  time  in  this 


vicinity.  He  was  possessed  of  some  capital  on 
his  arrival  in  America  and  soon  removed  to 
Galena,  where  he  became  engineer  in  the  Cole- 
man  &  Graham  Furniture  Factory,  but  after  a 
short  time  in  this  location  he  returned  with  his 
family  to  Chicago.  He  subsequently  sold  ice  for 
H.  Joy,  remaining  in  his  employ  for  several 
years.  He  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years, 
November  27,  1882.  His  worthy  helpmate  sur- 
vived him  until  October  19,  1897,  and  died  in 
Chicago. 

William  Clettenberg,  who  name  heads  this 
article,  was  educated  in  the  primary  schools  of 
the  town  of  his  nativity  and  after  his  arrival  in 
America  attended  the  old  Mechanics'  Institute 
and  at  the  same  time  industriously  pursued 
studies  in  a  night  school.  The  latter  school  was 
conducted  by  Anton  Hesing.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  he  entered  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years  with  Douglass  &  Reed,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  learning  the  trade  of  a  sign  painter.  In 
the  year  1859  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  the  in- 
terest of  Mr.  Reed,  and  afterward  conducted  the 
business  with  the  aid  of  his  brother.  In  this 
manner  they  continued  until  1872,  since  which 
time  Mr.  Clettenberg  has  lived  a  quiet,  peaceful 
life.  In  1863  he  removed  his  residence  to  the 
West  Side,  locating  on  West  Indiana  Street  (now 
Grand  Avenue),  from  which  place  he  changed 
his  abode  to  the  house  he  now  occupies.  Not 


MATTHEW  TURNER. 


617 


desiring  to  lose  sight  altogether  of  the  active  life 
of  the  world,  he  has  dealt  somewhat  in  real 
estate,  and  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  political 
affairs.  He  has  always  fulfilled  his  duties  as  a 
citizen,  lending  his  interest  and  vote  for  the  pro- 
motion of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
January  22,  1862,  Mr.  Clettenberg  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Eva,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Molter, 
who  came  to  Chicago  in  1853.  She  was  born  in 
Trier,  Germany,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  William;  Bernhard,  who  is  a  clo- 
thier at  the  corner  of  North  Avenue  and  Division 
Street;  Mary,  Mrs.  Augustus  Rohrbacher;  Katha- 


rine, wife  of  H.  J.  Urbin;  Edward  N.,  who  is 
teller  of  Foreman  Brothers'  Banking  Company; 
William,  a  bookkeeper;  and  Theodore  Sylvester, 
a  student.  The  third  of  the  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clettenberg  was  Frank,  who  died  January 
17,  1897,  and  one  child  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clettenberg  and  their  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  their 
efforts  in  behalf  of  this  institution  are  appreciated 
by  the  others  of  the  congregation.  The  family  of 
Clettenberg  is  a  very  old  one,  and  the  present 
generation  does  credit  to  the  time-honored  name 
it  bears. 


MATTHEW  TURNER. 


IV  A  ATTHEW  TURNER.  Among  the  mem- 
I  V  I  bers  of  the  ancient  family  by  this  name  who 
1 0 1  have  emigrated  to  America  seeking  financial 
success  and  who  have  proved  themselves  loyal  to 
their  adopted  country,  is  Matthew  Turner.  He 
was  born  July  22, 1843,  in  Hastings,  Sussex  Coun- 
ty, England.  His  parents  were  John  and  Mary 
(Martin)  Turner.  For  further  mention  of  his  an- 
cestors see  biography  of  Mark  Turner,  in  this  work. 
He  left  his  native  land  and  located  in  Ford 
County,  Illinois,  in  1871,  the  year  of  the  great 
fire  in  Chicago.  He  was  proficient  in  the  trade 
of  a  mason,  having  learned  it  in  England  and 
contracted  in  that  country  on  a  small  scale.  In 
1872  he  removed  from  Ford  County  to  Chicago, 
locating  at  the  corner  of  Fiftieth  Street  and  Cot- 
tage Grove  Avenue,  in  Hyde  Park.  During  five 
years  he  was  in  the  employ  of  Boghardt  &  Bryan, 
and  subsequently,  with  his  brother,  helped  to 
form  the  firm  of  Turner  Brothers,  contractors. 
Their  work  lay  chiefly  in  Grand  Crossing  and  he 
followed  this  occupation  in  that  capacity  seven 


years.  He  then  returned  to  journeyman  work 
and  up  to  the  present  time  has  been  with  Williams 
&  Stacey,  of  Hyde  Park. 

In  1868  Mr.  Turner  was  married  to  Margaret 
Upton,  of  Hastings,  England.  Their  children 
were  born  and  named  as  follows:  George  Mat- 
thew, born  April  12,  1870;  James,  December  19, 
i872,died  March  2,  1873;  Alice,  March  19,  1875, 
died  February  24,  1897;  Frederick,  June  7,  1877; 
Emma,  December  8,  1878;  Joseph,  January  17, 
1881;  Frank,  January  7,  1883;  Grace,  September 
24,  1885;  May  I,ouise,  February  7,  1889;  and 
Florence,  May  10,  1893.  Mr.  Turner  built  a 
residence  at  No.  7441  Champlaiu  Avenue  about 
the  year  1887.  He  also  built  a  residence  at 
the  corner  of  Fifty-seventh  Street  and  Kimbark 
Avenue.  He  is  connected  with  the  Brick- 
layers' Union.  Independent  in  his  political 
views,  Mr.  Turner  votes  for  the  man  who, 
in  his  opinion,  is  best  fitted  to  serve  the  in- 
terests of  the  people,  being  very  conscientious 
concerning  these  matters. 


6i8 


W.  H.  GERMAN,  M.  D. 


WILLIAM  H.  GERMAN,  M.  D. 


HENRY  GERMAN,  M.  D.,  who 
was  born  April  18,  1855,  is  a  native  of 
Brockville,  Ontario,  Canada,  which  town 
is  situated  very  beautifully  on  the  St.  Lawrence 
River.  The  genealogy  of  the  family  dates  to 
French  origin,  members  having  at  one  time 
lived  in  Bavarian  Palatine  in  the  time  of  Louis 
XIV.,  in  whose  reign  the  infamous  Edict  of 
Nantes  was  issued.  The  family  was  voluntarily 
exiled  three  times,  the  first  time  removing  to 
England  and  afterwards  settling  on  the  western 
coast  of  Ireland,  near  Limerick.  Being  en- 
croached upon  by  Catholics,  the  family  changed 
its  location  and  emigrated  from  Europe  to  settle 
in  New  York  State,  on  the  Hudson  River,  near 
Albany.  The  time  of  the  last-mentioned  emigra- 
tion was  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century. 
Just  after  the  War  of  the  Revolution  they,  with 
forty  thousand  loyalists,  settled  in  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, on  the  Bay  of  Quinte,  where  they  were  pio- 
neers. Kingston  was  the  nearest  settlement. 

The  old  ancestors  were  of  the  gentry,  but  the 
emigrants  of  the  name  from  the  continent  of 
Europe  were  tillers  of  the  soil.  They  did  not, 
however,  lose  the  superiority  always  maintained 
by  members  of  the  family  in  whatever  sphere 
they  lived.  It  was  the  great-grandfather  of  the 
present  generation  that  removed  with  his  family, 
together  with  two  brothers,  to  Canada.  Other 
members  of  the  family  settled  near  the  present 
site  of  Springfield,  Illinois.  Peter  German,  the 
son  of  Christopher,  was  a  Methodist  Episcopal 
minister,  and  was  a  man  of  great  fervor  and  com- 
manding presence.  He  died  after  reaching  the 


venerable  age  of  fourscore  years,  and  his  worthy 
helpmate  survived  him  only  a  short  time.  Her 
name  was  Sarah  Outwater  and  she  was  born  near 
Albany,  New  York,  and  was  of  Dutch  descent. 
She  aided  in  the  rearing  of  twelve  children,  who 
were  educated  in  Prince  Edwards  County,  Can- 
ada. 

Of  this  family,  John  W.  German  was  born 
March  8,  1827.  Though  he  received  only  a  com- 
mon-school education  in  his  native  country,  he 
was  enabled  to  enter  the  ministry  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years.  He  still  resides  in  Berlin, 
Canada,  and  follows  his  holy  vocation.  He  mar- 
ried Sarah  J.  Purdy,  who  was  a  granddaughter 
of  Commodore  Purdy  of  the  British  Navy.  The 
crest  is  marked  "Stuns  Rege  Gum."  The  fam- 
ily received  a  large  tract  of  land  from  the  crown 
for  the  loyalty  of  its  members.  His  son,  Capt. 
Samuel  D.  Purdy,  commanded  a  company  of 
American  militia  during  the  War  of  1812.  Dr. 
C.  W.  Purdy  is  a  member  of  this  family,  as  is 
also  W.  G.  Purdy,  first  vice-president  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad.  Mrs. 
John  W.  German  died  March  n,  1886,  at  the 
age  of  fifty-five  years.  She  was  a  woman  of  more 
than  ordinary  ability  "and  devoted  her  entire  time 
to  her  large  family.  Her  children  were:  William 
Henry,  the  subject  of  this  sketch;  Emma,  who  is 
the  wife  of  H.  A.  Allen;  Edgar,  of  Santa  Anna, 
California;  F.  George,  an  architect,  of  Duluth, 
Minnesota;  Charles  W.,  of  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri; and  Mabel  L. ,  of  Belleville,  Ontario. 

William  Henry  German  received  his  primary 
education  in  the  Canadian  High  School.     At  the 


J.  M.  MAYER. 


619 


age  of  fifteen  years  he  set  out  to  secure  a  higher 
education  and,  being  the  oldest  member  of  his 
father's  family,  was  forced  to  work  his  way 
through  school.  His  first  attempt  at  serving 
others  was  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  when  he 
entered  the  employ  of  a  hardware  dealer  in  Tren- 
ton, Ontario,  and  here  he  remained  occupied 
seven  years.  The  first  year  from  home  he  boarded 
with  his  uncle,  Dr.  H.  W.  Day,  who  is  now  the 
registrar  of  Hastings  County,  Ontario.  This 
man  was  the  surgeon  for  the  Gilmore  Mill,  of 
fame  as  the  largest  saw-mill  in  America,  where 
sixteen  hundred  men  are  employed. 

While  with  his  uncle  he  conceived  a  desire  to 
study  medicine,  and  realized  his  cherished  hope 
fourteen  years  later,  after  patient  and  protracted 
waiting.  In  1883  he  became  an  attendant  of  the 
Michigan  College  of  Medicine  at  Detroit,  which 
is  now  known  as  the  Detroit  College  of  Medi- 
cine. After  graduation  he  remained  one  year  in 


Detroit,  giving  his  time  to  the  study  of  the  throat 
and  lungs.  He  located  at  Morgan  Park,  Illi- 
nois, February  6,  1884,  and  has  since  been  the 
leading  physician  in  that  locality. 

Dr.  German  married,  December  26,  1877,  Miss 
Anna  M.,  daughter  of  Jacob  D.  Fretz,  and  their 
children  are:  Clara,  Levinia  and  Maud  Merton. 
The  former  is  attending  the  University  of  Chica- 
go, and  the  latter  is  at  school  at  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.  Dr.  German  is  a  member  of  the 
Physicians'  Club  of  Chicago  and  of  the  Chicago 
Medical  Society.  He  is  connected  with  the  Illi- 
nois State  Medical  Society,  the  American  Medi- 
cal Society  and  also  of  the  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons.  He  is  connected  with  other 
orders,  as  an  examiner,  those  of  Morgan  Park 
being  the  Royal  League,  Royal  Arcanum  and 
National  Union.  He  is  a  prominent  man  among 
physicians  and  is  withal  a  genial,  pleasant  gen- 
tleman, beloved  alike  by  family  and  friends. 


JOHN  M.  MAYER. 


(JOHN  MARTIN  MAYER,  now  retired,  is 
I  a  prominent  German-American  pioneer  of 
Q)  Chicago,  having  been  identified  with  the  in- 
terests of  the  city  since  1854.  He  was  born  in 
the  Kingdom  of  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  Febru- 
ary 17,  1838,  and  comes  from  a  very  old  and 
highly  respected  family.  His  parents  were  John 
M.  and  Margaret  (Fuchs)  Mayer,  both  natives 
of  Wurtemberg,  where  they  passed  their  entire 
lives.  They  had  a  family  of  five  sons  and  one 
daughter,  but  only  two  of  the  number  came  to 
America.  George,  the  third  of  the  children  of 
John  M.  Mayer,  senior,  immigrated  and  settled 
in  Chicago  in  1853.  He  died  here  in  1880,  leav- 
ing a  wife  and  six  children. 

John  M.  Mayer,  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  obtained  a  common-school  education 


in  the  town  of  his  nativity,  after  which  time  he 
was  occupied  for  a  time  at  the  butcher's  trade 
with  his  father.  In  1852  he  emigrated  from  his 
native  land,  sailing  from  Havre  in  the  ship 
"Hemisphere."  After  thirty-five  days  on  the 
water  they  landed  in  New  York  and  went  at 
once  to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  worked 
at  the  trade  of  a  butcher  two  years.  He  subse- 
quently came  to  Chicago  and  for  a  year  worked 
for  wages.  In  the  year  1859  he  established  a 
business  on  Sedgwick  Street  and  a  year  or  two 
afterward  removed  to  what  is  now  No.  45 1 .  In 
the  great  fire  of  1871  he  lost  all  his  belongings 
except  the  clothes  he  was  wearing  at  the 
time. 

Mr.  Mayer  rebuilt  his  shop  after  the  excite- 
ment of  the  fire  was  over  and  resumed  business 


62O 


CHRISTIAN  KUSSEL. 


until  he  retired  from  active  life  in  1892.  He  was 
very  successful  and  accumulated  a  nice  compe- 
tence and  no  man  envies  him  his  gains,  and  all 
that  know  him  honor  and  respect  him.  He  has 
never  been  a  public  man  in  the  sense  of  holding 
office,  but  has  taken  an  interest  in  public  affairs. 
He  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  and  has  since  that  time  supported  the 
Republican  party.  July  8,  1865,  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Hannah  Kleinod,  daughter  of  Fred- 


erick Kleiuod,  who  died  in  Prussia  when  Mrs. 
Mayer  was  a  small  child.  Her  mother  subse- 
quently married  Andrew  Jonske  and  came  to 
America  in  1852. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mayer  have  three  children,  John 
Martin,  Carl  Frederick  and  Amelia  Christina. 
The  members  of  the  family  are  connected  with  St. 
Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  of  which 
congregation  all  are  valued  and  counted  among 
the  first. 


CHRISTIAN  KUSSEL. 


EHRISTIAN  KUSSEL,  who  was  prominently 
engaged  in  the  wholesale  grocery  business 
in  the  city  of  Chicago  a  period  of  thirty 
years,  is  a  valuable  and  well-known  citizen,  of 
the  German- American  type.  He  was  born  near 
Biugen  on  the  Rhine,  Hessen-Darmsdat,  January 
2, 1831, and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Sophia  (Schmuck) 
Kussel. 

Christian  Kussel  was  educated  in  the  public 
school  of  the  village  in  which  he  was  born  and 
was  reared  to  the  occupation  of  a  tiller  of  the  soil. 
His  father's  home  was  in  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful parts  of  Germany  and  he  cherishes  happy 
memories  of  the  region  where  he  spent  his  boy- 
hood. His  rearing  was  intended  to  fit  him  for  a 
life  of  hardships  and  he  was  well  prepared  to  cope 
with  all  difficulties  with  which  he  might  come  in 
contact.  November  3,  1853,  he  left  his  father's 
home  and  went  down  the  Rhine  River  to  Mainz 
arid  Rotterdam,  and  crossed  to  London,  sailing 
from  that  city  in  the  schooner  "Southampton." 
He  made  the  whole  trip  from  Mainz  to  New  York 
in  twenty-eight  days.  An  older  brother,  Philip 
Kussel,  had  come  to  America  in  1848,  and  was 
clerking  in  the  city  of  Buffalo,  New  York. 
He  removed  west  to  Chicago  in  the  year  1854, 
after  having  secured  a  position  for  Christian  in 
Buffalo. 

In  February,  1855,  Christian  Kussel  also  came 


to  Chicago.  He  brought  enough  money  with 
him  from  Germany  to  pay  his  return  passage 
and  had  a  passport  good  for  three  years.  Philip 
Kussel  suggested  that  Christian  go  into  partner- 
ship with  him  in  the  grocery  business  in  Chicago, 
and  having  gained  the  latter 's  consent,  they 
started  a  retail  grocery  under  the  name  of  Kussel 
Brothers  on  West  Madison  Street,  and  two  years 
later  they  opened  another  store,  at  the  corner 
of  Randolph  and  Clinton  Streets,  and  conducted 
the  two  stores  one  year.  They  then  rented  a 
store  at  No.  236  East  Randolph  Street,  and  began 
a  jobbing  trade,  Philip  having  charge  of  this 
business,  while  Christian  ran  the  store  on  Clinton 
Street.  The  rapid  growth  of  the  business  made 
a  change  necessary,  and  two  years  later  they 
moved  to  No.  208  East  Randolph  Street,  when  they 
carried  a  stock  of  about  sixty  thousand  dollars. 
The  next  year  they  moved  to  No.  191  South 
Water  Street  and  confined  their  operations  to  the 
wholesale  trade.  On  the  gth  of  June,  1866,  they 
were  burned  out,  suffering  a  total  loss.  The 
next  autumn  they  bought  out  Bennett  &  Gregory, 
wholesale  grocers,  at  No.  53  South  Water  Street, 
and  a  year  later  bought  out  Boynton  &  Peak, 
at  the  corner  of  South  Water  Street  and  Michigan 
Avenue.  In  May,  1871,  they  moved  to  No.  97 
South  Water  Street,  where  they  were  burned  out 
in  the  fire  of  that  year. 


C.  F.  K.  WICK. 


621 


Immediately  after  the  fire,  and  hardly  before 
the  ground  had  had  time  to  cool,  they  began  the 
erection  of  their  new  building.  They  had  a 
frame  structure  put  up  for  them  at  Nos.  284  and 
286  Canal  Street  and  there  continued  their  former 
business  for  a  time.  Having  bought  the  lot,  they 
built  the  present  structure  at  Nos.  135  and  137 
South  Water  Street,  moved  into  it  in  October,  1872, 
and  did  a  successful  business  at  this  location  until 
May,  1887,  when  they  disposed  of  their  goods  and 
retired  from  business.  The  property  was  all  in 
the  name  of  Kussel  Brothers,  but  at  the  time  of 
retirement  it  was  necessary  to  divide  the  valuable 
property  real  estate  and  otherwise,  which  they 
accordingly  did. 


Christian  Kussel  has  never  sought  public 
office  or  notoriety  of  any  kind,  but  has  always  felt 
an  interest  in  public  affairs  and  has  done  all  in 
his  power  for  the  furthering  of  the  best  interests 
of  the  city.  In  national  affairs  he  has  supported 
the  Republican  party  and  in  local  affairs  votes 
for  the  man  who  is  best  adapted  to  fill  the  office. 
Mr.  Kussel  married  Miss  Margaret  Pfirrmann,  a 
native  of  Bavaria.  They  have  no  children  of 
their  own,  but  have  reared  a  niece  in  their  pleas- 
ant home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kussel  are  members 
of  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
where  they  are  regular  attendants  and  valued 
among  the  congregation  for  their  influence,  as 
well  as  more  substantial  aid. 


CHRIST  F.  K.  WICK. 


EHRIST  FREDERICK  KARL  WICK,  who 
is  among  the  number  of  people  who  have 
adopted  America  for  their  home  and  site  of 
loyalty,  finding  our  laws  more  to  their  mind  than 
those  in  their  native  land,  has  been  very  well  sat- 
isfied with  his  success  as  a  business  man  and  has 
proven  worthy  of  any  position  which  has  been 
offered  him.     Born  October  16,  1836,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Unterrodach,  Bavaria,  Germany,  he  is  a 
son  of  Peter  and  Kunigunda  (Goetz)  Wick. 

Simon  was  the  first  of  the  family  of  Peter  Wick 
to  emigrate  from  his  native  land  and  settled  in 
America  in  1849.  He  located  in  Pittsburg,  where 
he  still  resides,  and  was  manager  of  a  lumber  yard 
for  a  long  time.  He  is  now  employed  by  the 
city.  Simon  Wick  married  Katharine  Harmon, 
and  their  children  are:  Samuel,  George,  Sophia 
and  Paulina. 

Henry  Wick,  another  brother  of  the  man  whose 
name  heads  this  article,  was  the  next  to  emigrate 
and  came  to  America  in  1860.  He  joined  the 


army  and  was  last  heard  of  five  years  ago. 
C.  F.  K.  Wick  was  the  next  of  his  father's  family 
to  emigrate,  and  Frederick  came  to  America  in 
1878.  He  located  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  culti- 
vated the  soil,  and  died  there  in  June,  1893,  at  the 
age  of  seventy  years.  He  married  Margaretha 
Metz  and  their  children  were:  Frederick;  Kath- 
arine, who  married  Mr.  Spindler;  Marguerita, 
who  married  Mr.  Heinitz;  and  Marie. 

Christ  F.  K.  Wick  located  in  Pittsburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, upon  arriving  in  America  November  2, 
1875.  He  was  employed  on  the  river  a  short 
time,  after  which  he  entered  the  service  of  the 
Pan  Handle  Railroad  Company.  Later  he  was 
with  the  Cleveland  &  Pittsburg  Railroad  Com- 
pany, in  a  freight  house.  In  March,  1878,  he 
removed  to  Wisconsin  and  helped  his  brother 
cultivate  the  land.  In  March,  1879,  he  located  in 
Chicago  and  was  six  years  in  the  slaughter-house 
ofTobey  &  Boot.  He  was  subsequently  three 
years  in  the  slaughter-house  of  Mr.  Dupee  and 


622 


ADAM  YOCHEM. 


later  spent  the  same  length  of  time  in  an  Engle- 
wood  lumber  yard.  Since  that  time  he  has  been 
in  the  freight  house  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michi- 
gan Southern  Railway  Company. 

Mr.  Wick  was  married  August  15,  1865,  to 
Miss  Sophia  Wich  Schwartz,  daughter  of  Johann 
and  Margarita  (Rupp)  Schwartz.  Mrs.  Wick 
was  born  January  17,  1838.  Her  father  was  born 
June  6,  1813,  and  died  January  22,  1876.  Her 
mother  was  born  October  6,  1814,  and  died  Octo- 
ber 6,  1861.  Their  children  were:  Mrs.  Wick, 
Henry  (deceased),  Louisa,  Ulrich,  Matilda, 
George  Moses,  Johanna  and  Anna  Kunigunda. 
Four  other  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Schwartz  died  young. 

Mrs.  Wick's  paternal  grandfather  was  John 
Wich  Schwartz  and  her  maternal  grandfather 
was  Johan  Rupp.  Mr.  Wick's  paternal  grand- 
father was  John  Wick,  while  his  maternal  grand- 


father was  John  Goetz.  His  father  was  born 
in  1812,  and  died  Augusts,  J856.  His  mother 
was  born  in  1810,  and  died  in  August  of  the  year 


The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wick  are  ac- 
counted for  as  follows:  Louisa  Matilda,  born  Jan- 
uary 3,  1866;  John,  born  March  15,  1868,  died 
at  the  age  of  eleven  months;  and  George  Lewis, 
born  December  21,  1869,  is  at  home  with  his 
parents.  Other  children  died  in  infancy. 

The  family  is  of  very  old  lineage,  and  is  one  of 
honorable  and  upright  men  and  worthy  women, 
and  the  name  of  Wick  is  one  which  will  long  be 
known  and  respected.  The  present  generation 
does  credit  to  its  ancestors,  and  with  the  sturdy 
characters  and  hardy  personalities  of  the  race 
still  predominating,  it  is  not  likely  that  any  of 
the  generations  to  come  will  tarnish  the  memory 
of  those  gone  before. 


ADAM  YOCHEM. 


GlDAM  YOCHEM,  who  was  born  in  1846,  is  a 
LJ  member  of  the  family  whose  German  lineage 
I  |  does  not  make  them  any  less  devoted  to  the 
interests  of  the  United  States  than  if  they  were 
born  on  American  soil  and  never  heard  other 
than  the  English  language.  Adam  Yochem  was 
born  in  Germany,  and  emigrated  from  his  native 
land  at  the  same  time  as  his  father  and  his  father's 
family.  For  ancestry,  refer  to  the  biography  of 
Peter  Yochem,  in  this  work. 

Adam  Yochem  came  to  Chicago  in  1865  and 
for  some  time  was  employed  on  a  farm.  He  then 
entered  the  service  of  his  brother-in-law  and  re- 
mained with  him  six  years.  He  was  with  his 
brother  Peter  subsequently  one  year  and  returned 
again  to  serve  the  interest  of  his  brother-in-law 
for  a  time.  He  entered  into  business  for  himself 
at  No.  308  Wells  Street,  which  he  conducted 
three  years.  After  a  short  time  in  Lake  View  he 


was  located  at  No.  3303  State  Street  three  years. 
He  was  in  business  at  different  places  for  a 
short  length  of  time,  until  July,  1894,  when  he 
located  on  Cottage  Grove  Avenue,  at  No.  6602, 
and  is  to  be  found  at  this  place  at  the  present 
writing. 

June  30,  1878,  Mr.  Yochem  married  Miss  Wil- 
helmina,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and  Fredericka 
(Winkle)  Schultz.  Mrs.  Yochem  was  born  Sep- 
tember 29,  1859,  in  the  city  of  Vito,  Germany. 
She  came  to  America  in  1875.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yochem  have  become  the  parents  of  six  children : 
Emma  Catharine  Ida,  born  February  20,  1879, 
died  at  the  age  of  six  years;  Elizabeth  Antoinette 
Amelia,  born  February  10,  1881;  Edward  Her- 
man John,  November  n,  1882;  Lily  Annie  Fred- 
ericka, December  31,  1883;  Minnie  Dora  Freda, 
March  26,  1886;  and  Frank,  born  November  26, 
1888,  died  at  the  age  of  six  months. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

pr   II  " 


\ 


PETER  STORMS. 


PETER  STORMS. 


623 


PETER  STORMS. 


f^ETER  STORMS.  It  is  a  feature  of  United 
LX  States  that  our  people  are  made  up  of  men 
\3  from  all  foreign  countries  of  the  globe,  and 
it  is  not  always  the  natives  of  the  land  of  the  free 
that  succeed  the  best  financially.  Among  those 
who  are  now  counted  as  citizens  of  the  metropolis 
of  the  west,  and  who  can  be  said  to  have  adopted 
this  country  as  a  residing  place,  is  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  article,  Peter  Storms. 
He  comes  of  a  very  old  family  of  sturdy  Scotch- 
men and  was  himself  born  January  25,  1832,  in 
Urghart,  Murrayshire,  Scotland.  His  parents 
were  James  and  Margaret  (Brown)  Storms  (for 
further  ancestry  of  Peter  Storms,  see  biography 
of  James  Storms). 

John  L,.  Storms  was  the  first  of  his  father's 
family  to  emigrate  from  his  native  land.  He 
died  June  2,  1898,  at  No.  5213  Jefferson  Avenue, 
Chicago.  Peter  Storms  was  the  next  to  settle  in 
America,  and  arrived  at  Chicago  in  September, 
1856.  He  sailed  from  Liverpool  June  i,  1856,  and 
landed  in  New  York  July  14,  having  been  six 
weeks  on  the  voyage.  He  had  learned  the  trades 
of  stone-cutter,  mason  and  brick-layer,  and  his 
first  work  in  this  country  was  for  Singer  & 
Talcott,  at  Lemont,  Illinois.  He  subsequently 
began  contracting  for  his  own  interests  and  has 
been  occupied  in  this  way  for  the  past  ten  years. 
He  had  been  journeyman  for  some  time  and  after 
taking  up  contracting  was  very  successful.  He 
has  been  employed  by  the  city  at  many  different 


times,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  the  water  works 
pumping  station  at  Sixty-eighth  Street.  He  had 
charge  of  the  men  who  did  the  work,  there  being 
quite  a  number  employed  at  the  time.  He  has 
cut  stone  for  the  jail  and  many  other  prominent 
buildings. 

Mr.  Storms,  his  father,  James  Storms,  senior, 
his  brother,  John  I,.  Storms,  and  brother-in-law, 
Edwin  A.  Johnson,  at  one  time  purchased,  at 
one  hundred  dollars  per  acre,  the  land  bounded 
by  Cottage  Grove  and  Langley  Avenues  and 
Seventy-third  and  Seventy-fourth  Streets. 

Peter  Storms  was  married  July  18,  1862,  to 
Catherine  Milne,  who  was  born  November  4, 
1827,  in  the  city  of  Elgin,  Scotland.  Mrs. 
Storms  passed  away  June  6,  1892.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Storms  were  three  in  number: 
James  Brown,  Jessie  Monroe  and  Catherine. 
James  B.  Storms,  who  resides  with  his  father, 
was  married  March  15,  1888,  to  Miss  Janet 
lyouise,  daughter  of  Ira  and  Fidelia  (Clemens) 
Proseus.  J.  B.  Storms  follows  the  occupation  of 
paperhanger  and  painter.  Jessie  Monroe  Storms 
married  John  Decker,  and  Catherine  died  at  the 
age  of  thirteen  years. 

Peter  Storms  is  the  organizer  of  the  Grand 
Crossing  Division  No.  133,  Sons  of  Temperance, 
and  is  a  strong  and  valuable  worker  for  the  order. 
Thirty  years  ago  he  was  made  elder  in  the 
Brookline  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  society 
he  is  one  of  the  founders,  and  has  ever  been  one 


624 


F.  P.  STAFFORD. 


of  the  prominent  and  highly  respected  of  that 
body  of  worshippers.  His  first  presidential  vote 
was  cast  in  favor  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  he  is 
now  a  stanch  supporter  of  the  Prohibitionist 
party.  He  has  been  a  candidate  for  the  office  of 
assessor  for  Hyde  Park  and  also  trustee  for  that 
section  on  the  Prohibition  ticket. 


Mr.  Storms  built  in  1864  a  small  residence  on 
the  rear  of  his  lot,  at  the  corner  of  Cottage  Grove 
Avenue  and  Seventy -fourth  Street,  to  which  he 
subsequently  added.  In  the  fall  of  1891  he  re- 
moved it  to  No.  7320  Evans  Avenue,  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  now  has  a  very  comfort- 
able and  imposing  residence. 


FRANK  P.  STAFFORD. 


|~~  RANK  PERRY  STAFFORD,  who  is  among 
ift  the  active  teaming  and  grading  contractors 
|  ^  in  Chicago,  was  born  November  17,  1847, 
at  Elizabethtown,  Essex  County,  New  York. 
His  parents  were  Thomas  and  Keziah  (Knox) 
Stafford. 

Thomas  Stafford  lived  all  his  life  in  Essex  and 
died  there  at  the  age  of  seventy -seven  years, 
in  the  summer  of  1871.  He  was  a  tiller  of 
the  soil  and  owned  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land.  He  received  a  fair  education  and  was 
a  very  wide-awake  and  energetic  man.  He  was 
rather  prominent  in  politics,  at  one  time  holding 
the  position  of  deputy  sheriff,  besides  other  town 
offices.  He  used  his  influence  in  favor  of  Demo- 
cratic candidates  at  all  times.  He  was  in  early 
life  a  follower  of  the  Baptist  faith,  but  later  his 
views  changed  to  those  of  a  Methodist.  His 
wife,  Keziah  Stafford,  died  in  February,  1881, 
at  the  age  of  seventy -six  years,  in  Essex  County. 
Her  children  were:  James,  Norman,  an  infant 
daughter,  Harmon,  Mary,  Cyrus,  Lucy,  Cordelia, 
Arriette,  Almoii  and  Frank  Perry. 

James  Stafford  died  in  1893,  in  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  leaving  a  widow  and  two  children  to 
mourn  his  loss.  Norman  died  in  1892,  at  Fort 
Dodge,  Iowa.  He  left  two  children.  Harmon 
is  still  residing  in  Essex  County,  New  York. 
Mary  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  and 
Cyrus  is  a  carpenter,  residing  in  Fort  Dodge, 


Iowa.  Lucy  married  H.  Reynolds,  who  is  owner 
and  manager  of  a  hotel  at  Adair,  Iowa,  where 
they  live.  Cordelia  married  Jonathan  Merriam 
and  lives  in  Essex  County,  New  York.  Arriette 
lives  in  Glenn  Falls  and  married  James  Fish,  who 
is  a  dealer  in  sewing  machines.  Almon  resides 
at  No.  6733  Green  Street,  Chicago,  and  is  in  the 
teaming  business.  The  family  of  Stafford  is  of 
old  English  descent  and  some  of  its  members 
were  the  first  to  settle  in  New  York  City.  They 
came  from  Staffordshire,  England.  The  family 
of  Mrs.  Stafford,  Knox,  was  of  Dutch  and  Eng- 
lish mixture.  The  father  of  Mrs.  Stafford  was 
Archibald  Knox  and  he  was  twice  married,  she 
being  a  daughter  by  his  first  wife.  The  other 
children  by  this  marriage  were  Eliza  and  Paulina. 
Frank  Perry  Stafford  attended  school  in  Essex 
County  until  he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years. 
He  was  then  occupied  on  his  father's  farm  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  also 
being  employed  by  others  during  this  time.  He 
reached  Chicago  March  20,  1870,  and  remained 
here  a  short  time,  going  subsequently  to  Fort 
Dodge,  Iowa,  where  he  was  employed  by  Socra- 
tes Stevens  three  months.  He  then  opened  a 
meat  market  with  W.  Reynolds,  which  he  con- 
tinued in  five  months.  He  then  secured  a  position 
in  a  hotel  and  was  thus  occupied  two  years. 
He  returned  to  Boone  County,  Illinois,  and 
conducted  a  farm  for  A.  J.  Burbank  two  years; 


G    H.  LARSIN. 


625 


he  later  returned  to  the  region  of  his  nativity, 
Essex  County,  New  York,  and  engaged  in  team- 
ing in  that  section  eighteen  months.  Coming 
back  to  Chicago  he  was  employed  by  Mr.  Bur- 
bank  three  months,  and  then  entered  the  employ 
of  the  South  Side  City  Railway  Company  as 
driver  of  a  car.  After  eighteen  months  he  took 
a  two-weeks  vacation  and  was  made  conductor, 
continuing  in  this  position  for  a  period  of  two 
years  and  one-half. 

Mr.  Stafford  then  started  an  express  business 
in  Grand  Crossing  with  A.  Van  Horn  as  partner. 
After  three  months  Mr.  Van  Horn  sold  his  share 
to  Philip  Drake  and  the  latter  sold  his  interest  to 
Mr.  Stafford  after  three  months.  After  eighteen 
months  he  consolidated  with  his  brother,  Almon 
Stafford,  in  the  same  line,  the  firm  name  becoming 
Stafford  Brothers.  He  was  with  his  brother  one 
year,  when  he  sold  his  interest  to  his  brother  and 
eighteen  months  was  a  traveling  salesman.  Re- 
turning to  his  former  occupation,  teaming,  for  a 
short  time,  he  then  established  a  meat  market  at 
the  corner  of  Seventy-third  Street  and  Cottage 
Grove  Avenue.  After  a  short  time  he  sold  out 
the  market  and  bought  out  an  express  business. 
Two  years  later  he  sold  this  to  his  brother  and 
began  to  contract  for  heavy  teaming  and  grading. 
He  has  been  thus  occupied  since  that  time,  using 
forty  teams  and  seventy  men,  at  times.  His  busi- 
ness has  been  with  the  Calumet  Railway  Com- 
pany, grading  at  Hegewisch,  Hammond,  Park 
Manor  and  other  important  points. 

October  9,  1879,  Mr.  Stafford   was  married  to 


Florence  Arnold,  daughter  of  Gilbert  and  Sarah 
(Quackenbush)  Arnold.  Mrs.  Stafford  was  born 
May  26,  1858,  at  the  corner  of  Wabash  Avenue 
and  Hubbard  Court.  Her  father  died  in  Janu- 
ary, 1858,  at  the  age  of  forty  years.  His  re- 
mains were  interred  at  Rosehill  Cemetery.  He 
was  probably  born  at  Peach  Bottom,  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  Mrs.  Stafford  was  the  only  child.  Her 
mother  married  for  her  first  husband,  C.  W.  Robe 
and  her  children  were:  Charles  W.,  who  lives  at 
the  corner  of  Fifty-eighth  and  Indiana  Avenue, 
and  Henrietta.  Mrs.  Arnold  was  born  at  Can- 
astota,  New  York,  and  came  west  at  an  early  day. 
She  died  January  18,  1889. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stafford  are  ac- 
counted for  as  follows:  Edwin  Everett,  born  June 
21,  1880,  and  died  May  12,  1881;  Edith  Evelyn, 
born  August  14,  1881;  Harry  Adelbert,  born 
January  23,  1883,  and  died  December  31,  1891; 
Elsie  Grace,  born  April  20,  1884,  and  died  June 
30,  1884;  Percy  Burbank,  born  April  24,  1886; 
Arnold  Earl,  born  September  8,  1889,  and  died 
August  19,  1896;  Henrietta  Isabella,  born  April 
4,  1891;  James  Thomas,  born  June  23,  1893; 
Warren  Lee,  born  August  31,  1894;  and  Jessie 
Louise,  born  August  28,  1896. 

Mr.  Stafford  was  made  a  Mason  in  Iroquois 
Lodge  No.  715,  in  Essex  County,  New  York,  in 
1876.  He  was  connected  with  Flora  Lodge, 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  for  many  years,  and  was 
also  prominently  identified  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Good  Templars  and  later  Knights  of 
Honor. 


GUSTAV  H.  LARSIN. 


HELGO  LARSIN,  who  is  among 
|_  the  deservedly  popular  and  public-spirited 
V_J  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  born  November  3, 
1861,  in  Berkebo-Kalmar,  Sweden.  His  parents 
were  Andrew  and  Christina  (  Larsen)  Larsin. 


Gustav  H.  Larsin  was  the  first  of  his  father's 
family  to  immigrate  to  America,  and  reached  Chi- 
cago June  i,  1 88 1.  His  first  work  here  was  for 
the  Chicago  City  Railway  Company,  where  he 
was  employed  two  months.  For  one  year  he  was 


626 


FREDERICK  DELSING. 


employed  by  the  McBean  Brothers,  street  paving 
contractors.  He  then  secured  a  position  with 
the  Knickerbocker  Ice  Company  in  Englewood 
and  Chicago,  being  thus  employed  seven  years. 
He  was  employed  two  years  in  Park  Manor  by  a 
coal  dealer,  John  Cowman.  He  subsequently 
spent  five  years  in  the  service  of  the  Washington 
Ice  Company,  but  returned  to  John  Cowman's 
employ,  where  he  occupies  a  position  at  the  present 
writing. 

December  6,  1885,  Mr.  Larsin  married  Miss 
Annie  Louis,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Annie 
(Andersen)  Andersen.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Larsin  are:  Gustav  Wilhelm,  born  January 
30,  1888;  Anders  Julius,  December  26,  1889; 


Albert  Louise,  March  22,  1891;  Thure  Walfred, 
December  4,  1892;  and  Emma  Lydia,  April  6, 
1895. 

In  September,  1888,  Mr.  Larsin  erected  a  com- 
fortable residence  at  No.  7004  St.  Lawrence 
Avenue.  He  has  since  resided  at  this  location, 
with  the  exception  of  two  years.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  a  man  of  high  integrity  and  moral  prin- 
ciples and  is  honored  by  his  many  acquaintances, 
whether  in  business  or  in  social  connection.  He 
is  beloved  by  all  who  come  in  contact  with  his 
genial  person  and  has  always  proven  a  loving 
husband  and  a  kind  father.  His  presence  is  a 
blessing  to  the  home  fireside  and  his  children 
have  all  respect  for  him  that  is  due  a  father. 


FREDERICK  DELSING. 


["REDBRICK  DELSING,  the  present  fore- 
r^  man  of  the  Live  Poultry  Transportation 
I  Company,  and  one  of  the  well-known  and 
highly  respected  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  born 
April  u,  1856,  in  Baltimore,  Maryland.  For 
ancestry  note  the  article  headed  by  the  name  of 
John  S.  Delsing,  on  another  page  of  this  volume. 
Frederick  Delsing  attended  school  until  he  was 
thirteen  years  of  age,  receiving  this  brief  educa- 
tion at  the  Skinner,  Scammon  and  Foster  schools. 
He  was  employed  by  a  doctor  for  a  short  time, 
after  which  he  entered  the  brush  manufactory  of 
Gertz,  Lombard  &  Company.  He  subsequently 
found  occupation  in  packing  houses  at  Bridge- 
port until  1885,  being  employed  most  of  this  time 
by  P.  D.  Armour.  He  then  entered  the  service 
of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Rail- 
road and  was  laborer  one  month.  He  was  later 
made  assistant  foreman  and  filled  this  position 
two  years.  He  was  subsequently  employed  as 
foreman  for  the  Merchants'  Dispatch  Transporta- 
tion Company  in  Park  Manor,  and  after  six 


years  obtained  the  position  which  he  now  fills,  as 
foreman  of  the  Live  Poultry  Transportation  Com- 
pany, located  at  the  corner  of  Forty-fifth  and 
Peoria  Streets. 

Mr.  Delsing  was  married  September  20,  1879, 
to  Miss  Annie  Lubke,  daughter  of  Charles  and 
Charlotta  (Lubke)  Lubke.  Mrs.  Delsing  was 
born  March  13,  1861,  in  Gruenwald,  near  Stettin, 
Germany,  and  immigrated  to  America  in  1875. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Delsing  are  as 
follows:  John,  who  died  in  infancy;  Charles  Her- 
mann, born  July  15,  1881;  Frederick  Hermann, 
May  1 6,  1883;  Rosie  Josephine,  born  June  21, 
1885,  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  months;  Ed- 
ward Charles,  December  19,  1886;  Gertrude 
Louise,  September  24,  1888,  and  Frank  James, 
June  24,  1890. 

Mr.  Delsing  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of 
Maccabees  and  is  a  valued  and  honored  member 
of  St.  Bartholomew's  Episcopal  Church,  and  his 
influence  is  ever  devoted  to  the  cause  of  the 
right.  He  never  seeks  public  favor,  in  the  form 


PETER  YOCHEM. 


627 


of  office,  but  at  all  favorable  opportunities  casts  a 
vote  in  the  interest  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
erected  a  house  at  No.  6715  State  Street,  in  Au- 
gust, 1886,  and  has  resided  at  that  number  since 
that  time.  Mr.  Delsing  is  the  father  of  a  promis 


ing  family  and  has  much  to  be  thankful  for  in  the 
manner  in  which  he  has  been  able  to  rear  his 
children.  Each  one  does  credit  to  the  family 
name,  and  all  help  to  make  up  a  happy,  united 
family. 


PETER  YOCHEM. 


YOCHEM,  who  has  for  many  years 
LX  been  a  resident  of  Chicago,  has  at  the  same 
\3  time  been  interested  in  its  business  growth 
since  the  early  part  of  the  busy  life  he  has  led. 
He  was  born  December  24,  1842,  near  Meinz, 
Hessen-Darmsdat,  Germany.  His  parents  were 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  Yochem  and  were  descend- 
ants of  good  old  German  families. 

Jacob  Yochem  emigrated  to  America  in  1846 
and  reached  Wisconsin  in  May  of  the  same  year. 
His  children  were  Katharine,  Jacob,  Adam, 
George  and  Peter.  Jacob  Yochem  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land  in  Wisconsin,  but  died  the 
same  summer  that  he  arrived.  Mrs.  J.  Yochem 
retained  the  farm  until  1865,  and  then  made  her 
home  with  her  daughter  in  Chicago  until  the 
time  of  her  death. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1860  Peter  Yochem 
went  to  Milwaukee  and  engaged  at  the 
shoemaker's  trade.  He  enlisted  August  15, 
1862,  in  Company  K,  Twenty-sixth  Wisconsin 
Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  discharged  from  the 
service  June  13,  1865.  He  did  not  miss  a  roll 
call  during  the  entire  service  and  did  not  lose  a 
day  from  the  regiment  and  participated  in  many 
engagements,  including  those  of  Chancellorsville 
and  Gettysburg.  After  the  last  battle  he  took 
part  in  long  marches  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and 
Georgia.  He  shared  the  hard  fighting  of  the 
Atlanta  campaign  and  the  "March  to  the  Sea." 
His  record  was  as  good  as  it  could  possibly  be. 
His  brother,  George  Yochem,  was  in  Company 


K,  Twenty-fourth  Wisconsin  Volunteer  Infantry. 
He  entered  the  service  seven  weeks  before  Peter 
Yochem  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mauga. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Yochem  returned 
to  Milwaukee  and  in  October,  1865,  located  in 
Chicago.  He  entered  the  employ  of  his  brother- 
in-law,  John  Pretzsch,  and  remained  with  him 
two  years.  He  conducted  a  meat  market  under 
the  old  Harrison  House,  No.  365  Clark  Street, 
and  later  took  a  third  interest  in  the  business, 
and  after  one  year  bought  out  Buch  Brothers, 
on  Harrison  Street,  near  Fifth  Avenue,  and  con- 
ducted the  business  eleven  months.  He  subse- 
quently sold  out  and  after  visiting  home  and 
friends  in  Wisconsin,  returned  to  the  service  of 
John  Pretzsch.  In  the  spring  of  the  year  1869 
he  opened  a  market  on  the  west  side  of  State 
Street,  fourth  door  north  of  Twenty-ninth  Street. 
He  remained  located  at  this  number  until  the 
summer  of  1870,  when  he  sold  the  business  and 
in  September,  1871,  started  an  establishment  at 
the  southwest  corner  of  Thirty-second  and  State 
Streets.  After  about  two  years  thus  occupied  he 
became  the  manager  of  his  brother-in-law's  busi- 
ness, having  entire  charge  of  it  one  year,  while 
the  owner  went  to  Europe.  On  Mr.  Pretzsch's 
return  his  interest  and  property  were  returned  to 
him  and  Mr.  Yochem  bought  out  McCabe  & 
Jones,  a  concern  on  State  Street,  near  Thirty- 
second  Street. 

He   was   occupied    with    this   business    until 


628 


JOHN  SCHUTT. 


March,  1876,  when  he  paid  a  four  months'  visit  to 
Kansas.  On  returning  to  Chicago  he  spent  six 
months  located  at  the  southeast  corner  of  Thirty- 
fifth  Street  and  Wentworth  Avenue.  He  re- 
mained there  until  1879  and  started  a  business  on 
State,  near  Thirty-first  Street.  He  remained 
there  until  1882  and  built  his  first  building  in 
Chicago  at  No.  3202  State  Street  and  continued 
at  this  location  until  1887,  when  he  sold  the 
property  and  purchased  a  saloon  at  the  corner  of 
Twenty-fifth  Place  and  Wentworth  Avenue, 
which  he  conducted  three  months.  This  was  en- 
tirely out  of  his  line  and  he  retired,  disgusted 
with  that  enterprise.  In  1888  he  located  at  Cot- 
tage Grove  Avenue  and  Sixty-sixth  Street, 
where  he  purchased  ninety-one  feet  of  ground, 
with  a  frame  house  on  it.  He  erected  a  large 
three-story  house  of  brick  on  this  property  and 
has  since  resided  at  this  place. 

June  4,  1878,  Mr.  Yochem  married  Miss  Ida, 
daughter  of  Frederick  and  Johanna  (Winkler) 


Fisher.  Mrs.  Yochem  was  born  May  6,  1852,  in 
the  city  of  Pommern,  Germany,  and  has  been  a 
faithful  helpmate  to  her  husband.  Their  chil- 
dren were  Ida  and  Emma.  The  former  died  at 
the  age  of  four  weeks,  having  been  born  May  4, 
1879.  Emma  was  born  August  19,  1872,  and 
married  Patrick  McDermott,  a  plumber,  on  Au- 
gust 20,  1892.  Their  only  child,  Ida,  died  at 
the  age  of  two  weeks. 

Mr.  Yochem  was  an  active  member  of  the 
Druid  order  until  his  lodge  was  disbanded.  He 
then  joined  Tent  No.  131,  Knights  of  the  Mac- 
cabees. He  is  connected  with  U.  S.  Grant  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  has  never  ac- 
cepted any  public  office,  but  votes  and  argues  in 
favor  of  the  Republican  party,  and  is  connected 
with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Yochem 
is  a  very  influential  and  ambitious  man.  He  has 
always  been  enterprising  to  the  last  degree,  and 
has  proven  himself  capable  to  hold  the  interests 
of  the  people  and  his  adopted  country  at  heart. 


JOHN  SCHUTT. 


(TOHN  SCHUTT,  one  of  the  most  competent 
I  and  skilled  mechanics  of  the  city  of  Chicago, 
C/  was  born  in  a  foreign  land,  only  to  leave 
the  country  of  his  nativity  in  search  of  better  ad- 
vantages in  the  Land  of  the  Free.  He  was  born 
May  19,  1845,  in  Mecklenburg-Schwerin,  Ger- 
many, his  parents  being  Jacob  and  Katharine 
(Kmse)  Schutt.  He  has  been  and  will  ever  be, 
true  to  the  country  of  his  adoption,  the  land 
which  has  been  kind  to  him,  as  is  ever  the  case 
when  the  subject  is  a  man  of  energetic  and  am- 
bitious mind. 

John  Schutt  was  the  first  of  his  father's  fam- 
ily to  emigrate  from  Germany  and  reached  Chi- 
cago June  13,  1866.  He  had  learned  the  trade 


of  locksmith  in  his  native  land  and  on  arriving 
in  Chicago  became  occupied  with  it,  under  the 
employ  of  Frank  L,etz.  He  was  subsequently  in 
the  shops  of  the  Union  Foundry  Company  twen- 
ty years,  being  seven  years  of  that  time  in  full 
charge  of  the  shop.  He  was  in  charge  of  the 
shop  of  Winslow  Brothers  eleven  months,  and 
later  was  two  years  with  the  Dearborn  Foundry. 
He  afterwards  returned  to  the  last-mentioned 
employ  and  is  still  thus  engaged. 

Being  naturally  very  economical  and  indus- 
trious, he  was  enabled  to  erect  a  home  for  him- 
self and  family  and  has  since  lived  in  the  same. 
He  built  the  residence  in  1872,  on  St.  Lawrence 
Avenue,  near  Sixty-fifth  Street.  He  was  mar- 


MICHAEL  BIEHN. 


629 


ried  September  n,  1870,  to  Miss  Sophia,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  and  Dora  Bolte.  Mrs.  Schutt  was 
born  February  13,  1853.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schutt 
are  the  parents  of  one  daughter,  Mary.  She  was 
born  January  23,  1873,  and  married  Otto  Lange, 
January  16,  1892,  and  her  children  are  accounted 
for  as  follows:  Frank,  born  October  28,  1892; 


Ida,  April  6,  1894,  and  Frederick,  December  3, 
1895.  Otto  Lange  was  born  in  Germany  April 
22,  1866,  and  came  to  America  in  1882.  He  is 
a  grocer  and  a  very  highly  respected  and  worthy 
husband  and  father.  John  Schutt's  father  was  a 
shoemaker  and  his  maternal  grandfather  was 
Frank  Kruse,  who  was  a  farmer  and  landowner. 


MICHAEL  BIEHN. 


I ICHAEL  BIEHN.  Among  the  most  enter- 
prising and  ambitious  citizens  of  Chicago, 
many  are  of  foreign  birth  and  have  emi- 
grated from  their  native  lands  and  adopted  the 
free  United  States  as  their  ideal  country,  for  the 
purpose  of  obtaining  a  name  for  themselves 
and  gaining  a  livelihood  for  themselves  and 
family.  The  people  of  this  class  are,  as  a  rule, 
industrious  and  thrifty  to  a  great  degree,  and  are 
.bent  on  securing  the  benefits  of  a  residence  in  a 
free  land,  and  often  inspire  their  associates  to 
take  up  with  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
country  and  profit  by  the  same.  Michael  Biehn 
was  born  September  27,  1848,  in  Alsace,  France, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Theresa  (Berringer) 
Biehn. 

With  his  parents  and  sister,  Mary,  he  took  pas- 
sage on  a  ship  bound  for  America.  His  sister 
died  on  the  voyage  and  was  buried  in  the  sea. 
The  family  arrived  in  Chicago  in  1850  and  pur- 
chased fifty  acres  of  land  at  Chicago  Heights. 
John  Biehn  lived  at  this  location  until  the  time 
of  his  death,  tilling  the  soil.  He  died  in  1857, 
not  quite  forty  years  of  age,  and  his  widow  still 
lives  on  the  old  homestead.  She  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 14,  1818.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Biehn  were:  Michael;  Mary,  who  died  at  the  age 
of  six  months;  Elizabeth  and  Mary.  Elizabeth 
married  Nicholas  Berg  and  resides  in  Lowell, 
Indiana.  Mr.  Berg  is  a  blacksmith,  and  their 


children  are:  Mary,  Theresa,  George,  Frank,  Ed- 
ward and  Ida.  Mary  married  Mathias  Boos  and 
lives  in  Hammond,  Indiana.  Her  children  are: 
Margaret,  Ina,  Theresa,  Annie,  Lily,  Hattie, 
Gertrude,  Ida,  Mollie,  Rosa  and  Clara.  Mrs. 
John  Biehn  married  for  her  second  husband 
George  Link,  and  their  only  child  is  named 
George. 

Michael  Biehn  attended  school  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  then,  at  Dyer,  Indi- 
ana, entered  the  service  of  John  Berg.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  wagon-maker,  which  occupied  him 
five  years,  and  then  went  to  Crown  Point  and 
was  employed  one  year  by  Charles  Schroeder. 
He  came  to  Chicago  and  after  working  two 
months  for  the  interests  of  Jacob  Link,  started 
for  himself  at  No.  131  Blue  Island  Avenue.  In 
1886  he  began  to  work  at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter 
and  has  since  been  thus  occupied.  He  worked 
five  years  for  the  Chicago  City  Railway  and  for 
five  years  has  been  with  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company  in  its  shops  at  Burnside.  He  has 
lived  in  the  last-named  vicinity  for  the  past  three 
years. 

September  i,  1874,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary,  daughter  of  Paul  and  Barbara  (Long)  Bol- 
heimer,  who  was  born  March  21,  1855,  in  Liver- 
pool, Ohio.  Mrs.  Biehn  has  lived  in  Chicago 
twenty-five  years.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Biehn  were  as  follows:  Joseph,  born  May  5,  1875, 


630 


CHARLES  LEONARD. 


died  an  infant;  Olive  Theresa,  born  June  3,  1876, 
died  at  the  age  of  seven  years  and  six  months; 
Lily  Mary,  born  November  25,  1878;  Edward 
John,  August  29,  1881;  Alfreda  Wilhelmina, 
July  17,  1888,  died  at  the  age  of  thirteen  months; 
and  Viola  Barbara,  August  8,  1890. 


Mr.  Biehn  is  connected  with  Court  Garfield 
No.  2,  Independent  Order  of  Foresters.  The 
family  is  connected  with  the  Holy  Cross  Roman 
Catholic  Church.  Though  never  seeking  public 
office,  Mr.  Biehn  is  a  strict  upholder  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party. 


CHARLES  LEONARD. 


QHARLES  LEONARD,  who  is  among  the 

1 1  most  successful  and  ambitious  of  the  honored 
\J  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  born  June  17,  1839. 
His  parents,  Thomas  and  Mary  (Malloy)  Leon- 
ard, resided  at  No.  10  Hatters  Lane,  in  Man- 
chester, England,  at  the  time  of  his  birth.  His 
paternal  grandfather  visited  America,  but  re- 
turned to  his  home  in  Manchester.  He  was  born 
in  Dublin,  Ireland. 

Thomas  Leonard  was  twice  married  and  by 
his  first  wife  became  the  father  of  the  following 
children:  John,  Philip,  James  and  Susan.  He 
died  in  1859,  aged  sixty-three  years.  He  was  a 
contractor  in  packing  dry  goods  in  Manchester 
and  emigrated  in  1848,  with  his  second  wife,  and 
the  following  children :  Charles,  David,  Joseph, 
Mary  Ann  and  Margaret.  He  settled  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  and  was  engaged  in  the  crockery 
business  for  a  period  of  five  years.  He  then  went 
to  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  and  purchased  farm 
land  at  Bay  Settlement,  twelve  miles  from  the 
city  of  Green  Bay.  He  cultivated  this  property 
six  years,  and  was  in  this  as  in  all  other  occupa- 
tions which  he  followed, scrupulously  honest.  He 
died  at  this  location  two  years  before  his  worthy 
helpmate. 

Mrs.  Thomas  Leonard  died  in  1861,  aged  fifty- 
two  years,  in  the  city  of  Boston.  Her  children 
are  accounted  for  as  follows:  Charles  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  article;  David  is  residing  with  his 
family,  at  Falls  Church,  Virginia,  having  set- 


tled down  to  farm  life,  after  fighting  during  the 
Civil  War  in  the  Twentieth  Massachusetts  Regi- 
ment; Joseph  resides  in  Chicago  at  No.  491  West 
Madison  Street;  Peter,  a  bookbinder  in  Boston, 
settled  in  that  city  with  his  family,  having  served 
with  Mulligan's  Brigade  during  the  late  Civil 
War;  Mary  Ann  never  married  and  is  now  de- 
ceased; Margaret  fell  through  the  hatchway  of 
the  ship  while  coming  to  America,  and  died  one 
week  after  landing. 

Charles  Leonard  arrived  in  Chicago  in  1859 
and  was  occupied  with  the  position  of  waiter 
at  the  Briggs  House  eighteen  months,  and  spent 
the  same  length  of  time  in  the  restaurant  of  S.  H. 
Thompson.  He  drove  a  coach  for  Edward  E. 
Lee  one  year,  being  employed  in  the  same  capac- 
ity for  James  C.  Fargo,  one  year.  March  12, 
1863,  he  began  to  drive  a  wagon  for  the  Amer- 
ican Express  Company  and  has  continued  with 
this  concern  since.  After  twenty-two  years  in  the 
service  he  was  made  collector  and  receiver,  which 
position  he  still  occupies.  He  is  a  valued  and 
honored  employe  and  his  long  period  of  service 
in  the  interest  of  the  company  proves  the  stamina 
with  which  the  man  is  endowed  and  the  strength 
of  character  which  must  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  his  life,  in  consequence  of  which  he  has 
been  able  to  remain  employed  for  so  long  a  time 
and  given  perfect  satisfaction.  Such  men  are  as 
much,  if  not  more,  to  be  honored  as  those  who 
are  fortunate  enough  to  secure  a  way  to  make 


ANDREW  SODERGREN. 


631 


more  money  by  risking  a  great  deal  at  the  same 
time,  as  it  requires  much  patience  and  stability 
to  remain  at  one  calling  year  after  year,  and  to 
see  no  other  pathway  but  the  one  that  has  been 
traveled  the  year  before. 

March  17,  1890,  Mr.  Leonard  started  to  build 
the  house  at  No.  7001  State  Street,  where  he  now 
resides.  In  1869  he  built  a  house  at  No.  2936 
Wentworth  Avenue.  February  9,  1862,  Mr. 
Leonard  was  married  to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of 
Cornelius  and  Honora  (Tuney)  Crowley.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Cork,  Ireland,  coming  to 
America  after  his  marriage.  He  landed  in  Que- 
bec and  went  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  after  a  short 
time.  From  there  he  removed  to  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana.  He  died  in  November,  1846,  his  wife 
surviving  him  until  1851.  She  was  still  a  young 
woman  at  the  time  of  her  death,  and  was  the 
mother  of  three  sons  and  one  daughter.  All  the 
sons  died  when  infants,  and  Mrs.  Leonard  was 
the  youngest,  having  been  born  August  15,  1843. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leonard  are  the  parents  of  eight 
children.  Mary,  the  oldest,  was  born  November 
29,  1862.  She  was  married  September  n,  1889, 
to  John  W.  Doolady,  of  Saratoga,  New  York. 


They  resideatNo.  5731  Atlantic  Street,  Chicago, 
and  are  the  parents  of  the  following  children: 
Mary  Frances,  born  January  29,  1891,  and 
Eleanor,  June  3,  1894.  Joseph  was  born  Jan- 
uary 18,  1865,  and  died  December  18,  1879. 
Charles  Thomas,  born  March  4,  1867,  was  mar- 
ried July  22,  1888,  to  Miss  Barbara  Reiter.  He 
is  a  driver  for  Phalan  &  Wagner  and  resides  with 
his  family  at  No.  957  Fifty-first  Street.  His 
only  child,  Joseph,  was  born  November  23,  1889. 
William  was  born  June  25,  1871,  and  died  De- 
cember 30,  1871.  Margaret  Agnes,  born  April 
25,  1874,  lives  at  home.  David  Joseph,  born 
October  2,  1876,  and  Veronica,  born  December 
7,  1881,  are  at  home.  Frances,  born  April  2, 
1883,  died  November  7,  1884. 

Mr.  Leonard  was  made  a  Mason  in  William  B . 
Warren  Lodge  No.  209.  He  is  a  Democrat,  but 
has  never  sought  public  preference  in  the  form  of 
office.  He  was  reared  a  Roman  Catholic,  his 
parents  having  been  of  that  faith  and  their  fa- 
thers and  forefathers  before  them.  Mr.  Leonard 
is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  highly  esteemed 
employes  in  the  service  of  the  American  Ex- 
press Company. 


ANDREW  SODERGREN. 


(ANDREW    SODERGREN.      Many    of    the 

H  foreigners  who  come  to  America  in  search  of 
wealth  and  a  place  in  the  ranks  of  the  free 
and  equal  are  endowed  with  will  power  to  succeed, 
even  beyond  their  hopes,  and  become  prominent 
citizens.  One  of  those  who  accepted  the  citizen- 
ship of  the  United  States  and  is  now  counted  as 
a  successful  and  highly  respected  member  of  the 
business  as  well  as  social  circles  of  Chicago,  is 
Andrew  Sodergren. 

He  was  born  April  10,  1846,  in  southern  Swe- 
den, and  is  a  son  of  Ola  and  Cecelia  (Wass)  Soder- 


gren. He  was  a  gardener  in  his  native  land,  but 
never  followed  this  occupation  after  reaching 
America.  His  first  employment  after  his  arrival 
in  Chicago  was  in  Lincoln  Park,  where  he  worked 
two  years.  After  some  time  spent  in  the  employ 
of  Nelson  &  Benson  Company,  he  entered  the 
services  of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad  Company,  first  in  a  subordinate  capacity, 
but  was  later  made  machinist, later  still  beinggiven 
the  management  of  the  department  of  repairing 
machinery.  He  was  in  the  employ  of  this  com- 
pany six  years  in  all,  and  subsequently  worked 


632 


JOHN  LONG. 


as  machinist  helper  at  the  factory  of  the  Crane 
Elevator  Company.  He  was  injured  almost 
fatally  while  in  this  factory  and  was  unable  to  en- 
gage in  active  service  for  a  period  of  nine  months. 
He  was  assistant  engineer  in  the  Metropolitan 
block,  and  subsequently  filled  the  position  of 
engineer.  It  may  be  said  to  his  credit  that  he 
served  eight  years  with  Carry,  Ogden  &  Parker, 
being  recognized  as  a  valuable  and  trustworthy 
employe.  Subsequent  to  this  length  of  time 
spent  in  the  employ  of  the  last-mentioned  firm, 
Mr.  Sodergren  was  employed  as  engineer  by  the 
Grand  Crossing  Building  Supply  Company, 
which  position  he  now  holds. 

March  20,  1878,  Mr.  Sodergren  was  married  to 
Miss  Asarena  Parson,   a    daughter   of    Par  and 


Helena  (Nelson)  Parson.  Mrs.  Sodergren  was 
born  April  17,  1854,  in  Sweden.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Sodergren  are  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren: Wallace,  Alphonso,  Florence,  Lily  and 
Oliver. 

Mr.  Sodergren  is  a  member  of  First  Swedish 
Lodge  No.  479,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  Though  never  active  in  politics  he  up- 
holds the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and 
does  not  let  a  favorable  opportunity  pass  to 
assert  his  views  in  regard  to  the  same.  He  is  a 
man  of  integrity  and  strength  of  purpose  that  is 
admirable.  His  duty  is  apparent  to  him,  and  he 
never  fails  in  doing  it  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
He  is  a  genial  gentleman,  and  is  beloved  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends. 


JOHN  LONG. 


HOHN  LONG,  who  is  among  the  most  ener- 
I  getic  and  ambitious  citizens  of  Chicago,  was 
G)  born  in  Genesee  County,  New  York,  July  18, 
1836,  and  is  a  son  of  Richard  and  Sarah  Ann 
(Lyons)  Long.  Richard  Long  owned  two  boats 
and  used  them  on  the  Erie  Canal.  He  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  removed  to  the  state  of  New 
York,  and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-two  years,  in 
1851.  His  widow,  the  mother  of  John  Long, 
died  in  Kansas  City  in  1886,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three  years. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richard  Long 
were:  William,  Roxana,  Lovina,  Oliver,  Sarah 
Ann,  John  and  Henry.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  the  only  one  of  the  family  of  Richard 
Long  to  move  west.  John  Long  was  educated  in 
Buffalo,  New  York,  and  became  apprenticed  to  a 
carpenter  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years.  He  came 
west  with  William  Longhurst  in  1856,  and  went 
to  Dubuque,  Iowa,  from  Chicago,  driving  a  horse 


and  wagon.  He  stayed  there  but  ten  weeks, 
when  he  returned  to  Chicago  and  has  since  re- 
sided here. 

He  worked  three  years  in  the  interest  of  Milton 
P.  Reynolds  and  six  years  for  U.  P.  Smith,  and 
for  nine  years  conducted  a  business  in  his  own 
name.  He  was  married  in  1861  to  Clara  Balsley, 
in  Chicago,  and  their  only  child  was  named 
Clara.  For  his  second  wife  Mr.  Long  was  united 
to  Mary  Schonfeld,  a  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Mary  (Ersman)  Schonfeld.  Mrs.  Long  was  born 
December  4,  1855,  in  Bremen,  Germany,  and 
immigrated  to  America  in  1871.  She  came  with 
her  mother  and  brother  William,  and  her  sisters, 
Kate  and  Anna.  Her  father  died  June  26,  1877, 
aged  sixty-one  years,  and  her  mother  March  17, 
1886,  aged  seventy-one  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Long  are  the  parents  of  one  son, 
Frank  Long,  who  lives  at  home  with  his  parents. 
The  family  is  connected  with  the  church  known 


M.  H.  REISSENWEBER. 


633 


as  the  Christian  Catholic,  presided  over  by  Dr. 
Dowie.  The  members  are  well  known  in  the 
vicinity  where  they  reside  and  are  respected  as 
law-abiding  citizens  and  beloved  for  their  neigh- 


borly ways.  Though  never  seeking  public  office, 
Mr.  Long  is  an  upholder  of  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party  and  a  mover  for  all  tendencies 
toward  the  right. 


MICHAEL  H.  REISSENWEBER. 


IV^ICHAEL  HENRY    REISSENWEBER. 

I V  I  Many  of  the  citizens  of  the  foremost  rank 
\(y\  in  the  great  cities  of  America  are  indebted 
to  Germany  for  their  birthplace,  and  though  they 
so  often  become  among  the  most  law-abiding  of 
our  people  and  loyal  to  our  L,and  of  the  Free  and 
its  interests,  they  never  forget  nor  cease  to  love 
that  beautiful  land  of  mountains,  of  the  River 
Rhine,  and  the  many  ruins  of  castles  which  help 
to  make  the  valley  of  the  most  beautiful  of  rivers. 
They  revisit  their  native  land,  if  possible,  and 
though  they  admire  our  form  of  government 
more,  they  honor  and  respect  the  hospitable  na- 
ture of  their  own  people.  They  remember  with 
pleasure  the  country  that  gave  them  birth  and 
revere  the  name  of  the  Fatherland. 

Michael  Henry  Reissenweber  stands  as  an  ex- 
ample of  a  prosperous  citizen  of  Chicago,  and 
holds  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  conies  in 
contact.  He  was  born  November  7,  1834,  in  the 
village  of  Sonnefeld,  Saxe-Coburg,  Germany,  and 
his  parents  were  Martin  and  Barbara  (Hummel) 
Reissenweber.  His  grandfather,  Michael  Henry 
Reissenweber,  was  a  shoemaker  by  occupation. 
He  was  twice  married  and  his  first  wife  was 
Miss  Bauersachs,  and  was  the  mother  of  Martin 
Reissenweber,  father  of  the  man  whose  name 
heads  this  article.  The  second  wife  of  M.  H. 
Reissenweber  was  Miss  Earth  and  his  children  in 
all  numbered  eleven.  Some  of  them,  those  of 
whom  record  is  obtainable,  are:  Philip,  who 
was  a  shoemaker  and  died  in  New  York  in  1883; 


Johann  Paul,  John  Adams,  Eva  Barbara,  Martin, 
Anna  Marguerita,  Michael,  Gottfried,  Christian 
and  Margaret. 

The  maternal  grandfather,  George  Henry  Hum- 
mel, was  twice  married  and  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  the  child  of  his  first  marriage.  His  first 
wife  was  Miss  Knauer.  His  children  are  account- 
ed for  as  follows:  Jacob,  Barbara  and  Anna  Mar- 
guerita. The  last-named  married  Henry  Bauer, 
of  Blue  Island.  The  family  of  Hummel  was  in- 
terested in  a  pottery  which  was  conducted  by  its 
members  and  the  work  is  still  carried  on  by  Carl 
Hummel.  The  work  turned  out  is  of  the  best 
and  is  noted  for  its  quality. 

Martin  Reissenweber  was  born  May  27,  1808, 
and  died  January  27,  1881.  He  was  buried  in 
the  village  of  Sonnefeld,  where  his  son,  Michael 
Henry,  was  born.  He  followed  the  occupation 
of  a  shoemaker  and  also  was  interested  in  a  gro- 
cery. His  wife  was  born  June  3,  1811.  She 
died  May  18,  1876.  Her  children  were:  Michael 
Henry,  Anna  Marguerita,  Jacob  Adolph,  Dor- 
othea, Christiana,  Henry,  Wilhelmina,  and  six 
others  who  died.  Anna  M.  married  John  Gru- 
ber,  a  building  contractor.  She  was  born  March 
31,  1837,  and  died  February  5,  1897.  She  was 
residing  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  at  the  time  of 
her  decease,  and  her  remains  were  interred  in 
Iowa  City.  Her  husband  had  preceded  her  to 
the  better  world.  The  children  of  John  and 
Anna  M.  Gruber  were  named  as  follows:  Henry, 
Clara,  George,  John,  James  and  Minnie.  Jacob 


634 


N.  J.  SWANSON. 


Adolph  was  born  June  3,  1839,  and  has  never 
emigrated  from  the  land  of  his  nativity.  Doro- 
thea was  born  December  10,  1840,  and  Christiana 
June  3,  1843.  Henry  was  born  Ma}'  17,  1848, 
and  Wilhelmina  is  the  youngest. 

Michael  Henry  Reissenweber  was  the  first  of 
his  father's  family  to  immigrate  to  America  and 
reached  New  York  January  15,  1854.  He  learned 
the  trade  of  a  shoemaker  in  that  city  and  the  last 
year  spent  there  he  conducted  a  business  in  his 
own  interests.  February  12,  1860,  he  left  New 
York  and  visited  Philadelphia  and  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania.  He  also  traveled  to  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  and  reached  Chicago  March  20,  1861. 
He  was  first  employed  by  John  Wolf,  located  at 
No.  529  Clark  Street.  He  served  in  the  inter- 
ests of  Mr.  Wolf  until  May,  1863,  when  he  estab- 
lished a  business  of  his  own  at  No.  557  Clark 
Street.  August  i,  1863,  he  removed  to  the  south- 
east corner  of  Fourteenth  and  Clark  Streets  and 
the  next  May,  in  1864,  he  moved  to  No.  702 
State  Street.  He  leased  a  lot  at  No.  780  and 
built  on  it,  the  land  now  being  at  No.  1516  State 
Street.  August,  1881,  he  decided  to  change  his 
line  of  business  and  subsequently  conducted  a 
catering  establishment  at  No.  1555  State  Street. 
May,  1884,  he  removed  to  No.  2702  Wentworth 
Avenue  and  has  since  this  time  lived  retired  from 
active  business  life. 

Mr.  Reissenweber  was  married  March  3,  1863, 


to  Julianna  Kich,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Kich  and 
a  native  of  Burgen,  Rhenish  Prussia,  Germany. 
She  was  born  June  21,  1842,  and  died  July  22, 
1865.  Her  parents  came  to  America  at  the  same 
time  and  they  were  married  in  Chicago.  Her 
children  are  accounted  for  as  follows:  Henry 
Conrad  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-two  years; 
Charles  John  resides  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and 
Julianna  died  at  the  age  of  five  weeks.  Mr. 
Reissenweber  was  married  the  second  time,  Au- 
gust 3,  1866,  to  Henrietta  Ellfeldt,  daughter  of 
Charles  Ellfeldt.  She  was  born  in  Germany 
August  7,  1842.  Her  children  were  named  as 
follows:  William  Christian,  born  December  15, 
1867;  Ottilie,  born  September  19,  1869;  Henri- 
etta Amelia,  born  July  24,  1871;  Louisa,  born 
February  5,  1873;  Clara  Sophia,  born  December 
5,  1874;  Otto,  born  January  22,  1877,  and  Dora 
Gresenda,  born  August  22,  1882. 

Mr.  Reissenweber  is  a  member  of  the  German 
Order  of  Harugari,  having  filled  all  the  offices  up 
to  the  Gross  Barde.  The  members  of  his  family 
are  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  Church  and 
are  honored  and  respected  by  the  others  of  the 
congregation.  Mr.  Reissenweber  is  not  an  agi- 
tator in  political  affairs  and  not  bound  to  any 
particular  party.  He  votes  for  the  man  who,  in 
his  estimation,  is  liable  to  do  the  most  for  the 
welfare  of  the  people,  and  work  to  their  advan- 
tage. 


NELS  J.  SWANSON. 


K)ELS  JOHN  SWANSON.  How  many  have 
I  /  remarked  on  the  sturdy  character  and  quali- 
|/9  ties  of  the  people  of  Scandinavian  birth. 
Those  men  who  are  emigrants  from  their  native 
land  and  come  to  America  in  their  youth,  are  of  the 
mind  which  is  bound  to  guide  the  person  to  suc- 
cess. A  man  born  in  Sweden,  especially,  has  the 


intention  of  becoming  either  rich  or  famous  and 
may  become  both.  They  make  our  best  and  most 
law-abiding  citizens  and  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten 
do  more  for  the  uplifting  of  the  minds  and  inter- 
ests of  our  people  than  we  ever  realize  or  take 
note  of.  Among  the  most  expert  brick-makers 
and  firemen  of  the  city  of  Chicago  is  Nels  John 


WILLIAM  METZGER. 


635 


Swauson.  He  was  born  September  28,  1856,  in 
Sweden,  and  came  to  America  in  1881,  arriving 
in  Chicago  May  12  of  that  year. 

He  was  immediately  employed  by  the  Knicker- 
bocker Ice  Company,  one  of  the  largest  ice  con- 
cerns in  the  city.  After  one  month  thus  occupied 
he  was  with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
Railroad  Company  four  months,  and  was  subse- 
quently employed  at  the  Bridgeport  Rolling  Mills 
until  they  were  closed.  He  worked  for  Ander- 
son A.  Freeman  one  year  and  was  later  for  a 
short  time  with  Shipman's  White  Lead  Com- 
pany. He  had  not  yet  found  his  proper  bent  in 
life,  but  after  six  weeks  in  Brown's  Mill  at  Iron- 
dale,  he  spent  four  and  one-half  years  in  Pull- 
man making  brick,  and  became  an  expert  at  the 
trade.  He  was  employed  six  successive  sum- 
mers by  J.  S.  Saxon,  working  at  the  ice  business 
in  winter.  A  year  and  one-half  subsequently  he 
was  fireman  at  the  Bridgeport  Rolling  Mill  and 
after  two  months  more  spent  with  P.  G.  Saxon, 
he  became  fireman  for  Swift  &  Company,  at  the 


Stock  Yards.  He  still  holds  this  position  and  is 
honored  and  respected  by  his  employers  and  his 
services  are  valued  as  is  due  his  efforts. 

Mr.  Swanson  was  married  December  15,  1885, 
to  Miss  Christina,  daughter  of  Nels  and  Mary 
(Nelson)  Nelson.  Mrs.  Swanson  was  born  Aug- 
ust 14,  1862.  She  arrived  in  Chicago  April  9, 
1882,  and  this  city  has  since  been  her  home. 
Their  children  are  as  follows:  Nels  Harry  Will- 
iam, born  November  20,  1887;  George  Hildur 
Edvin,  January  24,  1891,  and  Swan  Herbert 
Louis,  January  17,  1895. 

Mr.  Swanson  sympathizes  with  the  Republican 
party  and  at  all  opportunities  expresses  his  views 
on  the  subject,  voting  at  all  times  in  favor  of  the 
candidates  of  the  party.  He  erected  a  residence 
in  August,  1896,  at  No.  3646  Seeley  Avenue. 
He  has  since  resided  at  this  location  and  pos- 
sesses a  pleasant  home,  wherein  dwell  peace  and 
harmony  at  all  times.  He  and  his  family  are 
genial  and  hospitable  and  are  considerate  and 
kind  to  the  stranger  who  is  within  their  gates. 


WILLIAM  METZGER. 


P  QlLLIAM  METZGER,  who  is  one  of  the 
\  A  /  most  energetic  and  prosperous  citizens  of 
YY  the  city  of  Chicago,  was  born  September 
2,  1846,  in  New  York  City.  His  parents  were 
John  Peter  and  Dorothea  Margaret  (Sieger) 
Metzger  and  his  maternal  grandfather  was  Wil- 
helm  Sieger,  who  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and  wine 
grower.  John  P.  Metzger  was  born  in  a  house 
that  is  about  two  hundred  years  old,  having  been 
resided  in  by  members  of  the  family  of  Metzger 
since  it  was  built.  They  are  a  long-lived  family, 
all  of  the  members  reaching  a  very  old  age. 

J.  P.  Metzger  died  February  21,  1890,  aged 
eighty-four  years,  six  months  and  twenty-eight 
days,  and  was  buried  in  Graceland  Cemetery. 


He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Elms-Hansen, 
Hessen-Darmsdat,  Germany.  He  was  a  land- 
owner and  tiller  of  the  soil  in  his  native  land, 
and  had  an  extensive  vineyard.  He  served  as 
burgomaster  in  the  town  of  Zell,  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  German- 
Lutheran  Church.  In  the  year  1846  the  family, 
consisting  of  parents  and  children — Peter,  Dora, 
Susan,  Ludwig,  Philip,  Margaret  and  Frederick — 
emigrated  from  their  native  land  and  located  in 
America.  There  were  fourteen  children  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  P.  Metzer,  but  those  not  herein 
mentioned  are  deceased. 

Mr.  Metzger  reached  New  York  City  and  was 
employed  as  a    laborer  for    a  short  time,   later 


636 


WILLIAM  METZGER. 


starting  in  the  milk  business  on  Forty-second 
Street,  near  Second  Avenue,  in  that  cit)'.  In 
the  spring  of  the  year  1856  he  preceded  his 
family  to  Chicago  and  entered  the  service  of 
Rickert  &  Bierline,  lumber  merchants,  located  at 
the  corner  of  Sixteenth  Street  and  Wentworth 
Avenue.  Later  he  was  with  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company,  in  its  repair  shops  until  1869. 
He  sold  his  property  to  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michi- 
gan Southern  Railroad  Company  and  purchased 
a  cottage  at  the  corner  of  Twenty-fourth  Street 
and  Wentworth  Avenue.  He  again  traded  this 
for  a  farm  at  Pevely,  Missouri,  gaining  in  the 
deal,  as  he  obtained  eighty  acres  of  valuable  land. 
He  later  added  eighty  acres  more  to  his  posses- 
sions. The  farm  was  bought  in  partnership  with 
his  sons,  Philip  and  William,  and  daughter,  Susan. 
They  lived  on  the  farm  about  two  years  and  later 
removed  to  Booneville,  where  Mr.  Metzger  re- 
mained one  year  before  returning  to  Chicago. 
He  retired  not  long  after,  and  lived  thus  until 
his  death. 

Mrs.  J.  P.  Metzger,  mother  of  the  man  whose 
name  heads  this  article,  was  fifty-nine  years  of 
age  when  she  was  taken  with  smallpox  and  died 
in  March,  1865.  She  was  married  to  Mr. 
Metzger  about  1832.  Her  father  was  Wilhelm 
Sieger. 

William  Metzger  was  an  attendant  of  the 
Mosely  School  until  1860,  when  he  secured  a 
situation  as  office  boy  with  G.  L.  Dickinson,  re- 
maining in  his  employ,  at  a  location  on  South 
Water  Street,  from  August,  i86i,toi862.  Prior 
to  this  time  he  had  been  with  his  father  in  a  flour 
mill  six  months.  In  August,  1862,  Mr.  Metzger 
enlisted  as  a  drummer  in  Company  E,  Seventy- 
second  Illinois,  known  as  the  First  Board  of 
Trade  Regiment.  He  remained  with  this  regi- 
ment until  March  18,  1864.  At  Vicksburg,  in 
December,  1862,  he  was  wounded  and  confined 
in  a  hospital  six  weeks.  In  1863  he  was  attacked 
with  measles ,  which  he  did  not  recover  from  for 
four  weeks. 

In  March,  1864,  he  was  made  principal  musi- 
cian in  the  Fifty-first  United  States  colored 
troops.  In  this  regiment  he  was  made  second 
lieutenant  shortly  before  he  was  mustered  out  of 


service.  At  Fort  Blakely  he  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  right  shoulder,  losing  four 
months.  He  was  discharged  June  16,  1866,  at 
Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  and  returned  to  Chi- 
cago. He  was  engaged  in  carpenter  work  for  a 
short  time,  and  in  February,  1868,  began  to  work 
for  the  Illinois  Soapstone  Company,  remaining 
in  that  service  until  the  fire  of  1871.  The  shop 
was  then  destroyed  and  the  business  discontinued. 

Mr.  Metzger  found  his  trade  very  handy,  and 
he  helped  in  the  reconstruction  of  the  city.  He 
was  employed  by  the  Freer  Stone  Manufacturing 
Company  as  stone  cutter,  later  becoming  a  sales- 
man for  Chapin  Brothers.  He  sold  four  hun- 
dred copies  of  the  History  of  the  Fire,  and  was 
with  the  last-named  concern  until  June,  1873. 
He  then  entered  the  service  of  the  Home  Sewing 
Machine  Company  as  packer,  remaining  at  this 
occupation  until  1878.  Subsequently,  until  Au- 
gust, 1880,  he  was  with  Potter  Palmer  as  me- 
chanic, and  later  with  Warner  &  Kimball,  at  No. 
47  Jackson  Street,  wholesale  dealers  in  glass, 
being  the  first  man  this  firm  employed  in  Chicago. 
He  was  with  it  until  1883. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1883,  he  opened 
a  store  at  No.  2504  Wentworth  Avenue,  and 
continued  it  eighteen  months.  He  then  entered 
the  employ  of  Heroy  &  Marrenner  as  shipping 
clerk,  which  position  he  held  until  February, 
1896.  In  September  of  that  year  he  was  em- 
ployed in  the  interest  of  Tyler  &  Hippach, 
wholesale  dealers  in  glass,  remaining  until  De- 
cember, 1897.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  with 
the  Metropolitan  Plate  Glass  Company. 

November  i,  1869,  Mr.  Metzger  was  married  to 
Miss  Marion,  daughter  of  Andreas  Gabrielson, 
and  their  children  were  four  in  number:  Hattie 
Louise,  born  July  18,  1870,  married  Herman 
Diebling,  and  resides  on  Seventieth  Street,  between 
Prairie  and  Indiana  Avenues;  Andrew  Custer, 
born  October,  18,  1873,  is  superintendent  of 
the  Chicago  Gas  Regulating  Company,  at  the 
corner  of  Dearborn  and  Van  Buren  Streets; 
Maud  and  Alice  were  born  February  10,  1876, 
being  twins.  Alice  married  Joseph  Binney  and 
resides  at  No.  6625  Hartwell  Avenue. 

Mr.   Metzger   married     for     his   second    wife 


JAMES  STORMS. 


637 


Christine  Augustine,  who  was  born  in  Norway. 
Her  children  are  as  follows:  William  Walter, 
born  June  15,  1879;  Philip  Charles,  April  22, 
1883;  May  Olive,  March  8,  1885;  Susan  May, 
March  7,  1888;  William  Grafton,  September 
21,  1892;  and  Anna  Marrenner,  September  5, 
1895. 
Mr.  Metzger  is  connected  with  Gen.  Louis 


Blenker  Post,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
is  a  consistent  member  of  Kmanuel  Baptist 
Church.  He  has  never  been  interested  in  poli- 
tics, further  than  to  cast  his  vote  at  the  opportu- 
nity in  favor  of  the  Republican  party.  The 
members  of  the  family  are  all  highly  respected, 
wherever  they  are  known  and  the  name  is  hon- 
ored by  all. 


JAMES  STORMS. 


(TAMES  STORMS.  Among  the  industrious 
I  and  well-known  citizens  of  Chicago  who 
G/  were  born  in  foreign  parts,  but  who  have  not 
been  reluctant  in  adopting  America  as  a  country 
worthy  of  their  allegiance,  is  the  man  whose 
name  heads  this  article.  He  was  born  May  14, 
1806,  in  Murrayshire,  town  of  Kintissic,  and  par- 
ish of  Dyke,  Scotland. 

His  paternal  grandfather  married  Mary  (sur- 
name unknown)  and  became  the  father  of  John 
Storms,  who  was  the  father  of  James  Storms. 
The  maternal  grandfather,  Alexander  McGory, 
married  Jane  McCain,  and  lived  to  a  very  old 
age.  His  children  were:  Alexander,  James, 
Mary,  Jane,  Maria  and  Christina.  John  Storms 
was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  and  lived  in  Scot- 
land all  his  life.  His  wife  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-two  years.  Their  children  were  named 
as  follows:  Alexander,  John,  William,  Belle, 
James,  Robert,  David  and  Jane.  All  of  this 
family  of  children  grew  to  maturity,  but  none  of 
them  excepting  James  emigrated  from  their  na- 
tive land. 

James  Storms  followed  the  trade  chosen  by  his 
father,  after  passing  the  school  age,  and  immi- 
grated to  America  when  fifty-one  years  old,  in 
the  year  1857.  With  him  came  six  of  his  family 
of  eight  children.  John  L,.,  the  oldest  of  these, 


came  over  to  America  three  years  before  his 
father,  and  Peter  came  over  two  years  later  than 
John  L,.  Storms.  Both  reside  in  Chicago  at  the 
present  writing.  The  six  who  came  with  the 
father  are:  Margaret,  Jane,  Isabella,  Annie, 
Robena  and  Alexander.  The  last-named  died 
when  still  an  infant. 

Mr.  Storms  located  in  Lockport,  Illinois,  and 
immediately  entered  into  the  sale  of  shoes.  He 
remained  in  this  locality  seven  years,  being  very 
successful.  He  then  removed  his  family  to 
Chicago  and  erected  a  residence  at  No.  7327  Cot- 
tage Grove  Avenue.  This  house  still  stands,  and 
Mr.  Storms  has  since  this  time  resided  in  the 
same  vicinity.  He  purchased  ten  acres  of  land 
in  the  locality  and  in  association  with  his  sons, 
John  L.  and  Peter  Storms,  and  son-in-law,  Edwin 
Johnson,  platted  and  sold  lots  as  property  be- 
came more  valuable  with  the  growth  of  the  city 
in  population.  Mr.  Storms  was  married  in  early 
life  to  Miss  Margaret  Brown,  a  native  of  the  same 
section  as  himself,  and  was  one  year  his  senior. 
She  died  June  22  of  the  year  1882.  Of  the  chil- 
dren of  this  couple,  Margaret  married  A.  E. 
Johnson  and  survives  her  husband,  residing  in 
Grand  Crossing.  Jane  married  Alexander  Sy- 
mons  and  lives  at  No.  7410  L,angley  Avenue.  Isa- 
bella is  now  Mrs.  A.  E.  Field;  and  Annie  married 


638 


J.  H.  RIPLEY. 


John  Russell  and  lives  in  South  Bend,  Washing- 
ton. Robena  married  M.  F.  Mogg  and  resides 
at  No.  4358  Berkley  Avenue,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Storms  is  not  a  political  agitator  nor  a 
seeker  after  public  office,  but  gives  his  political 
allegiance  to  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  valu- 
able and  influential  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  with  which  he  has  been  affiliated  since 
childhood.  He  is  a  man  of  high  principle,  ready 


judgment,  and  his  influence  is  always  exerted 
in  the  cause  of  right.  Of  him  the  worthy  poor 
never  seek  aid  in  vain  and  his  advice  is  given 
cheerfully  to  those  who  ask.  He  comes  of  a 
sturdy  nation  and  the  long  lives  of  his  ancestors 
and  direct  relatives  testify  to  the  value  of  the 
temperate  habits  boasted  of  for  him  by  his  many 
friends.  He  is  a  pleasant,  genial  gentleman,  with 
whom  it  is  a  privilege  to  converse. 


JOHN  H.  RIPLEY. 


(I  OHN  HENRY  RIPLEY.  Of  the  people  of 
I  to-day  who  are  unsuccessful  in  their  life 
G)  work,  how  many  are  there  that  owe  their  fail- 
ure to  the  fact  that  they  did  not  understand  what 
their  true  vocation  should  have  been.  Many 
more  follow  the  proper  occupation  suited  to  their 
abilities  but  do  not  strive  enough  to  perfect 
themselves  in  this  particular  line  and  form  another 
class  of  failures,  which  is  the  most  to  be  despised 
of  either.  But  among  those  who  are  wise  enough 
to  become  proficient  in  his  calling  after  choosing 
the  proper  occupation,  is  John  Henry  Ripley. 
He  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  suc- 
cessful of  builders  and  contractors  in  the  south- 
ern portion  of  the  city  of  Chicago. 

He  was  born  May  3,  1857,  in  Bradford,  York- 
shire, England.  His  parents  were  James  and 
Louise  (Wilkeson)  Ripley,  and  they  located  in 
Chicago  thirty  years  ago,  in  1868.  Their  chil- 
dren were  named  as  follows:  Margaret,  Thomas 
(now  deceased) ,  John  Henry  and  Herbert,  who 
is  a  contractor  and  resides  at  No.  3746  Calumet 
Avenue. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five  years  J.  H.  Rip- 
ley  began  contracting  for  himself  and  located 
at  No.  3160  Prairie  Avenui.  He  has  continued 
contracting  since  that  time  and  has  been  in  the 
same  section  fifteen  years.  He  is  located  with 


his  work  in  Brookline  and  Park  Manor.  Of  im- 
portant contracts  he  has  made  sub-divisions, 
among  which  is  that  of  Walter  S.  Dray.  He 
has  had  all  the  work  of  Park  Manor,  and  did 
the  excavating  on  the  Pullman  Building.  He 
has  also  contracted  for  much  other  important 
work  and  has  made  a  decided  success  in  this 
portion  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Ripley  was  married  September  27,  1880, 
to  Miss  Abbie  Adelia,  daughter  of  John  Michael 
and  Ann  Eliza  (King)  Beutelle.  Mrs.  Ripley 
was  born  October  16,  1859,  near  Long  Branch, 
New  Jersey.  She  came  to  Chicago  October  23, 
1871.  Her  father  resides  in  Winchester,  Vir- 
ginia, and  is  eighty  years  of  age.  He  conducts 
a  vinegar  factory.  His  wife  is  seventy  years  old 
and  their  children  were  named:  Martin  Luther, 
Hoss  Melancthon,  Merebith  Christina,  Emelius 
Marks,  Abigail  Adelia  and  Margaret  Matilda. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ripley  are  the  parents  of  one 
child,  Thomas  Joseph  Newton,  born  May  27, 
1882.  Mr.  Ripley  is  not  a  seeker  after  public 
favor  in  the  form  of  office,  but  upholds  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  connected 
with  Aldine  Lodge,  No.  119,  Knights  of  Pythias. 
The  Beutelle  branch  of  Mrs.  Ripley's  ancestors 
are  of  French  extraction,  and  the  King  family  is 
English- American. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

OF  ILLINOIS 


CASSIUS  C.  ROBERTS 


(From  Pholo  by  W.  J.  ROOT) 


C.   C.    ROBERTS. 


639 


CASSIUS  C    ROBERTS. 


EASSIUS  CLAY  ROBERTS,  who  represents 
the  New  England  blood  and  spirit  which 
have  been  so  active  in  framing  the  material, 
moral  and  social  growth  of  the  entire  West,  is  a 
native  of  the  State  of  Maine,  born  March  5,  1846, 
in  the  town  of  Jackson,  Waldo  County.  He 
comes  of  Revolutionary  stock,  his  great-grandfa- 
ther, Joseph  Roberts,  having  been  a  soldier  in 
the  struggle  for  American  independence.  The 
last-named  was  the  first  settler  in  the  town  of 
Brooks,  Maine,  where  he  located  subsequent  to 
the  Revolutionary  war. 

Dr.  Jacob  Roberts,  son  of  Joseph  above  men- 
tioned, and  grandfather  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  was  a  prominent  Quaker,  and  eminent  in 
the  medical  profession .  He  lived  at  Vassalboro, 
and  was  the  first  to  practice  homeopathy  in  the 
State.  Hamlin  M.  Roberts,  son  of  the  doctor 
and  father  of  Cassius  C. ,  was  a  leading  farmer  of 
Jackson,  and  was  one  of  the  three  who  cast  the 
first  Abolition  votes  in  the  town,  voting  for  John 
G.  Birney  for  president  in  1840.  He  died  in 
1856,  when  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  only 
ten  years  old. 

C.  C.  Roberts  was  fitted  for  college  at  Lewis- 
ton,  in  the  Maine  State  Seminary,  now  known  as 
Bates  College.  Here  he  developed  his  qualities 
as  a  leader,  and  was  one  of  the  seceders  from  the 
Literary  Fraternity,  being  active  in  securing  a 
charter  for  the  Philomethean  Society,  which  be- 
came a  rival  of  the  Literary.  He  early  evinced  a 
taste  for  politics,  and  walked  seventeen  miles  to 


attend  a  Republican  convention  when  only  twelve 
years  old.  In  1860  his  parents  removed  from 
Unity  to  Gray. 

Here  he  enlisted  in  August,  1861,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  Company  I,  Tenth  Maine  Infantry,  with 
which  he  served  two  years.  His  only  absence 
from  duty  during  this  period  was  caused  by  a 
wound  in  the  leg  received  August  9,  1862,  at  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Virginia.  When  his 
term  of  enlistment  had  expired  he  was  commis- 
sioned first  lieutenant  in  Company  H,  Eighty- 
first  United  States  Volunteers,  commanded  by 
Col.  John  F.  Appleton.  After  the  surrender  of 
Port  Hudson  he  returned  home  and  entered  the 
First  Maine  Heavy  Artillery,  as  a  member  of 
Company  L.  May  19,  1864,  at  Spottsylvania, 
Virginia,  he  received  a  second  wound,  but  re- 
turned to  the  command  the  following  September. 
He  was  then  promoted  to  second  lieutenant  and 
continued  with  his  regiment  to  the  end.  After 
the  surrender  of  Lee,  he  was  on  detached  service 
until  he  was  mustered  out,  September  n,  1865. 
At  this  time  he  was  first  lieutenant  of  Company 
B,  and  captain  by  brevet,  being  only  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  had  served  over  four  years  in 
the  army.  While  on  detached  duty  he  was  aide- 
de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  M.  D.  Hardin,  com- 
mander of  the  defenses  of  Washington,  and  was 
later  judge  advocate  of  a  court  martial.  The 
First  Maine  Regiment  of  Heavy  Artillery  lost 
more  men  in  killed  and  wounded  than  any  other 
on  the  Federal  side  during  the  war.  They  lost 


640 


C.  C.  ROBERTS. 


six  hundred  and  thirty-two  out  of  nine  hundred 
and  four  in  their  famous  charge  at  Petersburg 
June  18,  1864. 

On  retiring  from  the  army,  Mr.  Roberts  com- 
pleted the  course  at  Eastman's  Business  College 
at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York,  and  next  spent  a 
year  as  bookkeeper  for  Roberts  &  Hichborn, 
shipbuilders  at  Stockton,  Maine.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1867  he  entered  Bethany  College,  West 
Virginia,  and  remained  one  year,  but  the  active 
life  of  a  soldier  and  his  subsequent  business  ex- 
perience had  made  irksome  the  sedentary  condi- 
tion of  a  student,  and  he  returned  to  business 
pursuits. 

Entering  the  ship  building  firm  of  Colcord, 
Berry  &  Company,  he  was  forced,  in  common 
with  others,  to  abandon  the  business,  which  de- 
clined rapidly  after  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
then  opened  a  general  store  at  Stockton,  and  con- 
tinued its  operation  until  1879.  He  was  three 
years  a  representative  of  Waldo  County  on  the 
Democratic  State  Committee,  was  chairman  of  the 
Congressional  District  Committee,  and  a  delegate 
to  the  National  Convention  at  Baltimore  in  1872. 
He  was  three  times  defeated  as  a  candidate  for 
representative  from  Stockton  and  Searsport,  the 
margin  in  1876  being  only  seven  votes.  The 
following  year  he  was  nominated  for  state  sena- 
tor, but  was  defeated,  and  was  elected  to  that  po- 
sition in  1878,  serving  when  Alonzo  Garcelon  was 
governor. 

In  1882  Mr.  Roberts  took  up  his  residence  in 
Boston  and  established  a  successful  produce  com- 
mission business.  The  following  winter  he  lost 
all  he  possessed  in  an  unfortunate  potato  specula- 
tion, and  concluded  to  make  a  new  start  in  the 
broad  West,  where  energy  and  brains  find  abund- 
ant opportunity  for  exercise.  He  was  not  with- 
out friends,  who  provided  him  with  a  railway 
pass  to  Chicago,  and  arrived  in  this  city  in 
March,  1884,  having  a  capital  of  ten  dollars,  in 
addition  to  a  stout  heart  and  a  useful  business 
experience.  Anything  honest  that  came  in  his 
way  was  accepted,  and  he  was  variously  em- 
ployed during  his  first  year  in  the  western 
metropolis.  Among  other  vocations  which  he  ac- 
cepted were  those  of  book  canvasser  and  clerk. 


At  the  end  of  a  year  he  had  accumulated  some 
small  savings  and  entered  business,  in  company 
with  John  Kane,  a  former  acquaintance  of  Sears- 
port,  Maine,  opening  a  grocery  and  market.  After 
one  year  Mr.  Roberts  sold  his  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness to  his  partner  and  entered  the  Chicago  post- 
office,  as  superintendent  of  second,  third  and 
fourth  class  matter  in  the  mailing  department. 
This  appointment  was  secured  through  the  in- 
fluence of  Chief  Justice  Melville  W.  Fuller  and 
C.  P.  Kimball,  who  were  State  of  Maine  friends 
of  Mr.  Roberts.  The  late  Nelson  Dingley,  of 
Maine,  was  also  a  warm  friend,  though  political 
opponent  of  Mr.  Roberts. 

The  latter  resigned  his  position  in  January, 
1889,  to  enter  the  newspaper  field.  He  estab- 
lished the  Chicago  Weekly  Opinion,  which  is  de- 
voted to  the  local  society  and  political  interests  of 
the  West  Side,  and  has  ever  since  continued  its 
publication.  For  some  years  he  lived  in  the 
suburb  of  Lawndale  (now  part  of  the  city),  and 
removed  in  1898  to  Riverside,  a  beautiful  suburb 
located  on  the  Desplaines  River.  His  news- 
paper business  has  been  extended  to  include 
eight  local  suburban  publications,  and  he  is  also 
at  times  a  reporter  for  the  City  Press  Association. 
Another  of  his  business  ventures  was  the  conduct 
of  the  Millard  Avenue  Hotel  for  five  years.  Mr. 
Roberts  was  one  of  the  promoters  of  the  Twenty- 
second  Street  electric  railway,  buys  and  sells  real 
estate  on  commission,  and  is  interested  in  a  large 
number  of  suburban  lots. 

He  has  been  several  years  secretary  of  the  Mc- 
Clellan  Veterans'  Club,  was  two  years  president 
of  the  Democratic  organization  of  his  ward  and 
subsequently  president  of  the  Old  Hickory  Club, 
an  independent  organization,  which  sought  to  se- 
cure the  election  of  honest  aldermen,  irrespective 
of  party.  The  Opinion,  Mr.  Roberts'  paper,  is 
usually  opposed  to  the  "machine"  in  local  poli- 
tics, and  has  wielded  a  powerful  influence  in  pro- 
moting good  government.  It  was  the  only  Eng- 
lish paper  that  supported  the  late  Carter  H.  Har- 
rison, when  he  was  an  independent  Democratic 
candidate  for  mayor,  as  opposed  to  the  late  De 
Witt  C.  Cregier. 

December  31,  1868,  Mr.   Roberts  was  married 


L.  E.  HUGUELET. 


641 


to  Miss  Pauline  E.  Colcord,  of  Stockton,  Maine, 
a  native  of  Prospect,  Maine.  When  she  passed 
away,  November  30,  1875,  sne  left  two  interesting 
daughters  to  comfort  her  bereaved  husband. 
They  are  named  Parepa  and  Pauline,  the  latter 
being  the  wife  of  James  J.  Lawler,  a  Connecticut 
Yankee,  who  is  cashier  and  assistant  superin- 
tendent of  the  Winsted  Silk  Company  of  Chicago. 
After  remaining  twenty-three  years  a  single  man 
Mr.  Roberts  was  again  wedded,  January  5,  1898, 


to  Miss  Margaret  Bennett,  an  accomplished  young 
lady  of  Clyde. 

Mr.  Roberts  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Press 
Association  and  is  active  and  influential  in  the 
organization  known  as  the  Sons  of  Maine,  and 
in  the  Pheta  Delta  Chi  college  society.  His 
success  in  life  has  not  detracted  from  his  thorough 
democracy,  and  he  is  a  genial  and  approachable 
gentleman,  ever  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the 
general  people. 


LOUIS  E.  HUGUELET. 


j  GUIS  EMIL  HUGUELET,  who  is  among 
It  the  retired  citizens  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  has 
l_y  proved  himself  one  of  the  most  worthy  and 
respectable  of  the  upbuilders  of  the  city,  and  has 
been  loyal  in  the  most  emphatic  manner  to  the 
Land  of  the  Free,  which  is  his  adopted  country. 
His  career  has  been  a  varied  one,  and  he  has  met 
with  many  classes  of  men  and  dealt  with  some 
who  were  among  the  most  dishonest.  He  has 
had  many  trials  and  has  borne  his  share  with  the 
best.  Born  in  the  town  of  Vauffelin,  in  canton 
Berne,  Switzerland,  November  29,  1834,  he  is  a 
son  of  David  Louis  and  Marian  (Serket)  Hu- 
guelet. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Louis  Emil  Hu- 
guelet  had  the  following  children:  Pierre,  David, 
Henry,  John  and  Julia.  None  of  the  family 
emigrated  from  their  native  land  except  David, 
father  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article. 
The  family  was  Protestant,  and  very  old  in  Swit- 
zerland. The  maternal  grandfather  had  children 
as  follows:  Harriette,  Julia,  Marian  and  Ann. 
Julia  married  Mr.  Frane  in  Switzerland  and  came 
to  America,  locating  in  Marshallville,  Ohio, 
where  her  family  lives  at  this  writing. 

David  L.    Huguelet   and   his  wife  and  eight 


children  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  in  July,  1849. 
Mr.  Huguelet  was  a  shoenail  blacksmith  and 
began  work  at  his  trade  soon  after  settling.  In 
the  spring  of  1851  he  removed  his  family  to  the 
city  of  Chicago,  which  was  then  a  small  town, 
on  the  marshes  of  the  Chicago  River,  and  was 
occupied  at  general  labor  from  that  date  until  his 
death.  He  was  born  in  1812  and  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1887,  after  living  a  useful  life,  and  was 
mourned  by  his  friends  and  relatives  as  a  good 
and  true  man,  who  did  all  in  his  power  for  his 
family  and  mankind  in  general. 

Mrs.  D.  L.  Huguelet  passed  away  from  the 
trials  and  tribulations  of  this  life  in  December, 
1882,  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  Her  chil- 
dren made  up  a  large  family,  of  each  of  whom 
slight  mention  is  made:  Louis  Emil  istheoldtst 
of  the  number.  Mary  was  married  to  Valentine 
Russer,  a  brass  moulder  in  the  factory  where 
L.  E.  Huguelet  learned  his  trade;  they  had  one 
son,  John  Russer,  who  now  resides  with  his 
mother  on  the  North  Side.  Valentine  Russer  is 
now  deceased.  John  Emanuel  Hugutlet  resides 
on  the  North  Side,  in  Chicago.  Sophia  married 
Charles  Morey  and  also  lives  on  the  North  Side. 


642 


L.  E.  HUGUELET. 


Julia  married  Lawrence  Huck  and  lives  in  the 
same  portion  of  Chicago,  as  do  also  James  Eugene 
and  Henry. 

L.  E.  Huguelet  remained  at  home  with  his 
parents  until  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  years  he  started  to  learn  the  trade 
of  brass  moulder,  in  the  employ  of  Christopher 
Metz,  and  with  others  organized  and  became  a 
member  of  Engine  Company  No.  1 1  (better 
known  as  the  Neptune),  Volunteer  Fire  Depart- 
ment of  Chicago.  He  was  a  sailor  on  Lake 
Michigan  two  seasons  on  lumber  vessels,  and  one 
season  on  a  vessel  trading  with  Indians.  April 
1 6,  i86r,  he  enlisted  in  Company  F,  Twenty- 
fourth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  September  6,  1864.  He  had  a  very 
exciting  and  unpleasant  experience  during  the 
war,  and  was  a  prisoner  at  Richmond,  Virginia, 
for  some  time.  He  was  removed  to  Danville, 
North  Carolina,  with  three  others,  Peter  Winan 
and  himself  being  able  to  escape.  They  traveled 
twelve  days,  and,  when  near  the  Union  lines, 
were  recaptured  and  brought  back  to  prison. 
They  were  very  fortunate,  however,  in  being 
paroled  in  three  days. 

At  the  termination  of  the  war  Mr.  Huguelet 
returned  to  Chicago  and  was  occupied  at  his 
chosen  trade,  that  of  moulder.  He  was  again 
employed  by  Mr.  Metz  and  remained  with  him 
twelve  years,  being  given  charge  of  the  brass 
moulding  department.  He  subsequently  estab- 
lished a  stove  repair  business,  at  the  corner  of 
State  and  Lake  Streets,  in  the  City  Hotel,  and 
continued  one  year.  He  entered  the  employ  of 
J.  P.  Dalton,  hardware  dealer,  located  at  No.  71 
Lake  Street,  where  he  was  given  charge  of  all 
casting  and  repairing,  and  occupied  this  position 
twenty-four  years,  proving  his  stability  of  char- 
acter and  power  to  fill  all  requirements.  He  was 
an  honored  and  valued  employe,  and  served  his 
employer's  interests  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 
For  four  subsequent  years  Mr.  Huguelet  had 
charge  of  the  stock  department  of  the  George  L. 
Thompson  Manufacturing  Company,  and  has 
retired  from  active  service  since  that  time. 

He  was  married  February  21,  1865,  to  Miss 
Barbara  Sabina  Neeb,  daughter  of  Nicholas  Neeb, 


who  came  from  Bavaria,  Germany,  in  1853. 
Nicholas  and  Barbara  (Kertzner)  Neeb  resided 
in  a  house  which  had  been  in  the  family  many 
generations,  and  their  sons,  George  A.  and 
Nicholas,  were  born  in  this  building.  The  grand- 
father, John  Neeb,  was  seventy-five  years  of  age 
at  the  time  of  his  decease,  which  occurred  in  the 
year  1825.  He  was  an  extensive  landowner,  and 
beside  following  the  occupation  of  a  tiller  of  the 
soil,  he  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade.  His  children 
were  as  follows:  John,  Carl,  Michael,  Elizabeth, 
Mary,  Nicholas,  and  a  daughter  whose  name  is 
not  recorded.  The  maternal  grandfather  died 
when  his  only  child,  Barbara,  was  still  very 
young,  leaving  the  child  an  orphan. 

George  A.  Neeb,  whose  name  is  at  the  head  of 
a  biography  in  another  volume  of  this  work,  is 
one  of  the  most  prosperous  business  men  of  Grand 
Crossing,  and  a  type  of  the  sturdy  character  that, 
though  born  in  a  foreign  land,  enables  its  owner 
to  become  a  loyal  citizen  in  the  land  of  his  adop- 
tion. Nicholas  Neeb  immigrated  to  America  with 
his  wife  and  eight  children,  and  died  December 
24,  1864,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  St. 
Boniface  Cemetery. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  E.  Huguelet  became  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  who  are  accounted 
for  by  the  following  brief  mention:  Emil  Adam, 
born  November  8,  1866,  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
months.  Frank  Louis,  born  January  29,  1868, 
resides  in  the  same  building  that  affords  a  home 
to  his  parents;  he  married  Theresa  Ebert,  July 
23,  1892,  and  their  children  are  named:  Louis, 
John  and  Angeline.  Of  Emil  further  notice  is 
made  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Anna  Mag- 
dalene was  born  September  17,  1872,  and  mar- 
ried Peter  Sink,  January  7,  1897;  they  reside  at 
No.  5746  Armour  Avenue,  and  their  only  child 
is  named  John  Peter.  Barbara  Margaret,  born 
September  23,  1874,  resides  with  her  parents. 
George  Adam  was  born  December  27,  1876;  he 
enlisted  in  the  Illinois  Naval  Reserves  and  took 
part  in  the  Spanish-American  war  as  fireman  on 
the  transport  "Yale."  Celestine  Bernard,  born 
February  16,  1879;  Frank  Edward,  September  5, 
1881;  John  Nicholas  born  January  22,  1885,  died 
Decembers,  1893;  Charles  Henry,  born  Decem- 


ERNST  JAEGER. 


643 


her  29,    1887;    and  Joseph  Albert,   October  n, 
1889,  completes  the  family. 

Mr.  Huguelet  is  a  member  of  Welter  Post  No. 
701,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  His  wife  was 
reared  a  Roman  Catholic,  in  which  faith  all  her 
children  were  brought  up.  Mr.  Huguelet  is  a 


Republican,  true  to  his  party's  interests  and 
using  his  influence  in  its  favor  at  all  times.  He 
is  a  man  of  strong  character,  as  the  history  of 
his  life  will  clearly  show,  and  he  has  done  his 
share  in  the  making  of  progress  for  the  world  at 
large. 


ERNST  JAEGER. 


[T  RNST  JAEGER  has  played  an  important 
1^  part  in  the  line  of  business  which  has  occu- 
I  pied  him  since  the  time  of  his  emigration  to 
America  and  settling  in  Chicago.  He  comes  of 
an  old  and  highly  respected  German  family, 
many  members  of  which  have  been  prominent, 
and  whose  deeds  will  never  be  forgotten  for  their 
valor  and  sturdiness.  He  is  of  a  race  of  stanch 
men,  with  characters  which  make  them  recog- 
nized. Born  April  6,  1832,  in  the  city  of  Erbach, 
Hessen-Darmstadt,  Germany,  he  is  a  son  of 
Philip  and  Henrietta  Jaeger,  nee  Schott.  His 
paternal  grandfather  was  a  high  officer  in  Hessen- 
Darmstadt,  known  as  secretary  of  state. 

Philip  Jaeger,  father  of  the  man  whose  name 
heads  this  article,  was  born  March  7,  1800,  in 
Pirmasens,  Bavaria.  He  died  in  1884  and  his 
remains  were  buried  in  Laasphe,  Prussia.  He 
occupied  the  important  position  of  forest  director, 
having  been  appointed  in  1842.  He  was  a  well- 
educated  man,  and  was  author  of  four  books  on 
mathematics  and  forestry,  which  were  standard 
and  generally  accepted  in  Germany  as  the  best 
authority  on  the  subject  of  which  they  treated. 
His  first  wife  and  mother  of  the  man  of  whom 
this  sketch  treats,  died  in  1846,  at  the  age  of 
forty  years.  She  became  the  mother,  of  eight  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  were  sons  and  came  to 
America. 

Philip  Jaeger  married  for  his  second  wife 
Minnie  Jaeger,  who  is  no  relation  of  his  by  blood, 


though  of  the  same  surname.  Louis  was  the  first 
of  his  father's  family  to  emigrate,  and  located  in 
Rochester,  New  York,  in  1851.  He  came  to 
Chicago  in  1860,  and  died  January  23,  1879. 
His  birth  occurred  August  23,  1833.  Louis 
Jaeger  was  in  America  ten  years  before  his 
brother,  Ernst,  came  over,  intending  to  make  his 
brother  a  visit.  They  were  nearly  of  an  age  and 
were  very  fond  of  each  other,  and  Louis  induced 
Ernst  to  remain  in  the  New  World  and  assist  him 
in  his  business,  that  of  wholesale  whisky  and 
wine  merchant.  Their  long  and  intimate  busi- 
ness relations  sealed  the  bond  between  them,  and 
Ernst  Jaeger  was  almost  inconsolable  when  his 
brother  died. 

Mr.  Jaeger  reached  Chicago  in  December,  1865, 
and  was  employed  by  his  brother  one  year,  after 
which  he  was  made  a  partner,  and  continued  in 
the  business  from  January,  1867.  The  firm  name 
became  Louis  Jaeger  &  Brother  and  the  business 
was  removed  in  1870,  from  No.  221  Ran- 
dolph Street,  across  the  street.  The  brothers 
lost  all  they  had  in  the  fire  of  1871,  and  estab- 
lished their  business  again  on  West  Twelfth 
Street,  near  Union  Street,  and  remained  until 
1873.  The  concern  was  then  located  at  No.  64 
West  Van  Buren  Street,  where  it  continued  until 
it  was  again  burned  out  in  1875.  The  brothers 
then  returned  to  their  old  stand  on  Randolph 
Street  and  remained  until  the  death  of  Louis,  in 
1879,  when  Mr.  Jaeger  continued  alone,  under 


644 


ANDERS  MADSEN. 


his  individual  name.  He  subsequently  removed 
to  Jackson  Street,  near  Fifth  Avenue,  and  after 
two  years  again  changed  the  location  of  the  en- 
terprise to  No.  6 1  West  Lake  Street,  where  it 
is  to  be  found  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  Jaeger  has  been  very  successful,  financi- 
ally, and  erected  the  first  house  in  the  block 
where  he  resides,  at  No.  5917  Dearborn  Street. 
His  pleasant  and  comfortable  home  has  stood 
since  1886.  He  was  married  November  18, 
1879,  to  Miss  Marie  Forster,  a  native  of  Ger- 


many, who  died  January  17,  1894,  at  the  age  of 
forty-eight  years.  Though  never  a  seeker  after 
public  office,  Mr.  Jaeger  is  a  staunch  Democrat. 
He  is  connected  with  Stephen  A.  Douglas 
Council  No.  642,  Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  a  man 
of  education  and  refined  tastes  and  takes  pleas- 
ure in  gratifying  them.  He  is  of  a  retiring  dis- 
position and  never  seeks  popularity,  being  recog- 
nized at  the  same  time  by  his  neighbors  as  a 
gentleman,  and  admired  by  all  his  acquaintances 
and  friends. 


ANDERS  MADSEN. 


QlNDERS  MADSEN,  a  well-known  citizen 
LJ  and  business  man  of  the  northwest  portion 
/  I  of  Chicago,  was  born  June  i,  1843,  in 
Langeland,  near  Rudkjobing,  Denmark.  His 
boyhood  was  spent  upon  a  farm,  and  after  re- 
ceiving a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
that  country ,  he  resolved  to  follow  the  sea,  which 
has  been  the  natural  home  of  his  countrymen  for 
many  generations.  Securing  a  position  as  cabin 
boy,  he  followed  the  sea  for  about  eleven  years, 
sailing  under  the  flags  of  five  different  nations 
and  having  many  adventures  and  strange  experi- 
ences. He  visited  most  of  the  ports  of  the  Euro- 
pean countries,  the  West  Indies,  and  the  coast  of 
South  America.  He  visited  the  coast  of  Brazil 
in  the  coffee  trade  many  times.  Twice  he  made 
the  long  passage  round  the  southern  point  of 
South  America,  known  as  "doubling  the  Horn." 
He  was  shipwrecked  on  numerous  occasions, 
once  on  the  island  of  Syra  in  Greece,  while  on 
board  a  Belgian  steamer.  The  vessel  was  re- 
covered and  proceeded  to  Sebastapol,  where  it 
was  repaired.  He  resolved  to  better  fit  himself 
for  his  duties  by  study,  and  accordingly  spent 
eight  months  at  the  School  of  Navigation  at  Svend- 
borg,  Denmark.  He  was  then  ordered  to  report 


on  board  the  receiving  ship,  whence  he  proceeded 
on  board  the  new  ironclad,  "Peter  Skran,"  which 
escorted  the  Danish  Princess  to  Kronstadt, where 
she  became  Empress  of  Russia. 

After  a  few  more  years  spent  on  the  ocean  the 
subject  of  this  notice  followed  the  natural  course 
of  emigration  and  came  to  America,  in  1870.  He 
spent  some  time  in  Iowa  and  in  1871  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  found  opportunity  to  take  up 
his  old  calling.  For  two  years  he  spent  the  sum- 
mer months  on  the  lakes  and  in  winter  found  em- 
ployment in  Chicago.  In  1872  he  was  ship- 
wrecked at  South  Haven,  Michigan,  and  returning 
to  Chicago,  at  once  started  for  his  native  land. 
In  1873  he  again  took  up  his  residence  in  the 
Western  metropolis,  and  having  by  careful  econ- 
omy saved  a  sufficient  amount,  he  engaged  in 
business,  opening  a  milk  and  butter  depot  at 
No.  51  West  Ohio  Street.  This  proved  a  paying 
establishment,  and  was  continued  until  the  spring 
of  1885,  with  satisfactory  results.  At  that  time 
a  part  of  the  business  was  sold  and  the  remainder 
rented. 

Having  by  this  time  a  larger  capital  with  which 
to  operate,  Mr.  Madsen  decided  to  start  a  real 
estate  office  and  invested  in  building  lots.  On 


R.  j.  ALLISON. 


645 


these  he  erected  houses  and  business  blocks,  thus 
greatly  adding  to  the  value  of  his  own  and  ad- 
jacent property.  As  there  was  a  steady  demand 
for  such  property  he  was  able  to  dispose  of  his 
holdings  at  a  handsome  profit.  In  this  way  he 
has  built  and  sold  about  fifteen  houses  in  the  city, 
besides  dealing  in  other  property. 

In  1 885  he  purchased  a  house  at  No.  203  Ever- 
green Avenue,  which  he  rebuilt,  and  which  has 
since  been  his  home.  He  has  seen  many  changes 
in  the  growth  of  Chicago,  and  can  point  with 
pride  to  the  fact  that  he  has  been  active  in  bring- 
ing about  these  changes.  He  laid  out  one  tract 
of  nine  acres  on  Forty-second  Avenue  in  lots, 
which  are  now  included  in  the  city.  Though  he 
came  to  America  a  foreigner,  with  small  capital, 


he  has  by   industry  and  strict  attention  to  the 
business  in  hand  accumulated  a  fine  property  and 
made   a   reputation,   which  will  be  a  source  of 
pride   and   gratification   to    all    of   his   descend 
ants. 

In  1873  Mr.  Madsen  was  married  to  Miss  Han- 
sine  Johansen,  who  died  in  1891,  leaving  six 
children:  Alfred, William,  Charles, Walter,  Agnes 
and  Olga.  The  father  was  married  in  the  spring 
of  1893  to  Karen  Andersen.  They  are  the  par- 
ents of  one  son,  Andrew.  The  family  is  con- 
nected with  the  Wicker  Park  Methodist  Church, 
of  which  Mr.  Madsen  is  a  trustee.  In  politics  he 
believes  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party, 
but  in  local  affairs  is  not  strictly  bound  by  party 
ties. 


ROBERT  J.  ALLISON. 


ROBERT  JACKSON  ALLISON,  for  many 
years  a  leading  and  influential  citizen  of 
Lyons  Township,  was  a  native  of  the  town 
of  Northeast,  Erie  County,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  was  born  in  1832.  His  father,  Robert  Alli- 
son, was  born  in  1806,  in  the  same  town,  where 
his  father,  William  Allison,  was  among  the 
earliest  settlers.  The  wife  of  the  latter  was  Ellen 
Hurst,  of  Irish  parentage.  The  male  progenitors 
of  this  family  were  Scotch,  but  William  Allison 
was  a  native  of  the  United  States.  Jane  Allison, 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  biography,  was  born 
in  Whitehall,  New  York,  and  was  a  daughter  of 
Capt.  Thomas  Lyon,  who  served  seven  years  in 
the  Revolutionary  army  and  had  one  of  his  limbs 
shortened  as  the  effect  of  a  wound  received  in 
battle. 

William  Allison  was  a  blacksmith  and  farmer, 
and  his  son,  Robert,  became  a  carpenter  and 
builder.  In  the  spring  of  1839  ^e  removed  to 
Chicago,  and  brought  his  family  in  the  autumn 


of  the  same  year.  He  constructed  many  buildings 
in  the  region  devastated  by  the  great  fire  of  1871. 
When  he  came  to  the  city  it  had  a  population  of 
only  forty-two  hundred  souls,  and  no  building 
was  done  in  his  time  outside  of  Halsted  Street, 
Chicago  Avenue  and  Twelfth  Street.  He  was 
drowned  in  the  canal  near  Summit  in  the  spring 
of  1858.  His  widow  survived  until  September, 
1882,  reaching  the  age  of  seventy-three  years. 
They  had  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  four  of 
whom  are  now  living,  and  only  one,  the  fourth, 
ever  left  Chicago.  She  lives  in  Mobile,  Ala- 
bama. Following  are  the  children,  in  order  of 
birth:  Benjamin  F.,  Robert  J.,  Thomas  Lyon, 
Ellen  (widow  of  James  Quinn),  Mary  (wife  of 
John  Miller)  and  Richard  and  James  (deceased). 
Robert  J.  Allison  was  seven  years  old  when  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Cook  Count}'.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  the  city,  and  from 
boyhood  was  known  to  his  companions  as  "Hon- 
est Jack."  Without  the  complimentary  prefix, 


646 


FREDERICK  WILK. 


he  was  usually  called  by  this  contraction  of  his 
second  Christian  name.  In  1849  he  began  driv- 
ing a  packet  team  on  the  Illinois  &  Michigan 
Canal,  and  for  several  years  was  identified  with 
operations  on  the  canal.  He  made  hay  on  the 
prairies,  and  took  any  honest  employment  that 
came  to  his  hand.  For  a  long  time  he  labored 
on  the  farm  of  "Long  John"  Wentworth,  at  sev- 
enty-five cents  a  day. 

In  1853  Mr.  Allison  married  Ellen  Kerrigan, 
of  Irish  parentage.  He  opened  a  general  store  at 
Summit,  and  was  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a 
century  postmaster  at  that  point.  He  also  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace  for  about  the  same  period. 
During  his  life  he  was  several  times  elected  as- 
sessor, tax  collector  and  highway  commissioner. 
Though  he  was  not  identified  with  any  church 


he  was  a  highly  moral  citizen,  and  a  worthy 
example  to  the  rising  generation.  He  was  earn- 
est in  his  support  of  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  but  received  the  votes  of  all  classes  of 
citizens  whenever  he  was  a  candidate  for  an  of- 
ficial position.  His  influence  was  widely  spread, 
and  he  died,  deeply  regretted,  in  September, 
1891.  Beside  his  widow,  eight  of  his  eleven  chil- 
dren survive  to  mourn  his  loss,  as  follows: 
John  T. ,  Mary  (Mrs.  James  Welch,  of  Summit), 
Kate  (wife  of  William  I.  Cronin,  of  Chicago), 
Margaret,  Frank,  Robert,  Sarah  and  Nancy. 
Agnes  died  while  the  wife  of  Fred  Jenson,  of 
Summit.  The  eldest  son  is  general  western  agent 
of  the  American  Forcite  Powder  Company,  with 
office  in  Chicago,  and  resides  at  La  Grange,  Cook 
County,  Illinois. 


FREDERICK  WILK. 


[""REDERICK  WILK  was  bom  June  9, 1825, 

ry  in  Straus,  Mecklenberg,  Germany,  and  is  a 
|  f  son  of  Jacob  Wilk.  The  latter  was  a  labor- 
ing man  in  his  native  land,  after  leaving  the  pub- 
lic school.  In  1854,  the  family,  consisting  of  the 
parents  and  two  daughters  and  Frederick,  of  this 
article,  came  to  America.  They  sailed  from 
Hamburg,  Germany,  landing  in  New  York, 
whence  they  went  to  Columbus,  Ohio,  where  the 
parents  resided  until  their  death. 

Frederick  is  the  eldest  of  his  father's  family; 
Hannah,  of  Columbus,  is  next  in  order  of  birth; 
and  the  third,  Louise,  wife  of  Reinold  Pabst,  re- 
sides at  No.  516  Milwaukee  Avenue.  Frederick 
came  to  Chicago  in  1857,  and  at  once  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad 
Company.  He  served  a  regular  apprenticeship 
at  the  machinist's  trade  and  continued  to  work  in 
the  shops  of  the  company  thirty-three  and  one- 
half  years,  proving  his  stability  of  character  and 


power  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  his  employers. 
In  1892  he  retired  and  has  since  enjoyed  peace 
and  quiet. 

In  Columbus,  Ohio,  about  three  months  after 
his  arrival  there,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Fred- 
ericka  Behnke,  a  native  of  Germany.  Ten  chil- 
dren graced  this  union,  of  whom  seven  are  living. 
Frederick,  junior,  the  eldest,  is  employed  in  the 
Union  Trust  Company  Bank.  Reynold  is  next 
in  order  of  birth.  William  is  a  plumber  in  Chi- 
cago. The  others  are:  Minnie,  Anna,  Louis  and 
Adeline. 

Mrs.  Wilk  died  July  7,  1892,  mourned  by  her 
family  and  many  friends.  The  members  of  the 
family  are  connected  with  St.  Peter's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  where  they  are  valued  among 
its  most  influential  workers.  Mr.  Wilk  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Goethe  Lodge  No.  329,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  highly  respected  citizen 
and  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school. 


GEORGE  HOFMANN. 


647 


GEORGE  HOFMANN, 


HOFMANN,  a  leader  among  the 

b  German-American  citizens  of  Cook  County, 
was  born  January  i,  1825,  near  the  city  of 
Baden,  in  Hessen-Darmsdat,  Germany.  His 
parents  were  Alloez  and  Anna  Mary  (Wilhelm) 
Hofmann.  His  paternal  grandfather,  George 
Hofmann,  was  a  tanner  by  trade,  and  reached 
the  remarkable  age  of  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
years.  The  maternal  grandfather,  Philip  Wil- 
helm, was  a  farmer  by  occupation. 

Alloez  Hofmann  came  to  America  in  1846,  and 
after  remaining  three  years  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, settled  in  Sharpsburg,  a  suburb  of  that 
city,  where  he  owned  and  operated  a  farm.  He 
also  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  staves  and 
nail  kegs,  with  gratifying  success.  He  was  well 
known  through  western  Pennsylvania  as  a  tal- 
ented musician,  and  attained  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven  years,  dying  in  February,  1882. 

George  Hofmann  preceded  his  father's  family 
to  America,  and  arrived  in  New  York  June  15, 
1844.  He  spent  one  year  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  in  1845  came  to  Chicago.  He  imme- 
diately secured  a  tract  of  land  at  the  intersection 
of  Western  and  Ogden  Avenues,  where  he  planted 
the  trees  subsequently  known  as  "Silver  Leaf 
Grove,"  many  of  which  are  still  standing.  Here 
in  1855  he  opened  the  hotel  known  as  the  Plank 
Road  Hotel — afterwards  christened  "Silver  Leaf 
Grove."  In  1846  he  added  four  acres  which 
cost  him  one  hundred  dollars  per  acre.  He  re- 


mained on  this  spot  fifteen  years,  and  during  that 
time  was  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  and  in 
dealing  in  horses  and  cattle. 

In  1864  he  removed  to  Lyons  and  purchased  a 
valuable  property  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
Ogden  Avenue  and  Joliet  Road,  which  he  still 
owns,  and  where  he  was  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business  until  1871.  Since  that  date  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  Chicago.  Upon  his  removal  to  this 
city  he  engaged  in  the  bottling  business,  having 
his  son  for  a  partner,  and  continued  twelve  years. 
In  1886  they  built  a  brewery  on  Green  Street, 
between  Madison  and  Washington  Streets,  which 
was  operated  by  the  Brewer  and  Hofmann 
Brewing  Company,  and  Mr.  Hofmann  is  still  a. 
stockholder  in  this  institution.  In  1896,  with  his 
sons,  he  built  a  brewery  at  Rockwell  and  Monroe 
Streets,  which  is  operated  by  his  sons  and  son-in- 
law,  under  the  title  of  Hofmann  Brothers  Brewing 
Company.  During  his  career  Mr.  Hofmann  has 
engaged  quite  extensively  in  buying  and  selling 
real  estate. 

He  was  married,  in  1849,  to  Elizabeth,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Welder,  of 
Germany.  Five  children  were  born  to  them, 
namely:  Alloez,  John  (deceased),  George,  Valen- 
tine and  Elizabeth,  the  last-named  being  the  wife 
of  George  Hermann.  June  15,  1895,  the  family 
was  bereaved  by  the  loss  of  the  wife  and  mother, 
who  expired  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven  years. 

Mr.  Hofmann  was   among   the   organizers  of 


648 


HENRY  WEDEKIND. 


Cicero  Township,  and  was  one  of  the  first  school 
directors,  holding  the  office  for  several  years. 
He  has  always  been  an  active  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  and  was  the  principal 
instigator  of  the  movement  which  resulted  in  the 
erection  of  a  house  of  worship  for  that  sect  in 
Lyons,  being  among  the  most  liberal  contributors 


to  that  end.  Politically  he  is  a  stanch  Democrat. 
The  success  obtained  by  Mr.  Hofmann  is  the  re- 
sult of  his  energy  and  integrity.  These  quali- 
ties, together  with  his  genial  nature,  have  at- 
tracted and  held  lifelong  friendships  and  he  is 
regarded  with  the  highest  respect  and  esteem  in 
the  circles  which  know  him  best. 


HENRY  WEDEKIND. 


HENRY  WEDEKIND,  a  worthy  pioneer  of 
Cook  County,  was  born  in  Gilten,  province 
of  Hanover,  Germany,  May  i,  1834.  His 
parents,  Henry  and  Mary  Wedekind,  were  na- 
tives of  Hanover  and  members  of  very  old  and 
well- respected  families. 

Henry  Wedekind,  senior,  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  and  followed  his  occupation  in  the  Father- 
land. He  was  the  father  of  six  children,  of  whom 
Henry,  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article, 
is  the  eldest.  Louise  is  the  wife  of  Henry  Timtn, 
of  Cook  County;  Sophia  is  the  widow  of  Fred- 
erick Mahlmann,  and  lives  in  Chicago;  Mary  is 
the  wife  of  Henry  Fehrenkamp,  of  Morgan  Park; 
William  is  a  resident  of  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

In  1848  the  family  came  to  the  United  States 
and  located  on  a  farm  near  Desplaines,  in  the 
Town  of  Maine,  Cook  County,  and  commenced 
to  till  rented  land.  About  ten  years  later  Mr. 
Wedekind  purchased  a  tract  of  eighty  acres,  and 
after  following  agriculture  several  years,  he  re- 
moved to  Chicago  and  retired  from  active  life. 
Mrs.  Wedekind  departed  this  life  in  1881,  hav- 
ing reached  the  age  of  seventy-four  years,  and 
Mr.  Wedekind  survived  her  until  1887,  dying  in 
his  eighty-first  year. 

Henry  Wedekind  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
when  his  father  removed  from  his  native  laud, 
and  received  most  of  his  education  in  Germany. 
He  attended  an  English  school  through  one  win- 


ter term,  after  immigrating  to  America,  at  what 
was  called  Babcock's  Grove,  Du  Page  County. 
Henry  Wedekind,  senior,  had  but  one  hundred 
dollars  when  he  landed  in  America,  and  his  chil- 
dren were  required  to  assist  in  supporting  the 
family.  Before  attaining  his  majority  young 
Henry  was  employed  five  years  by  a  Mr.  Clark, 
who  kept  a  country  tavern  in  Du  Page  County 
and  also  conducted  a  farm.  He  afterwards  as- 
sisted his  father  until  the  date  of  his  marriage, 
and  thereafter  remained  on  the  old  farm.  He 
was  successfully  engaged  in  agriculture  until 
1872.  He  purchased  property  in  Chicago  in  that 
year,  and  has  since  lived  retired  in  this  city.  A 
few  years  after  his  removal  to  the  city  he  sold 
his  farm  property.  His  life  on  the  farm  had  been 
one  of  quiet  and  industrious  peace.  He  did  not 
aspire  to  public  office  of  any  kind,  but  gave  his 
support  to  the  Republican  party. 

Nothing  in  more  conducive  to  the  happiness 
and  success  of  a  man  than  a  pleasant,  harmonious 
life  companion,  such  as  Mr.  Wedekind  obtained 
April  30,  1859,  when  he  married  Louise  Giesecke, 
a  native  of  Hanover,  Germany,  and  daughter  of 
John  Giesecke.  She  came  to  America  in  1858. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wedekind  became  the  parents  of 
seven  children,  of  whom  two  died  in  infancy, and 
Harvey,  the  second  son,  died  in  Chicago,  in 
1888.  He  left  a  widow  and  one  son,  Henry.  Of 
the  living,  Louise  is  the  eldest.  She  is  the  widow 


FREDERICK  BERGMAN. 


649 


of  Herman  Scheidelman.  Frederick  is  a  litho- 
grapher in  Chicago;  Sophia  is  the  wife  of  Joseph 
Schroeder,  of  Chicago;  George,  who  married  the 
widow  of  his  brother,  Henry,  is  the  father  ot 
three  children,  George,  Rena  and  Edwin. 

The  members  of  the  family  are  connected 
with  St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 
When  the  first  of  the  Wedekind  family  located 
in  America,  the  country  around  Cook  County 
was  mostly  an  unbroken  plain  with  but  few  white 
settlers.  Game  was  plentiful  and  occasionally 


small  bands  of  Indians  roamed  through  the  settle- 
ments. Mr.  Wedekind  has  not  only  witnessed 
the  change  that  has  taken  place,  but  bore  his 
share  in  bringing  about  the  marvelous  develop- 
ment. While  not  caring  to  be  conspicuous  as  a 
leader,  in  any  sense,  he  has  given  his  support 
and  influence  to  furthering  every  move  for  the 
benefit  of  the  country  of  his  adoption.  By  hon- 
esty and  industry,  assisted  by  his  good  wife,  he 
has  acquired  an  ample  fortune,  to  enable  him  to 
enjoy  in  the  evening  of  life  a  well-deserved  rest. 


FREDERICK  BERGMAN. 


|"~  REDERICK  BERGMAN,  a  retired  gardener 
rft  of  Chicago,  has  resided  on  the  property  he 
|  now  occupies  since  1853.  He  was  born  Oc- 
tober 28,  1836,  in  Westphalia,  Prussia,  and  is  the 
only  living  child  of  Frederick  and  Anna  (Stern- 
brier)  Bergman. 

The  father  was  a  mason  in  his  native  land, 
from  which  he  emigrated  to  America  in  1839, 
first  settling  in  New  Orleans.  He  subsequently 
removed  to  St.  Louis,  whence  he  came  to  Chicago, 
and  here  located  permanently.  He  shortly  after- 
ward purchased  two  acres  of  land  on  North  Wells 
Street,  at  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Carroll  Street, 
and  was  the  first  settler  in  that  portion  of  the 
city.  Being  without  capital,  he  followed  teaming 
and  laboring  for  some  years,  and  in  1848  bought 
twenty  acres  in  section  twenty-nine,  Lake  View 
Township,  where  he  carried  on  farming  and 
gardening.  He  disposed  of  his  first  purchase 
and  later  secured  a  tract  of  timberland  farther 
north.  Having  left  his  wife  and  two  children,  a 
son  and  a  daughter,  in  Germany,,  he  intended 
sending  for  them  as  soon  as  he  was  able,  but  his 
wife  died  before  this  could  be  brought  about,  and 
shortly  after  the  daughter  followed  her,  so  that 
the  son  was  the  only  one  to  reach  America. 


About  1845  Mr.  Bergman  again  married  and  of 
his  second  family  three  children  are  living:  John, 
Herman  and  Louise.  Mr.  Bergman  died  in  1879, 
but  his  widow  still  survives,  having  reached  the 
advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

Frederick  Bergman  of  this  sketch  was  about 
three  years  of  age  when  his  father  left  for  Amer- 
ica, and  a  year  later  was  left  an  orphan.  He  was 
supported  by  friends  of  the  family  for  a  few  years, 
but  knew  none  of  his  relatives  except  an  aunt 
with  whom  he  lived  one  year.  He  received  the 
ordinary  educational  advantages  and  since  the 
age  of  six  years  has  been  practically  self-support- 
ing. He  earned  his  first  wages  during  his  seven-, 
teenth  year,  in  a  brick  yard,  and  a  friend  of  his 
father's  having  looked  him  up  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  him  to  Chicago,  he  left  his  clothes  and 
what  money  he  had  earned  in  order  to  make  the 
journey. 

In  August,  1853,  he  sailed  from  Bremen  for 
New  York,  spending  six  weeks  on  the  water. 
He  proceeded  at  once  to  Chicago,  where  he  joined 
his  father  and  remained  with  him  until  he  be- 
came of  age.  He  subsequently  worked  for  others 
for  two  years,  saving  two  hundred  dollars,  with 
which  modest  sum  he  set  up  an  establishment  of 


650 


H.  F.  GOETZ. 


his  own  after  his  marriage.  By  diligent  applica- 
tion and  hard  work  he  accumulated  one  thousand 
dollars,  which  he  loaned  to  a  friend  and  lost. 
He  then  began  investing  his  savings  in  building 
lots  and  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death  owned 
ten  lots  and  inherited  eighteen  more.  He  con- 
tinued his  gardening  operations  until  1881,  but 
since  that  time  has  devoted  himself  principally  to 
building  up  and  improving  his  property,  also 
dealing  more  or  less  in  real  estate. 

May  6,  1860,  occurred  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Bergman  to  Miss  Augusta  Arnhold,  who  was 
born  May  n,  1843,  near  Nordhausen,  Prussia, 
and  came  to  Chicago  the  same  year  as  her  hus- 


band. Her  parents,  Christian  and  Justina  Arn- 
hold, both  died  in  Chicago,  the  former  in  1890, 
aged  eighty  years,  and  the  latter  in  1892,  aged 
eighty-one  years.  Seven  sons  and  seven  daugh- 
ters have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bergman, 
but  only  the  following  are  now  living:  Frederick, 
in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  Express 
Company;  Augusta,  wife  of  Henry  Hachmeister, 
residing  on  May  Street;  George,  Annie,  Hattie 
and  Frieda,  living  at  home.  The  family  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Evangelical  Church. 
Mr.  Bergman  has  supported  the  Republican  party 
since  its  organization,  but  has  never  consented  to 
hold  any  public  office. 


HARTWIG  F.  GOETZ. 


HARTWIG  FRANZ  GOETZ,  who  is  one  of 
the  well-known  citizens  in  the  vicinity  where 
he  resides,  is  possessed  of  a  beautiful,  mod- 
ern home  and  a  competence,  which  he  has  gained 
by  his  own  qualities  and  stability.  He  was  born 
in  Germany,  like  many  of  our  most  successful 
citizens,  and  came  to  the  United  States  to  avail 
himself  of  the  better  opportunities  offered  in  the 
comparatively  new  country.  His  birthplace  is  in 
Mecklenburg,  where  he  first  saw  light  February 
22,  1846.  He  is  a  son  of  August  and  Caroline 
Hartwig  (Beckman)  Goetz. 

August  Goetz  was  born  January  14,  1810,  in 
Mecklenburg,  and  conducted  his  own  tailor  shop. 
He  acquired  considerable  wealth,  and  died  Jan- 
uary 24,  1890.  His  wife,  mother  of  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  article,  was  born  January 
10,  1814,  in  the  same  place  as  her  husband,  and 
died  January  23,  1890.  Their  deaths  occurred 
only  twenty-three  hours  apart  and  they  were 
buried  together.  They  were  the  parents  of  three 


other  children  beside  Hartwig  Franz,  brief  men- 
tion of  each  being  here  made: 

William,  born  January  31,  1838,  was  a  high 
school  teacher  in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  died  at 
the  age  of  forty-two  years.  He  was  married  but 
had  no  children.  Louisa,  born  in  1840,  married 
Ludwig  Giertz,  resides  in  Mecklenburg,  Ger- 
many, and  has  two  children,  Hart  wig  and  Henry. 
Christina,  born  April  19,  1844,  died  in  1884.  She 
married  and  resided  in  Hamburg,  but  had  no 
children.  Hartwig  Franz  is  the  youngest,  and 
the  only  one  of  this  family  to  emigrate  from  his 
native  land.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Johann 
Goetz,  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil  and  cultivated  his 
own  land.  He  was  married  twice  and  the  father 
of  H.  F.  Goetz  was  born  of  his  first  marriage. 
He  had  a  son,  Frederick  Goetz,  by  his  second 
marriage,  who  came  to  America  in  1849,  and 
located  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana.  He  was  one  of 
the  rebels  of  that  period  and  was  forced  to  flee 
from  his  home  for  his  own  safety. 


HENRY  OCKENHOLT. 


651 


Hartwig  F.  Goetz  reached  Chicago  in  Septem- 
ber, 1871,  and  followed  the  trade  of  carpenter. 
He  was  fortunate  in  choosing  the  time  to  come 
to  this  country,  as  he  happened  on  a  time  when 
it  was  easy  to  find  employment,  in  the  year  of  the 
great  fire.  He  entered  the  service  of  Charles 
Busse  and  remained  eight  months,  and  was  em- 
ployed by  the  furniture  concern  of  Elias  &  Ewers 
four  subsequent  years.  He  has  been  in  the  gov- 
ernment employ  as  mail  carrier  twenty-two 
years,  since  April,  1877. 

Being  of  an  economical  and  thriving  disposi- 
tion Mr.  Goetz  has  been  enabled  to  build  at  dif- 
ferent times.  He  erected  a  house  at  No.  2834 
Union  Avenue,  in  1883.  In  1896  he  sold  this 
property,  and  in  1898  erected  a  three-story  brick 
flat  building  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Fifty- 
fifth  Place  and  Prairie  Avenue. 

April  4,  1876,  Mr.  Goetz  was  married  to  Miss 
Minnie  Ruehl,  who  died  January  3,  1890,  leaving 
no  children,  but  deeply  mourned  by  her  husband 
and  relatives.  Mr.  Goetz  was  married  the  second 
time  to  Miss  Lena  Wacher,  daughter  of  William 
Wacher,  November  5,  1893.  Mrs.  Goetz  was 


born  November  i,  1861,  in  Kur-Hessen,  Ger- 
many, and  came  to  America  when  she  was  thir- 
teen years  of  age  and  located  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Goetz  is  a  Freemason,  having  been  raised 
in  1881,  in  Lakeside  Lodge  No.  739.  He  is  also 
connected  with  Chicago  Chapter  No.  1 24,  Royal 
Arch  Masons,  and  Chevalier  Commandery  No. 
52,  Knights  Templar.  He  was  knighted  in  1891. 
He  is  loyal  to  the  Republican  party  and  uses  his 
influence  and  vote  in  its  favor.  Mr.  Goetz  has 
constructed  one  of  the  finest  flat  buildings  in  Chi- 
cago. It  is  finished  in  hard  wood  throughout 
its  interior,  is  heated  with  hot  water,  and  every 
improvement  of  the  day  is  found  in  these  well- 
arranged,  comfortable  flats.  Being  a  practical 
mechanic  Mr.  Goetz  took  personal  charge  of  the 
construction  of  this  building. 

Mr.  Goetz  has  been  many  years  an  employe  o 
the  postal  department  and  during  the  time  has 
had  many  varied  experiences.  He  has  been  care- 
ful of  his  means,  and  though  not  miserly  in  any 
way,  has  taken  pride  in  accumulating  a  com- 
petence which  will  make  his  last  days  comfort- 
able. 


HENRY  OCKENHOLT. 


HENRY  OCKENHOLT  is  one  of  the  repre- 
sentative, self-made  men  who  came  to 
America  from  foreign  parts  in  search  of 
richer  fields  in  which  to  advance  in  social  as  well 
as  financial  condition.  He  began  on  the  lowest 
round  of  the  ladder  and  climbed  through  his  own 
efforts  and  sturdiness  of  character,  without  prac- 
tical aid  from  any  one.  He  has  amassed  a  com- 
fortable estate  and  has  a  thriving. and  growing 
business.  His  carpet-cleaning  establishment  is 
at  No.  952  Milwaukee  Avenue,  and  his  residence 
is  at  No.  363  Division  Street. 

Henry  Ockenholt  was  born  in  Denmark,  April 


14,  1845.  He  spent  his  boyhood  days  on  his 
father's  farm  and  six  years  in  the  army  of  his 
native  country.  He  came  from  the  army  a 
sergeant,  having  attended  military  school  at  the 
same  time.  In  1873  he  decided  to  cast  his  for- 
tunes with  those  of  the  New  World  and  arrived 
in  Chicago  in  that  year.  He  was  employed  by 
John  B.  Drake,  as  assistant  furniture  man  in  the 
Grand  Pacific  Hotel,  and  was  subsequently  head 
man  for  three  years.  He  was  always  very  faithful 
and  concentrative  in  whatever  he  undertook  and 
was  a  valued  employe. 

In  1880  he  spent   some  time  with  carpet  con- 


652 


FREDERICK  WEYER. 


eerns,  and  was  occupied  thus  in  various  estab- 
lishments until  1882,  when  he  launched  into  busi- 
ness for  himself  on  Milwaukee  Avenue,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  at  the  same  business  and 
has  an  old  and  reliable  name  built  up  for  himself 
and  those  who  .will  succeed  him  in  the  enterprise. 
Since  May,  1898,  he  has  had  R.  Morrison  for  a 
partner,  and  they  employ  six  or  eight  people 
continuously.  He  has  been  successful  beyond 
his  hopes. 

Mr.  Ockenholt  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Society  Dania,  with  which  he  has  been  identified 
twenty  years,  holding  the  office  of  president 
seven  years.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Danish  Aid  and  Relief  Association  and  is  an  in- 
fluential member  of  the  Danish  Lutheran 
Church,  proving  that  he  spends  time  in  preparing 
for  the  future,  as  well  as  in  enjoying  this  life  and 
laboring  for  the  present.  He  was  a  leader  of  the 
Sunday  School,  and  is  recognized  as  a  stanch 
pillar  of  the  church.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  National  Union. 


Nothing  is  more  conducive  to  the  spiritual  and 
moral  growth  and  to  the  success  in  general  of  a 
man  than  a  good  and  harmonious  mind  to  co- 
operate with  him  throughout  life.  Thus  did  Mr. 
Ockenholt  make  a  wise  choice  in  selecting  Miss 
Bertha  Wiese  for  his  helpmate  and  comfort  in 
life.  She  was  born  in  Denmark  and  came  to 
America  when  twenty  years  of  age.  They  were 
married  in  Denmark  September  14,  1873.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Ockenholt  are  blessed  with  only  one 
child,  Ida,  who  remains  with  them,  to  brighten 
their  home.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Wells 
School  and  received  a  medal  for  her  delightfully 
interesting  and  instructive  essay  on  the  subject  of 
Patriotism .  It  was  filled  with  many  truths  which 
we  like  to  hear,  and  withal  was  so  pleasing  that 
she  and  her  parents  may  well  be  proud  of  her 
efforts.  She  is  an  honor  to  her  name  and  a  com- 
fort to  her  parents . 

Mr.  Ockeuholt  is  independent  in  his  local  vote, 
but  upholds  the  candidates  of  the  Democratic 
party  in  national  affairs. 


FREDERICK  WEYER. 


r~REDERICK  WEYER  was  born  Decem- 
rft  ber  5,  1838,  in  the  village  of  Hohen- 
|  feldt,  Prussia,  and  is  a  son  of  Frank  and 
Mary  Weyer.  He  is  a  well-known  and  loyal 
citizen  of  his  adopted  country.  Frederick  Weyer 
came  to  America  when  still  very  young  and 
sought  the  advantages  of  a  free  country,  where 
there  were  but  few  of  his  friends. 

His  brother,  Jacob  Weyer,  emigrated  from  the 
land  of  his  birth  in  1851,  and  landed  in  New 
York.  Frederick  Weyer  reached  New  York  July 
5,  1853,  and  started  in  life  at  the  barber's  trade, 
in  the  employ  of  Philip  Schintz,  on  Greenwich 


Street.  He  remained  in  the  employ  of  Mr. 
Schintz  until  he  came  to  Chicago,  in  May,  1855. 
This  was  then  but  a  small  city  and  its  subsequent 
growth  was  foreseen  by  few.  He  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Jacob  Manz,  on  Wells  Street,  near  Ran- 
dolph, and,  after  four  years  in  this  service, 
opened  a  business  of  his  own  on  Fifth  Avenue, 
near  Randolph  Street.  He  had  but  one  chair 
when  he  started,  conducting  the  business  entirely 
alone.  He  was  subsequently  located  at  different 
points  down  town,  and  continued  the  business 
until  1887,  since  which  time  he  has  been  prac- 
tically retired. 


JENS  RASMUSSEN. 


653 


Mr.  Weyer's  son,  Henry,  succeeded  to  this 
business  and  Mr.  Weyer  assisted  him  at  times, 
but  has  since  been  retired  from  active  business 
life.  He  was  married  in  May,  1868,  to  Miss 
Louisa  Platka,  who  was  born  February  15,  1847, 
in  Dolton,  Illinois. 

Henry  Weyer  was  born  May  i,  1861,  on  Clark 
Street,  in  Chicago,  and  was  educated  at  the  Jones 
School,  which  he  attended  until  1876.  He  en- 
tered his  father's  barber  shop  at  this  time  and 
has  continued  at  this  occupation  since  that  time, 
taking  charge  of  the  business  at  a  later  date.  He 
remained  located  at  No.  413  Clark  Street  until 
1893,  when  he  removed  the  same  to  No.  5542 
State  Street,  and  has  remained  at  this  location 
since  that  time.  He  was  married  March  29, 
1885,  to  Miss  Nettie  Seib,  daughter  of  Carl  Seib. 


Mrs.  Weyer  is  a  pleasant,  genial  lady,  and  is  a 
native  of  Ainesville,  Indiana,  where  she  was  born 
January  21,  1851. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Weyer 
are  two  in  number,  Henry  Frederick  Alonzo, 
born  April  16,  1886,  and  Augusta  Anna  Katha- 
rine, born  May  13,  1888.  Henry  Weyer  is  in- 
dependent in  his  political  views.  Frederick 
Weyer  was  father  of  another  son,  Joseph,  whose 
name  heads  an  article  on  another  page  of  this 
work. 

Frederick  Weyer  is  a  member  of  the  German 
Order  Harugari,  Lodge  No.  367,  and  is  a  valued 
and  honored  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church.  He  votes  in  favor  of  the  Republican 
part}'  in  national  affairs,  and  in  local  politics  votes 
in  favor  of  the  man  best  fitted  for  office. 


JENS  RASMUSSEN. 


HENS  RASMUSSEN  is  a  native  of  Fyen,  Den- 
I  mark,  and  was  born  July  30,  1848.  His 
G)  parents  were  Rasmus  Henriksen  and  Abelone 
Maria,  who  had  eight  children,  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  being  the  youngest.  Both  parents 
were  born  in  Fyen,  in  the  same  year,  1801,  and 
both  lived  until  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-two 
years,  when  they  passed  away  in  their  native 
town.  All  of  their  children  grew  to  maturity 
and  are  widely  scattered,  four  still  residing  in 
Denmark,  one  in  Nebraska,  two  in  Wisconsin, 
while  Jens  Rasmussen  has  been  a  citizen  of  Chi- 
cago many  years. 

Mr.  Rasmussen  was  reared  and  educated  in 
his  native  town,  where  he  also  leained  the  busi- 
ness which  he  has  ever  since  followed,  that  of  a 
practical  tailor.  He  served  three  years  as  an  ap- 
prentice without  compensation  except  his  board. 
After  completing  the  term  of  his  apprenticeship 


he  went  to  Copenhagen  and  followed  his  trade  a 
short  time.  He  came  to  America  in  1870  and  went 
first  to  Racine,  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained 
one  year,  and  then  came  to  Chicago  and  im- 
mediately secured  employment  at  his  chosen 
trade.  Three  years  later  he  visited  his  native 
home  and  spent  about  nine  weeks  with  his  par- 
ents. He  has  a  unique  and  enviable  record  as 
an  employe,  having  been  continuously  in  the 
service  of  one  firm  for  twenty  years. 

He  was  married  in  1875  to  Miss  Anna  Johanna 
Christiensen,  who  was  born  in  Gellinger,  Jutland, 
Denmark,  and  came  from  her  native  land  to  Chi- 
cago in  1873.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rasmussen  have 
seven  children,  all  living.  They  are:  Mary, 
William,  Olga,  Lillie,  Edward,  Louis  and  Henry. 

In  1882  Mr.  Rasmussen  purchased  the  house 
at  No.  297  West  Chicago  Avenue,  in  which  he 
was  married,  and  where  he  now  resides.  His 


654 


FREDERICK  HEIMERDINGER. 


sterling  qualities  are  shown  in  the  fact  that  he 
has  made  a  home  for  himself  and  family  by  his 
own  efforts,  and  for  almost  twenty-four  years 
been  a  householder  in  the  city.  Here  he  has 
reared  his  large  and  interesting  family,  and  it  is 
fair  to  promise  that  here  he  will  end  a  prosperous 
and  useful  life. 


Danish  Benevolent  Society,  and  is  also  connected 
with  the  Journeymen  Tailors'  Union  of  America, 
and  the  Knights  of  Honor,  and  for  ten  years  was 
associated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  is  independent  in  his  political  views 
and  supports  the  candidate  he  thinks  best  quali- 
fied to  faithfully  discharge  the  duties  of  official 


Mr.    Rasmussen   is  a  valued  member  of  the     station. 


FREDERICK  HEIMERDINGER. 


["REDBRICK  HEIMERDINGER,   one  of 

rft  Chicago's  most  energetic  and  representative 
I  citizens,  is  an  old  and  faithful  employe  of 
the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan  Southern  Railroad 
Company,  and  is  a  man  of  remarkable  character 
and  physique.  He  was  born  August  23,  1840, 
and  belongs  to  that  sturdy  race  of  people  whose 
men  are  bound  to  succeed  and  who  come  to 
America  for  the  purpose  of  bettering  their  finan- 
cial as  well  as  social  standing,  and  who  nearly 
always  further  their  desires.  His  parents  were 
George  and  Kate  (Helmeier)  Heimerdinger,  and 
resided  in  Germany  all  their  lives. 

Carl  and  John  Heimerdiuger,  brothers  of  the 
man  whose  name  heads  this  article,  came  to 
America  in  1851,  and  their  success  induced 
Frederick  to  emigrate  in  1861.  He  located  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  was  employed  in  a  brewery 
in  that  city  ten  years,  having  become  familiar 
with  the  business  in  his  native  land.  In  1871  he 
removed  to  Chicago  and  spent  two  years  em- 
ployed in  Gottfried's  brewery.  After  seven  sub- 
sequent months  in  McAvoy's  institution  of  a  like 
nature,  he  was  one  year  in  Seipp's  brewery. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  with  the  Lake  Shore 
&  Michigan  Southern  Railroad  Company,  where 
he  began  transferring  grain.  He  was  made 


watchman  in  the  yards  at  Englewood  and  is  oc- 
cupying that  position  at  the  present  time,  hav- 
ing been  with  the  company  for  a  period  of  nine- 
teen years. 

Conducive  to  the  happiness,  success  and  gen- 
eral welfare  of  a  man  is  a  genial,  helpful  and 
harmonious  mind  in  his  life  companion.  Such  is 
the  character  of  the  lady  Mr.  Heimerdinger  was 
so  fortunate  to  become  united  with,  their  mar- 
riage being  celebrated  October  24,  1865,  Mary 
Fullmer  becoming  his  wife.  She  was  born  No- 
vember 24,  1847,  and  her  parents  died  when  she 
was  a  mere  baby. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Heimerdinger  became  the  par- 
ents of  ten  children,  of  whom  brief  mention  is 
made  as  follows:  Kate,  born  November  24,  1869; 
Mary,  born  July  5,  1870,  died  at  the  age  of  nine 
months;  Frederick,  born  January  31,  1873,  lived 
to  the  age  of  twelve  years  and  seven  days; 
Charles,  born  January  3 1 ,  1872,  lived  nine  weeks; 
George,  born  October  16,  1876;  Mamie,  born  May 
9,  1879,  died  at  the  age  of  three  years  and  nine 
days;  Charles  born  September  16,  1881;  William, 
born  March  16,  1885;  Violet,  born  July  6,  1887, 
and  Myrtle,  born  May  2,  1890.  The  family  is  a 
very  interesting  one  and  the  children  are  an 
honor  and  credit  to  the  name  they  bear. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


CHRISTEN  RASMUSSEN. 


CHRISTEN  RASMUSSEN. 


655 


CHRISTEN  RASMUSSEN. 


CHRISTEN  RASMUSSEN,  who  is  among 
1 1  the  retired  business  men  and  the  prominent 
vj  and  highly  respected  citizens  of  Chicago, 
was  born  July  24,  1841,  atSunderved,  Schleswig, 
at  that  time  a  part  of  Denmark.  He  is  a  son  of 
Christen  and  Katharine  (Jacobson)  Rasmussen, 
who  were  both  natives  of  the  section  where  their 
son  was  born.  They  died  at  the  ages  of  ninety 
and  sixty  years  respectively.  The  father  survived 
his  worthy  wife  thirty  years,  and  died  January 
12,  1892.  At  this  time  his  son,  Christen, was  on  a 
visit  to  his  native  land,  but  did  not  reach  his 
father's  home  until  after  the  latter  was  gone. 
Christen  Rasmussen,  the  father,  was  a  skilled 
mechanic  and  wood  carver,  also  being  an  effi- 
cient gun-maker.  He  retained  his  faculties 
until  the  day  of  his  death.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Christen  Rasmussen  were  the  parents  of  four 
children:  AnnaM.,  widow  of  Johann  Ropeke; 
Katharine,  Christen  and  Jacob.  The  grandfather 
of  Christen  Rasmussen,  whose  name  was  also 
Christen,  lived  till  a  very  old  age,  reaching  his 
eighty-first  year. 

Christen  Rasmussen,  whose  name  heads  this 
article,  was  reared  and  educated  in  the  land  of 
his  nativity,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a 
shoe-maker  and  followed  the  same  for  many  years 
with  great  success  in  Denmark.  He  was  married 
in  his  native  town,  to  Miss  Ellen,  daughter  of 
Christian  and  Ellen  (Jessen)  Dreier,"  natives  of 
Denmark,  where  they  both  lived  and  died.  MF. 
and  Mrs.  Rasmussen  sailed  from  Denmark  on  an 
Allen  Line  steamer,  July  28,  1871,  traveling  by 


way  of  Quebec,  and  arrived  in  Chicago  August 
1 8,  1871.  They  arrived  just  before  the  great  fire 
of  that  year,  and  Mr.  Rasmussen  was  employed 
at  his  trade  by  Solomon  Marks,  on  Canal 
Street,  and  resided  on  Milwaukee  Avenue, 
and  therefore  escaped  damage  from  the  fire.  He 
had  been  in  the  employ  mentioned  but  six  months 
when  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  foreman, 
and  continued  in  the  same  capacity  for  four  years, 
proving  himself  a  competent  and  skillful  work- 
man and  one  worthy  of  consideration. 

In  1876  he  became  established  in  a  business 
for  his  own  interests  in  South  Englewood,  and 
continued  successfully  about  ten  years.  At  the 
same  time  he  conducted  a  grocery  store  and  post- 
office,  having  been  appointed  postmaster  by 
President  Arthur,  January  26,  1883.  He  served 
in  this  capacity  until  November  16,  1890,  when 
he  retired  from  business.  In  commercial  and 
business  life  he  was  a  just  dealer,  popular  with 
all,  polite  and  attentive  to  all  with  whom  he  dealt, 
and  to  these  qualities  he  owes  his  success.  He 
is  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  labor,  taking  advant- 
age of  his  well-earned  rest  from  the  cares  and 
trials  of  a  business  life. 

Mrs.  Rasmussen  is  a  woman  of  strong  charac- 
ter, having  always  proved  herself  a  great  assist- 
ant to  her  husband  and  a  helpmate  in  the  full 
sense  of  the  word.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rasmussen 
are  well  known  in  South  Englewood,  where  they 
have  many  warm  friends.  Mr.  Rasmussen  has 
an  untarnished  reputation  as  a  business  man,  and 
an  aid  in  all  enterprises  which  would  tend  to  up- 


656 


C.  J.  STANG. 


lift  the  minds  of  his  fellow-men  and  benefit  the 
community.  He  has  never  been  even  a  local 
politician,  but  has  always  exerted  his  wide  influ- 
ence in  political  affairs  for  the  interest  of  the 
Republican  party.  His  opinions  are  much 
sought  on  all  local  or  national  conventions. 

Mr.  Rasmussen  has  invented  several  articles 
which  have  proven  of  value  to  mankind,  among 
which  is  a  folding  chair,  which  can  be  made  into 
a  very  comfortable  piece  of  furniture,  in  the 


shape  of  a  reclining  chair.  He  is  now  engaged 
in  perfecting  and  has  applied  for  a  patent  on  a 
hood  which  may  be  attached  to  any  stove  or  pipe, 
to  draw  away  any  odors  generated  in  cooking.  It 
is  simple  and  easily  constructed,  and  will  prove 
of  great  value  to  house-wives.  In  1891-92  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Rasmussen  enjoyed  the  pleasures  of  a 
visit  to  Europe,  spending  seven  months  abroad, 
visiting  old  friends  and  the  familiar  scenes  of  his 
childhood. 


CHARLES  J.  STANG. 


HARLES  JOHN  STANG,  a  skillful  work- 
man  and  intelligent  and  progressive  citizen 
of  Chicago,  is  a  native  of  the  city,  born  Sep- 
tember 22,  1858,  at  the  corner  of  Fourteenth 
Street  and  Fourth  Avenue  (now  Custom  House 
Court).  Extended  mention  of  his  parents,  Fred- 
erick and  Fredericka  Stang,  will  be  found  on 
another  page  of  this  volume. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  received  his  primary 
education  in  the  Haven  School,  and  subsequently 
attended  a  German  l/utheran  school.  At  the 
early  age  of  fourteen  years  he  began  the  battle  of 
life,  and  his  early  experiences  developed  those 
qualities  of  character  which  make  the  successful 
American.  It  is  the  boast  of  this  country  that 
any  man  can  make  something  of  himself  financi- 
ally, morally  and  socially,  if  he  adopts  the  right 
course.  Mr.  Stang  has  been  industrious  and 
attentive  to  the  march  of  improvement,  and  is, 
therefore,  posted  in  all  matters  relating  to  his 
trade,  as  well  as  the  affairs  of  the  nation  and  the 
world. 

His  first  business  employment  was  in  the 
capacity  of  cash  boy  in  the  retail  store  of  Marshall 
Field  &  Company.  After  one  year  of  this  em- 
ployment, he  served  a  like  period  with  Dickinson 
&  Skinner,  wholesale  commission  dealers. 


During  the  next  six  years  he  was  employed  by 
E.  J.  Riley,  an  upholsterer,  the  early  portion  of 
this  service  being  devoted  to  the  acquirement  of 
a  mastery  of  the  upholsterer's  art.  He  next 
engaged  with  Gannon  &  McGrath,  with  whom 
he  continued  two  and  one-half  years,  after  which 
he  took  charge  of  Mr.  Riley 's  workshop  for  a 
period  of  one  year  and  again  entered  the  employ 
of  Gannon  and  McGrath.  He  was  four  years 
with  Deimel  &  Brothers,  nearly  a  year  with 
Taylor  &  Meltousch,  during  which  time  he  was 
in  charge  of  their  shop,  two  years  with  R.  Di- 
amond &  Brothers,  two  with  J.  S.  Wilkins  & 
Company,  and  five  years  with  their  successors, 
T.  L,.  Sloan,  Divinnie  &  Company.  At  present 
writing  he  is  in  the  service  of  the  Chicago 
Carpet  Company,  being  one  of  its  most  useful 
artisans.  The  long  periods  spent  with  the  same 
employers  prove  the  integrity,  industry  and 
ability  of  Mr.  Staug.  The  workman  who  aims 
to  keep  abreast  of  the  times  must  have  opportu- 
nity to  observe  the  methods  of  different  shops, 
hence  Mr.  Stang  has  made  many  changes  at  his 
own  option,  in  order  to  secure  this  obvious  ad- 
vantage. 

October   29,    1880,    he   was   married   to    Miss 
Minnie  Schwartz,    who   was    born    in    Chicago 


H.   M.  SCOTT. 


657 


February  13,  1859,  and  is  a  daughter  of  Louis 
and  Lena  (Dietloff )  Schwartz,  of  German  birth. 
They  came  to  Chicago  in  1856.  Mr.  Schwartz 
was  drowned  in  Lake  Michigan  April  23,  1885, 
and  his  widow  now  resides  on  Wentworth 
Avenue.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stang  became  the  parents 
of  three  children,  born  and  christened  as  follows: 
July  3,  1881,  Lillian  (died  June  3,  1886);  July 
26,  1887,  Marie  Louise  Johanna;  December  22, 
1889,  Arthur  Louis. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stang  were  reared  in  the  faith  of 
the  Lutheran  Church,  and  remain  true  to  this 
faith,  but  now  attend  the  services  of  the  Oakland 


Union  Church.  Being  of  a  social  and  genial 
disposition,  Mr.  Stang  has  become  popular  with 
the  members  of  Court  Apollo  No.  96,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Foresters,  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
and  is  at  present  its  financial  secretary,  having 
passed  all  the  official  chairs.  In  matters  of  pub- 
lic policy,  he  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  thrifty  and  ambitious,  and 
has  built  a  handsome  residence  on  RhodesAvenue, 
near  Sixty-fourth  Street,  where  he  has  been  liv- 
ing since  1888:  With  a  congenial  and  faithful 
helpmeet,  a  lady  of  intelligence  and  refined 
character,  his  home  is  a  happy  one. 


HENRY  M.  SCOTT. 


HENRY  MEAD  SCOTT,  justice  of  the  peace, 
in  the  town  of  Harvey,  Illinois,  is  a  native 
of  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  where  he  was  born 
August  2,  1842.  He  is  a  son  of  one  of  the  fore- 
most lights  of  that  city's  legal  profession,  John  L. 
Scott,  who  stood  high  as  a  lawyer,  inac-'.ynoted 
for  its  men  of  forensic  ability  and  lega  attain- 
ments. His  long  and  successful  careei  at  the 
bar  was  closed  only  at  his  death,  which  occurred 
in  1860.  Those  familiar  with  the  men  whose 
voices  were  strong  in  the  great  questions  that 
culminated  in  civil  strife  will  readily  recall 
the  name  of  John  L.  Scott,  of  Cincinnati.  His 
widow  has  survived  him  for  nearly  forty  years 
and  now  resides  with  her  son  at  Harvey,  where 
she  is  widely  and  most  favorably  known. 

The  boyhood  of  Henry  M.  Scott  was  passed 
in  the  city  of  his  birth,  acquiring  an  education  in 
the  common  branches,  supplemented  with  a 
course  in  a  commercial  school.  It  was  intended 
that  he  should  take  a  full  college  course,  but  the 
death  of  his  father  demanded  a  material  change 
in  his  plans.  He  found  it  necessary  to  become 
an  earning  factor  and  took  a  position  under  the 


then  most  prominent  insurance  man  of  the  Ohio 
Valley,  J.  B.  Bennett,  general  agent  of  the 
.Svtna  Insurance  Company.  Here  he  remained 
for  some  years,  when,  in  1866,  he  joined  the 
westward  migration  and  spent  some  time  in  the 
states  of  Missouri  and  Illinois.  For  ten  years 
subsequent  to  1870  he  was  engaged  in  general 
merchandising  at  McLeansboro,  Illinois,  after 
which  he  took  charge  of  the  collection  depart- 
ment of  the  firm  of  Hoover  &  Gamble,  extensive 
manufacturers  of  harvesting  machinery  at  Mi- 
amisburg,  Ohio.  While  traveling  in  connection 
with  that  work,  he  learned  of  Harvey  and  its 
promising  future  and  decided  to  cast  his  lot  with 
its  citizens.  In  October,  1891,  he  engaged  in  the 
then  attractive  business  of  dealing  in  Harvey 
real  estate,  to  which  he  has  since  added  insur- 
ance, and  his  books  show  a  choice  line  of  risks 
carried  for  the  Pennsylvania  of  Philadelphia  and 
the  Prussia  National,  of  Stettin,  Germany. 

In  April,  1897,  he  was  chosen  justice  of  the 
peace  and  to-day  is  doubtless  the  most  popular 
administrator  of  justice  in  the  community.  An 
active  Democrat  and  a  firm  believer  in  the  doc- 


658 


JOHN  LEGGATE. 


triues  of  his  party,  he  takes  a  liberal  view  and  is 
fully  abreast  with  the  spirit  of  the  times.  Mr. 
Scott  was  married  in  1871,  at  McLeansboro,  Illi- 
nois, to  Miss  Lilly  Walcott.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Mary  Rankin,  a  graduate  of  the  Harvey 
High  School  and  a  popular  member  of  society. 
In  company  with  other  genial  spirits,  Mr. 


Scott  has  become  a  fancier  and  breeder  of  homing 
pigeons,  and  has  a  choice  number  of  species  of 
birds  in  his  flock.  Endowed  with  the  qualities 
of  head  and  heart  that  attract  people,  Mr.  Scott 
has  hosts  of  friends  who  are  true,  and  recognize 
in  him  a  man  of  honesty  of  purpose  and  true 
nobility  of  character. 


JOHN  LEGGATE. 


(TOHN  LEGGATE,  past  commander  of  Gen. 

I  Silas  Casey  Post  No.  555,  Grand  Army  of 
G)  the  Republic,  is  an  eminently  respectable 
gentleman,  and  one  of  the  best-known  men  in 
the  southwestern  part  of  the  city.  Of  a  character 
as  rugged  as  the  hills  of  his  native  Scotland, 
he  has  made  an  impress  for  good  upon  the 
locality  in  which  he  has  lived  for  more  than  a 
third  of  a  century,  that  will  long  survive  him. 
He  was  born  September  15,  1841,  a  son  of  John 
and  Eliza  (Fleming)  Leggate,  natives  also  of  the 
"Land  of  Heather  and  Thistle."  They  came  to 
America  in  1848,  settling  first  in  New  York  City. 
In  1854  they  removed  to  London,  Ontario,  and 
two  years  later  came  to  Chicago. 

In  the  public  schools  of  New  York  John 
Leggate,  junior,  received  all  the  education  that 
he  was  privileged  to  obtain.  Before  reaching 
his  majority  he  had  become  proficient  as  an 
engineer,  being  thus  occupied  in  August,  1862, 
when  he  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Eighty-ninth 
Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry.  Four  days  later  he 
was  sent  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  his  regiment 
being  in  Willichs  Brigade,  Dunham's  Division  of 
General  Buell's  Army.  In  the  campaign  that  fol- 
lowed was  fought  the  battle  of  Perryville,  in 
which  he  participated,  receiving  there  his  baptism 
of  fire.  Subsequently  his  regiment  passed  to  Gen- 
eral Roseucrauz's  command,  which  was  engaged 


in  some  of  the  hardest  fighting  of  the  war. 
Among  the  battles  which  followed,  in  which  he 
was  personally  engaged,  may  be  mentioned  Stone 
River,  Liberty  Gap,  Tullahoma,  Chickamauga, 
at  which  last-named  battle  a  bullet  ploughed  its 
way  across  the  lower  part  of  his  face,  when  in  a 
hand  to  hand  struggle  at  quarters  so  close  that 
the  powder  from  guns  burned  the  faces  of  men  on 
either  side  of  the  conflict.  His  regiment  suffered 
terribly  in  that  fight,  serving  then  in  the 
Twentieth  Corps  under  General  McCook. 

The  army  then  fell  back  to  Chattanooga,  and 
a  little  later  fought  the  sanguinary  battle  of 
Mission  Ridge,  losing  heavily  again.  Then 
under  General  Sherman  he  went  with  his  command 
to  the  relief  of  Burnside,  who  was  "bottled  up" 
at  Knoxville,  and  the  following  winter  was  kept 
busy  looking  after  Gen.  Joe  Wheeler's  cavalry, 
which  was  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to  the 
Union  Army.  The  following  spring  they  were 
in  Georgia  under  Sherman.  At  Rocky  Face 
Ridge  he  was  quite  severely  wounded,  incapacitat- 
ing him  from  duty  and  causing  him  to  be  sent  to 
the  hospital.  When  he  recovered  he  rejoined 
his  regiment,  before  the  battle  of  Kenesaw 
Mountain  was  fought,  and  took  part  in  that  en- 
gagement. He  subsequently  fought  at  Peach 
Tree  Creek,  Jonesboro  and  Lovejoy.  At  Chat- 
tanooga the  Twentieth  and  the  Twenty-first 


J.  C.  LEONARD. 


659 


Army  Corps  became  consolidated,  forming  the 
Fourth  Army  Corps,  which  was  commanded  by 
General  Granger. 

After  the  fall  of  Atlanta  Mr.  Leggate  became 
attached  to  General  Thomas's  army,  which  was 
sent  after  Hood's  army,  the  latter  operating  at  the 
time  to  the  Northward.  That  worthy  and  his 
army  were  overhauled  at  Franklin,  Tennessee, 
where  was  fought  one  of  the  most  stubborn 
battles  of  the  war.  This  was  followed  by  the 
battles  of  Columbia  and  Nashville,  which  com- 
pletely annihilated  the  rebel  army.  In  these 
battles  Mr.  Leggate  was  personally  engaged  and 
at  Nashville  received  his  third  wound,  landing 
him  again  in  the  hospital,  where  he  remained 
until  February,  1865.  At  this  date  he  received 
a  furlough  and  was  sent  home.  He  was  muster- 
ed out  of  his  regiment  in  June,  1865,  being  dis- 
charged as  corporal. 

Upon  his  return  to  civil  life  he  settled  in  Chi- 
cago, where  he  has  since  lived.  For  eighteen 
years  he  held  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace, 
which  length  of  time  in  the  position  attests  his 


marked  ability  in  conducting  the  duties  of  the 
office.  For  a  period  of  four  years  he  had  charge 
of  the  electric  plant  in  the  Chicago  Government 
Building,  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  was 
central  committeeman  of  his  district.  He  is  a 
stanch  Republican,  and  ardently  advocates  his 
party's  principles  of  governing.  He  is  a  valued 
member  of  Richard  Cole  Lodge  No.  697,  Ancient 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  He  is  a  charter  mem- 
ber and  was  the  first  commander  of  Silas  Casey 
Post  No.  555,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 

John  Leggate  was  united  in  marriage  Septem- 
ber 15,  1870,  to  Miss  Nancy  McKay,  who  has 
borne  him  the  following  children:  Rebecca;  Ag- 
nes, wife  of  James  Bain,  and  Eliza. 

Mr.  Leggate  and  his  family  are  members  of 
Brighton  Park  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
for  many  years  he  has  been  ruling  elder.  As  a 
man,  Mr.  Leggate  has  lived  consistently  with  the 
highest  requirements  of  life.  Temperate  in  all 
things,  just  in  all  his  dealings,  courteous  and 
charitable,  his  well-ordered  life  is  worthy  of  emu- 
lation. 


JOSEPH  C.  LEONARD. 


(JOSEPH  CURTIS  LEONARD  was  born  Oc- 

I   tober  31,    1840,    in   Manchester,    England, 

G)  and  is  a  son  of  Thomas  Leonard,  of  whom 

extended  mention  is  made  on  another  page  of 

this  work. 

Joseph  C.  Leonard  was  at  school  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  thirteen  years  and  was  then 
three  years  employed  in  a  grocery  store.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1860  and  went  to  Green  Bay, 
Wisconsin,  shortly  after  his  arrival  in  the  city. 
He  went  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  spent 
one  year,  but  May  6,  1862,  he  returned  to  Chi- 
cago and  was  employed  by  H.  O.  Maynard,  an 
extensive  hat  dealer  at  No.  66  Lake  Street. 


He  there  learned  hat  cleaning  and  pressing, 
as  he  was  with  Mr.  Maynard  three  years.  In  May 
of  the  year  1865  he  enlisted  for  one  hundred- 
days  service  in  the  army  and  was  placed  in  Com- 
pany K,  One  Hundred  Thirty-fourth  Illinois 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  enlisted  May  13,  1865, 
and  was  discharged  October  i,  1865.  He  was 
sent  on  reserve  business  and  did  service  in  Ken- 
tucky and  Missouri.  On  his  return  from  the  war 
Mr.  Leonard  entered  the  employ  of  D.  A.  Hughes, 
located  at  the  corner  of  Monroe  Street  and 
Wabash  Avenue,  being  occupied  at  his  trade 
with  this  concern  five  years.  Since  December 
20,  1879,  he  has  been  identified  with  D.  B.  Fisk 


66o 


ERDMANN  HOFFMANN. 


&  Company,  located  at  No.  103  Wabash  Avenue. 
For  the  past  twelve  years  he  has  had  charge  of 
the  pressing  department,  being  well  posted  in 
every  detail  of  that  portion  of  hat  making  or 
cleaning. 


Mr.  Leonard  was  made  a  Mason  in  William  B. 
Warren  Lodge  No.  209,  in  1876.  He  has  never 
sought  public  office,  but  is  loyal  to  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party  and  upholds  the  candi- 
dates at  all  times. 


ERDMANN  HOFFMANN. 


IT  RDMANN  HOFFMANN.  Among  the  most 
ry  prominent  and  sturdy  citizens  of  the  United 
L_  States  are  many  who  were  born  in  the  Father- 
land and  came  to  this  country  to  better  their  finan- 
cial as  well  as  social  standpoints  in  life.  Often 
our  most  influential  politicians  are  of  German 
parentage  and  make  the  best  statesmen  and 
rulers  for  the  people.  Erdmann  Hoffmann  was 
born  August  29,  1835,  in  the  town  of  Ketschdorf, 
Germany.  His  parents  were  Carl  and  Charlotta 
(Weiss)  Hoffmann  and  were  highly  respected 
among  their  friends  and  acquaintances. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Erdmann  Hoff- 
mann was  a  follower  of  the  tanner's  trade  and 
was  very  successful  in  his  occupation.  Carl  Hoff- 
mann was  born  June  2,  1810,  and  died  in  the 
year  1856.  He  was  a  maker  of  saddles,  and  was 
twice  married.  His  first  wife,  mother  of  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  article,  was  born  Novem- 
ber 28,  1818,  and  died  in  1840.  She  was  the 
mother  of  Erdmann  and  Louisa.  The  latter  died 
at  the  age  of  two  years.  The  second  wife  of  Mr. 
Hoffmann  was  Miss  Theodora  Meuntzel  and  her 
only  child  was  named  Julius. 

Erdmann  Hoffmann  was  the  only  one  of  his 
father's  family  to  emigrate  from  his  native  land 
and  reached  Chicago  April  2,  1860.  He  was  apt 
at  the  trade  of  a  harness  maker  and  at  once  be- 
came employed  by  Gustav  Leverey,  who  was  lo- 
cated on  Randolph  Street.  In  1861  he  established 
a  business  for  himself  on  Archer  Road,  near  Hal- 
sted  Street,  with  Frederick  Weiderman  for  part- 


ner. After  three  years  he  changed  his  occupa- 
tion and  opened  a  catering  establishment  on  Blue 
Island  Avenue,  near  Taylor  Street,  which  he  con- 
ducted two  years.  He  subsequently  took  up  the 
business  of  life  insurance,  handling  policies  in 
this  line  until  1872,  when  he  started  in  the  har- 
ness business  on  Sigel  Street.  In  1880  he  located 
a  harness  shop  at  No.  105  East  North  Avenue, 
but  after  three  years  changed  the  location  of  his 
business  to  No.  113  of  the  same  street.  After  five 
years  he  retired  from  active  business  life  and  has 
been  occupied  at  intervals  with  general  work. 

Mr.  Hoffmann  was  married  November  29,  1861, 
to  Miss  Marie  Magdalena  Haster,  who  was  born 
May  15,  1835.  Nine  children  were  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hoffmann,  of  whom  only  four  are  still 
in  the  land  of  the  living.  Charlotta,  born  Octo- 
ber 31,  1862,  died  August  18,  1863;  Julius,  born 
January  n,  1864,  died  April  n,  1866;  Amelia, 
born  November  n,  1865,  married  John  Wagen- 
berger;  her  second  husband  is  Oscar  Thomas 
Hill  and  they  reside  at  No.  1087  North  California 
Avenue;  Mr.  Hill  is  in  the  rubber  stamp  busi- 
ness; Frederick,  born  July  27,  1867,  died  No- 
vember 2,  1891;  he  married  Emma  Hager  and 
she  died  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years,  leaving  one 
child,  Robert,  who  died  at  the  age  of  one  3rear, 
January  13,  1890;  Minnie  was  born  June  3,  1870, 
and  was  married  March  17,  1887,  to  Frederick 
Kasten,  who  was  born  December  23,  1868;  they 
have  three  children:  Louis  L.,  born  August  24, 
1888;  Harry,  December  13,  1892,  and  Julius, 


L.  C.  E.  DOERING. 


66 1 


May  6,  1895;  Katharine,  born  March  3,  1872, 
follows  the  occupation  of  a  dressmaker  and  is 
very  successful  in  the  art;  Julius  and  Marie  were 
twins,  born  February  19,  1874,  and  lived  but  four 
weeks;  Julius  Edward,  born  November  8,  1875, 
married,  November  25,  1896,  Lilian  Grace  Hecht, 
who  was  born  June  26,  1876;  they  have  a  daugh- 
ter, Marion,  born  July  31,  1898;  he  is  a  clerk 
on  the  Board  of  Trade  and  resides  at  No.  689 
North  Park  Avenue. 

Mr.  Hoffmann  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  and 
Ladies  of  Honor,  of  which  he  has  been  financial 
secretary  for  several  years.  He  is  a  man  of 


sterling  worth  of  character,  strong  in  his  convic- 
tions of  the  right,  and  loyal  to  his  religion.  He 
is  independent  in  political  matters,  voting  for  the 
man  who,  in  his  own  mind,  he  believes  to  be 
best  fitted  to  represent  the  highest  interests  of  the 
people.  His  home  is  one  of  happiness,  and  per- 
fect peace  and  harmony  reign  supreme.  All 
are  congenial  to  each  other  and  all  work  together 
for  the  good  of  those  about  them.  Mr.  Hoffmann 
is  a  model  husband  and  father  and  has  many 
friends  wherever  he  goes.  He  is  honorable  and 
upright  in  business  dealings,  and  just  to  all  de- 
pendent on  his  word  and  generosity. 


LOUIS  C    E.  DOERING. 


I  GUIS  C.  E.  DOERING,  principal  of  St. 
1C  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran  parish  school, 
I  J  has  been  identified  with  the  educational  in- 
terests of  Chicago  for  nearly  thirty  years.  He 
was  born  April  3,  1852,  in  Oldenburg,  capitol  of 
the  Grand  Duchy  of  the  same  name,  Germany, 
and  is  a  son  of  Conrad  E.  and  Caroline  (Mueshl- 
meister)  Doering.  His  father  is  a  prominent 
man  in  his  native  land,  having  been  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Government  as  inspector  of  public 
buildings  and  all  matters  pertaining  to  that  work. 
He  held  this  position  many  years  and  in  March, 
1898,  retired  on  full  pay. 

Louis  C.  E.  Doering  is  the  only  member  of 
his  father's  family  who  immigrated  to  America 
to  find  a  home  here.  His  mother  died  in  Old- 
enburg in  December,  1896.  She  was  the  mother 
of  eight  sons  and  one  daughter,  who  is  now  also 
deceased,  the  sons  being  all  living  at  the  present 
writing.  Louis  C.  E.  Doering,  of  whose  life 
this  article  treats  briefly,  is  the  oldest  of  the  sons. 
August  Doering  is  following  the  business  of  brew- 
ing in  Rotterdam,  being  a  brew  master;  Albrecht, 
who  is  in  Bremen,  is  a  manufacturer  of  cork 


goods,  and  his  business  interests  extend  over  the 
entire  globe.  Carl  Doering  is  a  noted  tenor 
singer,  having  studied  in  Berlin,  and  became 
famous  all  over  Europe.  Ernst,  of  this  family,  is 
also  a  musician.  Gustav  and  Paul  are  now  re- 
siding in  London,  England,  and  Theodore,  of 
Hude,  Germany,  is  manager  of  large  chemical 
works  in  that  city. 

Louis  C.  E.  Doering  was  educated  in  the  col- 
lege at  the  city  of  his  nativity,  from  which  he 
graduated  at  the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  was 
counted  among  the  youngest  men  that  ever 
graduated  from  the  said  college.  April  4,  1869, 
he  departed  from  his  home  and  one  day  later 
sailed  from  Bremen  Harbor  on  the  ship  "Balti- 
more," and  landed  in  Baltimore,  Maryland, 
some  days  later.  He  remained  but  a  week  in 
this  city,  however,  before  he  continued  his 
journey  to  Chicago.  After  reaching  Chicago  he 
was  taken  sick  and  was  confined  to  his  bed  six 
weeks.  August  30  of  the  same  year  he  secured 
a  position  as  instructor  in  a  private  school  which 
was  conducted  by  W.  C.  Fricke,  now  an  ex- 
tensive real-estate  dealer.  He  continued  in  this 


662 


E.  R.  MEAD. 


capacity  until  the  last  of  January,  1871.  He  was 
then  called  upon  to  fill  the  position  of  teacher  in 
the  Emanuel  Lutheran  Church  school,  then  situ- 
ated on  Brown  Street,  near  Taylor  Street.  He 
then  removed  to  South  Chicago,  where  he  was 
employed  by  the  Lutheran  congregation  and 
spent  one  year  there,  after  which  he  became 
principal  of  the  branch  school  of  the  St.  James" 
congregation.  The  school  is  situated  at  the 
corner  of  Fullerton  Avenue  and  High  Street,  and 
Mr.  Doering  remained  in  this  position  seventeen 
years.  In  1893  he  entered  upon  the  duties  of 
instructor  at  the  school  of  the  Trinity  Church  on 
the  South  Side,  which  duties  he  continued  to 
fulfill  until  February,  1896.  At  this  date  he 
accepted  his  present  position,  and  has  so  well 
proven  himself  worthy  of  the  trust  reposed  in 
him  that  he  would  be  sadly  missed  should  he  be- 
come persuaded  at  any  time  to  abandon  it  for  a 
more  profitable  one. 

Mr.  Doering  has  taken  a  lively  interest  in 
public  affairs  and  in  1892-93  was  secretary  of  the 
committee  of  the  Lutheran  churches  organized 
to  oppose  the  Edwards  law,  which  question  was 
then  before  the  public,  and  as  such  did  a  great 
deal  of  splendid  work.  He  is  a  correspondent  for 
the  German  paper,  Staafs  Zeitung,  and  several 
other  newspapers.  He  is  a  man  of  fine  education, 
learned  in  books  as  well  as  in  practical  experience. 


He  is  a  typical  gentleman,  of  scholarly  attain- 
ments, and  a  musician  of  more  than  ordinary 
skill,  having  been  connected  with  choirs  since 
theyear  1871.  Heisconnected  with  two  choirs  at 
the  present  time.  On  Lutherans'  Day  at  the  time  of 
the  World's  Fairhe  had  charge  of  a  chorus  of  three 
hundred  male  voices,  and  in  recognition  of  his 
services  was  presented  with  a  handsome  gold 
watch,  suitably  inscribed  by  the  male  choirs  of 
the  Lutheran  Churches  of  Chicago.  At  the  re- 
quest of  his  father  he  assisted  the  commissioner 
from  Oldenburg  and  Hanover  with  the  fine  exhi- 
bition of  coach  horses  at  the  World's  Fair. 

July  21,  1874,  Mr.  Doering  married  Miss  Clara 
Buenger,  a  native  of  St.  Louis  and  daughter  of 
Theodore  Buenger,  who  was  for  many  years  a 
teacher  in  the  city  of  Chicago.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.  C.  E.  Doering  are  five  in 
number:  Theodore,  Ludwig,  Edward,  Otto  and 
Paula.  To  such  men  as  Mr.  Doering  does  the 
world  of  to-day  owe  many  of  its  advantages  for 
the  furthering  of  knowledge  and  refinement.  He 
is  among  those  who  would  enjoy  the  universal 
education  of  the  common  people  and  the  uplifting 
of  all  those  desirous  of  becoming  fitted  to  make 
for  themselves  a  place  in  the  world.  He  is  a 
true  and  tried  follower  of  the  cause  of  right  and 
is  the  promoter  of  all  good  to  the  extent  of  his 
power. 


EDWIN  R.  MEAD. 


ITDWIN  RIPLEY  MEAD,  one  of  Chicago's 

1^   representative  citizens,  and  a  member  of  the 

I        force  in  the  government  service,  was  born 

June  13,    1859.      His  parents,  George  W.  and 

Elizabeth  (Johnson)  Mead,  resided  on  Dearborn 

Street,  between  Van  Buren  and  Harrison  Streets, 

at  the  time  of  his  birth. 

After  attending  the  Jones  School  until   1871  he 


was  a  pupil  in  the  Haven  School  one  year.  He 
subsequently  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  Hurlbut, 
remaining  in  his  employ  four  years.  After  spend- 
ing one  year  as  porter  in  the  Wayland  barber 
shop,  at  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Washington 
Streets,  he  entered  the  wholesale  millinery  store 
of  D.  B.  Fiske  &  Company,  working  six  months 
as  elevator  man,  after  which  he  was  given  a  posi- 


H.  J.  TERRY. 


663 


tion  driving  a  wagon,  and  was  thus  occupied  five 
years.  He  was  placed  in  the  packing  room  and 
remained  fifteen  and  one-half  years.  He  left  this 
employ  to  become  a  postman,  which  occupation 
'  he  has  followed  since. 

February  17,  1886,  Mr.  Mead  was  married  to 
Miss  Emma  Jennie,  daughter  of  James  and  Jen- 
nie (Morris)  Binga.  Mrs.  Mead  was  born  June 
30,  1860,  in  Detroit,  Michigan.  Their  only  child, 
Ripley  Binga,  was  born  June  25, '1891.  Mr. 


Mead  is  a  member  of  the  National  Association  of 
Letter  Carriers.  He  was  reared  a  Baptist,  his 
parents  being  members  of  that  denomination.  He 
leads  a  highly  worthy  life  and  is  a  credit  to  the 
excellent  rearing  of  his  parents.  His  family  ap- 
preciates him,  and  he  is  of  settled  domestic  tastes, 
being  never  happier  than  when  around  his  own 
fireside  with  his  small  group.  Since  1895  Mr. 
Mead  has  resided  at  No.  1219  Sixty-seventh 
Street,  and  is  well  known  and  respected. 


HERBERT  J.  TERRY. 


HERBERT  JABEZ  TERRY.  Among  the 
so-called  mechanics  of  the  day  are  many 
who  might  better  have  followed  some 
other  occupation  and  left  the  work  in  that 
line  for  those  who  really  understand  machinery 
and  the  art  of  invention.  Of  the  most  skilled 
and  successful  mechanics  of  the  city  of  Chicago 
at  the  present  time  is  Herbert  Jabez  Terry.  He 
is  at  present  occupied  with  the  manufacture  of  a 
strictly  high-grade  bicycle,  which  is  named  the 
H.  J.  Terry  Special.  The  machine  is  one  of  the 
finest  running  and  most  durable  on  the  market 
and  is  not  to  be  classed  with  the  usual  run  of 
special  makes  which  encumber  the  market.  Mr. 
Terry  understands  thoroughly  how  the  wheel 
should  be  built  and  how  it  should  run,  and  the 
appearance  that  will  strike  the  eye  of  the  public. 
His  work  gives  perfect  satisfaction  in  this  line,  as 
it  has  done  before  in  other  interests  than  the 
making  of  bicycles. 

H.  J.  Terry  was  born  April  28,  1850,  at  No. 
49  Gardner  Street,  Springfield,  Massachusetts. 
His  parents  were  Jabez  Carlos  and  Elizabeth 
Louise  (Wood)  Terry.  His  maternal  grand- 
father was  Homer  Wood,  who  was  born  in  Staf- 
ford, Connecticut.  He  died  when  about  seventy - 
three  years  of  age,  in  1860. 


Jabez  C.  Terry,  father  of  the  man  whose  name 
heads  this  article,  was  born  in  1813,  in  Enfield, 
Connecticut,  on  Terry  Lane.  No  other  families 
but  those  of  the  name  of  Terry  resided  at  this 
place,  and  he  lived  on  a  farm  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  seventeen  years.  He  then  went  to 
Springfield,  where  he  entered  a  blacksmith  shop. 
His  bent  was  toward  mechanics,  and  he  was  a 
designer  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  years.  In 
1863  he  entered  the  button  factory  of  Newell 
Brothers,  as  machinist.  He  later  became  their 
designer,  and  was  employed  at  this  concern  con- 
stantly until  the  time  of  his  resignation.  He  is 
considered  one  of  the  greatest  designers  of  the 
day  in  the  United  States  and  to  his  genius  as  an 
inventor  is  credited  the  fact  that  the  Newell 
Brothers  Button  factory  is  the  greatest  of  its  kind 
in  the  United  States,  and  perhaps  in  the  world. 
He  is  at  the  bottom  of  its  success  more  than  any 
other  man.  He  invented  practically  all  the  ma- 
chinery which  is  used  in  modern  times  in  the 
manufacture  of  buttons,  and  among  his  inven- 
tions is  the  revolving  spirit  level,  which  is  so  im- 
portant among  the  devices  of  button  making. 

In  1889  J.  C.  Terry  retired  from  active  life 
and  is  at  present  enjoying  the  fruits  of  his  former 
efforts  at  his  pleasant  home  in  Springfield,  Mas- 


664 


ANDREW  CHRISTENSEN. 


sachusetts.  His  wife  was  born  May  17,  1818, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  six  children,  of 
whom  two  died  when  very  young.  Emma 
Louise  resides  with  her  parents.  Homer  Wood 
is  a  maker  of  buttons,  and  resides  in  Springfield. 
He  married  Miss  Evelina  Plumb,  and  their  only 
child  bears  the  name  of  Ethel.  Henry  Jabez  is 
next  in  order  of  birth.  Frances  Augusta  married 
Eugene  Gates,  a  druggist,  and  lives  at  Walnut 
Hill,  Massachusetts.  Their  children  are:  Ernest, 
Raymond,  Howard  and  Edith. 

Herbert  J.  Terry  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Springfield  until  1866  and  then  became  employed 
under  his  father's  supervision  at  the  button  fac- 
tory of  Newell  Brothers.  He  was  foreman  after 
his  father  for  a  period  of  six  years.  He  was 
there  until  1875,  and  subsequently  occupied  a 
position  at  the  pistol  factory  of  Smith  &  Wesson. 
He  was  a  sub-contractor  and  remained  thus  oc- 
cupied until  1878,  when  he  went  to  New  York 
City  and  started  a  button  factory  for  F.  Groat  & 
Company,  on  Fourteenth  Street,  and  remained 
until  1880.  He  invented  a  special  machine  for 
turning  buttons  from  horn,  besides  seven  other 
machines.  His  special  blanker  is  of  much  im- 
portance and  is  an  invention  which  is  worthy  to 
bear  his  name. 

Mr.  Terry  returned  to  Springfield  after  leaving 
New  York  and  manufactured  buttons  with  his 
brother-in-law  as  partner,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Gates,  Terry  &  Company.  He  was  with  Smith  & 
Wesson  one  year,  and  subsequently  went  to  To- 
peka,  Kansas,  for  a  short  time.  His  health  was 


very  poor  in  1887  and  he  came  to  Chicago  in  hope 
of  improvement.  He  followed  the  occupation  of 
painter  some  time  after  his  arrival,  and  became 
occupied  with  the  manufacture  of  bicycles  in 
1896.  He  has  always  been  a  very  energetic  busi- 
ness man,  with  an  eye  for  the  bettering  of  his  finan- 
cial standing,  and  in  1896  he  saw  that  there  was 
money  to  be  made  in  the  manufacture  of  good 
bicycles.  He  therefore  established  a  business  at 
No.  6763  South  Chicago  Avenue,  and  has  since 
carried  on  a  successful  trade  with  office  and  shop 
at  this  location. 

Mr.  Terry  was  married  August  9,  1873,  to  Miss 
Selina  Elizabeth  Newton,  daughter  of  John  and 
Harriet  (Slater)  Newton.  Mrs.  Terry  was  born 
in  Evershatn,  near  Birmingham,  England,  Octo- 
ber 29,  1849,  and  came  to  America  in  1869.  She 
is  very  talented  in  music  and  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Horton  Musical  College.  She  is  a  teacher  of 
music  and  has  great  ability  in  reading.  Her 
family  was  one  of  musicians  before  her  time. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Terry  are:  Edward 
Herbert,  Frank  Clarence  and  Arthur  Newton. 

Mr.  Terry  was  a  member  of  Hamlin  Lodge 
No.  27,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in 
Springfield,  Massachusetts,  but  is  not  active  in 
the  order  at  the  present  time.  He  is  a  Republi- 
can and  has  served  as  judge  of  election  three 
years.  He  is  a  man  of  high  honor  and  is  to 
be  relied  upon  in  business  or  friendly  relation 
without  one  doubt.  His  family  is  one  that  holds 
the  respect  of  all  who  ever  come  in  contact  with 
its  members,  and  he  sustains  his  name  well. 


ANDREW  CHRISTENSEN. 


NDREW  CHRISTENSEN.       Among    the  March  16,  1850,  in  Schleswig-Holstein,  Denmark 

LJ   still  active  and  influential  men  of  the  city  of  (now  German y).     His  parents  were  Andrew  and 

/    I  Chicago  who  are  first  on  the  list  of  worth}'  Agnes  (Nelson)  Christensen. 

citizens,  is  Andrew  Christensen.     He  was  born  Andrew  Christensen  was  the  first  of  his  father's 


CHRISTOPH  MILLER. 


665 


family  to  emigrate  from  his  native  land,  and  ar- 
rived in  the  United  States  in  October  of  the  year 
1870.  He  was  an  efficient  brick  and  stone  mason 
and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Illinois,  Wisconsin 
and  Iowa. 

He  erected  his  first  residence  in  Chicago,  a 
substantial  brick  building,  near  the  corner  of 
Thirty- seventh  and  Dearborn  Streets,  in  1881. 
His  next  residence  was  near  Eighty- fourth  and 
Halsted  Streets,  built  in  1891.  His  present  resi- 
dence is  at  No.  7235  Rhodes  Avenue,  and  he  still 
owns  the  three. 

He  was  married  December  31,  1878,  to  Anna 
Johnson,  daughter  of  Ely  and  Anna  Matilda 
(Nelson)  Johnson.  Mrs.  Christensen  was  born 
May  2,  1849,  in  Kloen,  Schleswig-Holstein, 
Denmark  (now  Germany). 


Her  children  are  as  follows:  Annie  Agnes 
Elizabeth,  born  November  25,  1880;  Katharine 
Elenora,  June  28,  1883;  Christian  Andrew,  No- 
vember 30,  1884;  and  Esther  May,  April  6, 
1890. 

Mr.  Christensen  has  never  taken  any  active 
part  in  public  life,  and  has  always  found  better 
occupation  for  his  time.  He  upholds  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party  at  all  times,  and  is 
ever  ready  to  argue  in  its  favor.  He  is  a  pleasant, 
genial  gentleman,  of  true  Danish  type,  and  is  hon- 
ored and  respected  by  all,  possessing  the  regard 
and  friendship  of  a  large  circle.  The  family  is 
connected  with  the  Danish  Lutheran  Church, 
whose  house  of  worship  is  located  on  Armour 
Avenue.between  Thirty-sixth  and  Thirty-seventh 
Streets. 


CHRISTOPH   MILLER. 


EHRISTOPH  MILLER.  Among  the  stanch 
and  highly  respected  citizens  of  the  town  of 
Thornton  is  the  gentleman  under  consider- 
ation. No  man  has  done  more  toward  the  im- 
provement and  permanent  building  of  the  com- 
munity than  he,  and  none  stands  higher  in  the 
public  estimation,  being  best  loved  by  those  who 
have  known  him  best.  A  native  of  Hanover, 
Germany,  he  was  born  April  17,  1827,  and  has 
accordingly  passed  the  threescore  and  ten  years 
allotted  by  the  prophet. 

As  a  lad  he  was  bound  to  serve  a  regular 
apprenticeship  at  the  carpenters'  and  joiners'  trade 
and  devoted  his  youthful  years  most  assiduously 
to  the  acquisition  of  the  technical  knowledge 
that  has  been  his  stay  and  dependence  through 
many  years  of  energetic  and  successful  life  as  a 
contractor  and  builder.  After  completing  the 
five  years  devoted  to  learning  the  trade,  he  con- 
tinued to  work  as  a  journeyman  carpenter  until 


he  decided  to  cast  his  fortunes  in  the  New  World, 
where  many  of  his  early  companions  had  already 
gone  and  reported  great  opportunity  for  the 
young  man. 

Accordingly,  in  1854,  he  crossed  the  ocean, 
coming  direct  to  Homewood,  then  Thornton  sta- 
tion,a  village  in  its  early  infancy, havingbeen  start- 
ed the  preceding  year  upon  the  completion  of  the 
Illinois  Central  Railroad.  He  entered  upon  his 
career  in  this  country  as  a  builder  upon  his  own 
responsibility,  and  for  upwards  of  forty  years  has 
devoted  himself  to  the  one  chosen  line  of  work 
and  in  it  has  reached  high  standing.  With 
limited  means  in  those  early  years,  he  found  it 
necessary  to  adapt  himself  to  the  conditions  of 
the  day  and  suffered  those  pioneer  privations  and 
hardships  incident  to  a  new  country,  but  by  at- 
tending closely  to  the  business  in  hand  and  being 
economical  and  free  from  bad  habits  (that  he  saw 
were  loadstones  to  some  of  his  friends),  before 


666 


H.  H.  HIRSCHFIELD. 


long  he  could  realize  a  progress  in  financial  and 
business  standing.  The  principles  of  honesty, 
frugality  and  attention  to  business,  adopted  and 
followed  in  those  early  years,  have  been  constantly 
adhered  to  throughout  life  and  as  a  result  his 
closing  years  are  passing  with  a  gratification  in 
the  way  of  temporal  blessings  and  a  consciousness 
of  the  highest  esteem  of  his  fellow-men. 

Mr.  Miller  found  the  companion  of  his  life  in 
the  new  land,  in  the  person  of  Miss  Mary  Peters, 
a  lady  of  Prussian  birth,  who  as  a  child  came  to 
America  with  her  stepfather,  Christian  Corsten, 
who  resided  at  Homewood  until  his  death  some 
ten  years  since.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Miller  consist  of:  Louis,  who  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  Homewood;  Louisa,  wife  of  John  Kruse, 
residing  at  Homewood;  Minnie,  wife  of  Fred 


Bierfeld,  of  Thornton;  Linnie,  at  home;  Alvina, 
wife  of  John  Bierfeld,  also  of  Thornton;  Bertha,  at 
home;  August  and  William,  carpenters. 

Not  a  partisan,  Mr.  Miller  has  chosen  to  cast 
his  suffrage  for  men  rather  than  for  party.  His 
choice,  however,  has  been  with  the  winning 
party  during  presidential  elections  from  Lincoln 
to  McKinley.  Reared  in  the  faith  of  his  fathers, 
Mr.  Miller  has  ever  been  a  consistent  member  of 
the  German  Evangelical  Church  and  has  at- 
tempted to  do  his  share  in  support  of  the  gospel, 
and  by  profession  of  principle  and  practical 
example  has  sustained  and  honored  the  faith  he 
professes.  Possessed  of  the  finer  qualities  that 
endear  men  to  each  other,  he  stands  to-day,  a 
beloved  husband,  honored  father  and  respected 
citizen. 


HERMAN  H.  HIRSCHFIELD. 


HERMAN  HENRY  HIRSCHFIELD,  who 
resides  at  No.  260  Fremont  Street,  Chicago, 
was  born  in  the  town  of  Bleicherode, 
Province  of  Saxony,  Prussia,  July  25,  1830. 
He  is  a  son  of  George  and  Dorotha  Hirschfield, 
natives  of  the  same  place  as  himself.  George 
Hirschfield  belonged  to  an  old  and  prominent 
Prussian  family  and  was  first  lieutenant  a  number 
of  years  in  the  Napoleonic  wars.  Afterwards  he 
was  many  years  engaged  in  the  milling  business 
in  his  native  town  and  became  wealthy. 

Herman  H.  Hirschfield  received  a  good  educa- 
tion in  the  Lutheran  parish  school  of  his  native 
city,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  was  confirmed  in 
that  church.  He  then  became  his  father's  assis- 
tant, until  he  emigrated  from  his  native  land, 
locating  in  the  United  States.  In  September, 
1847,  he  took  passage  on  the  vessel  "Isenstein 
and  Welker, "  from  Bremen  Harbor  bound  for 
New  Orleans,  at  which  city  he  arrived  after 


seventy-four  days.  Remaining  in  that  city  a 
short  time  he  then  went  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and 
secured  a  situation  as  clerk  in  a  shoe  store  in 
that  city.  In  the  fall  of  1849  he  returned  to  New 
Orleans  and  spent  a  few  months  there,  but  went 
back  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  continued  as  a  clerk 
until  1855,  when  the  firm  he  was  employed  by 
established  a  business  house  in  Chicago  and  sent 
him  here  as  salesman  in  the  store.  After  two 
years  in  that  service  he  was  employed  by  the 
city.  July  8,  1861,  he  entered  the  Chicago 
postoffice  as  clerk  and  so  efficiently  did  he  dis- 
charge his  duties  that  he  was  retained  until  June 
i,  1886,  when  he  resigned  and  engaged  in  the  real- 
estate  business,  which  he  continued  up  to  Janu- 
ary, 1898,  when  failing  health  caused  him  to  re- 
tire from  active  business.  He  is  naturally  a  very 
active  and  ambitious  man  and  his  nature  revolts 
from  the  quiet  of  retirement  from  the  business 
world.  Though  he  may  not  still  be  with  the 


J.  C.  PLAGGE. 


667 


working  men  of  the  vast  metropolis  of  the  west, 
his  heart  is  for  them  and  his  interest  does  not  lag. 

Mr.  Hirschfield  espoused  the  cause  of  the  old 
Abolition  party  and  in  1852  voted  for  John  C. 
Hale.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Re- 
publican party  in  Chicago  and  since  voting  for 
John  C.  Fremont  has  supported  the  candidates 
of  that  party. 

March  22, 1855,  he  married  Miss  Teresa  Wollen- 
haupt,  who  was  born  in  Germany,  in  1836  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  girlhood.  They 


have  five  children,  all  born  in  Chicago,  and  are 
living,  namely:  Louise,  wife  of  John  Ezbel,  a 
commission  merchant  of  South  Water  Street; 
Charles;  Tracey,  wife  of  Edward  Nelson;  Mamie, 
now  Mrs.  Alexander  Schlick;  and  Herman  H. , 
junior,  employed  in  the  postoffice. 

The  members  of  the  family  of  Mr.  Hirschfield 
are  connected  with  Dr.  John's  St.  Paul's  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church  and  are  highly  re- 
spected by  all  who  come  in  contact  with  any  of 
the  number. 


JOHN  C.  PLAGGE. 


HOHN  C.  PLAGGE,  general  merchant  at  Bar- 
I  rington,  Illinois,  is  a  native  of  Cook  County, 
G)  born  November  26,  1855.  His  parents  were 
George  and  Elsebein  Plagge,  the  former  being  a 
native  of  Hanover  and  the  latter  of  Prussia. 
George  Plagge  was  a  shoemaker  and  settled  in 
Chicago  in  1837,  his  old  business  stand  being  at 
the  present  corner  of  Michigan  and  North  State 
Streets.  In  1852  he  removed  to  a  farm  in  North- 
field,  where  he  married,  and  died  December  28, 
1872,  at  the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  His  widow 
survived  him  twenty  years,  living  until  March, 

1893- 

John  C.  Plagge  worked  on  his  father's  farm  as 
a  boy,  and  in  his  youth  for  other  farmers.  He 
attended  the  Northwestern  University  of  Naper- 
ville,  and  in  1876  came  to  Barrington,  where  two 
years  later  he,  in  company  with  G.  H.  Landwher, 
began  a  most  successful  business  career.  In  five 
years  he  became  sole  owner  and  has  continued  to 
the  present  time.  Starting  with  limited  capital, 
the  attention  to  details  of  the  business  was  such 
that,  coupled  with  a  genial  and  accommodating 
personality,  warm  and  lasting  friends  were  made 
and  at  no  time  has  the  business  been  in  any  but 
most  prosperous  condition. 


A  full  line  of  general  merchandise  is  carried  and 
the  annual  business  shows  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  profit.  Mr.  Plagge  has  not  con- 
fined his  attentions  to  the  store,  but  other  enter- 
prises have  found  in  him  a  warm  supporter  and  in- 
vestor. When  he  has  had  capital  further  than  his 
mercantile  business  demanded,  he  has  kept  it  in 
use  in  his  own  town  and  it  has  doubled,  not  only  to 
his  own  profit  but  to  the  employment  of  labor  and 
general  advantage.  He  has  been  connected  with 
the  Barrington  Bank  of  Standman  &  Company 
since  its  organization,  either  as  cashier  or  as  vice 
president,  filling  the  duties  of  the  latter  position 
at  present.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Plagge  &  Company,  dealers  in  lumber,  feed,  flour 
and  coal,  operating  an  elevator  since  1892,  and 
doing  an  extensive  business  in  that  line.  Naeher 
&  Plagge  are  manufacturers  of  cheese  boxes  and 
dealers  in  butter  tubs  and  the  like.  Mr.  Plagge 
also  does  an  extensive  fire  insurance  business,  his 
books  showing  a  fine  line  of  companies,  with  a 
choice  selection  of  risks. 

Mr.  Plagge  has  been  honored  many  times  by 
the  citizens  by  some  position  of  trust.  He  suc- 
cessively and  successfully  filled  the  offices  of  vil- 
lage clerk,  township  clerk,  trustee,  postmaster 


668 


J.  J.  WELKER. 


under  President  Harrison,  supervisor,  village  trus- 
tee, and  is  again  elected  as  supervisor.  In  what- 
ever position  he  has  been  called  upon  to  occupy, 
he  has  given  the  details  that  attention  that  in- 
sures mastery  of  the  subject  and  thus  the  best 
interests  of  his  constituents  have  been  conserved. 
An  active  Republican,  he  is  not  an  offensive  par- 
tisan, although  he  is  ever  found  at  the  post  of 
duty,  whether  it  be  as  delegate  to  party  conven- 
tions or  in  its  councils  as  committeeman,  or 
wherever  duty  as  a  loyal  citizen  calls.  Known 
to  be  soundly  honest,  he  has  the  fullest  con- 
fidence of  all  men,  regardless  of  party  lines.  No 
man  stands  higher  as  a  citizen  or  business  man 
than  does  John  C.  Plagge. 

He  was  married  November  18,  1880,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Nordmeier,  of  Palatine,  Cook  County. 
Their  children  were:  Reuben  G.,  Luella  M.,  Her- 


bert J.,  Nora  A.,  Olive  LM  Clarence  F.,  Homer 
Henry,  Warren  William  and  Willis  Charles,  the 
last-named  dying  in  early  childhood. 

An  earnest,  active  member  of  the  United  Evan- 
gelical Church,  he  is  serving  as  a  trustee  and  is 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday-school.  He  is  also 
deeply  interested  in  popular  education  and  has 
served  upon  the  board  of  education  three  years, 
being  its  present  president.  Few  men,  not  past 
middle  age,  can  review  life  with  greater  satisfac- 
tion when  viewed  from  the  financial  and  business 
standpoint,  or  if  looked  at  as  a  representative 
citizen  in  public  life,  or  from  the  political,  social 
or  religious  view.  Of  strong  personality,  he  is 
deeply  imbued  with  the  vigor  and  spirit  of  Ameri- 
can institutions  and  no  man  has  been  more  alive 
to  the  true  interests  of  the  community  in  which 
he  lives. 


JACOB  J.  WELKER. 


(lACOB  JAMES  WELKER.  Not  many 
I  people,  except  those  who  have  had  practical 
(2/  experience  in  the  intricacies  of  the  govern- 
ment of  a  railroad  yard,  can  realize  the  amount 
of  forethought  and  responsibility  which  have 
been  required  in  securing  the  safety  of  the  very 
train  they  may  be  riding  in  on  the  way  to  their 
suburban  homes  or  in  taking  a  trip  to  another 
city.  Few  stop  to  consider  how  many  men  are 
employed  to  make  the  one  trip  or  how  much 
precaution  has  been  taken  that  this  particular 
train  may  arrive  at  its  destination  safely.  A 
flaw  in  the  work  of  one  man  may  cause  the 
wreckage  of  a  whole  train  and  much  disaster. 
The  engine  wiper  may  fail  to  report  a  worn  sec- 
tion and  the  part  may  break,  causing  the  engine 
to  get  beyond  the  control  of  its  driver.  Any 
man  employed  by  a  railroad  company  shares 
in  the  responsibility  for  the  safety  of  passengers, 


and  should  each  and  every  employe  take  care 
that  his  work  is  finished  properly  the  conse- 
quences will  never  be  disastrous. 

Among  the  trusted  and  honored  employes  of 
railroads  in  the  city  of  Chicago  who  have  proven 
their  value  and  responsible  strength  of  character 
is  Jacob  James  Welker.  He  was  born  September 
12,1858,  at  No. 402  West  Madison  Street,  the  house 
facing  Elizabeth  Street.  His  parents  were  Jacob 
and  Katherine  (Haster)  Welker.  He  attended 
the  Skinner,  Brown  and  Hayes  Schools,  leaving 
school  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  He  early 
showed  a  taste  for  railroad  work,  and  began  as 
switchman  on  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St. 
Paul  Railroad.  In  1880  he  was  promoted  to 
yardmaster  at  the  company's  yards  on  Western 
Avenue. 

In  1890  he  went  to  work  for  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  with 


S.  E.  LEAMON. 


669 


which  he  remained  one  year.  He  subsequently 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Central  Rail- 
road Company  as  switchman,  and  in  1892  was 
made  yardmaster  at  Fordham  Yard,  which  posi- 
tion he  still  holds. 

Mr.  Welker  was  married  December  27,  1883, 
to  Delia  Crowley,  daughter  of  William  and 
Bridget  (McGraw)  Crowley.  Mrs.  Welker  was 
born  in  Chicago,  at  the  corner  of  Desplaines  and 
Harrison  Streets,  January  29,  1860.  Her  father 
was  born  at  No.  48  Norton  Street. 

The  children  of  Mr.    and   Mrs.  Welker  are: 


John,  born  February  22,  1887,  and  Frederick 
William,  born  October  31,  1889.  Mr.  Welker  is 
connected  with  Court  Oakland  No.  107,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters,  and  is  in  sympathy 
with  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  He 
has  never  sought  public  favor  in  the  form  of  an 
official  position,  out  regards  the  duty  of  voting 
sacred  and  never  fails  to  perform  that  duty, 
which  is  in  itself  a  privilege.  He  approves  of  all 
that  is  for  the  benefit  of  those  about  him,  and  is 
a  mover  in  all  things  tending  to  uplift  and  elevate 
mankind. 


SIDNEY  E.  LEAMON. 


(7JIDNEY  ERWIN  LEAMON.  In  the  midst 
/\  of  the  beautiful  mountains  and  peaceful  lakes 
\~}  to  be  found  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin  are  born 
many  men  who  chafe  in  the  quiet  and  uneventful 
existence  to  be  found  in  that  region.  It  is  natu- 
ral, then,  that  they  seek  new  adventures  and 
financial  success  in  the  great  cities.  Many  are 
deceived  and  enter  the  gates  of  the  city  with  vis- 
ions of  wealth,  only  to  find  that  all  is  not  gold 
that  glitters,  and  that  money  does  not  come  with- 
out labor  of  some  kind  in  return.  Others  strive 
valiantly  and  perhaps  obtain  complete  satisfac- 
tion, or  have  their  expectations  more  than  ful- 
filled. Much  that  is  learned  in  the  young  days 
of  the  fortune-seekers  is  remembered  to  their  ad- 
vantage, and  their  latter  days  may  be  influenced 
for  the  best  by  these  memories. 

Sidney  Erwin  Leamon  belongs  to  the  success- 
ful class.  He  was  born  July  13,  1861,  in  Green 
L,ake  County,  Wisconsin,  ten  miles  west  of  Wau- 
pun.  He  was  educated  in  the  beautiful  little 
town  of  Oakfield,  but  his  home  was  on  the  farm 
of  his  father  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eleven 
years.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he  came 


to  Chicago,  and  was  at  once  employed  as  assist- 
ant electrician  in  McVicker's  Theater.  The  elec- 
trician at  that  time  was  Frank  Gannon,  and  Mr. 
Leamon  was  in  his  service  five  years.  He  was 
then  salesman  for  William  F.  Law,  wholesale 
grocer,  where  he  remained  two  years.  Previous 
to  being  occupied  in  the  theater  building  he 
learned  the  trade  of  paper-hanger.  After  leav- 
ing the  employ  of  W.  F.  Law  he  was  manager 
for  Botsford  Manufacturing  Company,  dealers  in 
pickles  and  kindred  articles.  In  the  spring  of 
1893  he  began  contracting  at  his  trade  of  paper- 
hanger,  in  his  own  interest.  At  the  present  writ- 
ing he  has  fifteen  men  employed,  and  his  business 
lies  in  all  parts  of  the  city,  though  his  customers 
are  principally  in  the  section  of  Maplewood.  He 
has  a  shop  and  residence  at  No.  1361  Maplewood 
Avenue. 

Mr.  Leatnon  was  married  July  15,  1888,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Turner  (further  mention  of  the 
ancestry  of  Mrs.  Leamon  will  be  found  in  the 
biography  of  Mark  Turner,  in  this  work).  Mrs. 
Leamon  was  born  June  10,  1863,  in  Hastings, 
England,  and  her  children  are:  Walter  Erwin, 


670 


R.  W.  RUSH. 


aged  nine  years,  and  Earl  Carson,  aged  four 
years.  Mr.  Leatnon  is  connected  with  Jefferson 
Council  No.  508,  National  Union.  He  and  his 
family  are  attendants  of  the  Reformed  Episcopal 


Church,  in  the  choir  of  which  his  eldest  son 
sings.  He  is  a  Republican  in  his  views  on  gen- 
eral politics,  though  he  did  not  support  the 
ticket  in  the  last  presidential  campaign. 


ROBERT  W.  RUSH. 


QOBERT  WARREN  RUSH,  an  employe  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company,  was 
born  May  12,  1846,  at  Williamsburg,  Vir- 
ginia. He  is  valued  and  esteemed  by  his  su- 
periors and  his  energy  and  ambition  to  please  are 
appreciated.  He  attended  school  in  Michigan 
but  one  year,  which  shows  that  a  person  of  this 
day  and  generation  can,  with  patience  and  long 
study,  obtain  an  education  without  the  aid  of 
regular  teachers,  leaving  the  observant  eye  to 
note  passing  events  and  benefit  thereby.  In  1862 
he  left  Virginia,  two  days  after  the  battle  of 
Williamsburg,  as  waiter  to  Lieut.  Thomas  John- 
son. This  worthy  man  was  killed  in  the  battle 
of  Charles  City  in  the  seven  days'  fighting  before 
Richmond. 

Mr.  Rush  then  entered  the  service  of  Capt.  J. 
S.  Farroar,  of  Company  B,  Fifth  Michigan  Vol- 
unteer Infantry.  Captain  Farroar  was  made  an 
invalid  and  Mr.  Rush  accompanied  him  to  his 
home.  He  later  joined  the  Twenty-sixth  Michi- 
gan Volunteer  Infantry,  as  colonel,  and  was  sent 
to  New  York,  where  Mr.  Rush  left  his  service, 
going  toLawville,  New  York,  with  JohnO'Don- 
nell,  brother  of  a  major  in  the  same  regiment. 
After  eighteen  months  he  went  to  Jackson,  Mich- 
igan, and  was  there  until  May  27,  1867. 

He  then  removed  to  Chicago  and  was  given 
charge  of  the  linen  department  of  the  old  Rich- 
mond House, remaining  four  years  thus  occupied. 
He  was  bell  boy  subsequently  in  the  old  Palmer 
House,  corner  of  State  and  Quincy  Streets,  until 


that  building  was  burned  in  the  fire  of  1871.  He 
was  four  months  in  Wood's  Hotel,  when  he  was 
taken  sick  and  was  forced  to  travel  in  the  south. 
On  his  return  he  held  a  position  in  the  old  Sher- 
man House,  which  is  now  the  Gault  House,  one 
year,  after  which  period  he  assisted  in  placing  the 
furniture  in  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel,  before  it 
was  opened.  He  was  private  doorman  at  this 
building  one  year,  and  six  years  in  the  private 
passenger  elevator. 

It  speaks  very  well  for  the  honesty  and  in- 
tegrity of  Mr.  Rush  that  he  served  seventeen  and 
one-half  years  as  train  porter  for  the  Chicago  & 
Alton  Railroad  Company,  which  position  he  now 
occupies  with  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany. His  run  is  to  Dubuque,  Iowa.  May  23, 
1878,  Mr.  Rush  was  married  to  Mrs.  Adelia  T., 
widow  of  Louis  A.  Cromwell  and  a  daughter  of 
Matthias  T.  and  Frances  (Cooke)  Teakle.  Mrs. 
Rush  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  1852. 
Her  daughter  by  her  first  husband  is  Alberta 
Louise. 

Mr.  Rush  is  a  member  of  Mount  Hebron  Lodge 
No.  29,  which  he  joined  in  1874,  and  is  connected 
with  St.  Luke's  Chapter.  He  is  a  consistent 
member  of  Olivet  Baptist  Church.  Though  never 
seeking  public  office,  he  is  loyal  to  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party.  Being  very  successful 
and  economical,  Mr.  Rush  was  enabled,  in  the 
year  1890,  to  erect  a  very  comfortable  residence 
at  No.  1281  Sixty-seventh  Street,  where  he  has 
lived  since. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


JOHN  VV.  8TOTZ. 


J.  W.  STOTZ. 


671 


JOHN  W.  STOTZ, 


(JOHN  WILLIAM  STOTZ,  a  retired  manu- 
I  facturer  now  living  at  No.  52  Janssan  Ave- 
\~)  nue  Chicago,  Illinois,  is  a  prominent  rep- 
resentative of  the  successful  German  business 
man  of  to-day.  He  was  born  February' 4,  1834, 
in  the  village  of  Niederneisen,  Dukedom  of 
Nassau,  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  William  and 
Margaret  (Lanz)  Stotz,  of  that  place.  William 
Stotz  was  a  contractor  and  passed  his  entire  life 
in  his  native  land,  and  died  when  nearly  seventy- 
eight  years  of  age;  his  wife  preceded  him  to  the 
other  shore,  dying  when  about  sixty  years  old. 

John  William  Stotz  received  a  good  education 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  village,  which  he 
attended  until  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  After 
leaving  school  he  entered  upon  a  three  years' 
apprenticeship  at  cabinet-making,  which  he 
learned  in  his  native  town.  On  the  expiration  of 
his  apprenticeship  he  started  traveling,  visiting 
different  cities  and  working  at  this  trade,  per- 
fecting himself  in  his  craft.  He  went  down  the 
Rhine  River  to  Coblentz,  on  to  Cologne,  then  to 
Rotterdam,  and  finally  to  London,  England, 
having  spent  a  little  over  a  year  in  the  different 
places.  He  had  arrived  at  the  age  when  he 
must  return  to  his  native  home  and  enter  the 
army  or  leave  the  continent,  and  he  sought  a 
home  in  America.  March  29,  1852,  he  took 
passage  on  the  old  sailing  ship  "Yorktown," 
which  carried  nine  hundred  emigrants  bound  for 
New  York.  They  sailed  through  fair  winds  and 
a  calm  sea  and  made  the  trip  in  the  remarkably 
short  time  of  nineteen  days. 

Mr.  Stotz  spent  a  little  over  two  years  in  New 
York,  working  at  his  trade,  and  then  came  to 


Chicago,  arriving  September  4,  1854.  He 
worked  three  weeks  for  Jacob  Strehl,  at  No.  47 
Franklin  Street,  and  then  returned  to  New  York 
for  the  implements  of  his  trade.  On  his  return 
to  Chicago  Mr.  Stotz  engaged  with  Wier  & 
Nickerson,  on  Lake  Street,  setting  up  furniture 
and  taking  charge  of  the  furniture  department. 
In  1857  he  transferred  his  services  to  Marsh 
Brothers,  No.  114  Randolph  Street,  and  remained 
with  this  firm  until  the  dissolution  of  the  same, 
which  occurred  in  1861,  after  which  time  he 
worked  for  Charles  Tobey.  In  that  year  (1861) 
he  started  a  business  under  his  own  name,  on 
the  old  Nugent  property,  at  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Market  Streets,  in  a  small  way.  He 
had  few  hands  and  his  first  work  was  making 
tables  for  the  Singer  Sewing  Machine  Company. 
He  carried  on  the  above  business,  which  kept 
increasing,  until  the  spring  of  1863,  when  he 
admitted  into  partnership  John  Woltz  and  the 
firm  name  became  Stotz  &  Woltz.  The  establish- 
ment was  located  at  No.  96  Indiana  Street  until 
1867,  when  Mr.  Stotz  purchased  property  on  Illi- 
nois Street  and  erected  a  large  factory  at  Nos.57  t° 
63,  where  was  carried  on  the  manufacture  of 
furniture,  with  interior  finish  and  office  furniture, 
doing  a  large  and  profitable  business  and  employ- 
ing from  eighty  to  one  hundred  men.  The  fire 
of  1871  entailed  upon  the  firm  a  loss  of  seventy- 
five  thousand  dollars,  the  entire  factory  having 
been  wiped  out. 

Before  the  smoke  of  the  fire  had  entirely 
cleared  away  these  energetic  characters  had 
started  to  build  a  factory  fifty  by  one  hundred 
feet  in  ground  dimensions,  one-half  the  size  of  the 


672 


EHREGOTT  KAESEBERG. 


one  burned,  and  the  machinery  was  started 
January  4,  1872,  and  two  years  later  the  other 
part  was  added,  making  the  building  as  large  as 
was  the  one  in  which  the  business  was  first  estab- 
lished. The  partnership  was  continued  until 
1893,  when  Mr.  Stotz  bought  the  share  in  the  bus- 
iness of  Mr.  Woltz,  and  the  following  year 
disposed  of  the  entire  plant,  himself  retiring  to 
the  life  of  a  care-free  man. 

Mr.  Stotz  was  naturalized  in  Chicago  in  1857, 
has  taken  a  lively  interest  in  public  affairs,  and 
usually  supports  the  interests  of  the  Republican 
party,  having  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln.  He  has  been  influential  in 
the  councils  of  his  party  and  was  once  delegate 
to  the  state  convention.  On  the  organization  of 
Lake  View  as  a  city  he  was  one  of  the  first 
aldermen  elected  to  represent  the  Second  Ward, 


and  acceptably  served  two  years.  Mr.  Stotz  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Honor  and  of  the 
Orpheus'  Maennerchor.  He  is  also  connected 
with  the  Chicago  Sharpshooters'  Society  and 
Senef elder  Liederkrantz  Society.  He  is  affiliated 
with  the  German  Protestant  Church. 

Mr.  Stotz  was  married  in  1854  to  Miss  Caroline 
Kahl,  a  native  of  Hessen,  Germany.  He  has 
achieved  success  through  honest  business 
methods  and  is  a  true  example  of  the  self-made 
man,  having  come  to  America  a  poor  young 
man,  and  he  deserves  much  credit  for  the  same. 
In  all  things  pertaining  to  the  advancement  of 
the  city's  interests  he  has  lent  his  support. 
After  being  many  years  in  business  life,  he  has 
retired,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  his  many  friends  and  business  associates 
and  acquaintances. 


EHREGOTT  KAESEBERG. 


IT  HREGOTT  KAESEBERG  was  many  years 
j^  engaged  in  the  manufacturing  industry  in 
I  Chicago.  He  was  born  in  Saxony,  Ger- 
many, August  9,  1828,  and  is  a  son  of  Adam  and 
Rosamunde  Kaeseberg. 

Ehregott  Kaeseberg  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  town  of  his  nativity  and  served 
a  regular  apprenticeship  at  the  miller's  trade  and 
millwright.  In  1852  he  sailed  from  Hamburg  in 
the  "Leibnitz,  "a  small  boat  which  carried  only  one 
hundred  and  thirty  passengers.  Mr.  Kaeseberg 
was  married  August  27,  and  the  same  day  sailed 
for  America,  arriving  a  month  later  in  New  York. 
He  remained  there  one  month  and  then,  after 
being  occupied  for  this  length  of  time  at  his 
trade,  he  went  to  Hartford,  Connecticut.  In 
1854  ne  came  to  Chicago  and  worked  at  the 
making  of  furniture  for  a  time  for  wages,  and 
soon  after  began  making  sashes  and  doors  and 


blinds  by  hand.  After  six  years  he  put  in  horse 
power,  and  in  1864  he  built  a  factory  on  the  site 
of  his  present  residence. 

Mr.  Kaeseberg  also  invested  a  part  of  his  earn- 
ings in  a  sailing  vessel,  which  he  lost  on  the  lake 
in  a  storm,  after  which  he  built  another.  After 
working  alone  for  several  years  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Nicholas  Strausser.  The  fire  of 
1871  destroyed  all  his  property  and  he  obtained 
no  insurance.  After  the  fire  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  Philip  Rinn  and  built  on  the  corner  of 
Division  and  Crosby  Streets.  At  this  number  he 
continued  a  profitable  business  and  in  1887  he 
sold  his  interest  to  his  partner  and  has  since  lived 
in  retirement.  He  has  never  aspired  to  public 
office  of  any  kind  and  refused  to  become  a  candi- 
date for  any.  He  usuall}'  supports  the  Repub- 
lican party  in  national  affairs,  but  votes  for  the 
man  best  suited  for  the  office  when  considering 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

^iiucpciyv  nc  M  I.INQi'., 


EHREGOTT  KAESEBERG. 


<From  Photo  by  W.  J.  ROOT). 


P.   F.  BIESEN. 


673 


matters  in  local  politics.  He  has  always  given 
his  influence  for  the  advancement  of  all  matters 
pertaining  to  the  welfare  of  the  city  and  is  truly 
a  public-spirited  citizen. 

Mr.  Kaeseberg  is  a  member  of  Germania  Lodge 
No.  410,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
Mrs.  Kaeseberg  was  Bertha  Niemann  and  was 
born  in  the  same  city  as  Mr.  Kaeseberg  October 


21,  1832.  They  became  the  parents  of  three 
children,  but  the  first-born  died  in  Williamsburg, 
New  York.  Those  living  are:  Rosa,  wife  of 
Julius  Heinemann,  of  Chicago,  and  Minna,  wife 
of  Theodore  A.  Stupe,  also  of  Chicago.  The 
members  of  the  family  attend  and  assist  in  the 
support  of  St.  Paul's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church. 


PETER  F.  BIESEN. 


QETER  FREDERICK  BIESEN  is  one  of 

LX  the  most  worthy  and  well-known  citizens  of 
[3  the  section  of  Chicago  in  which  he  resides, 
and  has  taken  this  for  his  adopted  home,  being 
now  a  permanent  resident.  He  was  born  June  22 , 
1848,  and  his  parents,  Stephen  and  Mary 
(Augustin)  Biesen,  resided  at  a  locality  five 
miles  from  Berlin,  Germany,  at  the  time  of  his 
birth. 

His  paternal  grandfather,  Peter  Biesen,  served 
eight  years  as  a  soldier  and  fought  with  the  Dra- 
goons, under  Napoleon,  in  the  Egyptian  war. 
He  was  of  French  descent  and  his  children  were: 
Peter,  William,  Nicholas,  Mary  and  Stephen. 
The  maternal  grandfather,  John  Augustin,  mar- 
ried Katharine  Meyer,  and  their  children  were 
named  as  follows:  Peter,  Katharine,  Mary,  Mar- 
garet, Johann,  Marie,  Jacob,  Emma  and  Eliza- 
beth. 

Stephen  Biesen  was  born  October  10,  1810,  in 

Beckingen,  Germany.  He  died  in  Chicago,  No- 
vember i,  1875,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in 
St.  Boniface  Cemetery.  He  emigrated  with  the 
following  children:  Nicholas,  Mary,  Margaret, 
Katharine,  Peter,  Eliza  and  John,  arriving  in 
Chicago  August  14,  1854.  When  he  first  came 
to  the  city  he  made  his  home  on  Polk  Street,  re- 
moving later  to  Dearborn  Street,  between  Seven- 
teenth and  Eighteenth  Streets.  He  then  pur- 


chased property  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Dear- 
born and  Twenty-first  Streets.  There  was  a  cot- 
tage built  on  Custom  House  Court,  between  Polk 
and  Taylor  Streets,  which  was  removed  to  his  prop- 
erty between  Seventeenth  and  Eighteenth  Streets, 
and  later  to  his  property  last  purchased.  It  now 
faces  Twenty-first  Street  and  is  occupied.  He 
built  on  the  lot  on  the  corner  and  conducted  a 
catering  establishment  there.  Later  he  bought 
a  lot  at  No.  2102,  same  street,  which  is  still 
owned  by  one  member  of  the  family. 

Stephen  Biesen  was  married  in  1839,  to  Mary 
Augustin,  who  was  born  December  23,  1810. 
She  resides  at  the  old  homestead  with  her  son. 
Her  children  were  seven  in  number:  Mary  died 
November  7,  1854,  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years. 
Nicholas  died  January  2,  1865,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three  years.  Margaret  married  Frank 
Vorhoeven,  and  resides  at  No.  2410  Dearborn 
Street.  Katharine  married  George  Welfel  and 
both  are  deceased,  leaving  one  child,  Louisa 
Elizabeth,  who  married  Edward  Orb  and  is  the 
mother  of  John  P.  Orb.  Peter  F.  is  the  next  in 
order  of  birth.  Elizabeth  E.  married  John  Hec- 
tor, an  old  settler,  a  brick  layer,  and  resides  at 
No.  1330  Thirty-third  Street.  John  Adolph, 
born  January  9,  1854,  makes  his  home  with  his 
mother. 

Stephen  Biesen    was  a   ship  carpenter  in  his 


674 


PHILIP  DIETER. 


native  land,  and  was  a  government  employe, 
looking  after  the  condition  of  wharves  and  tow- 
paths.  He  also  learned  the  trade  of  basket  ma- 
ker and  followed  this  occupation  after  coming  to 
America,  until  1864.  He  then  sold  out  to  J.  F. 
andj.  E.  Waite,  and  while  conducting  a  saloon 
at  No.  2100  Dearborn  Street,  made  sidewalks. 
In  1859-1860  he  was  street  foreman  and  again  in 
1868  to  1874,  inclusive.  He  was  employed  by 
the  city  and  his  family  conducted  the  business  es- 
tablishment until  1884.  His  widow  still  resides 
at  No.  2 1 02  Dearborn  Street. 

Peter  Frederick  Biesen  attended  school  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years  and  re- 
mained at  home  until  1876.  He  then  became  a 
carrier  in  the  postal  service,  and  continued  thus 
until  August  i,  1885,  when  he  entered  the  side- 
walk business,  which  he  still  conducts,  having 
had  H.  S.  Wheeler  for  a  partner  from  1888  to  1891. 


He  was  married  June  3,  1876,  to  Miss  Hattie 
Leota,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (King) 
Reardon.  Mrs.  Biesen  was  born  at  Albany, 
New  York,  and  came  west  in  1866.  Her  parents 
were  born^  in  Ireland.  The  only  child  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Biesen  was  born  Novembers,  1887,  and 
christened  Harriet  Frances. 

P.  F.  Biesen  is  connected  with  the  South  Park 
Council  No.  69,  Columbian  Knights,  of  which  he 
is  a  trustee,  and  Court  Apollo  No.  96,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters.  He  adheres  to  the 
principles  of  the  Republican  party,  supporting 
its  candidates  with  vote  and  argument,  using  his 
influence  at  all  times  in  favor  of  the  party.  He 
was  employed  as  street  foreman  by  the  city  during 
1887  and  1888.  In  1892  he  erected  a  residence 
at  No.  6601  Rhodes  Avenue,  where  he  has  lived 
since  that  time.  He  was  reared  a  Roman  Catho- 
lic, and  is  true  to  the  teachings  of  his  fathers. 


PHILIP  DIETER. 


DIETER.  Among  the  early  Ger- 
\y  man-born  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  a  native 
\S  of  Hessen-Darmsdat,  and  first  saw  the  light 
February  16,  1835.  At  the  age  of  eleven  years 
he  came  with  his  parents  to  Chicago.  They  soon 
after  removed  to  Naperville,  Illinois,  and  pur- 
chased a  farm,  which  the  father  continued  to  till 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

In  1851,  being  then  in  his  seventeenth  year, 
the  subject  left  home  and  went  to  California, 
where  he  engaged  in  gold-mining,  packing  freight 
over  the  mountains  and  in  building  sluices.  Hav- 
ing invested  his  earnings  in  these  latter  occupa- 
tions, they  were  finally  lost  by  his  return  to 
Chicago,  in  1860.  Here  he  engaged  in  the  hotel 
business,  opening  the  Du  Page  House,  at  Nos. 
190-192  West  Randolph  Street,  which  is  still  in 
existence.  He  sold  this  in  1866,  and  engaged  in 


farming  in  Iroquois  County,  Illinois,  near  the 
town  of  Clifton.  Three  years  later  he  returned 
to  the  city,  and  located  at  the  corner  of  North 
Park  Avenue  at  Clark  Street,  where  the  Relic 
House  now  stands.  Here  he  was  burned  out  by 
the  great  fire  of  1871,  and  went  to  Naperville, 
where  he  conducted  his  father's  homestead  one 
year. 

October  9,  1872,  he  bought  property  at  No. 
12  South  Water  Street,  where  for  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  century  he  conducted  a  restaurant 
and  house  of  entertainment.  His  death  occurred 
here  December  9,  1897,  fr°m  tne  effects  of  an  ac- 
cidental pistol  shot.  He  was  alone  in  his  room 
at  the  time  and  it  is  supposed  that  the  weapon 
was  accidentally  discharged  while  he  was  ex- 
amining it.  He  had  previously  been  afflicted 
with  paralysis  and  died  from  the  shock,  rather 


REV.  T.  J.  BUTLER. 


675 


than  from  the  effects  of  the  bullet,  which  entered 
his  right  groin. 

Mr.  Dieter  was  married  August  18,1863,  to  Miss 
Helena  Bucher,  a  daughter  of  John  Bucher,  who 
was  mayor  of  his  native  town  for  many  years. 
He  was  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Bucher  &  Hiller, 
located  at  the  corner  of  North  Park  Avenue  and 
Clark  Street,  Chicago,  the  former  street  being 
then  known  as  Franklin,  when  Lincoln  Park  was 
a  cemetery.  His  wife,  Katharine  Bucher  (no 
relative),  was  a  daughter  of  Theodore  Bucher,  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Leugman.  Mr.  Bucher 
came  to  Chicago  from  Switzerland  with  his  fam- 
ily in  1853.  Mrs.  Dieter,  who  was  married  on 
her  twenty-first  birthday  anniversary,  is  the 
mother  of  eight  sons  and  six  daughters.  Six  of 
the  former  and  four  of  the  latter  are  now  de- 
ceased. The  living  are:  Edward  M.,  a  druggist 
in  Naperville,  Illinois;  Philip  V. ,  who  lives  with 
his  mother  and  manages  her  business,  which  she 
has  continued  since  the  death  of  her  husband; 
Helena  L.,  wife  of  Joseph  Birung,  a  machinist  in 
the  employ  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 
pany, at  Burnside;  and  Mary  K.,  at  home  with 
her  mother. 


At  the  time  of  his  death  Mr.  Dieter  was  the 
owner  of  extensive  iron  mines  in  Gogebic  County, 
Michigan.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Alter  Wirts  Verein  of  Chicago  and  was  its  first 
treasurer,  which  office  he  filled  with  fidelity  twen- 
ty years,  or  until  his  death.  At  the  end  of  his  first 
ten  years  in  this  position  he  was  presented  by 
the  society  with  an  elegant  gold  medal  in  recogni- 
tion of  his  faithful  service.  During  the  week 
after  his  death  would  have  occurred  the  twentieth 
anniversary  of  his  official  service,  and  the  society 
had  arranged  to  celebrate  the  event  with  a  social 
gathering,  to  which  a  large  number  of  his  friends 
had  been  invited,  but  his  death  intervened  and 
the  event  went  uncelebrated.  He  was  always  an 
active  leader  in  the  Democratic  ranks  and  had 
the  offer  of  many  offices  in  the  gift  of  his  party, 
but  declined  all  such  honors.  He  was  a  member 
of  St.  Peter's  Roman  Catholic  Church  and  his 
remains  were  deposited  in  St.  Boniface  Cemetery. 
By  his  persistent  industry  he  amassed  a  comfort- 
able fortune,  and  earned  the  esteem  and  good 
will  of  his  acquaintances,  who  were  especially 
numerous  among  the  German-American  citizens 
of  Chicago. 


REV.  THADDEUS  J.  BUTLER. 


REV.  THADDEUS  J.  BUTLER,  who  was 
honored  and  appreciated  by  the  Pope  at 
Rome,  and  was  loved  and  respected  by  a 
large  number  of  Chicago  citizens,  was  suddenly 
stricken  in  the  midst  of  his  labors  for  the  welfare 
of  his  fellow-men,  and  died  at  Rome,  Italy,  of 
paralysis,  in  July,  1897.  On  the  l8t^  of  that 
month  he  was  to  have  been  crowned  with  the 
miter  of  the  bishopric  of  Concordia,  Kansas, 
and  only  the  day  before  the  news  of  his  death 
reached  Chicago. 

Father  Butler  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished 


clergymen  in  the  west.  He  was  a  loyal  Ameri- 
can, and  from  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War 
rendered  valuable  service  to  the  national  govern- 
ment. When  the  news  came  that  Fort  Sumter 
had  been  attacked  by  traitors,  Father  Butler  at 
once  took  his  position  in  support  of  the  war, 
which  he  characterized  as  "Not  unrighteous  on 
our  part,  for  we  are  to  fight  for  a  principle,  and 
principles  are  worth  fighting  for,  and  even  dying 
for."  He  became  chaplain  with  the  rank  of  cap- 
tain in  the  Irish  brigade,  under  command  of 
General  Mulligan,  which  was  active  in  Missouri 


6y6 


REV.  T.  J.  BUTLER. 


and  West  Virginia.  During  the  terrible  week  at 
Lexington,  when,  harried  with  hunger  and 
thirst,  Mulligan's  men  faced  the  overwhelming 
legions  of  Price,  Father  Butler  did  all  in  his 
power  to  maintain  their  strength  and  courage. 

He  was  born  in  1833  in  Limerick,  Ireland,  and 
was  a  son  of  John  and  Mary  Butler.  The  par- 
ents were  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and  took 
care  that  their  sons  were  properly  educated.  They 
were  early  designed  for  the  ministry  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church,  and  at  an  early  age  the  subject  of 
this  sketch  entered  All  Hallows  College  at  Lim- 
erick. After  graduating  from  this  institution  he 
was  sent  to  Rome,  where  he  continued  to  be  a 
devoted  student  for  five  years,  and  his  learning 
and  talents  won  for  him  the  highest  respect  of 
the  clergy.  He  was  honored  by  his  fellow  stu- 
dents in  being  choseu  as  prefect  of  one  of  their 
school  divisions,  and  before  he  had  preached  a 
sermon  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  con- 
ferred on  him  by  the  church. 

While  at  Rome  Father  Butler  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Bishop  Kenrick,  who  was  there  in 
attendance  of  the  great  council  of  1854.  From 
that  primate  he  learned  much  about  the  United 
States,  and  immediately  resolved  to  immigrate  to 
this  country.  After  making  a  visit  to  his  people 
in  his  native  place,  he  took  passage  for  New 
York  in  1855,  and  immediately  upon  his  arrival 
proceeded  to  Baltimore.  There  he  spent  a  few 
weeks  at  the  residence  of  Archbishop  Kenrick, 
and  then  proceeded  to  Chicago.  The  journey 
was  a  tedious  one,  by  stage  to  Pittsburg,  and 
thence  by  way  of  river  and  canal,  past  Cairo 
and  St.  Louis,  to  his  destination.  He  had  one 
warm  friend  and  fellow- student  here  in  the  per- 
son of  Dr.  John  McMullen,  a  native  of  Chicago. 

In  1856  Dr.  Butler  was  made  assistant  pastor 
of  St.  Mary's,  the  oldest  church  in  Chicago,  and 
professor  of  theology  at  St.  Mary's  College. 
Upon  the  succession  of  Bishop  Duggan  to  the 
diocese  in  1857,  Dr.  Butler  was  made  his  secre- 
tary and  chancellor.  He  had  learned  stenog- 
raphy when  only  eleven  years  of  age  and  this, 
together  with  his  learning  and  love  of  music, 
made  him  very  useful  to  the  bishop  and  to  the 
church.  He  was  especially  useful  to  old  St. 


Mary's  and  succeeded  in  making  the  musical  por- 
tion of  its  service  a  function  of  the  utmost  attract- 
iveness. He  was  himself  frequently  seen  in  the 
choir,  either  as  leader  or  in  solo.  Meanwhile  he 
preached  on  nearly  every  Sunday  and  in  1859  was 
made  full  pastor  of  St.  Mary's.  His  congrega- 
tion at  that  time  included  Senator  Douglas  and 
many  other  brilliant  men. 

Dr.  Butler  was  a  lover  of  mankind,  and  a  vig- 
orous hater  of  the  institution  of  slavery.  Even 
while  the  municipal  authorities  debated  and  post- 
poned raising  the  national  flag  over  the  City  Hall, 
the  stars  and  stripes  floated  over  the  Bishop's 
residence.  After  Colonel  Mulligan's  regiment, 
which  was  captured  at  Lexington,  had  been  ex- 
changed, Dr.  Butler  was  assigned  to  the  Church 
of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  but  he  continued 
with  the  regiment  and  went  with  it  in  the  spring 
of  1862  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and  remained  with  its 
brave  commander  through  a  number  of  engage- 
ments in  West  Virginia.  He  was  among  the 
early  members  of  the  Chicago  Command  ery  of 
the  Royal  League,  and  in  that  patriotic  society 
he  was  a  favorite. 

Returning  from  the  field  to  Chicago,  he  took 
up  his  work  as  pastor,  and  also  taught  theology 
in  the  University  of  St.  Mary's  by  the  Lake.  By 
his  untiring  labors  he  strained  his  eyes,  and  in 
1868  he  was  advised  to  go  abroad  for  treatment. 
After  visiting  London,  where  he  was  treated  by 
Sir  William  Wilde,  oculist  to  the  queen,  he  went 
to  Paris,  and  later  to  Berlin.  Finally,  at  Leipsic, 
Germany,  he  found  treatment  which  restored  his 
eyes.  While  in  Germany  he  visited  the  famous 
composer,  Franz  Abt,  at  Brunswick,  and  while 
there  his  singing  of  church  music  and  the  com- 
positions of  his  host  was  warmly  applauded  by 
the  large  circle  of  musicians  clustered  at  the  com- 
poser's home.  The  latter  subsequently  dedicated 
four  songs  to  Dr.  Butler.  On  his  return  from  the 
continent  he  visited  Dublin,  and  here  again  his 
musical  ability,  both  as  vocalist  and  a  performer 
on  the  violin,  made  him  many  warm  friends.  For 
seven  years,  on  account  of  the  weakness  of  his 
eyesight,  he  was  largely  retired  from  active  cleri- 
cal labors.  At  the  time  of  the  great  fire  he  was 
still  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 


McROME  MORSE,  M.  D. 


677 


ception.  In  this  disaster,  nearly  all  his  library  of 
three  thousand  volumes  was  destroyed.  He  saved 
a  few  books  by  burying  them  in  the  ground  with 
his  own  hands. 

In  1876  he  was  assigned  to  Rockford,  Illinois, 
where  he  continued  nine  years  with  his  brother, 
Rev.  Thomas  Butler,  as  assistant.  This  he  con- 
sidered the  pleasantest  period  of  his  whole  life. 
He  was  very  popular  with  both  Protestants  and 
Catholics,  and  served  one  year  as  president  of  the 
Rockford  public  library.  Here  his  musical  abili- 
ties were  highly  appreciated,  and  when  the  two 
brothers  sang  together,  as  they  often  did,  they 
provoked  great  enthusiasm  in  their  audiences. 

In  May,  1887,  he  succeeded  Rev.  John  Wal- 
dron  as  pastor  of  St.  John's  Church,  in  Chicago. 
Here  he  preached  every  alternate  Sunday,  and  on 


those  Sundays  when  he  did  not  preach  he  took 
his  place  in  the  choir,  and  many  of  the  people  in 
the  vicinity  of  this  large  and  popular  church,  out- 
side of  his  own  congregation,  were  wont  to  at- 
tend the  services.  He  was  master  of  several  mod- 
ern languages,  and  when  he  held  services  in  the 
Italian  language,  his  church  was  always  packed 
with  the  sons  and  daughters  of  Italy,  to  whom  he 
was  often  of  great  service.  With  all  his  labors, 
which  were  conscientiously  performed,  he  still 
found  time  for  literary  diversions  and  social  in- 
tercourse. He  loved  to  visit  his  friends  through- 
out the  city,  and  never  denied  himself  to  any  who 
might  call  at  his  home.  In  the  death  of  this 
warm-hearted  and  large-brained  man,  the  Cath- 
olic Church  and  the  great  West  suffered  an  irre- 
parable loss. 


McROME  MORSE,  M.  D. 


IcROME  MORSE,  M.  D.,  was  born  in 
Oswego  County,  New  York,  August  14, 
1858.  His  boyhood  was  passed  mainly  in 
the  village  of  Mexico,  New  York,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  fair  academic  education.  Upon  commenc- 
ing life,  in  his  early  teens,  as  clerk  in  a  grocery 
store,  he  became  familiar  with  the  interesting, 
though  prosaic,  details  of  that  line  of  mercantile  life. 
Deciding  upon  the  medical  profession,  he  entered 
the  medical  department  of  the  State  University  of 
Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  finishing  the  course  with 
the  class  of  1883,  and  receiving  the  usual  degree 
of  doctor  of  medicine.  This  was  the  first  class 
to  complete  the  full  three-year  course,  prior  to 
that  year  the  course  requiring  but  two  years. 

Entering  upon  his  practice  at  the  thriving 
manufacturing  village  of  North ville,  Michigan, 
he  soon  after  removed  to  the  northern  part  of  the 
state,  locating  at  Negaunee,  in  the  mining  region, 
where  for  six  and  one-half  years  he  had  an  ex- 


tensive practice  among  the  miners.  Wishing  a 
closer  touch  with  the  profession  in  more  populous 
districts,  he  settled  at  Harvey  on  May  6,  1891. 
Consequently,  while  there  are  others  in  the  pro- 
fession who  have  practiced  nearly  as  long  as  he, 
he  antedates  them  all  by  several  weeks.  His  prac- 
tice is  of  a  general  character,  the  conditions  pre- 
cluding a  large  special  practice.  In  the  seven 
years  that  he  has  been  active  in  this  community 
he  has  made  numerous  warm  friends,  both  as  the 
result  of  his  skill  and  success  in  medicine,  and 
his  genial  manner  and  honorable  method  of 
dealing  with  all  classes  and  under  all  circum- 
stances. 

While  never  an  aspirant  to  public  office,  the 
doctor  has  decided  political  views,  and  affiliates 
with  the  Republican  party.  Naturally  of  a  social 
disposition,  he  has  become  more  warmly  attached 
to  many  of  his  fellow-men  by  his  relations  with 
fraternal  societies,  including  Magic  City  Lodge 


6yS 


F.  L.  WOLVERTON. 


No.  832,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  in 
which  he  has  held  the  office  of  treasurer  a  few 
years,  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees  and  the 
Home  Forum  Benefit  Order. 

Dr.  Morse  was  married  May  19,   1897,  to  Miss 
Ala,  daughter  of  S.  L.  Brown,  of  Harvey,  Illi- 


nois. She  is  a  lady  of  refinement  and  education, 
having  had  some  experience  as  a  teacher  in  the 
public  schools,  as  well  as  a  teacher  of  music. 
She  has  also  taken  a  warm  interest  in  the  work 
of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union, 
with  which  she  is  closely  identified. 


FRANK  L,  WOLVERTON. 


f~  RANK  L.  WOLVERTON,  one  of  the  most 
r3  skilled  and  competent  machinists  in  Chicago, 
|  *  and  at  present  with  the  George  A.  Fuller 
Construction  Company,  has  worked  on  some  of 
the  best-known  buildings  in  this  city,  such  as  the 
Masonic  Temple,  Marquette  Building  and  the 
Stock  Exchange  Building.  He  was  born  Decem- 
ber 25,  1858,  in  the  old  Lake  House,  located  at 
the  corner  of  Rush  and  North  River  Streets. 
His  parents  were  William  G.  and  Elizabeth 
(Keating)  Wolverton,  and  his  paternal  ancestors 
were  English. 

The  grandfather,  James  B.  Wolverton,  was 
born  February  7,  1754,  in  Nova  Scotia.  He  was 
a  lawyer  and  left  for  the  United  States  when 
young  and  settled  in  New  York  state.  He  was 
married  April  19,  1815,  to  Miss  Mary  M.  Lamm- 
son,  who  was  born  October  1 1,  1797.  Her  peo- 
ple were  farmers  near  Syracuse,  New  York.  Af- 
ter his  marriage  he  removed  to  Detroit,  and  later 
to  Marine  City,  Michigan,  where  both  he  and 
his  wife  died,  having  become  the  parents  of  four 
children.  Thomas,  the  eldest,  was  born  July  9, 
1816,  and  was  married  October  18,  1838,  to  Miss 
Phoebe  Scott.  He  made  his  home  in  Saginaw, 
Michigan,  where  his  family  still  resides.  Jacob 
L.  was  born  December  5,  1817.  He  was  married 
October  28,  1840,  to  Electa  P.  Androus.  He 
lived  in  Chicago,  and  was  superintendent  of  the 
government  ship  }rards  at  Chattanooga,  during 


the  Civil  War.  His  son,  James,  resides  oil 
Myrtle  Street,  Chicago.  Elizabeth  W.,  born 
August  1 6,  1821,  married  Edward  C.  Keating 
and  resides  at  No.  6065  Edgerton  Avenue. 
James  H.,  born  December  20,  1823,  was  never 
married,  and  died  when  a  young  man. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  the  man  whose 
name  heads  this  article,  William  Keating,  died  in 
1847.  He  was  a  traveling  salesman  until  he  re- 
moved westward  to  Sandusky,  Ohio,  and  he 
then  located  on  a  farm.  At  that  place  he  died, 
having  reached  the  age  of  seventy  years.  His 
wife  died  at  the  age  of  forty-five,  about  the  year 
1840.  Her  children  were:  Mary,  John,  Sarah 
and  Elizabeth. 

William  G.  Wolverton  was  born  January  3, 
1832.  His  parents  resided  at  Marine  City, 
Michigan,  at  the  time  of  his  birth,  and  he  died 
March  17,  1891,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in 
Oakwoods  Cemetery.  When  a  young  lad  he 
went  out  on  the  lakes  and  was  a  sailor  until  late 
in  life.  He  was  competent  on  board  ship,  as  well 
as  in  all  things  which  he  undertook.  In  1860, 
he  was  made  captain  of  the  "Pilgrim,"  a  lumber 
boat,  on  which  he  remained  two  years.  He  was 
then  made  first  mate  on  the  steamer  '  'Susque- 
hanna."  He  subsequently  went  to  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee,  and  took  charge  of  transports  under 
the  United  States  Government,  occupying  this 
position  until  the  close  of  the  war. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 

p  !!_!.|MOr 


LOUIS  SCHNADEL. 


LOUIS  SCHNADEL. 


679 


With  his  brother,  Jacob,  he  purchased  the 
transport  "Chattanooga,"  and  after  one  year  on 
the  Mississippi,  brought  it  to  the  Illinois  River 
and  made  trips  between  La  Salle  and  St.  Louis, 
after  which  they  exchanged  it  for  a  canal  boat  on 
the  Illinois  &  Michigan  canal,\vhich  he  conducted 
but  for  a  short  time.  In  1868  he  left  the  water 
permanently  and  began  contracting  for  placing 
heavy  machinery.  He  placed  the  Twenty-second 
Street  water  works  and  Bridgeport  pumping 
works,  and  the  engines  and  heavy  machinery  of 
the  gunboat  "Concord,"  now  with  Admiral 
Dewey's  fleet.  It  was  then  in  the  Cramps'  ship 
yards.  He  was  contracting  in  the  interest  of  the 
Quintard  Iron  Works,  which  concern  furnished 
material  for  the  Chicago  pumping  stations,  and 
operated  under  the  name  of  William  G.  Wol- 
verton,  contractor. 

William  G.  Wolverton  was  married  June  8, 
1855,  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Wolverton 
was  born  April  22,  1835,  in  New  Jersey,  and  was 
reared  in  Sandusky,  Ohio.  Her  children  are  ac- 
counted for  as  follows:  William  Holly,  born 
September  12,  1856,  died  November  23,  1858; 
Frank  L.,  whose  name  heads  this  notice;  George 
B. ,  born  October  14,  1860,  died  October  23,  1865. 

Frank   L.  Wolverton   attended  private  school 


a  short  time,  but  is  mostly  self-educated,  much  of 
his  knowledge  being  obtained  in  the  vast  school  of 
experience.  He  was  with  his  father  until  1889, 
when  he  was  made  foreman  of  the  John  Craig 
Ship  Building  Company,  at  Toledo,  Ohio,  which 
position  he  occupied  two  years.  In  1891  he  ac- 
cepted the  foremanship  of  the  Chicago  Ship  Build- 
ing Company  at  South  Chicago.  In  March,  1893, 
he  took  charge  of  the  machinery  in  Machinery 
Hall  at  the  World's  Fair.  He  was  there  until 
January  i,  1894.  He  has  since  been  with  the 
George  A.  Fuller  Construction  Company,  as  be- 
fore mentioned. 

February  24, 1892,  Mr.  Wolverton  was  married 
to  Miss  Anna,  daughter  of  Andrew  and  Mary 
(Frame)  Mason.  Mrs.  Wolverton  was  born  on 
the  present  site  of  the  immense  store  owned  by 
Seigel,  Cooper  &  Company.  Her  mother  now 
resides  at  No.  715  Homan  Avenue.  One  child 
was  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolverton  November 
15,  1894,  and  was  named  William  Mason.  Mr. 
Wolverton  is  connected  with  the  Columbian 
Knights  and  also  the  Bridge  and  Structural  Iron 
Workers'  Union.  He  follows  the  teachings  of 
his  forefathers  in  religious  matters.  He  casts  his 
vote  in  favor  of  the  candidate  representing  the 
Republican  party. 


LOUIS  SCHNADEL, 


I  GUIS  SCHNADEL,  who  lives  in  retire- 
It  ment,  is  an  old  pioneer  of  Chicago,  having 
|_2f  been  a  resident  since  1854.  He  was  born 
December  n,  1826,  in  Goggingen,  Province  of 
Bavaria,  Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Michael  and 
Ferouica  Schnadel.  Michael  Schnadel  was  a 
watchmaker  by  trade.  They  had  a  family  of  two 
sons  and  a  daughter,  but  all  the  family  is  deceased 
except  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article. 
Louis  Schnadel  was  educated  in  the  public 


school  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years  began  the 
battle  of  life,  serving  a  three  years'  apprenticeship 
at  the  tanner's  trade.  He  subsequently  traveled 
extensively  in  Europe,  working  in  the  many 
large  cities  as  journeyman.  May  i,  1854,  he 
took  passage  at  Havre,  in  the  sailing  ship 
"Switzer"  and  thirty  days  later  was  landed  in 
New  York.  He  came  directly  to  Chicago  from 
Buffalo,  New  York,  in  which  city  he  settled  for 
four  weeks  after  his  arrival  in  America.  While 


68o 


W.  H.    STORMS. 


in  Buffalo  he  worked  eleven  hours  a  day  for 
eighty-seven  and  one-half  cents  per  day.  He 
traveled  westward  to  Chicago  for  the  reason  that 
he  could  command  a  salary  of  one  dollar  a  day, 
working  ten  hours.  He  was  with  one  firm  eight- 
een years,  most  of  this  time  occupying  the 
position  of  foreman  of  the  shop.  He  was  a  very 
frugal  man  always,  and  saved  his  earnings, 
with  which  he  purchased  real  estate. 

In  1855  he  married  Amelia  Fogel,  a  native  of 
Bavaria.  In  1862  he  bought  property  at  No.  165 
Division  Street,  and  built  a  house,  which  was 
destroyed  in  1871,  at  which  time  he  lost  nearly 
all  his  possessions  in  the  great  fire.  He  sub- 
sequently rebuilt  his  residence  and  remained  at 
the  same  location  until  1884,  when  he  sold  out 
and  removed  to  Lake  View.  He  has  lived  in  re- 
tirement since  1883. 


Mr.  Schnadel  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  in 
favor  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  in  1860,  and  has  since 
that  time  supported  the  Republican  part)',  but 
never  sought  public  favor  in  the  form  of  an 
office.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schnadel  became  the 
parents  of  three  children,  who  are  now  all  de- 
ceased. Mrs.  Schnadel  passed  away  in  Septem- 
ber, 1879.  In  1881  Mr.  Schnadel  married  Mina 
Hoffman,  a  native  of  Prussia,  who  came  to 
Chicago  in  1880.  One  child,  Amelia,  blessed 
the  union  of  this  worthy  couple.  They  are  not 
connected  with  any  particular  church,  but  have  a 
practical  religion  of  their  own  belief,  which  is  to 
do  to  others  as  they  would  that  others  should  do 
unto  them.  They  are  prominent,  law-abiding 
citizens  and  are  highly  respected  and  honored 
by  all  who  come  in  contact  with  their  genial 
natures. 


WILLIAM  H.  STORMS. 


(DGJILLIAM  HARVEY  STORMS.  Among 
\Al  ^e  members  of  the  well-known  family 
V  V  whose  name  he  bears,  which  has  furnished 
prominent  and  honored  citizens  of  Chicago,  is 
William  Harvey  Storms.  He  was  born  Septem- 
ber 25,  1863,  in  Lockport,  Illinois,  and  is  a  son 
of  John  L.  Storms,  of  whom  appropriate  mention 
is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

W.  H.  Storms  attended  school  at  Brookline 
and  worked  with  his  father  at  painting  for  a 
time.  He  served  as  clerk  under  Postmaster  G. 
Q.  Dow,  in  Hyde  Park,  and  also  as  clerk  in  the 
drug  store  of  Dr.  Dow.  He  was  subsequently 
employed  in  the  grocery  store  of  W.  P.  Hutchin- 
son,  located  on  West  Van  Buren  Street.  He  was 
a  brakeman  on  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  for  a 
few  months,  and  later  was  fireman  on  the  Chicago 
&  Alton  Railroad.  After  running  two  years  as 


fireman  he  was  made  an  engineer,  and  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  railroad  twelve  years.  In  1892  he 
abandoned  the  service  of  the  railroad,  having 
been  on  the  Kansas  City  Division  principally. 
During  the  World's  Fair  he  was  employed  by 
Captain  Bonfield  as  policeman  on  the  Exposition 
grounds,  and  in  1895  returned  to  the  employ  of 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Company  as  engi- 
neer, running  a  yard  engine  for  some  time.  He 
then  made  short  runs  out  of  the  city,  after  which 
time  he  was  on  a  suburban  train,  and  was  re- 
cently in  service  on  the  southern  divisions  of  the 
line.  During  the  past  year  he  has  been  em- 
ployed by  railroads  to  instruct  men  in  the  use  of 
the  air  brake,  taking  contracts  in  this  line  of 
business. 

He  was  married  September  25,  1888,  to  Miss 
Harriet    Alice  Foote,   a  daughter  of  LeRoy  T. 


ADOLPH  VAN  CLEEF. 


68 1 


Foote,  of  Slater,  Missouri.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Storms  are  named  Hazel  Irene,  Lydia 
Louise  and  Bertha. 

Mr.  Storms  is  an  active  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  affiliating  with  Jacksonville  Lodge  No. 
570,  and  Jacksonville  Chapter  No.  3.  He  is 


also  connected  with  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomo- 
tive Engineers.  Though  never  actively  engaged 
in  political  affairs  he  upholds  the  principles  of 
the  Republican  party,  and  his  actions  are  ever  in 
favor  of  the  right  and  his  character  is  thoroughly 
established  as  one  of  strength  and  reliability. 


ADOLPH  VAN  CLEEF. 


(31  DOLPH  VAN  CLEEF,  who  is  city  sales- 
LJ  man  for  Simon  Hasterlik,  is  one  of  the  most 
/  I  worthy  and  esteemed  citizens  of  Chicago. 
He  was  born  April  19,  1848,  on  Lepel  Street, 
in  the  city  of  Antwerp,  Belgium.  His  parents 
were  Noah  and  Bloom  (Vander  Heim)  Van  Cleef. 
His  paternal  grandfather  was  the  father  of  eight 
children  and  his  maternal  grandfather,  Abraham 
Vander  Heim,  was  the  father  of  the  following 
children:  Solomon,  Levi.Eleaser,  Aaron,  Herman, 
David,  Bloom,  Lottie  and  Rosette.  Mr.  Vander 
Heim  was  descended  from  a  long  line  of  jewelers, 
being  of  that  profession  himself,  and  was  born  in 
Amsterdam. 

Noah  Van  Cleef,  who  was  a  diamond  cutter, 
was  born  in  1815,  and  died  in  1849.  His  wife 
survived  him  until  1858,  dying  at  the  age  of 
forty-seven  years.  Her  children  were:  Charles, 
Felix  (who  died  in  Paris  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years)  and  Adolph. 

Charles  Van  Cleef  was  the  first  of  his  father's 
family  to  emigrate  from  his  native  land,  and  he 
reached  New  York  April  2,  1865.  He  traveled 
straight  through  to  Chicago,  and  has  resided 
here  ever  since.  Adolph  Van  Cleef  sailed  from 
Liverpool  September  21,  1865,  and  reached  Chi- 
cago October  10  of  the  same  year.  He  had  learned 
the  art  of  lens  making  in  his  native  land,  but 
abandoned  it  on  coming  to  America. 

He  obtained  employment  in  the  dry-goods 
house  of  Schoenfeldt  Brothers,  located  at  the 


corner  of  Kinzie  and  Clark  Streets.  After  one 
year  he  took  charge  of  the  place  of  Lannert  Salle, 
at  No.  loo  Madison  Street,  being  thus  occupied 
two  years;  for  four  years  subsequently  he  managed 
the  extensive  billiard  hall  of  Brunswick  Brothers 
on  Washington  Street.  He  was  subsequently 
manager  of  a  similar  place  on  Randolph  Street,  and 
then  had  charge  of  the  dancing  hall  owned  by 
Henry  Klare  three  years.  He  had  complete  charge 
of  the  billiard  hall  of  the  Tremont  House  six 
months,  managed  the  business  of  L.  Treulich,  at 
"The  Tivoli,"  on  State  Street,  three  years  and 
then  opened  an  establishment  of  his  own  on 
Canalport  Avenue.  He  subsequently  had  charge 
of  the  Peerless  Club  House  one  year  and  then 
conducted  a  catering  establishment  at  the  corner 
of  Johnson  and  Twelfth  Streets  two  years.  He 
was  located  in  the  same  business  at  No.  55  Blue 
Island  Avenue  for  five  years  and  one  year  at  No. 
179  Blue  Island  Auenue.  He  has  for  two  years 
been  city  salesman  for  Simon  Hasterlik,  a  whole- 
sale dealer,  being  a  trusted  and  valued  employe. 
February  21,  1876,  Mr.  Van  Cleef  was  married 
to  Miss  Maria,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Eva 
(Seidel)  Pollak.  Mrs.  Van  Cleef  was  born  in 
Bohemia,  June  26,  1850,  emigrating  from  her 
native  land  in  1875.  Her  children  are  five  in 
number.  Noah  was  born  December  13,  1876, 
and  is  bookkeeper  for  Winkler  &  Klein,  at  Nos. 
200-202  Madison  Street.  Maxine,  born  De- 
cember 15,  1878,  is  shipping-clerk  for  the  Tro- 


682 


WILLIAM  WILSON. 


jan  Shirt  &  Collar  Company,  located  at  Nos.  193- 
195  Adams  Street.  Felix,  born  February  28, 
1 88 1,  is  advertising  manager  for  Marshall  Field 
&  Company's  wholesale  store.  Paul,  born  July 
27,  1883,  is  attending  his  second  year  at  high 
school.  Eugene,  born  January  17,  1887,  is  in 
the  seventh  grade  of  the  grammar  school.  Emil, 
born  October  7,  1888,  died  June  30,  1895. 


Mr.  Van  Cleef  is  connected  with  Court  Concord 
No.  59,  Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  of  which 
he  is  Past  Chief  Ranger.  He  is  not  devoted  to 
any  special  party  in  political  matters,  but  is  in- 
dependent in  his  views,  voting  for  the  man  rather 
than  for  the  party.  He  is  a  follower  of  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Israelites,  being  withal,  a  very 
worthy  and  estimable  man. 


WILLIAM  WILSON. 


ft)GJlLLIAM  WILSON  is  among  the  most 
\Al  successful  and  prominent  of  contract- 
Y  Y  ing  stone-cutters  in  Chicago.  He  comes 
of  a  very  old  Scotch  family  and  is  as  sturdy  and 
hearty  at  all  times  as  the  typical  Scotch  High- 
lander is  famed  to  be.  He  was  born  September 
3,  1843,  in  Greenock,  Scotland,  and  his  parents 
were  Alexander  and  Margaret  (Anderson) 
Wilson.  His  paternal  grandfather  was  John 
Wilson  and  was  for  thirty  years  a  stone-cutter, 
being  in  the  employ  of  one  concern  all  this  time. 
He  was  the  father  of  three  daughters,  one  of 
whom  was  Margaret,  and  Alexander  was  the 
only  son.  The  family  is  known  to  have  been  one 
consisting  of  stone-cutters. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  William  Wilson 
was  John  Anderson  and  his  one  son,  William, 
located  in  Australia,  while  one  of  his  daughters, 
Ann,  never  emigrated  from  her  native  land. 
Alexander  Wilson,  the  father  of  the  man  whose 
name  heads  this  article,  immigrated  to  America  in 
1848  and  located  in  New  York.  He  remained 
there  two  years  before  sending  for  his  family. 
He  was  a  stone  cutter  and  was  employed  by  John 
Wright  and  the  firm  of  Morgan  &  Anderson, 
the  former  being  in  New  York  and  the  latter  in 
Brooklyn.  He  was  foreman  for  these  concerns. 
In  1864  he  came  to  Chicago  and  for  three  years 
was  foreman  for  Howison,  Atkinson  &  Barnsfowl, 


after  which  time  he  established  a  business  on  his 
own  account  with  John  Gibson  as  partner.  They 
located  at  the  corner  of  Jackson  and  Franklin 
Streets  and  conducted  a  profitable  and  successful 
trade  from  1866  to  1869.  Mr.  Wilson  subse- 
quently accepted  a  position  as  foreman  again,  re- 
maining occupied  in  that  capacity  until  1872. 
He  then  joined  with  John  Newcomb  and  the  firm 
name  became  Wilson  &  Newcomb.  After  two 
years  he  secured  the  position  of  foreman  on  the 
government  postoffice  and  received  a  percentage. 
He  was  employed  by  the  contractor  John  Miller. 
Mr.  Wilson  then  retired  until  the  opening  of  the 
shops  of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company  and 
was  employed  by  this  company  as  foreman  of  the 
stone-cutters  under  Superintendent  R.  E.  Moss, 
occupying  the  position  two  years.  This  was  the 
last  actual  work  that  Mr.  Wilson  ever  did  which 
could  be  called  manual  labor.  He  later  con- 
tracted for  the  building  of  Grace  Episcopal  Church 
and  the  stone  cutting  on  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel, 
under  the  supervision  of  Patrick  Fanning.  Mr. 
Wilson  died  November  15,  1895,  and  his  remains 
were  interred  in  Oakwoods  Cemetery.  He  was 
born  September  n,  1809,  in  Glasgow,  Scotland, 
and  was  a  Master  Mason  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  was  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  Church 
and  was  a  Republican  in  politics. 

Mrs.  Alexander  Wilson  was  born  in  Greenock, 


WILLIAM  PFAU. 


683 


Scotland,  and  died  August  3,  1863,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-four  years.  Her  children  were  named  as 
follows:  James,  John,  Elizabeth,  Alexander, 
William,  Margaret,  Annie  and  two  others  of 
whom  record  is  not  obtainable.  Alexander  served 
in  the  Civil  War,  in  the  Sixth  Alabama  Regiment, 
and  was  killed  in  the  service.  Margaret  was 
married  to  Robert  Sime  and  lived  in  Chicago. 
She  was  the  mother  of  seven  children.  After  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Sime,  Mr.  Sime  married  her  sister, 
Annie. 

William  Wilson,  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  attended  school  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  eleven  years.  He  subsequently  went  to 
night  school  at  every  opportunity  and  began  life 
for  himself  by  becoming  employed  in  the  rope 
works  of  Mr.  Ramsey,  in  Greenock,  Scotland. 
He  was  next  in  Albany,  New  York,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
entered  the  employ  of  John  C.  Feltman,  manufac- 
turer of  mail  bags.  He  then  became  interested 
with  Hugh  Young,  in  stone- cutting  in  New 
York.  Mr.  Young  has  now  one  of  the  largest 
yards  in  Chicago.  Nine  months  later  Mr.  Wilson 
began  work  in  the  interest  of  Grant  &  Short,  in 
East  New  York.  He  remained  thus  occupied 
two  years,  at  which  time  he  had  finished  learning 
the  trade  and  began  journeyman  work  at  the 
same.  July  29,  1864,  he  reached  Chicago  and 


continued  with  John  Howison  three  years.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  was  sent  to  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  assist  in  the  erection  of  the  passenger 
station  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company, 
which  occupied  him  three  months.  His  work 
was  subsequently  with  his  father,  being  with  him 
practically  all  the  time  the  latter  was  engaged  in 
the  trade  of  stone-cutter.  For  eighteen  years 
Mr.  Wilson  was  at  different  times  in  the  employ 
of  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company.  Two  years 
he  was  contracting  with  Alexander  Me  Laughlan. 
He  is  a  man  of  much  ambition  and  his  work  has 
been  principally  in  Pullman.  He  erected  a  res- 
idence at  No.  7327  Langley  Avenue,  in  1873, 
and  has  since  been  located  at  this  number. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  married  March  25,  1881,  to 
Miss  Lena  Singen.  She  was  born  in  Germany 
and  had  no  children.  Mr.  Wilson  was  married 
the  second  time  to  Rose  Minman,  September  24, 
1892.  Mrs.  Wilson  is  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Lena  (Schultz)  Minman.  Mrs.  Wilson  was  born 
March  13,  1856,  in  the  village  of  Popenhagen , 
near  Berlin,  Germany.  She  came  to  America 
when  she  was  twelve  years  of  age.  Her  children 
are  Bertha  Eliza  and  Alexander. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  made  a  Master  Mason  in  Ken- 
sington Lodge  No.  804,  in  1892.  He  is  not 
active  in  politics,  but  casts  his  vote  in  favor  of  the 
Republican  candidate  at  all  times. 


WILLIAM  PFAU. 


PFAU,  who  is  one  of  Chicago's 
most  skilled  blacksmiths  and  prominent 
citizens,  was  born  March  18,  1842,  in 
West  Prussia,  and  is  a  son  of  John  and  Henriette 
(Seiburg)  Pfau.  His  grandfather,  Adam  Pfau, 
was  the  parent  of  the  following  three  children: 


Gottleib,  John  and  Henriette.  His  maternal 
grandmother,  Amelia  Seiburg,  lived  to  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-eight  years,  and  her  chil- 
dren were:  Carl,  Fritz,  Henriette  and  Lena. 

John    Pfau,    father   of  the  man    whose   name 
heads  this  article,  was  born  in  September  of  the 


684 


J.  F.  PRETZSCH, 


year  1807  and  died  in  1874.  His  wife  was  born 
in  May,  1819,  and  died  in  1884.  Her  children 
were  seventeen  in  number,  but  only  the  three 
following  are  still  in  the  land  of  the  living: 
William,  Lena  and  Julius.  William  Pfau  was 
the  first  of  his  father's  family  to  emigrate  from  his 
native  land,  and  he  reached  New  York  March  28, 
1 88 1.  He  lived  on  the  South  Side  when  he  first 
located  in  Chicago  and  was  employed  in  a 
foundry,  which  was  then  on  Sixteenth  Street, 
having  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  in  his 
native  land.  He  was  thus  occupied  one  year  and 
was  then  given  a  position  with  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad  Company  in  the  capacity  of  blacksmith, 
at  the  shops.  When  the  shop  of  that  company  was 
established  at  Burnside,  Mr.  Pfau  was  given  a 


position  there  and  has  occupied  the  same  up  to 
the  present  time.  He  has  proven  at  all  times  a 
faithful  worker  in  the  interests  of  the  company, 
and  his  services  are  valued  and  recognized  in  a 
financial  way  accordingly. 

Mr.  Pfau  was  married  February  17,  1867,  to 
Bertha  Malehorn,  daughter  of  Henry  Malehorn. 
Mrs.  Pfau  was  born  May  8,  1848,  and  her  chil- 
dren are  named  as  follows:  August,  Herman, 
Ada,  Bruna  and  Anna.  Three  other  children 
died  young.  In  1889  Mr.  Pfau  built  a  residence  at 
No.  7356  Champlain  Avenue  and  here  his  family 
has  since  been  located.  The  members  of  the 
family  represent  models  of  peace  and  happiness, 
and  all  are  highly  regarded  by  their  numerous 
acquaintances. 


JOHN  F.  PRETZSCH. 


(JOHN  FREDERICK  PRETZSCH  is  among 
I  the  most  prominent  and  enterprising  of  the 
O  citizens  in  the  section  of  the  city  where  he 
resides,  and  is  one  of  the  very  old  settlers  in 
Chicago.  He  was  born  June  27,  1828,  in  the 
Province  Merscburg,  Prussia.  His  parents  were 
John  Frederick  and  Henrietta  ( Wenzel)  Pretzsch, 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 

The  father  of  J.  F.  Pretzsch,  senior,  was 
Gottlieb  Pretzsch,  who  was  a  blacksmith.  He 
had  two  sons,  Wilhelm  and  John  Frederick,  and 
some  others  whose  names  can  not  now  be  re- 
called. The  maternal  grandfather  of  the  subject 
of  this  sketch  was  Wilhelm  Wenzel,  who  kept  a 
hotel  in  his  native  land.  His  children  were  Hen- 
rietta and  William.  John  Frederick  Pretzsch, 
senior,  was  born  May  20,  1798,  and  died  in  1860. 
He  was  a  worker  in  wood,  and  conducted  a  fac- 
tory in  that  line.  His  wife  was  born  in  Septem- 
ber of  the  year  1800,  and  died  in  1862.  Their 


children  were  named  as  follows:  Henrietta,  Wil- 
helmina,  John  Frederick,  Albert,  Gustav,  Julius, 
Morritz  and  L,ouisa  (the  last  two  named  being 
twins),  Julius,  Robert  and  Paulina.  Gustav  came 
over  in  1858,  and  after  marrying  Miss  Ketz, 
made  his  home  in  this  country.  Paulina  came 
to  America  in  1865.  She  married  Charles  Stoll 
and  resides  at  No.  445  Twenty-ninth  Street, 
Chicago. 

John  F.  Pretzsch,  junior,  reached  New  York 
August  3,  1856,  having  come  over  in  the  ship 
"Harvest  Queen."  He  stayed  in  Chicago  but 
a  short  time  before  removing  to  Milwaukee, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  In  that  city  he 
conducted  a  meat  market,  and  later  went  to 
Salina  County,  Missouri,  where  he  resided  eight 
months,  and  subsequently  returned  to  Milwaukee. 
In  1860  he  located  in  Chicago,  and  has  since  made 
this  city  his  home. 

He  opened  a  meat  market  on  Van  Buren  Street, 


H.  L.  STORMS. 


685 


near  the  bridge  which  crosses  the  Chicago  River, 
and  conducted  the  business  there  one  year.  He 
removed  to  No.  384  Clark  Street,  and  was  lo- 
cated at  that  number  fourteen  years,  and  did  a 
flourishing  and  profitable  business.  He  purchased 
property  on  Wells  Street,  at  Nos.  623  and  625, 
and  after  one  year  at  that  location,  bought  a 
lot  at  No.  921  North  Halsted  Street,  in  1871,  and 
has  continued  his  establishment  at  that  place 
since.  He  is  a  thriving,  business-like  man,  and 
his  dealings  are  always  honorable  and  square. 

In  the  months  from  May  to  October,  inclusive, 
in  the  year  1873,  Mr.  Pretzsch  visited  the  land 
of  his  nativity,  and  returned  perfectly  satisfied 


with  the  result  of  time  thus  spent.  Though  a 
true  son  of  Prussia,  he  is  loyal  to  his  adopted 
country  and  resolved  more  strongly  than  ever 
after  that  visit  to  remain  in  the  Land  of  the  Free 
and  the  home  of  prosperity.  He  was  married 
November  14,  1858,  to  an  excellent  and  uplifting 
wife,  Katharine  Yochem.  Mrs.  Pretzsch  was 
born  May  25,  1839,  and  since  the  date  of  her 
marriage  to  Mr.  Pretzsch  has  endeavored  to  aid 
him  in  every  possible  manner,  in  a  moral  as  well 
as  business  way.  They  make  an  admirable  and 
congenial  couple  and  have  hosts  of  friends  among 
the  acquaintances  which  they  make  in  various 
walks  of  life. 


HENRY  L.  STORMS. 


HENRY    L.    STORMS.      Among  the   most 
prominent  members  of  the  great  order  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  an  influential 
and  ardent  worker  for  its  cause,  is  Henry  L. 
Storms.    He  was  born  November  18,  1866.     For 
further  mention  of  his  ancestors  see  biographical 
record  of  John  L.  Storms. 

H.  L.  Storms  was  educated  in  the  public 
school,  having  attended  the  Paul  Cornell  School, 
but  left  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  was  in 
his  father's  service  two  years  and  subsequently 
entered  the  employ  of  Brown,  Pettibone&  Kelly, 
dealers  in  stationery,  with  whom  he  remained 
eighteen  months.  He  returned  to  his  father's 
service,  where  he  was  occupied  until  1886,  and 
was  then  made  conductor  on  the  Chicago  City 
Railway,  running  on  State  Street  as  far  south  as 
Thirty-ninth  Street.  He  continued  in  the  same 
service,  running  on  State  Street,  six  years.  He 
then  entered  the  oil  business,  in  his  own  interest, 
which  he  abandoned  after  eighteen  months  and 
returned  to  the  employ  of  the  Chicago  City  Rail- 
way Company,  running  on  Cottage  Grove  Ave- 


nue two  years.  He  was  occupied  two  years  in  the 
milk  business,  at  the  corner  of  Halsted  and  Seven- 
tieth Streets,  conducting  a  store  in  connection. 

Mr.  Storms  was  made  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Maccabees  in  April,  1895,  when  he  joined 
Acme  Tent,  which  later  became  Normal  Park 
No.  42.  In  July,  1895,  he  was  made  deputy 
great  commander,  and  in  July,  1897,  was  elected 
great  lieutenant  commander,  and  has  given  his 
full  time  to  the  organization  of  lodges  throughout 
the  state.  In  September,  1895,  he  organized 
Harmony  Tent  No.  197.  He  has  been  record 
and  finance  keeper  since  the  organization  of  the 
lodge.  In  1897  Mr.  Storms  was  made  a  Free 
Mason  in  Auburn  Park  Lodge  No.  789.  He 
joined  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in 
January,  1896,  becoming  connected  with  Engle- 
wood  Lodge  No.  858.  He  is  a  member  of  Char- 
ter Oak  Lodge  No.  266,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
having  joined  this  lodge  in  December,  1897,  and 
is  a  charter  member  of  Chicago  Council  No.  117, 
Ancient  Order  of  Pyramids,  the  lodge  having  been 
organized  in  December,  1897. 


686 


G.  W.  MEAD. 


October  12,  1886,  Mr.  Storms  married  Miss 
Emma  Pyne,  a  daughter  of  George  and  Elizabeth 
(Edwards)  Pyne.  Mrs.  Storms  was  born  in 
London,  England,  her  parents  emigrating  in  1871. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Storms  are  Irene 


Lenore,  aged  nine  years,  and  Margaret,  three 
years  old.  Though  not  active  in  political  affairs 
and  never  seeking  public  favor  in  the  form  of  an 
office,  Mr.  Storms  upholds  the  interests  of  the 
Republican  party. 


GEORGE  W.  MEAD. 


0EORGE  WALKER  MEAD  was  born  May 
|_  i,  1835,  in  Culpeper,  Virginia,  and  lost  his 
\^4  father  before  he  was  old  enough  to  gain 
any  knowledge  of  him.  When  he  was  but  five 
years  old  his  mother  took  him  and  his  elder  sister, 
Mary  Mead,  to  Alton,  Illinois,  where  they  resided 
until  1848.  The  mother  died  in  March  of  the 
following  year  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  She  was 
married  in  Alton  to  Peter  Strickland,  who  sur- 
vived her  many  years,  and  died  October  14,  1884, 
aged  sixty -five  years. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  early  accus- 
tomed to  care  for  himself,  and  is  wholly  self-edu- 
cated. After  the  death  of  his  mother  he  went  to 
St.  Louis,  and  came  to  Chicago  June  25,  1849. 
Here  he  has  seen  a  wonderful  city  grow  up  in  the 
midst  of  its  own  ruins.  Much  of  his  life  has 
been  spent  in  the  employ  of  hotels  and  restaurants. 
With  the  exception  of  a  year  in  Racine,  Wiscon- 
sin, he  has  continued  in  Chicago,  since  1852. 

In  the  days  of  packet  boats  on  the  Illinois  & 
Michigan  canal,  he  spent  a  year  as'porter  on  the 
"Louisiana,"  which  served  the  traveling  public 
previous  to  1853.  Its  place  was  shortly  after 
taken  by  railroad  accommodations.  For  a  period 
of  fifteen  years,  Mr.  Mead  was  in  the  service  of 
E.  R.  Kellogg,  a  hat  dealer  at  No.  167  Washing- 
ton Street,  and  during  this  time  often  "turned 
an  honest  penny"  by  assisting  Thomas  Eckhart, 
a  caterer,  in  serving  parties  at  night. 


In  the  summer  of  1871,  Mr.  Mead  opened  a 
lunch  counter  on  Clark  Street,  and  was  fairly 
launched  on  the  way  to  success  when  the  great 
fire  of  that  year  swept  away  his  savings,  in  com- 
mon with  those  of  many  another  unfortunate  citi- 
zen. He  again  entered  the  service  of  Mr.  Eck- 
hart, and  continued  with  him  until  his  death,  in 
1890.  Since  that  time  he  has  remained  with  Mr. 
Eckhart 's  successors,  Shaw  &  French. 

He  was  married  October  22,  1854,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Johnson,  who  is  a  native  of  Westches- 
ter,  Pennsylvania,  born  May  17,  1836.  Their 
eldest  child,  Georgiana,  born  November  21,  1857, 
was  married  June  9,  1880,  to  Littleton  Jones, 
and  resides  at  No.  5012  Fifth  Avenue.  Frank 
B.,  born  June  13,  1859,  married  P'lorence  Miller, 
and  resides  at  No.  5120  Indiana  Avenue.  A 
sketch  of  Edwin  Ripley  Mead,  twin  brother  of 
Frank,  appears  in  this  work.-  Alonzo,  born 
January  13,  1863,  married  Lou  Washington, 
and  has  two  children,  Frank  and  Marion.  Lucy, 
born  May  28,  1870,  became  the  wife  of  Adolphus 
C.  Harris  May  25,  1888.  George  W.,  born  Sep- 
tember 22,  1872,  resides  with  his  parents. 

Mr.  Mead  is  a  faithful  adherent  of  the  Baptist 
Church,  and  upholds  in  every  way  the  political 
principles  of  the  Republican  party.  While  striv- 
ing to  fulfill,  as  far  as  possible,  his  duty  to  his 
family,  he  ever  aims  to  further  the  general  wel- 
fare of  his  native  land. 


LIBRARY 
OF  THE 


P.  M.  LAGONI. 


687 


PETER   M.  LAGONI. 


QETER  MADSEN  LAGONI,  who  has  risen 

yr  by  his  own  efforts  from  a  hardy  sailor,  to  a 
[3  prominent  business  man,  and  who,  seeing 
the  great  future  of  the  city  of  Chicago,  was  able 
to  make  her  prosperity  his  own,  has  a  history 
which  is  well  worth  recording  and  which  should 
be  a  source  of  inspiration  to  the  rising  generation. 
He  was  born  in  Denmark  April  27,  1845,  and 
spent  his  early  boyhood  in  his  native  land.  But 
being  possessed  of  that  venturesome  disposition 
that  made  the  Northmen  the  greatest  navigators 
on  the  globe,  he  became  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years  a  cabin  boy  on  an  ocean-going  ship.  With 
a  full  determination  to  succeed,  he  studied  every 
phase  of  the  sailor's  life  and  also  books  on  navi- 
gation, and  in  a  short  time  became  mate.  He 
sailed  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  where  the  neces- 
sities of  trade  took  the  ships,  including  various 
parts  of  India,  China  and  the  East  Indies. 

Having  reached  the  age  of  twenty -two  years 
and  satisfied  his  desire  to  see  the  world,  he  de- 
cided to  make  his  future  home  in  America,  and 
in  1867  crossed  to  New  York  in  the  packet 
"George  Washington."  Making  his  way  to  Buffa- 
lo he  shipped  as  a  sailor  on  the  three-masted 
schooner  "Van  Kelderhouse"  of  Chicago.  Dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  the  season  he  sailed  on  the 
boat  "Hibbard"  of  Chicago  and  the  "Black 
Charley"  of  Racine.  Hearing  of  greater  de- 
mands for  labor  in  the  West  he  went  to  Wyoming, 
where  he  worked  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad, 
which  was  then  being  built,  his  work  being  done 
between  Cheyenne  and  Green  River.  He  soon 
returned  to  Chicago  where  he  bought  a  horse  and 


wagon  and  began  an  express  business.  This  he 
continued  until  1872.  The  great  fire  was  a 
great  opportunity  for  men  in  his  line  of  business, 
and  he  made  more  in  one  day  at  that  time  than 
ever  in  the  same  time  before.  Although  many  lost 
their  most  valuable  papers  by  fire  and  others  en- 
trusted them  to  unsafe  hands,  he  was  able  to  save 
all  the  money,  abstracts  and  mortgages  belonging 
to  a  wealthy  real  estate  man,  for  which  service  he 
received  the  princely  sum  of  one  dollar. 

In  1872  Mr.  Lagoni  entered  the  real  estate 
business  and  by  so  doing  no  doubt  discovered  the 
branch  of  business  for  which  he  is  best  adapted. 
He  took  charge  of  the  subdivision  of  Winslow, 
Jacobson  &  Tolman,  and  established  his  office  at 
the  corner  of  North  and  Western  Avenues,  which 
was  also  the  corner  of  the  subdivison.  This 
property,  which  consisted  of  forty  acres,  was  at 
that  time  wild  prairie  and  was  over  one  and  one- 
half  miles  from  any  street  car  line.  It  was  over 
half  a  mile  to  the  nearest  drinking  water,  and 
Mr.  Lagoni  found  good  fishing  grounds  on  the 
site  of  his  present  place  of  business.  His  ac- 
quaintance among  the  business  men  acquired  dur- 
ing his  experience  in  the  express  business,  gave 
him  such  a  prestige  that,  on  the  first  day  his  of- 
fice was  open  for  business,  twenty-two  lots  were 
sold,  and  within  six  months  the  entire  forty  acres 
had  been  disposed  of.  Most  of  the  purchasers 
were  Scandinavians,  and  Mr.  Lagoni  did  all  in 
his  power  to  make  them  comfortable  and  to  secure 
improvements.  Through  the  influence  of  Alder- 
man Michael  Ryan  the  waterworks  were  extended 
to  reach  this  section,  though  at  first  there  was 


688 


CHRISTIAN  PETERSEN. 


but  one  hydrant,  at  which  all  the  people  gath- 
ered. As  it  was  noted  as  a  place  where  the  news 
of  the  day  was  discussed  it  was  called  the  "daily 
news." 

Since  the  disposition  of  the  first  subdivision, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  has  brought  about 
many  real  estate  transactions,  in  which  he  has 
been  eminently  successful.  For  eighteen  years 
after  his  location  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
city  he  was  engaged  in  an  extensive  tailoring 
business,  employing  more  than  fifty  hands  at 
times,  and  after  that  in  the  wholesale  liquor  trade, 
distributing  his  goods  all  over  the  country. 

In  1885  he  built  the  elegant  three-story  build- 
ing at  the  corner  of  North  and  Western  Avenues, 
on  the  first  floor  of  which  is  his  place  of  business. 
The  second  floor  he  occupies  as  a  residence  and 
on  the  third  floor  is  a  hall.  He  has  a  fine  garden 
in  connection,  and  also  owns  other  property  in 
the  neighborhood. 

In  1869  Mr.  Lagoni  was  married  to  Hannah 
Peterson,  whom  he  met  in  England,  where  she 
had  resided  three  years.  They  have  adopted 


three  children,  namely:  Louis,  who  is  twenty-two 
years  old;  Olga,  who  died  at  the  age  of  eight 
years;  and  Dagmar,  who  is  now  eleven  years  old. 
Mr.  Lagoni  has  done  all  in  his  power  for  the  com- 
fort and  welfare  of  his  family,  and  their  home  is 
a  pleasant  one.  In  his  library  he  finds  much  of 
his  enjoyment,  and  is  well  informed  on  all  lead- 
ing questions.  He  also  takes  great  pleasure  in 
the  collection  of  relics  and  curiosities,  of  which  he 
has  quite  a  number.  Among  them  are  the  boots 
and  cane  of  Lars  Tellefsen,  the  largest  man  who 
ever  lived  in  Chicago. 

Socially  Mr.  Lagoni  possesses  many  admirable 
qualities  and  is  loved  and  respected  by  all  classes. 
He  is  liberal  with  his  money  and  ever  has  a  kind 
word  for  a  struggling  brother.  He  is  a  member 
of  Hesperia  Lodge  No.  411,  Ancient,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons,  and  Washington  Chapter,  Roy- 
al Arch  Masons,  of  the  Danish  Brotherhood  of 
America,  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters. 
At  present  he  is  a  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party,  but  is  not  a  radical  partisan  and  has  many 
friends  in  both  parties. 


CHRISTIAN  PETERSEN. 


EHRISTIAN  PETERSEN,  though  he  came 
to  America  a  poor  young  man,  has,  by  his 
ability  and  courage,  won  for  himself  a  place 
among  the  honored  business  men  of  Chicago. 
He  was  born  in  Denmark,  November  7,  1853, 
the  younger  of  the  two  children  of  Marthes  and 
Annie  Petersen.  He  spent  his  first  few  years  in 
his  native  place,  but,  as  his  parents  were  poor, 
received  a  very  limited  education  in  the  common 
schools.  At  the  earl}7  age  of  nine  years  he  began 
working  on  a  farm  and  his  subsequent  training 
was  in  the  great  school  of  experience.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  years  he  had  decided  to  learn  the 
trade  of  blacksmith,  and  spent  the  next  four 


years  as  an  apprentice.  He  then  worked  some 
time  as  a  journeyman  but,  being  ambitious  to 
progress  more  rapidly  than  the  opportunities  of 
his  native  land  would  allow,  he  resolved  to  emi- 
grate to  America. 

He  proceeded  first  to  Hartford,  Connecticut, 
but  finding  that  his  lack  of  knowledge  of  the 
English  language  prevented  his  securing  work  at 
his  trade,  he  went  out  of  the  city  a  short  dis- 
tance and  engaged  himself  to  a  farmer.  After 
two  months  oi  farm  work  he  secured  a  position 
in  a  sawmill,  where  he  continued  nearly  three 
years.  He  was  now  able  to  proceed  farther  west, 
where  there  were  more  of  his  fellow  countrymen, 


C.  H.  NURNBERGER. 


689 


andin  1882  removed  to  Chicago  and  hired  out  as  a 
blacksmith  in  the  shops  of  George  M.  Pullman. 
Ten  months  later  he  engaged  as  an  engineer  in 
the  Graham  Soap  Works,  then  located  in  Clinton 
Street,  but  was  thrown  out  of  employment  two 
months  after  by  the  destruction  of  the  plant  by 
fire.  His  next  work  was  in  the  chair  factory  of 
H.  Herhold  &  Company  at  the  corner  of  Erie  and 
Carpenter  Streets,  where  he  remained  over  two 
years. 

Mr.  Petersen  possessed  that  economical  spirit 
which  has  been  the  foundation  of  so  many  for- 
tunes and  had  saved  from  his  earnings  sufficient 
capital  to  start  in  business  on  a  small  scale.  He 
therefore  resolved  to  apply  his  energy  to  the  bet- 
terment of  his  own  fortune,  and  as  he  had  had 
some  experience  in  the  care  of  live  stock,  con- 
cluded to  buy  and  feed  cattle,  selling  them  at 
wholesale  to  packers.  This  business  proved  quite 


lucrative  and  was  continued  until  1893.  In  that 
year  he  opened  an  establishment  at  No.  154  North 
Western  Avenue,  where  he  is  still  located.  Since 
that  time  he  has  carried  on  a  steadily  increasing 
trade  in  hay  and  grain,  supplying  a  large  number 
of  people  with  these  articles.  He  is  well  known  in 
his  section  of  the  city  as  a  reliable  business  man. 

The  subject  of  this  notice  was  married  in  Chi- 
cago, in  1889,  to  Miss  Nancy  Lusser,  who  is  also 
a  native  of  Denmark.  They  are  the  parents  of 
two  daughters,  Engra  and  Edith.  The  family  is 
connected  with  St.  Angar's  Danish  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church. 

Mr.  Petersen  is  connected  with  other  important 
business  enterprises,  aside  from  his  hay  and  grain 
establishment,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Trade.  In  political  views  he  is  a  Republican,  and 
is  well  known  for  his  honesty  in  supporting  what 
he  believes  to  be  right. 


CHRISTIAN  H.  NURNBERGER. 


EHRISTIAN  HENRY  NURNBERGER,  who 
is  one  of  the  pioneer  musicians  of  Chicago, 
comes  of  a  very  old  German  family,  which 
can  be  traced  back  nearly  three  centuries,  and  is 
a  fine  representative  of  his  race.  Born  August 
3,  1836,  in  Saxony,  Germany,  he  is  a  son  of  John 
Henry  and  Johanna  (Pitzler)  Niirnberger.  The 
family  has  lived  for  centuries  in  Saxony.  One 
Michael  Niirnberger  built  in  that  province,  in 
1682,  a  house  to  replace  one  burned  by  the 
Swedes  in  the  "Thirty  Years'  War."  This 
house  is  still  standing  and  in  good  condition. 

The  Niirnbergers  were  interested  in  the  express 
and  carrying  business  for  several  generations. 
John  Henry  Niirnberger,  grandfather  of  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  article,  reached  the  high- 
est degree  of  success  attained  by  any  of  the  name; 
he  did  a  very  large  business  and  was  located  in 


Waltersdorf.  His  wife  was  also  possessed  of 
considerable  means  in  her  own  right,  and  came 
of  a  very  old  German  family.  John  H.  Niirn- 
berger died  at  the  age  of  sixty -eight  years.  Be- 
side three  others  who  are  not  accounted  for,  his 
children  were:  Christiana,  Johann  Henry, George, 
Caroline  and  Michael. 

John  Henry  Niirnberger,  junior,  father  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  died  March  12,  1860,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-two  years.  He  succeeded  to  the 
express  business  which  had  been  established  at 
some  remote  period  by  an  ancestor,  and  followed 
it  successfully  until  he  came  to  America.  Not 
possessing  a  rugged  constitution  he  did  not  enter 
into  active  business  after  coming  to  America,  but 
lived  practically  retired.  With  his  wife  and  two 
children,  Frank  and  Wilhelmina,  he  came  to 
America  six  months  after  his  son,  Christian  H. 


690 


C.  H.  NURNBERGER. 


Niirnberger.  Gottlieb  Schubert  and  family  were 
on  the  vessel  which  brought  the  remainder  of  the 
family  over,  and  after  a  very  exciting  voyage, 
being  shipwrecked  twice,  they  landed  at  Old 
Point  Comfort,  Virginia,  and  shortly  after  came 
to  Chicago.  After  three  years  Mr.  Niirnberger 
died  at  his  home,  at  the  corner  of  Polk  Street  and 
Pacific  Avenue,  where  a  freight  depot  has  since 
been  erected. 

The  mother  of  Christian  H.  Niirnberger  was 
born  December  25,  1816,  and  died  December  27, 
1896,  her  remains  being  interred  in  Graceland 
Cemetery.  Her  children  were  four  in  number: 
Henry,  the  eldest,  was  born  November  10,  1834, 
and  died  December  8,  1892,  leaving  a  widow  to 
mourn  his  loss,  having  married  Amelia  Hausler. 
Christian  Henry  was  the  next  in  order  of  birth. 
Franz,  born  August  8,  1842,  died]  August  2 1 , 
1897;  he  married  Mary  Reis,  sister  of  Nicholas 
Reis.  Wilhelmina  was  born  December  15,  1846, 
and  married  John  L.  Hoerber,  president  of  the 
John  L-  Hoerber  Brewing  Association,  Chicago. 
After  the  death  of  the  father  the  mother  spent  the 
remainder  of  her  days  with  her  children,  and 
reached  a  good  old  age. 

In  1836,  in  company  with  his  brother  Henry, 
Christian  H.  Niirnberger  came  to  America,  set- 
ting sail  in  May  and  reaching  Chicago  in  August. 
He  had  given  much  time  to  the  study  of  music 
and  had  become  proficient  in  execution.  The 
instruments  in  the  use  of  which  he  became  most 
skilled  were  the  clarinet  and  oboe.  When  he 
reached  Chicago  there  was  not  much  demand  for 
his  services,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  follow 
any  occupation  which  fell  to  his  lot;  hence  for 
several  months  he  was  employed  in  a  lumber 
yard  and  planing  mill.  It  was  not  for  long, 
however,  that  his  talents  were  to  be  obscured,  as 
the  demand  for  skilled  musicians  became  greater. 

Mr.  Niirnberger  was  one  of  the  members  of  the 
Light  Guard  Band,  which  later  united  with  the 
Great  Western  Band,  the  names  being  combined 
in  one,  The  Great  Western  and  Light  Guard 
Band.  He  was  identified  with  this  organization 
as  long  as  it  was  in  existence,  in  all  about  twelve 
years,  and  was  connected  with  the  first  orchestra 
that  ever  furnished  music  for  McVicker's  The- 


atre, continuing  there  throughout  the  Sharp  man- 
agement, and  until  the  present  lessee,  Jacob  Litt, 
took  charge  in  1898.  Mr.  Niirnberger  has  made 
a  specialty  of  the  oboe  and  has  played  that  in- 
strument many  years,  but  has  devoted  much 
time  also  to  the  clarinet. 

Mr.  Nurnberger  was  married,  August  27,1861, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Conrad  and  Kath- 
arine CHusse)  Lippert.  Mrs.  Nurnberger  was 
born  in  Bavaria,  December  i,  1843,  and  came  to 
America  in  1860.  Her  brother,  Lothar  Lippert, 
came  over  in  1859,  participating  in  the  late  Civil 
War,  in  the  Thirteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Regi- 
ment, and  died  in  the  hospital  at  Little  Rock, 
Arkansas.  He  held  the  rank  of  major  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  was  one  of  the  bravest  who 
suffered  man)'  horrors  during  the  struggle. 

Conrad  Lippert,  father  of  Mrs.  Nurnberger, 
died  January  20,  1860,  at  the  age  of  fifty-six 
years.  He  was  an  instructor  in  the  schools  of 
Germany  and  was  a  man  of  fine  education.  His 
children  were  named:  Lothar,  Rosa,  Theodore, 
Paulina,  Max,  Heinrich,  Conrad  and  Othelia. 
All  of  this  family  are  deceased  except  Rosa,  The- 
odore, Paulina,  Conrad  and  Elizabeth.  Theodore 
follows  the  profession  of  his  father  in  his  native 
land;  Max  was  a  baker;  and  Conrad  a  priest  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Mrs.  Nurnberger 's 
mother  died  when  seventy-one  years  of  age,  June 
24,  1878.  She  remained  her  entire  life  in  her 
native  land. 

Brief  mention  is  made  of  each  of  the  nine  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  H.  Nurnberger:  Marie 
Magdalena,  born  June  28,  1862,  is  spoken  of  in 
the  biography  of  Herman  Braun,  junior.  Johan- 
na Rosina,  born  November  10,  1865,  mairied 
Percy  Cummings,  May  5,  1887;  she  lives  at  No. 
121  Cullom  Avenue,  and  is  the  mother  of  Percy, 
George  and  Ruth  Cummings.  Henry  Frank, 
born  September  25,  1868,  married  Helena  Will- 
iams November  25,  1893;  their  children  are: 
Beatrice  and  Helen.  H.  F.  Nurnberger,  born 
September  25,  1869,  is  skilled  in  playing  the 
violin  and  is  connected  with  the  Thomas  orches- 
tra. Lothar  Louis,  born  March  6,  1872,  is  also 
with  the  Thomas  orchestra  and  resides  at  the 
home  of  his  father.  Rudolph,  who  is  a  musician 


C.  F.  LANGE. 


691 


of  some  note,  is  with  an  orchestra  at  Hot  Springs, 
Arkansas;  he  was  born  March  15,  1874.  Othe- 
lia,  born  November  26,  1875,  married  Louis 
Ederer  July  n,  1894;  they  reside  at  No.  1640 
Briar  Place,  and  have  one  son,  Clarence.  Pauline 
Marie,  born  March  12,  1879;  Hattie  Marie,  De- 
cember 5,  1883;  and  Wilhelmina  Rosa,  February 
23,  1886,  are  still  at  the  parental  home. 

Mr.  Nurnberger  bought  property  at  No.  518 
Wells  Street,  in  1868,  and  built  his  present  abode 
in  1872.  He  lost  everything  in  the  great  fire 
of  October,  1871.  He  carried  plenty  of  insur- 
ance, but  succeeded  in  collecting  only  nine  dol- 
lars. He  is  a  member  of  the  Sons  of  Herman,  the 


Musicians'  Union  and  of  several  benefit  societiis. 
He  was  reared  a  Protestant  and  his  wife's  people 
were  adherents  of  the  Catholic  faith.  He  casts 
his  vote  in  favor  of  the  Republican  party. 

One  of  the  pioneer  musicians  of  Chicago  and 
an  expert  in  his  line,  although  he  has  never  at- 
tained great  wealth,  he  has  a  competence  and  is  a 
representative  of  the  great  middle  class,  which  is 
the  principal  element  in  the  body  politic.  He  is 
a  quiet,  unassuming  gentleman,  and  abhors  noto- 
riety, detesting  anything  that  produces  unde- 
served popularity.  He  has  true  artistic  instincts 
and  is  held  in  highest  esteem  by  members  of  his 
profession. 


CHRISTIAN  F.  LANGE. 


EHRISTIAN  FREDERICK  LANGE,  who  is 
the  proprietor  of  the  well-known  pleasure 
resort  known  as  the  Tivoli  Garden,  located 
at  the  corner  of  North  and  Western  Avenues, 
was  born  in  the  province  of  Holstein,  Germany, 
November  12,  1849.  He  is  the  third  of  a  family 
of  eight  children,  and  was  but  nine  years  old  when 
the  family  removed  from  the  Fatherland  to  Illi- 
nois, locating  first  at  Galena.  A  year  later  they 
removed  to  Freeport,  where  the  parents  died 
about  five  years  afterward. 

The  son,  Christian,  received  such  educational 
advantages  as  his  parents  were  able  to  secure, 
but  as  they  had  a  large  family  to  support,  he  was 
obliged  at  an  early  age  to  assist  in  earning  his 
bread.  Left  an  orphan  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
years,  he  at  once  set  about  getting  employment 
which  would  further  fit  him  for  the  battle  of  life. 
For  three  years  he  worked  in  the  grocery  of  L-  F. 
Burell,  of  Freeport,  his  continuation  in  one  place 
showing  that  he  had  proved  worthy  of  trust.  He 
then  secured  a  position  in  a  hotel  in  Freeport, 
and  found  this  occupation  more  to  his  liking. 


During  the  two  years  which  followed  he  learned 
much  about  the  entertainment  of  the  traveling 
public  and  about  catering  in  general. 

In  1872  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he  ex- 
pected to  find  wider  scope  for  the  exercise  of  his 
enterprise  and  energy.  He  at  once  found  work 
as  a  bar-tender  in  an  establishment  on  Madison 
Street,  where  he  remained  two  years.  He  then 
engaged  with  Myer  &  Kailler  in  their  place  at 
the  corner  of  Clark  and  Washington  Streets. 
Two  years  later  he  went  to  Bemis  &  McAvoy's 
Tivoli  Garden,  in  Clark  Street,  in  which  he  was 
head  bar-keeper  for  three  years. 

During  his  years  of  work  for  others  he  had  ex- 
ercised those  frugal  habits  which  have  been  the 
foundation  of  many  a  fortune,  and  for  which  the 
people  of  the  Fatherland  are  especially  noted,  and 
was  now  able  to  engage  in  a  business  of  his  own. 
In  company  with  a  Mr.  Noe,  he  opened  a  place  of 
business  at  No.  226  North  Clark  Street,  which 
was  conducted  with  success  two  years.  The  part- 
nership was  then  dissolved  and  Mr.  Lange  started 
what  was  known  as  Lange's  Pavilion,  on  Mil- 


692 


JULIUS  MEYER. 


waukee  Avenue.  This  resort  became  famous  in 
that  part  of  the  city  and  proved  a  profitable  ven- 
ture to  the  proprietor.  He  continued  this  estab- 
lishment twelve  years  and,  one  year  before  dis- 
posing of  it,  started  a  similar  place  at  the  corner 
of  North  and  Western  Avenues,  which  he  named 
Tivoli  Garden,  and  to  which  he  has  given  his  at- 
tention since.  Connected  with  it  is  a  handsomely 
decorated  amusement  hall,  having  a  seating  ca- 
pacity of  about  three  hundred,  and  containing 
all  conveniences.  The  whole  is  conducted  in  a 
business-like  manner,  which  shows  that  the  owner 
has  profited  by  his  long  years  spent  in  entertain- 
ing the  public.  Mr.  Lange  also  owns  a  building 


at  No.  524  Winchester  Avenue,  part  of  which  is 
his  family  residence,  the  remainder  being  occu- 
pied by  two  stores. 

In  1886  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married 
to  Miss  Mary  Keene,  who  was  born  in  America 
of  German  parents.  The  only  child  of  this  mar- 
riage, Charles  F.,  died  at  the  age  of  three  months. 
Mr.  Lange  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  has  been  honored  by  all  the  offices  in  his 
local  lodge.  He  belongs  to  the  uniform  rank,  and 
held  the  office  of  captain  three  years.  He  is  also 
connected  with  the  Schiller  Lederstafel  singing 
society,  of  which  he  has  been  treasurer  a  period 
of  six  years. 


JULIUS  MEYER. 


(lULIUS  MEYER  was  born  in  Hansiihn 
I  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  October  9, 
Q)  1830,  a  son  of  Fritz  and  Marguerita  Meyer. 
Fritz  Meyer  was  by  trade  a  blacksmith  and  he 
and  his  worthy  wife  lived  in  the  Fatherland  their 
entire  lives.  They  both  came  of  old  and  well- 
respected  families  and  belonged,  truly,  to  the 
most  sturdy  and  persevering  of  nations. 

Julius  Meyer,  whose  name  heads  this  article, 
became  possessed  of  a  common-school  education 
and  later  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter.  He 
worked  a  year  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  and  at  the 
age  of  twenty  years  entered  the  standing  army 
of  his  country.  He  served  from  July  20,  1850, 
to  February,  1851,  in  a  war  with  the  Danes.  He 
subsequently  resumed  his  chosen  occupation  and 
continued  at  it  until  his  emigration  from  the  land 
of  his  birth.  He  left  Hamburg  in  October,  1856, 
on  the  sailing  ship  "Deutschland"  on  the  last 
trip  this  vessel  ever  made,  as  she  was  wrecked 
and  sunk  on  her  return  trip. 


The  ship  landed  in  New  York  November  10, 
and  Mr.  Meyer  came  direct  to  Chicago.  The 
first  winter  he  spent  in  cutting  cord  wood  in 
Calumet,  Indiana,  at  seventy-five  cents  per  cord, 
and  in  the  spring  he  had  twenty  dollars,  with  which 
he  returned  to  Chicago.  His  next  employment 
was  at  Bulls  Head,  with  a  man  named  Allen,  for 
whom  he  built  a  house.  After  working  at  his 
trade  as  a  journeyman  some  years,  he  began  con- 
tracting in  a  small  way,  doing  all  the  work  him- 
self. Later  he  widened  his  operations  and  em- 
ployed a  number  of  hands  to  assist  in  filling 
his  contracts. 

For  a  period  of  two  years  he  was  in  partner- 
ship with  Henry  Geils  and  for  ten  years  was 
senior  partner  in  the  firm  of  Meyer  &  Jeckel. 
They  did  a  large  business,  and  at  times  employed 
as  many  as  forty  men.  He  was  actively  engaged 
in  building  operations  until  1894,  when  he  re- 
tired from  active  life  in  the  business  world.  Mr. 
Meyer  never  sought  public  favor  in  the  form  of 


WILLIAM  HANSEN. 


693 


office,  but  has  always  supported  those  measures 
that  he  thought  best  for  the  welfare  of  the  city 
and  country.  He  has  supported  the  Republican 
party  since  he  became  a  voter. 

Mr.  Meyer  is  a  member  of  Goethe  Lodge  No. 
329,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  an 
honorary  member  of  Schleswig-Holstein  Saen- 
gerbund.  He  was  married  February  20,  1864,  to 
Miss  Johanna  Rathsaack,  daughter  of  Christian 
Rathsaack.  She  was  born  in  Price  Prummen, 
Germany,  and  is  the  mother  of  six  daughters  and 
two  sons,  the  latter  being  deceased.  Those  liv- 
ing are:  Etnilie;  Helen,  wife  of  J.  Edward  Maas; 


Emma,  Ida,  Anna  and  Clara.  The  family  is 
connected  with  St.  Peter's  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran Church  and  is  well  and  favorably  known 
among  its  influential  upholders. 

By  untiring  industry  and  unswerving  integrity 
Mr.  Meyer  has  achieved  success.  He  is  a  self- 
made  man  in  the  truest  sense  of  that  often  mis- 
used term,  as  he  began  life  in  Chicago  a  poor 
young  man,  and  without  the  aid  of  wealthy  or 
influential  friends,  has  steadily  worked  his  way 
up  to  his  present  high  standing  in  the  financial 
world,  which  enables  him  to  spend  his  old  age  in 
comfortable  retirement. 


WILLIAM  HANSEN. 


fDQlLLIAM  HANSEN,  who  has  a  cigar  and 
\Al  confectionery  establishment  at  No.  405 
YV  Division  Street,  Chicago,  is  one  of  the 
oldest  business  men  in  that  street.  He  was  born 
February  7,  1846,  in  Flensburg  (then  in  Den- 
mark, now  a  part  of  Germany),  and  is  the 
youngest  of  the  seven  sons  of  Hans  and  Anna 
Hansen.  Hans  Hansen  was  a  native  of  Denmark 
and  died  in  Flensburg  December  i,  1898,  at  the 
extreme  age  of  ninety  years.  His  wife,  also  a 
native  of  Denmark,  passed  away  at  Hamburg  in 
1870,  at  the  age  of  seventy  years. 

William  Hansen  was  the  only  one  of  his  family 
to  leave  his  native  land.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  the  town  in  which  he  was  born  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  thus  receiv- 
ing better  educational  advantages  than  many  of 
his  fellows.  He  then  commenced  an  apprentice- 
ship with  a  ship  carpenter,  which  continued  for  a 
period  of  three  years.  Having  become  skillful  at 
his  chosen  trade,  he  secured  a  position  as  ship's 
carpenter  on  a  vessel  sailing  from  Denmark,  and 
followed  the  sea  in  this  capacity  during  a  period 


of  twelve  years.  He  visited  China  and  other 
parts  of  Asia,  the  West  Indies  and  the  coast  of 
South  America.  Having  saved  a  considerable 
sum  of  money,  he  returned  to  Denmark  in  1872 
and  purchased  a  vessel.  He  then  sailed  as  mas- 
ter of  his  own  ship  five  years. 

In  1878  he  resolved  to  seek  his  fortune  in 
America,  and  accordingly  once  more  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  proceeding  at  once  to  Chicago,  the  lode- 
stone  which  has  attracted  to  itself  the  people  of 
every  nation.  With  that  determination  to  win 
which  has  made  so  many  of  his  countrymen  suc- 
cessful, he  did  not  wait  for  opportunities  in  the 
line  of  industry  in  which  he  had  spent  so  many 
years,  but  at  once  took  work  in  a  box  and  barrel 
factory  operated  by  the  Oconto  Company.  He 
remained  in  this  establishment  three  years  and 
then  took  a  position  as  shipbuilder  in  the  yards 
of  Miller  Brothers.  In  1884  he  concluded  to 
enter  the  field  of  business  on  his  own  account, 
and  opened  a  confectionery  and  tobacco  store  at 
No.  278  West  Division  Street,  which  he  carried 
on  with  profit  three  years.  In  1887  he  removed 


694 


JOHN  ANDERSEN. 


his  stock  to  his  present  location,  where  he  has 
built  up  a  good  business  in  his  line.  His  long 
residence  in  the  city  has  given  him  a  wide 
acquaintance,  and  he  is  well  known  as  a  man  of 
stability  and  sterling  character.  Though  he 
brought  very  little  wealth  to  America  with  him, 
he  has,  by  economy  and  careful  business  meth- 
ods, acquired  a  competence. 

In  1873  Mr.  Hansen  was  married  in  Denmark 
to  Miss  Anna  Larsen,  who  was  born  in  Neustadt, 
Loland,  Denmark,  October  22,  1844,  and  spent 
her  youth  in  that  city.  They  have  no  children. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  six  months  a  pri- 
vate in  the  Danish  army,  and  was  subsequently 
a  member  of  the  Danish  veterans  eighteen  years, 
taking  active  part  in  the  proceedings  of  that 
order.  He  is  a  member  of  Covenant  Lodge  No. 
526,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons;  of 
Wicker  Park  Lodge  No.  281,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  has  filled  all  the 
offices;  and  of  Victory  Encampment  No.  108,  of 
the  same  order.  In  political  matters  he  is  an 
ardent  supporter  of  the  principles  of  the  Repub- 
lican party. 


JOHN  ANDERSEN. 


(lOHN  ANDERSEN,  one  of  the  prominent 
I  and  respected  Danish-American  citizens  of 
Q)  Chicago,  was  born  February  n,  1851,  and 
is  the  youngest  of  the  four  sons  of  Andreas  Jorgen 
Hansen  and  Mette  Catherine  Petersen.  The 
former  passed  away  in  1890,  but  the  latter  is  still 
living  in  her  native  land.  Their  three  elder 
sons,  Hans  Jorgen,  Gens  and  Peter,  the  two  last- 
named  being  twins,  are  also  residing  in  Denmark. 
John  Andersen  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm 
occupied  by  his  father  and  became  proficient  in 
the  arts  of  agriculture.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
was  a  strong,  ambitious  young  man,  and  resolved 
to  follow  the  path  taken  by  many  of  the  young 
and  vigorous  men  of  his  day,  and  emigrate  to 
America.  In  1871  he  severed  home  ties  and  a 
few  weeks  later  arrived  in  Lee  County,  Illinois, 
where  he  soon  found  employment  as  a  farm 
laborer.  His  knowledge  of  such  work  was  of 
great  value  to  him,  but  he  was  obliged  to  learn 
the  language  of  his  adopted  country  before  he 
could  carry  on  business  successfully  for  himself. 
In  1878  he  rented  land,  and  for  one  year  carried 
on  farming  on  his  own  account. 

Subsequently  Mr.    Andersen  concluded  to  re- 


move to  Chicago,  where  he  hoped  to  advance  his 
fortune  more  rapidly.  He  took  up  the  occupa- 
tion of  house-moving  and  put  forth  every  effort 
to  become  proficient  in  his  line  of  work.  His 
first  place  of  business  was  in  Noble  Street,  later 
he  was  located  in  Milwaukee  Avenue,  and  in 
1887  bought  property  at  No.  898  Rockwell  Street, 
which  has  been  his  home  since  that  time.  By 
strict  attention  to  business  he  has  built  up  a  good 
trade,  and  is  known  in  his  neighborhood  for 
sterling  honesty  and  integrity. 

February  13,  1878,  the  subject  of  this  article 
was  married  in  the  village  of  Lee,  Lee  County, 
Illinois,  to  Miss  Caroline  Madsen,  who  is  also  a 
native  of  Denmark.  Four  daughters  have  been 
born  of  this  marriage,  named  as  follows:  Ella, 
Jennie,  Stella  and  Mamie,  the  last  two  being 
twins.  All  the  children  were  born  in  Chicago, 
and  all  give  promise  of  a  bright  future. 

Mr.  Andersen  possesses  pleasant  social  qualities 
and  wins  the  kindly  regard  of  all  who  come  in 
contact  with  his  genial  nature.  Among  his  social 
connections  might  be  mentioned  the  Knights  of 
Honor,  of  which  he  is  a  worthy  member.  He 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  matters  connected 


G.  B.  HAVILL. 


695 


with  the  welfare  of  his  fellow-countrymen,  and 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Danish  Brother- 
hood in  Chicago,  becoming  a  member  of  Chicago 
Lodge  No.  18.  He  is  a  man  who  takes  his 
greatest  pleasure  in  the  company  of  his  family 


and  in  the  enjoyment  of  home  life.  In  1894, 
accompanied  by  two  of  his  daughters,  he  visited 
the  land  of  his  birth,  spending  several  months  in 
going  over  the  scenes  of  his  youth  and  other 
places  of  interest. 


GEORGE  B.  HAVILL. 


(2JEORGE  BUTTERFIELD  HAVILL,  who 
is  very  prominent  in  the  social  as  well  as 
business  makeup  of  the  great  city  of  Chi- 
cago, is  thoroughly  versed  in  the  ways  of  the 
world,  in  this  nineteenth  century.  He  partici- 
pates at  times  in  the  pleasures  of  the  world  in 
which  he  moves,  and  is  found  to  be  a  genial, 
pleasant  gentleman,  one  easy  of  approach. 

He  was  born  September  23,  1839,  and  at  the 
time  of  his  birth  his  parents,  William  and  Mary 
Ann  (Gibbons)  Havill,  resided  in  Paris,  Canada. 
George  B.  Havill  attended  school  in  his  native 
town,  but  was  taken  from  public  school  when  still 
young  and  placed  in  a  private  institution.  In 
1854  he  went  to  Detroit  and  remained  there  two 
years,  after  which  he  located  and  remained  in 
Hamilton,  Ontario,  until  1858.  He  was  one  of  the 
unhappy  victims  of  the  Des  Jordan  Canal  catas- 
trophe March  12,  1857.  At  that  time  fifty-six 
people  were  killed,  and  Mr.  Havill  was  perma- 
nently injured 

He  ventured  in  the  grocery  business  in  To- 
ronto, remaining  until  March  9,  1862,  when 
he  removed  to  Chicago.  He  was  employed  by 
Berry  &  Gushing,  house  and  sign  painters,  but 
after  two  years  established  a  saloon  at  No.  203 
East  Adams  Street,  with  Charles  Perry  as  part- 
ner. He  continued  it  alone  after  two  years,  and 
was  burned  out  in  the  fire  of  1871.  He  was  at  the 
time  conducting  another  catering  establishment 
at  the  corner  of  Fourth  Avenue  and  Polk  Street, 
which  escaped  until  1874,  when  it  also  burned. 


He  then  built  at  No.  166  Fourth  Avenue,  and 
continued  in  the  same  line  of  business  two  years, 
subsequent  to  which  time  he  removed  north  of 
Harrison  Street. 

He  was  next  located  on  State  Street,  next  door 
to  the  old  Park  Theater.  He  later  removed 
across  the  street,  and  from  there  to  the  corner  of 
Dearborn  and  Harrison  Streets.  In  1885  he 
built  at  the  corner  of  Cottage  Grove  Avenue  and 
Sixty-fifth  Street,  and  conducted  business  from 
1886  to  1888,  when  he  established  another  busi- 
ness of  like  nature  and  after  two  years  rented 
both  places.  He  still  owns  these  properties.  In 
1888  he  erected  a  building  at  No.  752  East  Sixty- 
third  Street,  and  has  since  carried  on  business  at 
this  location,  where  he  also  resides. 

Mr.  Havill  is  the  owner  of  the  Eagle  Hotel,  at 
the  corner  of  Fourth  Avenue  and  One  Hundred 
Eleventh  Street,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Roby 
race  tracks.  He  built  store  property  at  Nos. 
752-54-56-58  Sixty-third  Street  and  also  residence 
property  on  Evans  Avenue.  He  is  possessed  of 
one  hundred  sixty  acres  in  Harlem  County,  Ne- 
braska, four  miles  from  the  town  of  Alma,  and 
owns  one  hundred  feet  front  on  Hoxie  Avenue, 
South  Chicago.  He  controls  a  great  deal  of  land, 
and  his  importance  is  thus  greater  to  the  city  of 
Chicago  than  that  of  the  average  citizen. 

Conducive  to  the  happiness  of  a  man  is  a  genial 
life  partner.  Mr.  Havill  married  a  very  charm- 
ing lady,  Miss  Alice,  daughter  of  Hugh  Craig, 
of  the  State  of  Vermont.  Their  marriage  was 


ANDREW  SAUER. 


celebrated  March  9,  1857.  Their  only  child  was 
named  May.  She  married  Henry  Karl  and  is  at 
present  one  of  the  most  prominent  and  popular 
of  theatrical  stars,  travelling  and  appearing  un- 
der the  noni  de  plume  of  May  Howard.  She  is  at 
the  head  of  her  own  organization,  and  controls 
even  their  costumes.  Her  company  is  one  of  the 
best  known  and  most  sought  after  among  man- 
agers in  the  country.  May  Howard  made  her 
debut  in  the  town  of  Deadwood,  South  Dakota, 
when  taking  a  part  in  the  drama,  Night  Owls. 
That  town  was  then  in  the  fever  of  the  gold  excite- 
ment. Her  progress  has  been  very  rapid  and  flat- 
tering financially,  as  well  as  from  the  standpoint 
of  the  severe  critics  on  acting.  Her  husband  also 
controls  his  own  theatrical  company,  and  travels 
under  the  stage  pseudonym  of  Harry  Morris. 
His  troupe  is  known  as  the  Twentieth  Century 
Company. 

July  18,1881,  Mr.  Havill  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Miss  Theresa  Kinzig,  Of  Dayton  Ohio.  Their 
only  child,  Cora,  is  at  home  with  her  parents. 
July  22,  1897,  Mr.  Havill  underwent  his  second 
severe  bodily  injury.  He  boarded  a  car  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Sixty-third  Street  and  Cottage  Grove  A  ve- 
nue,which  was  very  much  crowded.  He  was  com- 
pelled to  hang  on  the  side,  and  a  car  going  in  the 
opposite  direction  struck  Mr.  Havill,  among 
several  others,  and  he  was  knocked  to  the 
ground  and  still  feels  the  effects  of  his  injuries. 

Mr.  Havill  had  dabbled  to  a  great  extent  in 
race  horses,  being  the  present  owner  of  Algeretta, 
the  finest  two-year-old  ever  in  Chicago.  He  was 


the  owner  of- the  first  Cora  Havill,  who  broke 
her  leg  at  Harlem  and  practically  grieved  herself 
to  death  from  the  injuries.  He  now  owns  twelve 
blooded  horses,  and  has  been  in  possession  of 
seventeen  at  one  time.  He  is  strictly  a  follower 
of  the  pleasures  of  the  turf,  and  winters  his 
horses  at  John  W.  Wilson's  farm.  Theresa  H.  is 
one  of  his  fine  horses,  which  was  entered  in  the 
derby  of  1898.  Mr.  Havill  has  entered  horses 
at  Windsor,  Canada,  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  at  the 
John  Conlin  track,  at  Ideal  Park,  Wisconsin,  and 
at  Joliet,  Illinois.  Algeretta  won  everything  in 
which  she  was  entered,  beating  every  other  horse 
in  the  field.  He  is  very  enthusiastic  over  the 
breed  of  horses  which  he  backs,  and  countenances 
no  tendency  toward  the  selling  platers. 

Mr.  Havill  is  a  member  of  Gauntlet  Lodge  No. 
4,  Knights  of  Pythias, in  which  he  is  very  popular. 
He  votes  in  favor  of  the  candidates  of  the  Re- 
publican party  at  all  times,  and  will  always  be 
found  with  them  in  argument.  He  is  a  man  of 
commanding  presence,  but  devoid  of  any  haughti- 
ness of  manner,  which  is,  unfortunately,  so  often 
found  in  the  man  of  force.  Physically  he  is 
above  the  average,  naturally,  but  the  accidents 
which  he  has  undergone  served  to  reduce  his 
strength. 

His  suave,  courteous  manners  make  him  an 
easy  man  to  approach,  and  his  large  business  ex- 
perience makes  him  an  interesting  person  to  con- 
verse with.  He  is  well  known  among  real  es- 
tate dealers,  and  is  swift  in  seeing  a  business  ad- 
vantage and  not  slow  to  act  thereon. 


ANDREW  SAUER. 


Gl  NDREW  SAUER,  one  of  the  highly  respec- 
LJ  ted  citizens  of  the  portion  of  Chicago  where 
/  I  he  resides,  was  born  May  18,  1820,  in  Wur- 
temberg,  Germany.  He  is  a  son  of  Andrew  and 
Barbara  (Grispis)  Sauer,  and  is  a  true  represen- 


tative of  the  sturdy,  energetic  and  ambitious  Ger- 
man. Though  loyal  in  every  degree  to  his 
adopted  country,  he  never  forgets  the  land  that 
gave  him  birth  and  treasures  a  fond  memory  for 
the  country  along  the  Rhine. 


PETER  BEYGEH. 


697 


Andrew  Sauer  was  the  only  one  of  his  father's 
family  to  emigrate  from  the  land  of  their  nativity. 
He  arrived  in  Chicago  May  30,  1867,  when  the 
city  was  still  in  its  young  days  and  comparatively 
small  in  area  and  population.  He  had  learned 
the  trade  of  baker  in  Germany,  and  conducted  a 
bakery  and  general  catering  establishment  there. 
On  his  coming  to  America  he  was  at  first  occupied 
as  a  laborer,  and  later  entered  the  service  of  his 
father-in-law,  Michael  Weidinger. 

He  was  ambitious  beyond  this,  however,  and 
one  week  before  the-great  fire  of  1871  he  started 
a  bakery  business  on  Indiana  Street,  near  La 
Salle  Avenue.  He  lost  everything  in  the  great 
conflagration  and  after  that  time  was  again  em- 
ployed as  a  laborer.  For  the  past  five  years  he 
has  resided  at  No.  121  Sigel  Street. 


November  u,  1856,  Mr.  Sauer  married  Eva 
Weidinger.  Mrs.  Sauer  was  born  November  n, 
1834,  and  died  October  16,  1872.  Her  remains 
were  interred  in  St.  Boniface  Cemetery.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sauer  were  blessed  with  six  children:  An 
extended  notice  of  Ambrose,  the  eldest,  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Barbara,  who  resides 
with  her  father,  is  in  the  employ  ofBunte  Broth- 
ers &  Spoehr,  wholesale  confectioners,  located  at 
Nos.  139-144  West  Monroe  Street.  Elizabeth 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  Nicholas  resides 
in  Lake  View.  Annie  is  employed  in  the  grocery 
department  of  Siegel,  Cooper  &  Company's  store; 
and  Paulina,  the  youngest,  is  at  home.  The 
family  is  a  harmonious  one,  and  though  deprived 
of  a  mother,  progresses  and  thrives  as  well  as 
possible  under  the  circumstances. 


PETER  BEYGEH. 


BEYGEH  was  one  of  the  earliest 
yr  German  settlers  of  Chicago,  having  located 
\3  here  about  1838,  and  was  many  years  con- 
nected with  the  business  interests  of  the  city.  He 
was  born  in  Hessen- Darmstadt,  Germany,  Febru- 
ary 21,  1814.  Peter  Beygeh  received  a  good 
education  in  his  native  land,  and  it  was  his 
father's  intention  to  educate  him  for  the  priest- 
hood. 

Young  Peter's  inclinations  did  not  lie  in  that 
direction.  He  preferred  that  his  life  should  be 
one  of  business  activity .  Before  the  final  arrange- 
ments were  completed,  and  previous  to  his  enter- 
ing upon  his  theological  course,  he  left  home  and 
came  to  the  United  States.  He  learned  the  trade 
of  butcher,  after  which  he  engaged  in  business 
for  his  own  interests.  He  was  several  years  in 
partnership  with  Rudolph  Wehrle,  and  they 
kept  a  meat  market  first  on  LaSalle  Street  and 
later  on  State  Street. 


After  doing  a  successful  business  for  several 
years  the  partnership  was  dissolved,  Mr.  Beygeh 
believing  he  could  better  further  his  own  inter- 
ests if  by  himself.  He  carried  on  the  business 
alone  on  Market  Street  a  few  years,  then  moved 
to  West  Randolph  Street,  continuing  until  about 
1864,  when  he  retired,  with  a  handsome  compe- 
tence as  a  reward  for  his  industry  and  business 
sagacity. 

A  few  years  after  his  arrival  in  Chicago  he  pur- 
chased a  lot  on  the  northeast  corner  of  La 
Salle  and  Randolph  Streets,  which  he  sold  in 
1851  for  six  thousand  dollars,  little  thinking  the 
same  land  would  attain  its  present  value.  Pre- 
vious to  making  this  sale  he  bought  five  acres, 
which  were  located  at  what  is  now  the  corner 
of  North  Lincoln  and  West  Division  Streets, 
then  an  unbroken  prairie  and  a  long  distance 
from  the  business  portion  of  the  city.  In  1853 
he  built  a  nice  cottage  on  this  property  for  a 


698 


B.   N.    DUGAS. 


country  home,  this  being  the  first  residence 
erected  on  West  Division  Street  west  of  the 
river,  and  the  only  one  in  that  locality  for  some 
years.  In  that  early  time  wild  game  was 
plentiful  and  wolves  so  numerous  that  the  older 
members  of  the  family  have  distinct  recollection 
of  their  frequent  visits  to  the  back  door  of  the 
house  in  the  day  time. 

Mr.  Beygeh  was  a  successful  business  man, 
and  the  ample  fortune  which  he  left  to  his  widow 
and  family  came  to  him  through  the  legitimate 
channels  of  trade  and  was  in  part  the  result  of 
judicious  investments,  and  none  was  acquired  by 
questionable  methods  or  by  taking  advantage  of 
others.  He  is  remembered  by  all  who  knew  him 
well  as  having  been  exceedingly  jovial,  kind- 
hearted  and  generous.  After  his  retirement  from 
business  he  cultivated  a  part  of  his  land,  where 
he  grew  vegetables,  most  of  which  he  gave  away 
to  his  neighbors  who  were  less  fortunate  than 
himself. 

While  Mr.  Beygeh  was  public-spirited  and 
progressive,  and  always  used  his  influence  for 


the  advancement  of  the  best  interests  of  his  home 
city,  he  never  sought  political  preferment  and 
never  held  any  office  except  that  of  street  com- 
missioner, which  he  filled  one  year.  November 
1 8,  1851,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Goeller,  who  was  born  September  17,  1827, 
in  Faltz,  Germany.  Her  father,  Frederick 
Goeller,  died  when  she  was  a  mere  child,  after 
which  her  mother  married  Christian  Weissenbach. 
Mrs.  Beygeh  came  to  America  with  her  mother 
and  stepfather  in  1845,  and  four  years  later  came 
to  Chicago. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beygeh  had  eleven  children,  only 
seven  of  whom  are  living  at  this  writing,  namely: 
Robert;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Leo  Kachlein,  of 
Tacoma,  Washington;  Frederick,  of  Minneapolis, 
Minnesota;  Emma,  now  Mrs.  Henry  Behl,  of 
Chicago;  Minnie,  Julia  and  Rudolph.  All  have 
enjoyed  good  educational  as  well  as  social  ad- 
vantages, and  are  useful  and  respected  members 
of  society.  Mr.  Beygeh  died  at  his  home  in 
Chicago,  December  24,  1874,  an<3  h's  remains 
were  interred  in  Graceland  Cemetery. 


BENJAMIN  N.  DUGAS. 


BENJAMIN  NICHOLI  DUGAS,  who  is  an 
energetic  and  successful  carpenter  in  Chi- 
cago, has  seen  much  of  the  world  and  visited 
many  parts  of  the  country  of  his  adoption.     He 
was  born  September  2,  1835,  on  a  farm  near  the 
town  of  Ciceban,  Nova  Scotia,  a  son  of  Charles 
and  Jane  (Quemoe)  Dugas.   His  grandfather  was 
one  of  the  Acadians  who  were  transported  by  the 
British  government,   and  was  the  father  of  two 
children. 

Charles  Dugas  died  when  Benjamin  N.  was 
five  years  old,  having  lived  to  be  a  very  old  man. 
He  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  and  owned  sixteen 
hundred  acres  of  land.  He  was  one  of  the  most 


prominent  men  in  his  section  and  was  twice  mar- 
ried. He  was  father  of  sixteen  children,  all  of 
whom  reached  maturity,  and  the  subject  of  this 
notice  is  the  youngest  son  by  his  second  mar- 
riage. By  his  first  wife  he  had  four  sons,  Celes- 
tian,  Frank,  Peter  and  Oliver,  and  three  daugh- 
ters whose  names  cannot  now  be  recalled.  The 
mother  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article 
died  about  1878,  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Her 
children  were  named  as  follows:  EH,  Charlotte, 
Cerier,  Margaret,  Joseph,  Charles,  Walter,  John 
and  Benjamin  Nicholi. 

Benjamin  N.  Dugas  was  occupied  on  a  farm 
and  in  a  ship  yard  when  a  young  man,  beginning 


WILLIAM  HAMEL. 


699 


the  work  of  a  ship  builder  at  the  age  of  seventeen 
years.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  went  to 
Paris,  Indiana,  in  May,  1855,  and  from  there 
went  to  Marshall,  Illinois,  spending  the  summer 
in  the  last-mentioned  town.  In  September,  1856, 
he  came  to  Chicago  and  remained  here  a  short 
time.  He  then  removed  to  Douglas  County, 
Illinois.  He  subsequently  went  South  for  a  time 
during  the  war,  as  a  pioneer  for  the  government, 
and  then  located  in  Kankakee,  on  his  return  to 
Illinois.  He  lived  in  that  city  eighteen  years 
and  conducted  a  carpenter  shop.  In  1887  he 
came  to  Chicago,  and  has  resided  in  this  city  since 
that  time.  He  follows  his  chosen  occupation,  and 


eleven  years  ago  erected  a  residence  at  No.  509 
North  Rockwell  Street,  where  he  has  lived  since 
that  time.  He  has  visited  Kansas,  Dakota  and 
many  other  western  states. 

Forty  years  ago  Mr.  Dugas  was  married  to 
Vitiline,  daughter  of  Louis  and  Frances  Proulx, 
and  their  children  were  eight  in  number,  two 
having  died.  They  were  named:  Walter,  Eu- 
genis,  Archer  (who  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
months),  Valmore,  Corrinne,  Eva,  Agnes  (who 
died  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years)  and  Leah. 
Mr.  Dugas  comes  of  Catholic  stock,  and  votes  in 
favor  of  the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party  at 
all  times. 


WILLIAM  HAMEL, 


HAMEL,  one  of  the  prominent 
and  loyal  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  born 
Novembers,  1840,  in  Lohne,  Kur-Hessen, 
Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  John  Henry  and  Anna 
Katherine  (Eckhardt)  Hamel.  His  father  was 
born  in  Wabern,  Kur-Hessen,  and  his  mother  in 
Lohne,  the  former  April  22,  1813,  and  the  latter 
March  27,  1808. 

Henry  Hamel  was  a  cabinet-maker  by  trade. 
His  wife  had  been  previously  married  to  Ludwig 
Eckhardt,  by  whom  she  had  two  sons — Louis, 
who  died  in  Chicago,  and  Nicholas,  of  whom 
further  mention  is  made  on  another  page  of  this 
work.  December  16,  1836,  she  became  the  wife 
of  Henry  Hamel,  by  whom  she  had  five  children, 
four  of  whom  are  now  living,  namely:  Anna  Eliz- 
abeth, wife  of  John  Heimburger,  of  Chicago; 
William,  of  this  sketch;  Maria  Elizabeth,  now 
Mrs.  Franz  Thon;  and  Anna  Elizabeth,  widow  of 
Adam  Sauer. 

The  man  whose  name  heads  this  article,  Will- 
iam Hamel,  attended  the  parish  school  of  his 
native  town  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen 


years,  and  was  confirmed  in  the  church  just  be- 
fore leaving  the  land  of  his  nativity,  June  27, 
1854.  In  this  year  his  father's  family  emigrated 
to  America,  arriving  in  New  York  Christmas 
morning,  after  an  ocean  voyage  of  sixty-nine 
days.  They  went  directly  toAnsonia,  Connecti- 
cut, where  lived  relatives  of  the  family,  and  spent 
a  few  months  there.  The  father  then  removed 
his  family  to  New  York,  where  he  and  his 
brother,  John  Hamel,  started  to  manufacture  chair 
frames.  The  venture  proved  disastrous,  and  their 
capital  was  exhausted  in  nine  months.  He  then 
removed  westward,  to  Chicago,  and  located  in 
that  city  in  July,  1855.  He  occupied  himself  at 
his  trade  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Novem- 
ber 6,  1890,  his  wife  having  preceded  him  Nov- 
ember 29,  1884. 

After  coming  to  America  William  Hamel  at- 
tended public  school  in  New  York,  in  order  to 
learn  the  English  language.  His  first  employ- 
ment in  Chicago  was  in  a  dry  goods  store  as  an 
errand  boy.  He  was  soon  made  a  clerk,  and 
filled  that  position  until  1861. 


7oo 


LOUIS  CHRISTENSEN. 


In  August  of  that  year  he  enlisted  in  the 
Union  Army,  and  was  assigned  to  Company  A, 
Seventy-second  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  .known 
as  the  First  Board  of  Trade  Regiment.  He  was 
taken  sick  at  Pawtucket,  in  October,  with  typhoid 
fever,  and  was  unable  to  rejoin  his  regiment  until 
November,  when  he  went  South  with  it.  There 
he  was  stricken  with  swamp  fever,  and  was  for  a 
time  confined  in  the  hospital  at  Memphis,  Tenn- 
essee. On  the  way  from  Holly  Springs  to  Mem- 
phis he  met  with  an  accident  that  caused  hernia, 
disabling  him  from  further  duty.  He  was  honor- 
ably discharged  at  Memphis  in  March,  1862. 

After  returning  to  Chicago  he  resumed  his 
clerkship  for  a  few  weeks,  and  then  embarked  in 
the  grocery  business,  buying  out  a  stock  in  part- 
nership with  his  step- brother.  He  prospered  for 
nine  months,  when  he  sold  his  interest  to  his 
partner.  He  then  spent  some  time  in  the  East 
and,  in  1863,  in  company  with  Christ  Eriskson,  he 
opened  a  general  store  on  the  corner  of  Milwau- 
kee Avenue  and  Green  Street,  and  ten  months 
later  sold  out  at  a  profit.  He  subsequently  en- 
gaged in  business  alone,  in  dry  goods  and  grocer- 
ies, at  Milwaukee  Avenue  and  Cornell  Street, 
and  conducted  a  successful  trade  until  1873.  He 
then  bought  a  property  at  No.  442  Chicago  Ave- 
nue and  moved  to  that  place  and  continued  in 
business  until  1876,  when  he  sold  out.  About 
this  time  he  was  appointed  by  the  Government  to 


the  position  of  United  States  store-keeper  for  the 
first  district  of  Illinois,  and  held  that  post  four 
years.  He  was  later,  for  a  short  time,  salesman 
for  a  brush  factory.  He  then  started  a  bottling 
business,  which  he  carried  on  twenty  years,  sell- 
ing out  in  May,  1898.  He  is  now  in  the  employ 
of  the  Chicago  branch  of  the  Joseph  Schlitz  Brew- 
ing Company,  of  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  as  col- 
lector. 

Mr.  Hamel  has  voted  the  Republican  ticket 
since  he  became  an  American  citizen.  He  is  a 
member  of  Goethe  Lodge  No.  329,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  Wicker  Park  Lodge 
No.  204,  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen, 
and  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  National  Union.  For  more  than  thirty  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Sharpshoot- 
ers' Association,  has  been  identified  with  the 
Teutonic  Maennerchor  since  1864,  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  W.  S.  Hancock  Post  No.  560  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic. 

Mr.  Hamel  was  married  August  8,  1869,  to 
Miss  Anna  Katharine  Schulz.  They  have  seven 
children  living,  namely:  Anna  Matilda,  Anna 
Rosina,  Bertha,  Henry  Nicholas,  Ludwig  Wil- 
helm,  Anna  Louise  and  Carl  William.  Mr. 
Hamel  is  connected  with  St.  Peter's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  and  is  recognized  as  a  man  of 
honor  and  integrity,  and  has  all  the  instincts  of  a 
gentleman. 


LOUIS  CHRISTENSEN. 


I  GUIS  CHRISTENSEN,  one  of  those  natives 
It  of  Denmark  who  have  made  their  homes  in 
|_J  Chicago  and  by  their  many  good  moral 
qualities  and  their  great  business  ability  become 
a  credit  to  that  city  and  to  their  native  land,  was 
born  April  15,  1858.  He  spent  his  boyhood  in 


the  city  of  Slugelsa  and  received  a  common-school 
education  in  that  place,  learning  at  the  same  time 
habits  of  industry  and  temperance,  which  marked 
his  future  life.  He  is  the  only  son  in  a  family  of 
four  children  and,  as  his  parents  were  poor,  he 
was  obliged  early  in  life  to  take  care  of  himself. 


J.  W.  ROGERS. 


701 


At  the  age  of  fourteen  years  he  began  a  four- 
years'  apprenticeship  at  the  carpenter's  bench 
and  faithfully  executed  his  share  of  the  contract, 
becoming  at  the  end  of  the  time  a  skilled  work- 
man. He  worked  as  a  carpenter  until  1879, 
though  it  became  evident  that  where  workmen 
were  so  numerous  the  chances  of  advancement 
and  fortune  were  not  so  great  as  in  some  newer 
country. 

He  therefore  resolved  to  emigrate  to  America, 
where  many  of  his  countrymen  had  already  found 
homes  and  business  opportunities.  He  journeyed 
to  Iowa,  but  like  many  others  was  drawn  as  by  a 
magnet  to  Chicago.  Being  without  capital,  he 
was  obliged  to  begin  as  a  journeyman  carpenter, 
though  he  resolved  to  save  part  of  his  earnings 
toward  a  sufficient  sum  to  begin  as  a  contractor. 
He  worked  diligently  in  various  capacities  and 
saw  his  savings  gradually  increase  until,  in  1890, 
he  concluded  to  launch  out  in  business.  Besides 
building  many  residences  by  contract,  he  has 
erected  several  on  lots  of  his  own,  and  afterwards 
sold  at  a  good  profit.  From  this  time  his  capital 
increased  more  rapidly,  and  the  business  has  been 


continued  with  steady  success  ever  since.  In 
1893  Mr.  Christensen  built  the  fine  three-story 
residence  at  No.  818  North  Rockwell  Street, 
which  is  now  occupied  by  his  family.  This  build- 
ing is  of  brick,  with  a  stone  front.  He  also  owns 
other  real  estate  in  the  city.  Though  the  first 
few  years  of  his  residence  in  America  were  a  con- 
stant struggle,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  allowed 
no  discouragement  to  dampen  his  ardor,  but  kept 
steadily  on  toward  the  goal  of  his  ambition.  The 
result  must  be  a  constant  source  of  satisfaction  to 
him,  for  he  not  only  has  sufficient  ot  this  world's 
goods  to  brighten  his  old  age,  but  also  to  place 
his  family  beyond  the  reach  of  want.  He  has 
moreover  lived  an  honest,  industrious  life,  which 
cannot  fail  to  be  a  source  of  pride  and  inspiration 
to  his  children. 

In  politics  Mr.  Christensen  is  a  Democrat  and 
uses  his  voice  and  influence  in  the  interests  of  his 
party.  He  was  married  in  Chicago  in  1881  to 
Miss  Bertha  Hutchinson,  who  has  been  a  faithful 
companion  both  in  his  years  of  hardship  and  pros- 
perity. They  are  the  parents  of  three  children, 
George,  Cena  and  Clara. 


JAMES  W,  ROGERS. 


QAMES  WILLIAM  ROGERS  was  bom  in 

I  Kidderminster,  Worcestershire,  England, 
(2/  August  n,  1834,  and  is  a  son  of  James 
Chambers  and  Fanny  Tryphena  (Hayes)  Rogers, 
the  former  a  member  of  an  old  English  family, 
and  on  the  maternal  side  traces  back  to  Wales. 
The  family,  consisting  of  parents  and  five  chil- 
dren, came  to  the  United  States  in  1852,  landing 
in  New  York  in  June,  after  an  ocean  voyage,  in  a 
sailing  vessel,  of  seven  weeks,  from  Liverpool. 
They  remained  in  Brooklyn  a  couple  of  years, 
where  James  C.  Rogers  was  occupied  at  his 


trade,  that  of  carpenter.  They  came  to  Chicago 
in  1855,  Mr.  Rogers  removing  to  that  city  a  few 
months  previous  to  his  family. 

James  C.  Rogers  followed  his  trade  until  his 
death,  which  occurred  in  1860,  Mrs.  Rog- 
ers surviving  him  until  1876.  Their  family 
is  as  follows:  James  W.,  of  this  article;  John 
Bitterly;  Charles  A.,  of  Chicago;  Jabez,  of 
Anderson,  Indiana;  May  Jemime,  Mrs.  Marcus 
H.  Buzzell;  Priscilla,  wife  of  Charles  B.  Dorr. 
The  last  mentioned  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New 
York. 


7O2 


C.    E.    MOREY. 


J.  W.  Rogers  enjoyed  but  limited  educational 
advantages  in  the  land  of  his  nativity,  but  is 
possessed  of  a  tactful  and  energetic  nature  and 
learned  much  from  practice  and  the  vast  school 
of  experience.  He  acquired  the  knowledge  of 
the  use  of  tools  from  his  father  and  served  a  two- 
years'  apprenticeship  in  Brooklyn  at  the  trade  of 
carpenter.  He  became  self-supporting  at  an  early 
age  and  at  the  death  of  his  father  the  care  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  family  devolved  upon 
him.  He  was  employed  by  others  for  wages  un- 
til about  the  year  1875,  and  then  took  contracts 
for  work  on  his  own  account,  being  actively  en- 


gaged at  his  trade  until  the  year  1893,  when 
he  retired,  having  accumulated  a  handsome  com- 
petency. 

Mr.  Rogers  has  been  a  Republican  since  the 
organization  of  that  party,  having  voted  for  Fre- 
mont and  every  presidential  candidate  of  the 
party  since  that  time.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  is  recognized  as  influential 
for  every  move  toward  the  uplifting  of  the  minds 
and  hearts  of  his  fellow-men.  He  never  married 
and  has  lived  a  quiet,  unostentatious  life,  giving 
his  support  to  all  good  works  and  for  the  benefit 
of  the  city  and  country  at  large. 


CHARLES  E.  MOREY. 


HARLES  EDWARD  MOREY.  Of  the  de- 
ceased  among  the  worthy  citizens  of  Chi- 
\J  cago,  none  are  more  mourned  and  missed 
by  friends  than  Charles  Edward  Morey.  He  was 
a  man  of  upright  and  energetic  character,  honor- 
able in  all  dealings,  and  showing  himself  the 
well-bred  gentleman  in  every  act  and  manner. 
He  was  born  Aprils,  l843.  in  Maitland,  Ontario, 
(then  Canada  West) ,  and  is  a  son  of  Reuben  and 
Abigail  (Pennock)  Morey,  both  representatives 
of  good  families. 

He  obtained  a  public-school  education  and 
came  to  the  city  of  Chicago  when  a  very  young 
man,  aged  eighteen  years.  He  was  first  em- 
ployed in  the  large  store  of  Marshall  Field  & 
Company,  remaining  but  one  year  in  this  serv- 
ice. He  later  worked  for  the  Knickerbocker 
Ice  Company,  one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  the 
kind  in  the  city,  and  was  teamster  for  the  seed 
dealer,  Albert  Dickinson,  for  a  long  time,  up  to 
the  time  of  Mr.  Dickinson's  death.  He  was  a 
valued  employe,  and  his  services  were  recom- 
pensed accordingly. 

Mr.  Morey  was  married  July  4,  1867,  to  Miss 
Sophia  Huguelet.  For  ancestry  of  Mrs.  Morey 


refer  to  the  biography  of  Louis  Huguelet,  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morey 
became  the  parents  of  six  children,  four  of  whom 
lived  to  be  a  credit  to  their  name  and  the  rearing 
they  received.  Charles  Edward,  born  Ma)r  n, 
1868,  married  Harriet  Riley,  December  24,  1890, 
and  resides  at  No.  135  Larrabee  Street  They 
have  four  children:  Adella,  Jessie,  Harriet  and 
Charles.  Lily  Louise  was  born  February  4,  1871, 
and  was  married  May  5,  1893,  and  died  Septem- 
ber 30,  following.  Adella  Sophia,  born  August 
28,  1872,  married  Milton  Vogel,  Augusts,  1890, 
and  resides  with  her  mother,  her  only  child  being 
Lilian  Sophia,  who  was  born  December  25, 
1891.  William  Henry,  born  December  26,  1875, 
is  at  home,  as  is  also  David  Reuben,  born  Au- 
gust 28,  1881.  Carrie  Ella,  born  December  17, 
1880,  died  May  10,  1881. 

Mr.  Morey's  people  were  Protestants.  He  was 
a  Democrat  and  loyal  to  his  party's  interests, 
using  his  influence  in  its  favor  at  all  times.  He 
died  January  21,  1881,  and  his  remains  were  in- 
terred in  Graceland  Cemetery.  His  widow  is 
now  residing  at  No.  28  Chestnut  Place,  in  Chi- 
cago. 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 
fie 


CHARLKS  SEEGKRS. 


(From  Photo  by  w.  J.  ROOT). 


CHARLES  SEEGERS. 


703 


CHARLES  SEEGERS. 


EHARLES  SEEGERS.     The  elements  essen- 
tial to  make  men  of  mark  in  the  world  are  as 
varied  as  the  individuals  who  make  up  the 
sum  total  of  humanity.     An  immortal   poet   has 
said,  "Some  men  are  born  great,  some   achieve 
greatness,  and  others  have  greatness  thrust  upon 
them."     It  is  men  of  the  second  class,  as  spoken 
of  by  the  most  renowned  of  bards,  who  fill  the 
greatest  needs  in  the  affairs  of  life. 

Charles  Seegers,  with  whom  this  sketch  has  to 
do,  is  of  humble  birth  and  of  poor  but  respectable 
parentage.  He  was  born  February  12,  1834,  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  his  parents  being  Henry 
and  Augusta  Seegers,  natives  of  Hanover.  The 
mother  died  in  Germany,  when  Charles  was  quite 
young,  and  the  father  in  Chicago  in  1864. 

The  boyhood  of  Charles  Seegers  was  passed  in 
his  native  land,  the  common  schools  affording 
him  the  means  whereby  he  obtained  a  practical 
elementary  education.  As  a  boy  he  was  sturdy, 
practical  and  resolute,  possessing  many  of  those 
dominant  characteristics  of  the  German  race 
which  have  won  success  wherever  the  forces  of 
the  German  mind  and  heart  have  with  fixedness 
of  purpose  taken  hold  of  the  affairs  of  life. 

On  leaving  school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
he  entered  upon  a  four  years'  apprenticeship  to 
the  cigar-maker's  trade.  After  serving  his  time 
he  spent  three  years  working  at  his  trade  in  dif- 
ferent cities.  Having  arrived  at  man's  estate,  he 
realized  the  narrowness  of  opportunities  surround- 
ing him  in  his  native  land,  and  longing  fora  field 


of  wider  environment,  he  decided  to  seek  his  for- 
tune in  America.  In  May,  1855,  he  carried  into 
effect  his  resolution  of  emigration,  and  at  Bremen 
took  passage  in  a  sailing  ship,  and  forty-two  days 
later  landed  in  New  York  City.  He  came  direct 
to  Chicago,  and  on  his  arrival  his  cash  capital 
consisted  of  one  dollar.  He  soon  found  employ- 
ment at  his  trade  and  worked  a  few  months  for 
wages.  In  December,  1855,  he  began  manufac- 
turing cigars  on  his  own  account  at  what  is  now 
No.  324  Milwaukee  Avenue.  Later  he  opened  a 
cigar  and  tobacco  store,  and  at  one  time  dealt 
largely  in  leaf  tobacco.  Under  his  judicious  man- 
agement the  business  grew  to  large  proportions. 
He  employed  a  number  of  hands  and  did  a  profit- 
able trade  until  1876,  when  he  sold  out. 

His  next  business  venture  was  manufacturing 
linseed  oil  with  others,  under  the  firm  name  of  the 
Northwestern  Linseed  Oil  Company,  which  after- 
ward became  the  Northwestern  Lead  and  Oil  Com- 
pany, of  which  he  was  president.  This  business 
was  successfully  conducted  under  his  manage- 
ment until  1887,  when  they  sold  out  to  the  trust 
known  as  the  National  Linseed  Oil  Company. 
While  thus  engaged  he  bought  some  stock  in  the 
American  Varnish  Company,  and  in  1891  be- 
came actively  interested  in  the  business.  He  was 
elected  president  of  the  company  and  still  holds 
that  position.  This  important  industry  employs 
about  thirty  men,  and  the  product  of  the  factory 
finds  a  market  in  nearly  every  state  in  the  Union. 

Mr.  Seegers  is  also  president  of  the  Crescent 


704 


PHIUP  BECKER. 


Linseed  Oil  Company,  which  does  a  large  and 
profitable  business,  giving  employment  to  about 
twenty  hands,  the  factory  having  a  capacity  of 
one  thousand  bushels  a  day.  He  is  treasurer  of 
the  Wicker  Park  Safety  Deposit  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, a  stockholder  and  director  in  the  North- 
western Brewing  Company  and  in  the  Bank  of 
Commerce. 

His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Abra- 
ham Lincoln,  and  he  has  ever  since  been  a 
stanch  supporter  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
he  has  never  sought  office,  preferring  to  give  his 
entire  attention  to  his  various  business  interests. 
That  he  possesses  executive  ability  and  business 
foresight  of  a  high  order  is  attested  by  his  re- 


markable success.  His  ample  fortune  has  not 
been  acquired  by  over-reaching  others,  or  taking 
advantage  of  the  necessities  of  the  weak  and  less 
fortunate,  for  his  business  career  has  been  char- 
acterized by  justice  and  fair  dealing  with  his  fel- 
low-men. January  18,  1862,  he  was  joined  in 
marriage  with  Miss  Caroline,  daughter  of  Claus 
Ackhoff,  a  pioneer  of  Chicago,  more  extended 
mention  of  whom  will  be  found  in  the  biography 
of  Henry  Ackhoff,  on  another  page  of  this  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Seegers  have  five  children,  namely: 
Hattie,  wife  of  W.  L.  Householder;  Mary,  George, 
Cora  and  Melville.  The  family  belongs  to  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  and  is  one  of 
prominence  in  the  social  circles  of  the  city. 


PHILIP  BECKER. 


BECKER,  a  brick  mason  and  con- 
yr  tractor  of  Chicago,  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
\3  city  forty-four  years.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 14,  1841,  in  Hessen-Darmsdat,  Germany, 
and  is  the  eldest  son  of  John  Becker.  Mrs.  Beck- 
er, mother  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this 
article,  died  when  he  was  but  eight  years  of  age. 
For  his  second  wife  John  Becker  married  Mar- 
garet Launbach.  In  June,  1854,  with  his  wife, 
and  three  children  by  his  former  marriage,  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  traveling  direct  to 
Chicago,  arriving  before  Philip  was  thirteen 
years  of  age.  They  settled  on  North  Avenue 
on  what  was  known  as  "the  forty  acres."  Mr. 
Becker  was  a  butcher  by  trade,  at  which  he 
worked  for  some  time  after  coming  to  Chicago. 
He  did  butchering  and  sausage  making  for  many 
farmers  in  the  vicinity  of  the  city.  Five  years 
after  his  arrival  he  rented  six  acres  of  land  on 
Sedgwick  Street,  and  engaged  in  market  garden- 


ing, having  located  on  the  corner  of  Sedgwick 
and  Center  Streets  in  1856.  In  1865  he  bought 
two  lots  in  the  same  block,  on  Hudson  Avenue, 
and  built  a  residence  at  that  place,  which  he  oc- 
cupied with  his  family.  In  the  great  fire  of  1871 
he  was  burned  out,  losing  all  his  property  except 
his  lots.  He  rebuilt,  and  carried  on  gardening 
until  his  death,  May  5,  1878.  He  was  an  in- 
dustrious man,  and  devoted  all  his  energies  to 
the  support  of  his  family.  His  widow  is  still 
living,  and  has  attained  the  ripe  age  of  seventy- 
eight  years.  The  children  of  his  first  marriage 
are:  Philip,  of  this  sketch;  Anna,  widow  of 
Louis  Hinrick,  and  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry 
Groff.  By  his  second  wife  he  had  three  children, 
namely:  Katherine,  wife  of  A.  Toff;  Jacob,  and 
Anna,  wife  of  John  Schick,  all  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Becker  was  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  as  is  also  his  widow. 

Philip  Becker  attended  school  in  the  Father- 


GEORGE  BAILEY. 


705 


laud  until  the  family  emigrated.  As  his  father 
was  in  poor  health  for  two  years  subsequent  to 
their  locating  in  Chicago,  Philip  was  forced  to 
assist  in  the  support  of  the  younger  children. 
This  prevented  him  from  obtaining  any  more 
schooling  than  he  had  secured  in  his  native  land. 
About  a  year  after  the  arrival  of  the  family  in 
Chicago,  Philip  engaged  in  lathing,  which  oc- 
cupation he  continued  four  years.  He  then 
learned  the  trade  of  plasterer,  and  later  that  of 
brick  mason.  He  has  since  worked  at  the  last- 
named  occupation  and  has  been  very  successful, 
only  through  his  own  efforts  to  surmount  all  diffi- 
culties and  conquer  all  obstacles. 

After  the  fire  of  1871  he  began  contracting  on 
his  own  account,  and  in  partnership  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Henry  Pauli,  has  continued  in 
the  business  and  erected  many  business  blocks  of 
importance,  beside  residences.  While  he  never 
was  desirous  of  holding  public  office,  he  has  been 
faithful  to  the  duties  of  a  citizen  and  has  been 
loyal  to  the  interests  of  his  adopted  country. 
His  first  presidential  vote  was  cast  for  Abraham 


Lincoln  in  1864,  and  he  has  since  supported  the 
principles  and  representatives  of  the  Republican 
party. 

April  22,  1866,  Mr.  Becker  was  married  to 
Miss  Mary  Pauli,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary 
Pauli,  who  came  in  1865  to  Chicago,  where  both 
spent  the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mr.  Pauli 
died  April  18,  1895,  aged  ninety- one  years,  and 
his  worthy  wife  passed  away  November  16,  1895, 
at  the  age  of  eighty- four  years.  Mrs.  Becker 
was  born  in  Mickenburg  Strelitz,  Germany.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Becker  are  the  parents  of  one  daughter, 
Elizabeth,  who  was  born  May  24,  1867,  and  be- 
came the  wife  of  Emil  Kollmann,  who  died 
January  9,  1892,  leaving  his  widow  with  two  in- 
teresting children :  Rosa  and  Walter.  The  family 
belongs  to  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  Becker  became  self-sustaining  at  an  early 
age  and  deserves  much  credit  for  the  success 
which  he  has  achieved.  He  has  been  an  im- 
portant factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  city  and 
has  borne  his  share  in  promoting  its  best  in- 
terests. 


GEORGE  BAILEY. 


BAILEY,  who  comes  of  a  very 
I—  old  and  prominent  family  of  the  Emerald 
^_J  Isle,  was  born  March  20,  1859,  in  County 
Down,  Ireland.  His  parents  were  Henry  McKin- 
ley  and  Jane  (Ennis)  Bailie.  George  Bailey  was 
the  one  to  change  the  spelling  of  the  family  name 
to  Bailey.  His  great-grandfather  was  Robert 
Bailie,  who  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil,  owning 
property.  His  children  were:  William,  John 
and  others. 

The  grandfather  of  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  John  Bailie,  died  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
five  years,  of  a  paralytic  stroke,  in  his  native 
land.  He  served  his  entire  life  on  the  estate  of 


Hugh  Montgomery,  and  for  many  years  was  his 
bailiff.  His  children  were:  James,  Robert,  Henry, 
Margaret  and  six  others  who  died  in  childhood. 

Henry  McKinley  Bailie  was  born  in  1838,  in 
County  Down,  Ireland,  and  reached  Chicago 
October  7,  1854.  He  is  an  engineer  and  has 
followed  this  vocation  most  of  his  life  in  Chicago. 
He  built  a  residence  at  No.  2958  Throop  Street, 
and  shortly  after  built  at  No.  2960  Throop 
Street,  where  he  resides  at  the  present  writing. 
His  house  was  the  first  built  in  that  locality. 
The  children  of  Henry  Bailie  were  named  as 
follows:  Eliza,  George,  Margaret,  Mar}-  Ann, 
Sarah  Parks  and  John  Henry,  H.  M-  Bailie  is 


706 


A.  K.  JACKSON. 


president  of  the  board  of  Emanuel  Presbyterian 
Church,  having  occupied  that  office  in  the  church 
since  its  house  of  worship  was  erected. 

At  the  age  of  five  years  George  Bailey  was 
brought  to  America,  and  was  sent  to  the  Holden 
public  school,  afterward  attending  Bryant  & 
Stratton's  business  college.  He  then  began  to 
learn  the  trade  of  engineer.  With  his  father 
he  worked  one  year  for  J.  C.  Mitchell,  and  sub- 
sequently took  charge  of  the  rendering  depart- 
ment of  Adler  &  Oberndorf,  later  occupying  the 
position  of  engineer.  He  was  with  the  latter 
concern  seven  years.  In  April,  1893,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Chicago  City  Railway  Com- 
pany as  conductor,  having  held  that  position  up 
to  the  present  time,  being  now  on  the  Wentworth 
Avenue  line. 

Mr.  Bailey  was  married  July  29,  1891,  to  Miss 
Helen  Blithe,  daughter  of  Luther  Edson  and 


Margaret  Julia  Isabella  (Collins)  Colsten.  Mrs. 
Bailey  was  born  April  28,  1868,  in  Great  Bend, 
Pennsylvania,  and  came  with  her  family  to  Chi- 
cago in  1872.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bailey  are:  Helen  Myrtle,  born  June  i,  1892, 
and  George  Elmer,  April  29,  1895.  Mr.  Bailey 
is  a  member  of  Richard  Cole  Lodge  No.  697, 
Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  Brighton 
Park  Lodge  No.  639,  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  is  also  connected  with  Har- 
mony Tent,  Knights  of  the  Maccabees. 

Mr.  Bailey  is  very  well  known  among  the  citi- 
zens of  the  neighborhood  where  he  resides, 
and  is  honored  and  respected  by  all  who  make 
his  acquaintance,  either  in  a  business  or  social 
manner.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  of  his  locality,  and  is  one  of  the 
most  influential  and  valuable  members  of  the 
congregation  of  which  he  is  a  part. 


AUGUST  E.  JACKSON. 


GlUGUST  EDWIN  JACKSON.  Among  the 
LJ  foremost  and  energetic  in  his  line  of  busi- 
/  1  ness  and  reliable  workmen  is  August  Ed- 
win Jackson.  His  paternal  grandfather  was 
Jacob  Jacobson,  and  his  father  is  Johannis  Jacob- 
son,  who  married  Marie  Jacobson.  At  the  time 
of  the  birth  of  their  son,  August  E.  Jackson, 
March  22,  1866,  they  resided  in  the  village  of 
Kolsater,  Sweden. 

Johannis  Jacobson  was  born  September  7, 
1833,  in  tne  village  of  Forsane,  Sweden,  and  is 
still  living  in  his  native  land.  He  is  a  skilled 
mechanic  and  has  done  contracting  and  building, 
being  a  tiller  of  the  soil  for  a  side  occupation. 
His  wife  was  born  in  October,  1828,  in  Kolsater. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Jacobson  are 
accounted  for  as  follows:  August  Edwin,  the  eld- 
est; Johannah  Sophie,  still  single  and  residing  in 


Sweden;  Edward  Severin,  born  July  16,  1872, 
came  to  America  in  1893  and  made  his  home 
with  his  brother,  the  man  whose  name  heads 
this  article,  until  his  death,  which  occurred  Au- 
gust 3,  1898.  Two  daughters  and  a  son  died 
when  very  young. 

August  E.  Jackson  was  the  first  of  his  father's 
family  to  emigrate  from  their  native  land  and 
arrived  in  Chicago  July  13,  1883.  Hehad  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter  with  his  father  and  be- 
came very  proficient,  and  is  at  present  following 
this  occupation. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  married  August  22,  1893,  to 
Miss  Georgiana  Turn.  For  ancestry  of  Mrs. 
Jackson  note  the  biography  of  F.  J.  O.  Turn,  on 
another  page  of  this  work.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jackson  are  as  follows:  George  Arthur 
and  Alice  Edith,  who  are  twins,  born  August  22, 


J.  B.  WILSON. 


707 


1894;  Edna  Adalia,  born  November  15,  1895, and 
Hazel  Maria  Christina,  May  29,  1897.  Mr. 
Jackson  is  a  member  of  Eclipse  Lodge  No.  404, 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  also 


the  same  order.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Swedish 
society  "Iduna,"  of  Chicago.  He  is  a  man  of 
high  principles  and  indestructible  honor,  beloved 
by  all  who  know  him  and  respected  wherever  he 


connected  with  Excelsior  Encampment  No.  2,  of     is  known. 


JAMES  B.  WILSON. 


flAMES  B.  WILSON.  Among  those  who 
I  have  been  most  closely  identified  with  the 
Q)  history  of  Harvey  and  than  whom  no  man  is 
better  known  or  possesses  a  wider  circle  of  friends, 
is  the  gentleman  whose  name  stands  at  the  head 
of  this  article.  A  life-long  employe  of  railroads, 
few  men  know  the  details  of  that  traffic  better 
than  he.  Born  in  Brechin,  Scotland,  December 
31,  1848,  he  is  a  son  of  John  Wilson,  who  was 
the  mayor  of  the  city  of  sixteen  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. 

John  Wilson  was  a  foundry  man  and  contractor, 
giving  employment  to  many  men,  and  was  con- 
sidered one  of  the  larger  and  more  successful 
manufacturers,  and  highly  honored  with  a  pub- 
lic position.  Failure  of  Glasgow  banks  involved 
him,  and  his  business  interests  were  wrecked. 
Heretofore  the  family  had  lived  in  luxury  but  now 
it  was  necessary  for  them  to  earn  their  own  living. 
James  B.  Wilson,  who  was  but  a  lad  of  fifteen 
years,  entered  the  employ  of  the  North  British 
Railroad  Company  at  Edinburgh,  in  the  mechani- 
cal department,  and  by  assiduous  application  rose 
in  his  superiors'  estimation,  receiving  promotions 
in  employment  and  increase  in  wages,  so  that  in 
three  years  he  was  a  fireman,  running  on  the  road 
for  two  years.  He  was  timekeeper  in  Leith  two 
years,  and  in  1867  came  to  America.  The  next 
few  years  were  partly  spent  in  Quebec  and 
partly  in  the  United  States,  reaching  as  far  as 


New  Orleans,  where  he  became  mate  on  the  his- 
torical Mississippi  steamer,  "Robert  E.  Lee,"  a 
position  that  required  nerve  and  muscle,  but  it 
was  a  valuable  school  for  him,  and  the  lessons 
then  learned  have  stood  him  in  good  stead  at  sub- 
sequent periods.  This  latter  was  shown  at  the  time 
of  the  memorable  railroad  strike,  when  every  effort 
was  used  to  draw  him  away  from  the  protection 
and  interests  of  his  employers,  only  to  prove  him 
a  man  not  to  be  lightly  trifled  with  or  moved  by 
bribe,  coaxing  or  threats,  even  of  personal  vio- 
lence. Returning  to  Quebec  in  1869,  his  old 
friend,  James  Dakerman,  manager  of  the  telegraph 
company  at  Montreal,  secured  him  a  position  as 
clerk  in  the  locomotive  foreman's  office  at  Point 
St.  Charles,  from  which  time  his  relation  with 
the  company  has  remained  unbroken.  Two  years 
later  he  was  transferred  to  Hadlon  Core,  P.  Q. , 
later  to  Stratford,  and  in  1880  to  the  Chicago 
freight  office.  In  1883  he  was  in  charge  of  out 
freight  and  in  1890  was  sent  to  Harvey  as  agent 
of  both  the  Grand  Trunk  and  Illinois  Central 
Railroads.  The  village  was  then  but  started,  the 
country  being  open  prairie,  and  he  has  seen  it 
assume  its  present  proportions. 

His  service  has  been  faithfully  given  to  the  in- 
terest of  the  railroad,  and  while  the  details  of 
office  work  have  had  his  supervision,  he  has  been 
responsible  for  much  of  the  extensive  business 
done  by  the  Grand  Trunk  road  at  this  place. 


708 


PASCAL  ORRINY. 


Ever  accommodating  and  always  to  be  found  at 
his  post  of  duty,  he  has  made  friends  with  every 
citizen  and  every  manufacturing  establishment. 
Thoroughly  trusted  by  the  officials  of  the  road, 
he  has  been  given  carte  blanche  in  matters  of  ob- 
taining business,  his  contracts  always  meeting 
with  approval. 

While  thoroughly  given  to  the  varied  interests 
incident  to  his  position,  he  has  ever  been  alive  to 
the  broader  interests  of  the  community  and  holds 
the  respect  and  confidence  of  the  people  to  a  high 
degree.  A  stanch  Democrat,  he  and  Jerry 
O '  Rourke  were  for  years  the  strength  of  that  party 
in  the  town  of  Thornton,  and  he  was  for  years 
central  committeeman  and  delegate  to  the  party's 
conventions.both  local  and  state.  He  has  preached 
Democracy  in  season  and  out  of  season,  the  re- 
sult being  great  accessions  to  his  party,  until  now 
it  presents  a  most  undeviating  front  to  the  oppo- 
sition. Once  when  Jerry  O' Rourke  was  with- 
drawn from  the  field  of  active  proselyting,  by  his 
appointment  as  postmaster,  Mr.  Wilson  was  pic- 
tured in  some  facetious  current  literature  as  weep- 
ing on  Jerry's  shoulders  and  bewailing  the  fact 
of  his  being  all  that  was  left  of  the  party.  With 
all  these  years  of  minority,  they  have  been  re- 


cently favored  with  most  remarkable  success  at 
the  polls,  electing  the  first  Democrat  as  township 
assessor  for  forty-two  years. 

Mr.  Wilson  is  interested  in  a  patent  switch, 
that  it  is  thought  will  prove  a  most  taking  im- 
provement for  the  various  switches  or  tracks. 
He  was  married  in  1872  in  Quebec  to  Mariah 
O'Neill,  a  native  of  that  province.  Their  family 
consisted  of  three  daughters.  Margaret,  the 
oldest,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four  years,  De- 
cember 14,  1897.  She  was  a  most  popular  young 
lady  in  Harvey,  and  has  served  as  deputy  post- 
master under  her  father's  old  friend,  Jerry 
O' Rourke.  She  had  many  excellent  qualities  that 
made  her  untimely  death  keenly  felt  among  the 
wide  circle  of  acquaintances.  Luella,  a  young 
lady,  resides  at  home  with  her  parents.  Messie 
died  while  a  small  child. 

Mr.  Wilson  is  a  Free  Mason,  being  a  charter 
member  of  Meyic  City  Lodge.  He  is  a  breeder  and 
fancier  of  homing  pigeons,  having  a  number  of 
choice  birds  in  his  collection.  Few  men  are 
more  keenly  alive  to  all  that  tends  to  the  general 
advancement  of  Harvey  than  he,  and  none  can 
number  more  and  warmer  friends  among  the  citi- 
zens. 


PASCAL  ORRINY. 


ORRINY  was  at  one  time  in  the 
LX  history  of  the  great  city  one  of  Chicago's 
J«3  most  energetic  and  influential  citizens.  He 
was  born  February  23,  1818,  in  Rochelle,  France, 
and  was  a  son  of  Pierre  and  Irene  Orriny.  He 
passed  beyond  the  border  November  10,  1893,  in 
Chicago,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  Oak- 
woods  Cemetery. 

There  were  but  two  children  in  the  family  of 
Pierre  Orriny.     The  elder  son  died  on  the  ocean 


while  the  family  was  making  the  voyage  to 
America.  While  he  was  still  in  infancy,  Pascal 
Orriny 's  mother  died,  and  at  the  age  of  nine  years 
he  was  taken  by  her  brother  to  New  Orleans. 
This  uncle  continued  his  journeying  until  he 
reached  California  in  1846,  but  Pascal  remained 
in  New  Orleans  and  engaged  in  buying  and  sell- 
ing barrel  staves.  In  1863  he  removed  to  Cairo, 
Illinois,  and  followed  the  brick  business  one  year. 
In  April,  1865,  Mr.  Orriny  located  in  the  city 


H.  W.    KRUGER. 


709 


of  Chicago,  becoming  an  employe  of  Matthew 
Laflin,  and  after  two  years  entered  the  service  of 
a  manufacturer  of  elevators.  His  twenty-seven 
years  of  satisfactory  enlistment  in  the  interests 
of  the  last-named  employe  proves  the  honesty 
and  integrity  of  purpose  of  which  the  man  was 
possessed,  and  his  example  is  one  worthy  the 
emulation  of  the  youth  of  the  present  time,  as 
representing  the  efforts  of  a  man  devoted  to  his 
duty ,  and  commanding  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  For  a  greater 
part  of  the  time  spent  in  the  interests  of  the 
Neely  manufactory,  he  was  foreman  and  his 
services  were  well  appreciated  by  his  superiors  in 
the  immense  business  concern. 

May  18,  1849,  Mr.  Orriny  was  married  to  Miss 
May  Margaret,  daughter  of  Herman  and  Mary 
Lutjmeier.  Mrs.  Orriny  was  born  September 
29,  18,38,  in  the  village  of  Hoye,  Hanover,  Ger- 
many. Her  father  immigrated  to  America  about 
1840,  and  located  in  New  Orleans.  In  1856  the 
family  removed  to  Matteson,  Cook  County,  Illi- 
nois, and  from  there  in  1868  to  Marysville,  Kan- 
sas. Here,  in  1873,  Mr.  Lutjmeier  died  at  the 


age  of  seventy-five  years.  His  wife  died  prior 
to  the  Civil  War,  and  he  married  a  second  wife. 
Her  only  child  is  Sophia,  who  married  Fred 
Stocks  and  lives  in  Marysville,  Kansas.  Mr. 
Lutjmeier  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade,  but  also 
followed  the  occupation  of  farmer. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pascal  Orriny 
are  as  follows:  Henry  Ranson,  of  whom  further 
mention  is  made  in  this  volume;  Emma  Armon- 
tine,  who  married  William  H.  Gray,  and  resides 
at  No.  6827  Perry  Avenue,  at  which  place  Mr. 
Gray  was  born;  Lily  Pascal,  who  married  David 
Edwards,  and  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
years,  leaving  one  child,  Irene  Emma.  Mrs. 
Pascal  Orriny  resides  at  No.  425  South  Normal 
Parkway. 

Pascal  Orriny  was  reared  an  Episcopalian  and 
remained  true  to  the  teachings  of  his  forefathers. 
He  was  never  an  office-seeker  in  political  affairs, 
but  was  interested  in  the  principles  and  welfare 
.of  the  Democratic  party.  He  was  an  honest  and 
God-fearing  man,  beloved  by  his  family  and 
friends,  and  his  loss  was  mourned  by  all  who 
were  among  his  acquaintances. 


HENRY  W.  KRUGER. 


HENRY  WILLIAM  KRUGER.     Among  the 
young  and  enterprising  citizens  of  Chicago 
many    are   self-made,    and    are,    therefore, 
stronger   in  character  and   standing  than  those 
born  to  affluence  and  wealth.     Henry  W.  Kruger 
was  born  February  6,    1870,   and  though  still  a 
young  man  has  proven  his  ability  to  make  his  way 
in  the  world.     His  parents  resided  on  Sedgwick 
Street  at  the  time  of  his  birth.     For  his  ancestry 
see  biography  of  Henry  William  Kruger,  senior. 
The  subject  of  this  notice  attended  the  Clark, 
Marquette  and  Raymond  Schools,  and  was  a  short 
time  at  the  Armour  Institute.     He   left  school 


and  began  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years.  He  subsequently  entered  the  service  of 
the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company  as  receiv- 
ing clerk  and  occupied  this  position  two  years. 
He  was  then  employed  by  Swift  &  Company,  in 
whose  service  he  still  continues.  Here  he  was 
general  office  clerk  and  has  earned  several  pro- 
motions, holding  among  other  responsible  stations 
those  of  invoice  clerk  and  paymaster,  and  is  now 
occupying  the  position  of  timekeeper. 

August  n,  1894,  Mr.  Kruger  was  married  to 
May  Neil  Connon,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Chris- 
tina (Low)  Connon,  of  whom  extended  mention 


yio 


J.  F.  HECTOR. 


is  made  on  another  page  of  this  work.  Mrs. 
Kruger  was  born  June  10,  1870,  in  Aberdeen, 
Scotland.  Her  parents  emigrated  from  their 
native  land  and  came  to  America  in  1872.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kruger  are:  William 
Connon,  who  was  born  June  24,  1895,  and  Henry 
Neil,  born  May  19,  1897. 


Mr.  Kruger  has  never  sought  prominence  in 
politics,  but  is  a  stanch  upholder  of  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party.  He  is  an  honorable  and 
upright  young  man,  and  one  who  inspires  con- 
fidence in  the  hearts  of  all  who  have  dealings 
with  him,  whether  in  a  social  or  business 
manner. 


JOHN  F.  HECTOR. 


(1 OHN  FRANCIS  HECTOR,    for  more  than 

I  half  a  century  a  resident  of  Chicago,  was 
Q)  born  November  13,  1846,  in  the  Province  of 
Trier,  Prussia,  Germany.  His  father,  Philip 
Hector,  was  born  November  i,  1814,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Pacheu,  Province  of  Trier,  Germany, 
and  died  April  25,  1896,  in  Chicago.  He  was  a 
son  of  Peter  Hector. 

April  6,  1847,  Philip  Hector  set  out  with  his 
family,  from  the  shore  of  his  native  land,  and 
after  a  voyage  of  three  months  on  a  sailing 
vessel,  landed  at  New  Orleans,  Louisiana.  The 
family  then  included  two  children:  Mary  and 
John  Francis.  They  traveled  by  river  boat  from 
New  Orleans  to  Cincinnati,  whence  they  pro- 
ceeded to  Chicago. 

In  his  native  land  Mr.  Hector  had  been  em- 
ployed as  a  laborer  about  iron  mills.  In  the 
spring  of  1848  he  settled  at  Blue  Island,  where 
he  remained  about  twelve  years.  He  was  at 
first  employed  in  railroad  construction,  and  his 
good  wife  aided  him  in  getting  a  start  in  the  new 
world  by  keeping  boarders.  During  two  years 
he  lived  on  and  tilled  a  farm  where  the  present 
town  of  Harvey  stands.  This  he  sold  and  moved 
to  Chicago  and  retired  from  active  labor.  He 
purchased  five  lots  on  South  Ashland  Avenue, 
on  which  stood  a  small  house,  and  built  two 
houses  on  these  lots,  which  he  rented. 

Philip  Hector  was  married  on  Shrove  Tuesday 


of  the  year  1834  to  Miss  Mary  Wolff,  a  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Barbara  (Jacobs)  Wolff.  Mrs. 
Hector  was  born  September  25,  1810,  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Reiling,  Province  of  Trier.  Her  father 
served  seven  years  in  the  Napoleonic  wars,  and 
died  from  the  effects  of  a  bullet  wound,  after 
lying  in  the  hospital  nine  months.  The  bullet 
which  caused  his  death  is  now  preserved  by  the 
daughter  of  John  F.  Hector.  During  part  of 
his  army  service  he  was  in  France,  and  the 
balance  of  the  time  in  Germany.  At  the  time  of 
his  demise,  in  1825,  he  was  about  forty  years 
old.  He  was  a  shoemaker  by  trade.  Mrs. 
Hector  is  his  eldest  child.  The  others  were: 
Peter,  Barbara,  Jacob,  Elizabeth,  Eugene  and 
Anna.  Barbara  Jacobs  was  three  times  married. 
Her  first  husband  was  killed  by  accident  in  a 
stone  yard,  leaving  one  child,  who  died  in  infancy. 
Peter  Wolff  was  her  second  husband.  The  third 
left  one  child,  named  Barbara.  Peter  Wolffs 
father  was  also  named  Peter,  and  had  children 
named  Francis,  Andrew,  Nicholas  and  Peter. 
Mrs.  Philip  Hector's  maternal  grandfather, 
Lorenz  Jacobs,  had  children  named:  Michael, 
Nicholas  and  Barbara. 

Philip  Hector  and  wife  had  the  following  chil- 
dren: Mary,  John  F.,  Jacob,  Andrew,  Peter, 
Frederick,  Charles,  Elizabeth  and  Katherine. 
All  except  Andrew  and  Elizabeth  are  still  living. 
The  family  through  many  generations  has  ad- 


A.  G.  SWANSON. 


711 


hered  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Philip 
Hector  was  a  Republican  throughout  his  citizen- 
ship in  the  United  States. 

John  Francis  Hector  remained  with  his  father 
until  he  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  He 
learned  the  stone  mason's  trade,  and  for  a  period 
of  thirty-five  years  was  employed  by  the  Illinois 
Steel  Company.  During  the  last  two  years  he 
has  been  engaged  in  the  service  of  Peter  Biesen, 
a  sidewalk  contractor. 

He  was  married  September  23,  1874,  to  Miss 
Louise  Elizabeth  Biesen,  whose  ancestry  is  given 
in  the  biography  of  Peter  Biesen,  iu  this  work. 
Her  children  were  as  follows:  Emily  Isabella, 
born  July  25,  1875,  died  March  17,  1879;  Mary 
Barbara,  May  17,  1877;  Lucy  Gertrude,  August 


17,  1879,  died  November  25,  same  year;  Clara 
Frances,  December  18,  1880;  Theresa  Agnes, 
April  10,  1883,  died  March  14,  1884;  Bruetta 
Lavinia  Illinois,  January  15,  1884;  John  George 
Adam,  May  27,  1887;  Robert  Stephen  Charles, 
May  6,  1890,  died  February  29,  1892;  Lillian 
Anna,  July  14,  1893,  died  July  30  of  the  same 
year. 

In  1875  Mr.  Hector  erected  a  handsome  home 
at  No.  1330  Thirty- third  Street,  where  he  has 
since  resided.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  of  the  Catholic 
Order  of  Foresters.  He  is  recognized  and  re- 
spected as  a  useful  member  of  society  in  the  dis- 
trict where  he  resides,  and  still  has  many  years 
of  usefulness  before  him. 


ANDREW  G.  SWANSON. 


NDREW  GUSTAV  SWANSON,  prominent 
I  I  among  those  of  the  Swedish  nation  who  have 
/  I  for  various  and  peculiar  reasons  taken  up 
their  residence  in  the  great  city  of  Chicago,  was 
born  February  19,  1852,  in  Fjellaue,  Province  of 
Vermland,  Sweden.  His  parents  were  Swan  and 
Anna  Mary  (Nelson)  Swanson  and  were  both 
worthy  and  highly  respected  people.  The  pater- 
nal grandfather  of  Andrew  Gustav  Swanson  was 
Lars  Swanson  and  his  children  were:  Jonas, 
Swan,  Kiser  and  John.  The  last-named  son 
still  occupies  the  old  homestead  and  keeps  the 
place  in  fine  condition.  The  maternal  grandfather 
was  Nels  Nelson,  and  his  children  were  Anna 
Mary  and  Grenella. 

Swan  Swauson  died  July  22,  1897,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years.  He  never  emigrated  from 
his  native  land  and  was  a  tiller  of  the  soil.  His 
wife  died  August  28,  1883,  at  the  age  of  sixty- 
two  years.  His  children  were:  Mary,  Andrew 


Gustav,  Nils  Johann  (see  biography  on  another 
page  of  this  work),  Carolina,  who  married  Gust 
Danielson  and  lives  in  Michigan;  Edwin, 
who  has  for  seven  years  kept  a  catering  establish- 
ment at  No.  2400  Wentworth  Avenue;  Louis, 
who  married  Bertha  Anderson  and  still  resides  in 
his  native  land;  Otto,  who  is  with  his  brother; 
Edwin  and  Bertha,  the  latter  of  whom  married 
Gust  Carlson  and  still  lives  in  Sweden. 

Andrew  G.  Swanson  was  the  first  of  his  father's 
family  to  emigrate,  and  landed  in  New  York, 
traveling  straight  through  the  country  to  Ish- 
peming,  Michigan,  arriving  there  June  13,  1873. 
He  was  employed  in  the  iron  mines  two  years. 
That  is  the  region  of  mines  and  lumber  camps, 
and  Mr.  Swanson  also  spent  one  year  employed 
in  one  of  the  latter. 

He  came  to  Chicago  in  April,  1876.  The  first 
work  Mr.  Swauson  did  in  Chicago  was  in  the 
service  of  E.  A.  Shedd  &  Company,  now  the 


712 


JOHN  SYMONS. 


Knickerbocker  Ice  Company.  He  drove  a  wagon 
for  this  company  five  and  one-half  years  and 
subsequently  entered  the  employ  of  Anderson, 
Freeman  &  Company,  now  connected  with  and  a 
part  of  the  Knickerbocker  Ice  Company.  He 
remained  thus  occupied  until  January,  1888,  when 
he  was  given  a  position  as  gripman  by  the  Chi- 
cago City  Railway  Company  and  still  retains  this 
place,  filling  it  creditably. 

Mr.  Swanson  was  married  April  12,  1883,  to 
Miss  Hannah,  daughter  of  Joyce  and  Phoebe 
(Jenson)  Johnson.  Mr.  Swanson  was  born  June 
22,  1858,  in  Sweden,  and  came  to  Chicago  in 
1869.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Swanson  make  a  worthy 
couple,  with  congenial  spirits,  and  both  have 
strength  of  character  and  nobility  of  mind  that 


causes  the  respect  of  everyone  who  comes  in  con- 
tact with  their  hospitable  natures.  Their  chil- 
dren are  as  follows:  George  William,  born  April 
13,  1884;  Annie,  February  15,  1886,  died  June 
17,  1890;  Lillie  Matilda,  February  16,  1888; 
Annie  Josephine,  February  4,  1890;  and  Hazel 
Isabella  and  Helen  Elizabeth,  twins,  July  22, 
1896. 

Mr.  Swanson  is  a  member  of  J.  Ward  Ellis 
Lodge  No.  447,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. He  is  also  connected  with  General  Custer 
Council  No.  129,  Royal  League.  He  is  a  consis- 
tent member  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  Church, 
where  his  services  and  valuable  influence  are 
recognized  and  he  is  honored  by  all  others  of  the 
congregation . 


JOHN  SYMONS. 


(|OHN  SYMONS.  Of  those  successful  busi- 
I  ness  men  and  citizens  who  have  taken  part  in 
G/  the  political  as  well  as  business  pursuits  of 
Chicago,  and  made  a  success  of  whatever  they 
undertook,  is  John  Symons.  His  school  education 
was  limited,  but  in  the  college  of  experience  he 
became  an  apt  scholar.  He  was  born  May  6, 
1862,  on  a  farm  near  Lockport,  Illinois.  For  his 
ancestry  see  the  biographies  of  Alexander  Sym- 
ons and  James  Storms. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  left  school, 
and  for  two  years  was  employed  on  the  farm  of 
Alexander  Storms.  He  next  came  to  Chicago 
and  was  in  the  service  of  his  uncle,  John  L. 
Storms,  in  Hyde  Park  (see  biography  of  John  L. 
Storms  in  this  work) ,  and  with  him  learned  the 
trade  of  calcimining  and  paper-hanging.  Two 
years  subsequently  he  began  business  for  his  own 
interest,  and  did  contract  work,  with  headquar- 
ters at  his  father's  house,  No.  74ioLangley  Ave- 
nue. He  was  always  a  very  ambitious  man  and 


when  business  in  his  line  was  dull  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  turn  his  hand  to  other,  even  though  not 
so  pleasant,  work.  At  such  time  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Mr.  Everett,  a  dealer  in  coal,  and  one 
year  had  charge  of  the  ice  business  of  Mr.  Ever- 
ett. For  one  year  he  was  in  the  service  of  the  Illi- 
nois Central  Railroad  Company,  first  as  gateman 
and  later  as  baggage  master. 

Mr.  Symons  was  one  year  patrolman  on  the 
Hyde  Park  police  force  and  then  entered  the  fire 
department  of  the  city,  and  after  three  months 
was  promoted  to  the  position  of  captain  of  the 
Grand  Crossing  Engine  Company,  abandoning 
this  pursuit  after  one  year  for  a  position  as  assis- 
tant health  officer  in  Hyde  Park,  under  Dr.  Steb- 
bins,  which  he  held  for  the  same  length  of  time. 
At  the  time  of  the  reign  of  pleuro-pneumonia 
among  cattle  he  was  made  deputy -sheriff  to  ac- 
company the  inspectors  in  Cook  County  to  locate 
the  origin  of  the  disease.  After  seven  months 
he  was  made  bailiff"  of  the  county  court,  under 


G.  W.  BLOOM. 


7*3 


Sheriff  Watson,  and  occupied  the  office  two  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1891  he  was  elected  for  a  term 
of  one  year  to  the  office  of  supervisor  of  the  town 
of  Hyde  Park,  and  in  1892  was  elected  town 
assessor,  being  re-elected  in  1893. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1894  Mr.  Symons 
opened  a  coal  yard  in  West  Pullman  and  since 
that  time  has  conducted  a  first-class  business, 
being  very  successful.  He  has  the  finest  equip- 
ped yards  in  the  vicinity,  and  is  prepared  to  take 
contracts  for  building  material  or  any  kind  of 
fuel.  In  1896  he  removed  his  residence  to  this 
section,  and  built  the  Symons  block  at  Nos. 
12003-5  Halsted  Street,  in  1898.  This  three- 
story  building  is  partly  occupied  by  the  West 
Pullman  postoffice.  In  1896  he  built  his  residence, 
which  is  located  at  No.  11941  Lowe  Avenue. 


June  24,  1896,  Mr.  Symons  was  married  to 
Miss  Dolly  Grace,  daughter  of  William  MacSwain, 
whose  biography  appears  in  this  work.  Their 
only  child  is  named  Grace  Carrie.  Mr.  Symons 
is  connected  with  Colfax  Lodge  No.  198,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  also  a 
charter  member  of  West  Pullman  Lodge  of  the 
Home  Forum  Benefit  Order,  and  of  Logan 
Council  of  the  North  American  Union.  His  po- 
litical sympathies  are  with  the  Republican  party 
and  he  has  served  its  cause  well.  He  has  at  all 
times  proven  himself  to  be  a  true  business  man 
and  a  gentleman,  fair  in  his  dealings  with  his 
fellow-men,  being  beloved  alike  by  family  and 
friends.  He  sanctions  all  moves  tending  toward 
the  uplifting  of  the  minds  of  the  people,  and 
is  a  strong  mover  in  all  charitable  interests. 


GEORGE  W.  BLOOM. 


WASHINGTON  BLOOM    was 

born  in  Canton,  Bradford  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania,  December  n,  1822.  His  grandfa- 
ther, George  Bloom,  came  from  Germany  during 
the  Revolutionary  War  as  a  soldier  in  the  service 
of  Great  Britain.  He  was  taken  prisoner  early 
in  that  war  and  before  its  close  was  found  doing 
service  on  the  side  of  the  Americans.  He  after- 
ward settled  in  Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania, 
where  Elisha,  father  of  George,  was  born  and 
lived  a  farmer  during  his  life,  which  came  to  its 
honorable  close  in  1881 .  His  wife  was  Beersheba 
Blakesley. 

George  W.  Bloom  lived  in  his  native  county 
until  1850,  when  he  removed  to  the  new  country 
and  almost  wilderness  of  Sauk  County,  Wiscon- 
sin, where  he  was  a  pioneer  and  is  still  a  mem- 
ber of  the  pioneer  society.  His  home  was  near 
Greenfield,  and  five  years  later  he  removed  to 
Baraboo.  In  1856  he  purchased  quite  a  tract  of 


timber  land,  where  the  village  of  Freedom  now 
stands,  and  in  1860  removed  to  it  and  erected  a 
sawmill  and  started  the  village  of  Bloom  Station 
(now  Freedom). 

He  built  a  sawmill  in  the  spring  of  1868,  which 
he  operated  for  some  twenty-four  years  and  did 
an  extensive  lumber  business.  He  employed  a 
considerable  force  of  men  in  his  lumbering  and 
farming  enterprises,  and  was  the  means  of  build- 
ing up  a  thriving  and  intelligent  community,  of 
nearly  a  thousand  population.  He  erected  his 
mills  there  before  the  railroad  was  built,  and  an- 
other station  being  laid  out,  it  was  doubtful  about 
his  securing  a  station;  but  having  wide  personal 
acquaintance  and  being  a  particular  friend  of  the 
chief  engineer  he  secured  the  station  which  as- 
sured the  continued  growth  of  his  village.  He 
was  the  active  spirit  and  financial  supporter  of 
every  enterprise,  and  constructed  a  general  store 
and  operated  it  extensively  along  with  a  feed 


7'4 


G.  W.  BLOOM. 


mill,  invested  in  lumber  lands,  built  schools  and 
churches  and  in  many  ways  the  result  of  his 
energy  and  influence  is  plainly  revealed  in  the 
present  condition  of  that  village  and  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

Coming  into  the  wilderness  with  little  capital, 
he  knew  its  hardships  and  privations.  To  add  to 
the  difficulty,  while  scoring  timber  for  his  father- 
in-law's  house,  his  right  arm  was  accidentally 
and  severely  injured  by  an  axe  in  the  hands  of  a 
fellow- workman.  For  nearly  a  year  he  lost  the 
use  of  that  arm,  yet  in  that  time  he  put  thirty 
acres  of  land  into  wheat  and  at  its  ripening 
assisted  in  harvesting  it  with  one  arm  in  a 
sling.  This  crop  he  hauled  one  hundred  twenty- 
five  miles,  to  Milwaukee,  selling  it  for  fifty 
cents  per  bushel,  which  barely  paid  expenses  in- 
cident to  the  trip  itself.  Many  similiar  disad- 
vantages were  encountered,  and  while  they 
seemed  and  really  were  great  obstacles  to  progress, 
they  were  not  insurmountable  and  it  lay  in  the 
hardy  pioneer's  power  to  overcome  them  and  in 
time  to  some  extent  to  come  off  victorious.  At 
the  completion  of  the  railroad  better  market  was 
had  for  wood  and  produce,  and  more  prosperous 
times  were  at  hand.  Valuable  improvements 
and  establishments  grew  up  around  him,  so 
that  in  the  course  of  thirty  years  he  found  him- 
self in  easy  circumstances. 

Realizing  the  possibilities  of  the  suburbs  of  the 
magic  city,  in  1892  he  invested  largely  in  real  es- 
tate at  Harvey  and  at  once  made  that  his  home. 
He  immediately  began  to  erect  substantial  im- 
provements in  the  shape  of  double  brick  stores 
and  residences,  and  to  these  he  has  in  the  last 
few  years  devoted  his  whole  attention,  largely 
in  connection  with  coal  and  wood  yards,  which 
he  has  conducted  two  years.  Mr.  Bloom  has 
ever  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party  and 
while  residing  in  the  old  Wisconsin  home  was  an 
active  participator  in  the  official  life  of  that  town , 
serving  it  as  supervisor  and  in  the  minor  offices. 

His  family  relations  have  been  of  the  pleasant- 
est  character.  His  first  marriage  was  January 
20,  1847,  to  Harriet  Wilkinson,  who  was  a  fit- 
ting advisor  and  helpmate  to  a  man  of  ambition 
and  determination.  Together  they  strove  and 


economized  in  those  early  days  and  united  af- 
fluence and  ease  were  theirs.  Sharing  the  priva- 
tions and  difficulties  of  pioneer  life  with  him,  her 
influence  reached  every  home  about  her,  and  few 
women  ever  lived  in  that  part  of  Sauk  County 
who  were  more  truly  loved  or  more  universally 
lamented  when  passed  away  to  life's  other  shore. 
She  died  October  7,  1890,  and  was  buried  on  the 
loth — just  forty  years,  to  a  day,  from  the  date  of 
their  location  at  Baraboo.  She  was  the  mother 
of  five  children,  who  are  accounted  for  as  follows: 
Deborah  J.  died  at  the  age  of  nine  years;  Selinda 
D.  married  Charles  W.  Clark,  and  resides  at 
Baraboo;  William  H.  is  a  real-estate  dealer  at 
Watertown,  South  Dakota;  James  E.  died  in  in- 
fancy; and  Hattie  F.  is  the  wife  of  Hart  Veer- 
husen,  a  grocer  at  Harvey. 

Some  two  years  later  Mrs.  Nancy  Hudson, 
wife  of  the  late  James  Hudson,  of  Janesville, 
Wisconsin,  and  whose  maiden  name  was  Stone, 
became  Mrs.  Bloom,  and  together  this  genial 
couple  are  passing  in  comfort  their  declining 
years,  surrounded  by  many  warm  friends.  Mr. 
Bloom  has  found  time  to  see  something  of  this 
great  country.  Health  somewhat  failing  in  1860, 
he  took  the  overland  trip  to  Pike's  Peak,  with  a 
freighting  train  from  Council  Bluffs.  This  was 
at  a  time  when  the  Indians  were  on  the  war 
path,  and  trains  both  ahead  and  behind  were  at- 
tacked, but  the  one  he  was  on  was  left  un- 
molested, owing  to  the  number  on  board. 

In  pursuit  of  the  abundant  game  in  early  days, 
he  became  an  expert  hunter,  and  has  the  record 
of  killing  "Old  Golden,"  the  largest  deer  ever 
killed  in  that  section  of  Wisconsin,  which 
weighed  two  hundred  fifty-two  pounds, dressed.  He 
killed  sixteen  deer  in  one  season,  and  has  a  record 
of  forty  prairie  chickens  in  one  afternoon.  L,ack 
of  space  precludes  further  details  of  a  life  that 
affords  abundant  material  for  interesting  nar- 
ratives, illustrative  of  the  true  pioneer  life  that 
has  gone  over,  never  to  be  repeated  in  the  coun- 
try's history.  These  lives  afford  valuable  ex- 
amples and  lessons  to  the  young  of  to-day,  who 
could  read  the  stories  with  profit  and  would  be 
materially  benefited  had  they  the  personal  ac- 
quaintance of  such  men  as  Mr.  Bloom. 


CAPT.  CHRISTIAN  SCHIMMELS. 


CAPT.  CHRISTIAN  SCHIMMELS. 


CJAPT.  CHRISTIAN  SCHIMMELS,  of  Fire 
I  C  Engine  Company  No.  25,  is  a  native  Chica- 
V.J  goan  and  has  done  much  for  the  general  in- 
terests of  the  city,  and  especially  in  regard  to  the 
success  of  the  department  in  which  he  has  been 
interested  since  1864.  He  has  lived  his  entire 
life  in  the  city,  having  been  born  here  May  1 1 , 
1845,  and  never  going  out  of  the  state  of  Illinois, 
and  seldom  out  of  Chicago.  He  has  grown  with 
the  city  and  has  seen  it  at  all  stages  of  its  his- 
tory. His  parents  were  Jacob  and  Margaret 
(Smith)  Schimmels,  and  resided  at  the  corner 
of  Desplaines  and  Meridian  Streets  at  the  time 
of  the  birth  of  their  son.  The  latter  has  lived  in 
but  two  different  houses  beside  that  one.  He  has 
a  photograph  of  the  house  he  was  born  in,  which 
he  prizes  as  a  souvenir  of  the  early  days  of  Chica- 
go. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob  Schimmels  were  both 
natives  of  Prussia,  and  born  on  the  River 
Rhine. 

Mrs.  J.  Schimmels  was  born  in  Betterfeld,  Trier, 
in  1810,  while  her  husband  was  born  in  Graes 
Down,  Trier,  in  1808,  and  they  were  married  in 
Prussia  in  1835.  Mr.  Schimmels  was  a  member 
of  an  old  and  well-known  family  in  his  native 
land,  and  attended  the  parish  school.  He  later 
learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  was  occupied 
with  it  many  years,  in  the  different  branches. 
In  1843,  with  his  wife  and  three  children,  he  came 
to  America,  six  weeks  being  occupied  in  making 
the  trip.  They  settled  in  Chicago  and  Mr. 
Schimmels  began  to  work  at  his  trade,  soon  be- 
coming a  contractor  in  the  city.  There  was 


plenty  to  be  found  to  do  in  the  thriving,  growing 
city,  and  being  a  typical  representative  of  his 
native  land,  with  his  rugged,  energetic  tempera- 
ment, he  was  soon  recognized  at  his  worth.  He 
was  the  first  German  carpenter  in  the  cit}*  to  have 
men  employed  under  his  direction.  He  was  the 
contractor  for  the  construction  of  the  first  Ger- 
man Catholic  Church  in  Chicago,  St.  Peter's,  -on 
Washington  Street,  between  Fifth  Avenue  and 
Franklin  Street. 

He  retired  from  active  life  in  the  labor  world 
in  1863,  and  died  in  the  city  January  30,  1877. 
His  good  wife  survived  him  until  May  14,  1878, 
both  reaching  the  age  of  seventy  years.  Of  the 
six  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schimmels,  the 
three  youngest  were  born  in  Chicago  and  the  fol- 
lowing are  now  living:  Christian,  of  this  sketch; 
Caroline,  wife  of  Anthony  Enzenbacher;  and 
Lena,  wife  of  M.  J.  Lillig,  all  of  Chicago. 

Christian  Schimmels  was  educated  in  St.  Peter's 
German  parish  school.  He  attended  the  Foster 
public  school  from  1857  to  1862.  Subsequent  to 
this  time  he  tried  the  carpenter's  trade,  being 
employed  two  years  with  his  father.  In  1864  he 
joined  the  fire  department  under  his  brother,  Capt. 
Peter  Schimmels,  and  in  1869  was  promoted  to 
captain.  He  has  continuously  been  in  the  serv- 
ice since  that  time  and  is  deservedly  popular. 
In  the  great  fire  of  1871  he  worked  faithfully, 
long  and  well,  doing  more  than  his  duty  in  work- 
ing sixty-five  consecutive  hours,  without  sleep  or 
rest. 

Captain  Schimmels  has  never  taken  special  in- 


7i6 


A.  A.  STAFFORD. 


terest  in  politics,  being  independent  in  voting  iu 
local  affairs.  He  has  been  twice  married,  taking 
for  his  first  wife  Elizabeth  Hasser,  by  whom  he 
had  three  children:  Lena,  wife  of  J.  P.  Daliedan; 
Jacob  J.,  who  married  Miss  May  Kurtz;  and 
Katie,  who  died  in  childhood.  Mrs.  Schimmels 
died  October  28,  1885. 

May  n,  1895,  Captain  Schimmels  married  Net- 
tie Bean,  a  native  of  Boston,  Massachusetts,  born 
March  12,  1861,  who  belongs  loan  old  New  Eng- 
land family.  They  were  married  in  Our  Lady  of 
Lourdes  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  are  con- 


nected with  St.  Francis  Church,  of  the  same  de- 
nomination. Captain  Schimmels  is  well  known 
on  the  West  Side,  where  he  has  resided  his  entire 
life,  and  is  an  extensive  property  owner.  He  is 
an  acknowledged  authority  on  all  matters  regard- 
ing fire  and  has  kept  a  complete  record  of  all 
fires,  as  to  box  and  other  details,  since  1869.  The 
city  records  of  fires  kept  previous  to  1871  were 
burned  in  the  great  fire  of  that  year,  and  Captain 
Schimmels'  record  was  the  only  one  then  extant, 
and  has  enabled  the  department  to  make  an  au- 
thentic record  of  the  fires  of  1871. 


ALMON  A.  STAFFORD. 


GlLMON  ALMERON  STAFFORD.  It  re- 
LJ  quires  ambition  to  follow  any  occupation  to 
/  I  success  in  Chicago,  and  no  man  is  possessed 
with  more  natural  ability  and  stamina  than  the  ex- 
cellent manager  and  horseman  whose  name  heads 
this  article.  Almon  Almeron  Stafford  was  born 
November  5,  1844,  in  Elizabethtown,  New  York. 
For  his  ancestors,  see  biography  of  F.  P.  Staf- 
ford on  another  page  of  this  work. 

He  began  life  for  himself  in  1862,  when  he  was 
employed  one  year  on  a  farm.  In  1863,  in  the 
early  spring,  he  went  to  Fort  Henry,  but  in  the 
summer  he  removed  to  Nevada,  and  was  em- 
ployed by  his  brother  in  Washington  City.  After 
two  months  he  entered  into  partnership  with  his 
brother  in  furnishing  timber  for  mines,  and  after 
two  months  extended  the  business  by  establish- 
ing a  branch  in  Virginia  City.  In  December, 
1869,  he  returned  to  his  former  home  in  New 
York,  and  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  forty 
acres  in  that  state.  After  three  years  he  sold  this 
and  became  occupied'with  teaming  in  Westport, 
New  York. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1874  he  came  to 
Chicago  and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Chicago 


City  Railway  Company,  as  foreman  in  charge  of 
all  teams  used  by  that  company.  He  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Archer  Avenue  car  barns  as  fore- 
man, and  after  one  year  was  driver  and  later  con- 
ductor until  1877.  He  then  secured  a  position 
with  the  Wilson  Sewing  Machine  Company,  as 
driver  of  their  six-horse  team.  This  was  a  very 
difficult  team  to  manage  and  was  made  up  of  the 
best  horses  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  of  Norman 
stock.  They  drew  a  load  on  an  average  of  one 
hundred  machines.  The  man  who  had  driven 
them  previously  was  killed  by  a  runaway  acci- 
dent. Mr.  Stafford  is  an  excellent  horseman, 
understanding  horse  flesh  perfectly,  and  ruled 
them  with  a  will  of  iron,  using  the  best  judg- 
ment at  all  times  with  regard  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  team.  He  was  in  the  service  of  this 
company  five  years,  and  eighteen  months  prior  to 
the  time  he  left  it  entered  into  a  partnership  with 
his  brother,  F.  P.  Stafford.  They  conducted  an 
express  business  at  Grand  Crossing,  and  after 
one  year  A.  A.  Stafford  purchased  the  interest  of 
his  brother,  and  April  i,  1894,  sold  the  whole 
concern  and  started  a  boarding  house  at  No.  2226 
Wabash  Avenue.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he 


CHARLES  SODERBERG. 


returned  to  Grand  Crossing  and  resumed  team- 
ing. He  has  continued  in  the  same  business  up 
to  the  present  time,  contracting  for  teaming  and 
doing  expressing  in  general. 

Mr.  Stafford  was  married  May  2,  1871,  to 
Esther  Jane,  daughter  of  Enoch  and  Susanna 
(Bard)  Gregory.  Mrs.  Stafford  was  born  in 
Ferrisburg,  Addison  County,  Vermont,  and  came 
west  in  the  spring  of  1875.  Her  mother's  ances- 
tors came  to  Vermont  from  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York,  and  were  Quakers.  Her  maternal  grand- 
father, William  Bard,  married  Miss  Deborah 
Cronkhight,  whose  parents  were  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Mrs.  Stafford's  paternal  ancestors  were 
of  Scotch  lineage  and  her  grandfather  was  John 
Gregory,  who  was  born  in  North  Carolina.  He 
ran  away  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  and  went  to 
sea,  remaining  on  the  ocean  eight  years.  He 


subsequently  married  a  Miss  Van  Curler,  who 
was  possessed  of  some  wealth. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stafford  are  de- 
ceased. Bert  Thomas  was  born  April  30,  1873, 
and  died  January  9,  1875.  Reynor,  who  was 
born  October  30,  1879,  died  April  14,  1880. 

Mr,  Stafford  was  connected  with  the  Masonic 
Order  at  Westport,  New  York,  joining  Sisco 
Lodge  No.  259,  and  was  later  demitted  and 
joined  Apollo  Lodge  No.  642,  Chicago.  He  is  a 
charter  member  of  Grand  Crossing  Lodge  No. 
776.  Mr.  Stafford  is  greatly  interested  in  Tem- 
perance work  and  is  a  constituent  member  of  a 
Good  Templar  lodge  in  Chicago.  He  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Workingman's  Republican  Club 
of  the  Thirty-fourth  ward,  but  is  an  independent 
thinker,  being  ever  guided  in  action  by  calm 
judgment. 


CHARLES  SODERBERG. 


|7JHARLES  SODERBERG.  Many  of  the 
I  (  most  capable  business  men  of  Chicago  are 
U  not  in  business,  but  are  hidden  under  a  pri- 
mary occupation  and  are  managers  of  the  busi- 
ness of  some  other  man,  whose  name  gets  all  the 
fame,  and  reaps  all  the  success  which  is  altogether 
due  to  the  excellence  of  character  and  ability  of 
the  one  behind  the  scenes.  Charles  Soderberg, 
who  was  born  April  14,  1858,  in  the  city  of 
Westervik,  Sweden,  is  the  son  of  Charles  Fred- 
erick Anderson  and  Anna  Christina  (Moland) 
Anderson,  of  Sweden. 

Charles  Frederick  Anderson,  father  of  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  article,  died  in  January, 
1896,  at  the  age  of  eighty- three  years.  He  was 
a  painter  and  a  maker  of  shoes.  His  wife  died 
at  the  age  of  twenty-nine  years,  when  their  son, 
Charles,  was  but  three  years  old. 

Charles  Frederick  Anderson   married  for  his 


second  wife  a  lady  who  bore  him  three  children: 
Emil,  who  emigrated  from  his  native  land  and 
located  in  Brooklyn,  New  York;  Amand  and 
Sexton.  Charles  Soderberg  reached  Chicago 
October  20,  1880,  and  learned  the  trade  of  cal- 
cimining,  painting  and  paper-hanging.  His  first 
work  in  that  line  was  done  in  Pullman,  where  he 
was  occupied  at  general  jobbing  until  the  spring 
of  the  year  1 88 1.  He  then  secured  a  position 
with  Olson  &  Samuelson,  who  were  located  at 
the  corner  of  Larrabee  and  Division  Streets.  The 
following  year  he  was  sick,_but  after  his  recovery 
returned  to  his  former  employers  and  continued 
until  1884.  He  then  entered  into  business  with 
Mr.  Samuelson,  and  after  one  year  interested 
with  him,  continued  one  year  by  himself.  For 
eleven  years  subsequently  he  was  foreman  for 
Oleson  Brothers,  located  at  No.  2624  Princeton 
Avenue.  Later  he  occupied  the  position  of  fore- 


718 


FREDERICK  STELTER. 


man  for  Perkins  Brothers,  at  the  corner  of  Cot- 
tage Grove  Avenue  and  Twenty-sixth  Street,  six 
years. 

Charles  Soderberg  was  married  February  19, 
1887,  to  Emma  Trauberg,  daughter  of  John  and 
Christine  (Boliue)  Trauberg.  Mrs.  Soderberg 
was  born  June  14,  1865,  in  Sweden,  and  came  to 
America  in  1882.  Their  seven  children  are  as  fol- 
lows: Emma  Alvina,  Jennie  Hildegarde,  Esther 
Olivia,  Bertha  Christina  (deceased),  Charles  Os- 
car and  Bertha  Christina. 

Mr.  Soderberg  is  a  member  of  the  North  Star 
Order,  and  was  a  charter  member  of  the  Iduna, 


Lodge  No.  4.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Brother- 
hood of  Painters,  Union  No.  191,  which  is  made 
up  of  painters  and  paper-hangers.  Though  never 
seeking  "public  office  or  prominence  in  political 
matters,  Mr.  Soderberg  is  a  strong  upholder  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  and  at  all 
opportunities  supports  the  candidates  of  that 
party  by  his  vote  and  voice.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  ambitious  men  of  his  class  who  reside  in  the 
city  of  Chicago  at  the  present  time,  and  though 
he  has  not  gained  an  immense  fortune,  he  has 
managed  his  financial  affairs  well  and  his  efforts 
are  worthy  of  emulation. 


FREDERICK  STELTER. 


J~"  REDBRICK  STELTER,  who  has  for  many 
JV)  years  been  a  quiet,  law-abiding  citizen  of 
I  the  city  of  Chicago,  was  born  November  1 1, 
1832,  in  the  village  of  Detmold,  Westphalia, 
Prussia.  His  parents  were  Frederick  and  Minnie 
(Brandt)  Stelter,  and  he  is  the  only  one  of  his 
father's  family  who  emigrated  from  their  native 
land. 

Frederick  Stelter,  senior,  was  one  of  five  chil- 
dren: Conrad,  Henry,  Amalie  and  Florentina 
being  the  other  four.  He  was  born  in  1802,  and 
died  in  the  year  1875.  He  was  a  laud-owner  and 
farmed  his  own  property.  His  wife  was  born  in 
1798, and  died  in  1860.  Her  children  were  Au- 
gusta and  Frederick.  The  former  never  left  her 
native  land  and  married  Frederick  Niebur.  One 
of  her  children,  Louis  Niebur,  came  to  America 
and  now  resides  near  Seward,  Nebraska.  He 
has  a  brother,  Gustav,  who  is  a  priest  in  the 
German  Lutheran  Church  and  resides  in  Colo- 
rado. 

Frederick  Stelter,  whose  name  heads  this 
biography,  reached  Chicago  in  December,  1867. 
His  first  work  in  this  section  was  on  a  farm,  and 


he  was  later  employed  in  a  sawmill  in  Michigan. 
He  subsequently  located  a  catering  establishment 
at  No.  265  West  Kinzie  Street,  with  Ferdinand 
Sander  as  partner.  The  concern  continued  five 
years  under  the  name  of  Stelter  &  Sander.  For 
four  years  Mr.  Stelter  conducted  a  like  establish- 
ment at  the  corner  of  Curtis  Street  and  Austin 
Avenue,  and  then  removed  to  No.  6064  State 
Street, where  he  continued  in  the  same  capacity 
until  1886,  when  he  started  a  boarding  house, 
which  he  kept  until  1890.  He  has  since  been 
located  at  No.  6560  Michigan  Avenue. 

Mr.  Stelter  was  married  April  7,  1870,  to  Miss 
Minnie,  daughter  of  Simon  and  Henriette  (Brock  - 
mann)  Meyer.  Mrs.  Stelter  was  born  in  the  same 
neighborhood  as  her  husband,  in  Germany,  No- 
vember 25,  1844,  and  emigrated  from  her  native 
land  in  1868.  Her  children  were  named  as  follows: 
Annie  Minnie  Laura,  born  February  10,  1871, 
died  August  3,  1887;  Emma,  born  February  5, 
1873,  and  Frederick,  January  15,  1875. 

Mr.  Stelter  and  family  are  connected  with  the 
Christian  Church,  and  he  is  independent  in  pol- 
itics, voting  for  the  man,  instead  of  for  the  party. 


P.  P.  REISENHUS. 


719 


PETER  P.  REISENHUS. 


QETER  PETERSEN  REISENHUS, 

LX  dent  of  the  American  Glove  Company,  and 
^5  one  of  Chicago's  successful  and  progressive 
business  men,  is  a  native  of  Denmark.  He  is  the 
eldest  of  a  family  of  three  sons  and  one  daugh- 
ter born  to  Hans  Christian  Petersen  and  Ellen 
C.  (Petersen)  Reisenhus.  The  family  name 
' comes  from  a  mansion  called  Reisenhus,  on  a 
large  estate  situated  eighteen  miles  from  the  east 
coast  of  Jutland,  Denmark,  which  was  owned  for 
several  generations  by  the  family,  and  when  the 
father  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born, 
Hans  C.  P.  Reisenhus  was  a  soldier  in  the  Dan- 
ish army,  during  the  war  of  1864  with  Germany. 
He  is  now  living  in  Fovling,  Jutland,  where  his 
wife  died  several  years  ago. 

Peter  P.  Reisenhus  was  born  May  16,  1859,  at 
Undrup  in  the  peninsula  of  Jutland,  Denmark. 
When  he  was  seven  years  old  his  parents  moved  to 
Fovling,  where  he  attended  the  common  school 
until  the  age  of  fourteen  years.  He  was  then 
sent  to  the  city  of  Horsens  and  apprenticed  for 
five  years  to  a  large  mercantile  establishment. 
During  four  years  of  that  time  he  attended  a 
commercial  college,  where  he  learned  the  English 
and  German  languages,  bookkeeping  and  cor- 
respondence. He  thus  acquired  a  thorough  prac- 
tical knowledge  of  correct  business  methods. 
After  his  term  of  service  expired  he  spent  six 
months  with  another  similar  concern,  and  then 
engaged  with  Jacob  Moller  &  Company,  a  large 
firm  of  distillers,  as  English  correspondent  and 
general  office  man.  Their  trade  being  almost  ex- 


clusively with  Great  Britain;  he  thus  became 
acquainted  with  many  business  men  of  that  coun- 
try, as  well  as  renewing  the  acquaintance  of  sev- 
eral of  his  schoolmates  who  were  filling  positions 
in  English  commission  houses.  He  remained 
with  the  above  firm  about  six  months  and  then 
visited  his  parents,  spending  a  couple  of  weeks 
among  his  friends.  In  May,  1880,  he  went  to 
Newcastle,  England,  thence  to  Liverpool,  where 
he  accepted  a  temporary  position  as  assistant 
clerk  in  a  commission  house,  remaining  two 
months. 

Finding  that  opportunities  in  the  English  sea- 
port were  not  as  great  as  he  expected,  he  acted 
on  the  advice  of  a  friend  and  bought  a  ticket  to 
Philadelphia,  from  which  city  he  continued  his 
journey  to  Chicago,  where  his  friend  occupied  a 
lucrative  position.  He  arrived  in  Chicago  Sep- 
tember i,  1880,  with  two  dollars  in  his  pocket 
and  borrowed  three  dollars,  that  he  might  pay  a 
week's  board  in  advance.  Two  days  later  he 
began  work  in  the  shipping  department  of  the 
Muuson  Belting  Company,  where  he  worked  at 
a  small  salary  several  months.  He  spent  his 
evenings  for  two  years  attending  night  school  at 
the  Scandia  College,  then  in  existence,  and  lo- 
cated on  Morgan  Street,  near  Grand  Avenue. 
Thus  he  became  capable  of  taking  up  work  for 
which  his  previous  training  had  prepared  him. 
In  February,  1881,  he  secured  a  position  as  book- 
keeper for  the  firm  of  Mattson  &  Aeppli  and  re- 
mained in  their  employ  until  they  failed,  January 
4,  1890. 


720 


JAMES    MORAN. 


Having  resolved  to  enter  business  on  his  own 
account,  he  had,  during  his  years  of  labor  for 
others,  made  it  a  rule  to  save  a  part  of  his  earn- 
ing for  future  investment.  In  February,  1890, 
in  company  with  his  brother,  Henry  Reisenhus, 
and  others,  he  organized  the  American  Glove 
Company,  under  the  laws  of  this  state,  and  was 
made  president  and  treasurer.  At  first  they  did 
a  jobbing  trade,  with  an  office  at  No.  507  North 
Robey  Street.  The  following  year  they  built  a 
small  one-story  building  at  their  present  location 
and  began  the  manufacture  of  gloves  and  mittens, 
with  a  small  force.  The  business  has  grown 
under  the  judicious  management  of  Mr.  Reisen- 
hus, and  their  premises  were  enlarged  from  time 
to  time.  In  1891  they  built  their  present  plant 
at  Nos.  325  to  331  Bloomingdale  Avenue,  and 
their  trade  has  grown  to  meet  their  added  advan- 
tages. They  now  employ  about  seventy-five 
people  in  the  factory  and  have  six  traveling  sales- 
men. The  territory  in  which  their  product  is 
used  reaches  as  far  east  as  Wheeling,  West  Vir- 


ginia, and  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  It  includes 
the  states  of  Michigan,  Ohio,  part  of  Kentucky, 
Louisiana,  Texas,  Missouri,  Iowa,  North  and 
South  Dakota,  Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  Illi- 
nois. Peter  P.  Reisenhus  is  president  and  treas- 
urer of  the  company,  his  brother,  H.  P.  Reisen- 
hus, being  secretary. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  married  in 
Chicago,  in  1885,  to  Miss  Katie  H.  Jensen,  who 
was  born  at  Thorup,  Jutland,  Denmark.  They 
are  the  parents  of  one  son,  James  Arthur.  Mr. 
Reisenhus  is  a  member  of  Covenant  Lodge  No. 
526,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  has 
held  all  the  important  offices  in  the  subordinate 
lodge  of  the  latter  and  is  also  a  member  of  Vic- 
tory Encampment  No.  108,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  organizers.  During  the  life  of  this  body 
of  Odd  Fellows  he  has  at  two  different  times  held 
the  office  of  Chief  Patriarch,  and  was  in  1898 
elected  representative  to  the  Grand  Encampment 
and  is  at  present  the  Deputy  of  that  grand  body. 


JAMES  MORAN. 


(TAMES  MORAN,  who  is  one  of  the  most  en- 
ergetic  and  active  citizens  of  Chicago,  was 
born  December  18,  1856,  at  the  old  Bridge- 
port lime  kiln,  in  that  city.  He  is  of  the  enter- 
prising character  which  is  invariably  to  be  found 
in  the  race  of  which  he  is  a  descendant.  His  par- 
ents, Patrick  and  Mary  (O'Brien)  Moran,  were 
natives  of  Ireland. 

Patrick  Moran  was  born  in  Sligo,  Ireland,  and 
died  in  1862,  in  Chicago,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two 
years.  His  wife  died  in  1866,  aged  forty-seven 
years.  This  couple  was  united  in  their  native 
land  and  came  to  America  in  1851.  They  resided 
in  New  York  five  months  and  subsequently  jour- 
neyed on  to  Chicago.  Patrick  Moran  was  em- 


ployed in  the  Huff  slaughter  house,  and  contin- 
ued there  until  his  death,  when  he  was  mourned 
by  his  relatives  and  many  friends.  Mrs.  Moran 
had  some  brothers,  who  reside  in  Bloomington, 
Illinois,  at  the  present  writing.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patrick  Moran  were  named  as  fol- 
lows: Mary,  John,  William,  James  and  Annie. 

James  Moran  attended  the  Holden  School  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  thirteen  years.  He  then 
entered  the  Bridgeport  Rolling  Mills,  where  he 
earned  steady  promotion.  In  1879  he  went  to 
Joliet,  where  he  spent  some  time  working  in  the 
mills,  and  on  his  return  to  Chicago  resumed  his 
former  employment.  In  May,  1892,  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  Com- 


J.  C.  STOFFREGEN. 


721 


pany,  as  special  policeman.  He  was  subsequently 
interested  in  various  enterprises  until  August  3, 
1895,  when  he  established  a  coal  business  at  No. 
747  East  Sixty-fourth  Street,  and  has  since  been 
located,  in  his  own  interests,  at  this  point. 


Mr.  Moran  is  a  member  of  Tent  Apollo, 
Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  is  highly  respected 
by  his  brothers  in  the  order.  He  is  a  refined  and 
educated  gentleman,  and  stands  high  in  the  esti- 
mation of  all  who  know  him. 


JOHN  C.  STOFFREGEN. 


(JOHN   CONRAD  STOFFREGEN,  who  is  a 
type   of  the  German-American  citizen,  is  a 


most  enterprising  business  man,  having  all 
the  vitality  and  force  characteristic  of  his  race, 
and,  though  not  born  in  the  Land  of  the  Free,  is 
loyal  to  its  interests.  He  was  born  October  15, 
1853,  in  Hanover,  Germany,  a  son  of  Henry 
Stoffregen.  For  mention  of  his  ancestry  refer  to 
the  article  on  the  life  of  T.  F.  Stoffregen,  on  an- 
other page  of  this  work. 

Mr.  Stoffregen  came  to  America  with  his  par- 
ents in  1867,  reaching  Chicago  in  July  of  that 
year.  He  was  first  employed  in  the  sash,  door  and 
blind  factory  of  Hall  &  Winch,  located  on  Clark 
Street,  near  Twelfth  Street.  After  being  thus 
occupied  three  years  he  entered  the  service  of 
Paul  Kleinert,  a  hotel  keeper.  He  was  with  Mr. 
Kleinert  from  1871  to  1878. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Stoffregen  visited  Colorado 
with  the  idea  of  engaging  in  mining.  This  ven- 
ture was  very  successful  and  he  made  a  strike  of 
five  thousand  dollars  for  his  first  important  move. 
He  later  received  fifteen  thousand  as  his  share  in 
another  strike,  and  remained  in  the  West  until 
1884.  On  his  return  to  Chicago  he  started  a 
liquor  establishment  at  the  southwest  corner  of 
Sixty-first  and  Halsted  Streets,  and  subsequently 
sold  it  to  Charles  Wirth.  In  May,  1891,  he 
opened  a  like  business  on  Archer  Avenue,  which 
he  conducted  until  May,  1894.  Since  that  time 
he  has  been  retired  from  active  business.  He  is 


the  owner  of  the  property  at  Nos. 2032-34  Archer 
Avenue,  which  is  improved  by  frame  buildings. 

In  1888  Mr.  Stoffregen  purchased  a  two- story 
flat  building  at  No.  6208  Morgan  Street,  and 
rents  one  flat,  while  he  occupies  the  other  with 
his  family.  He  retains  an  interest  in  a  mine  on 
Clear  Creek,  Lake  County,  Colorado.  He  was 
first  married  in  September,  1884,  to  Minnie, 
daughter  of  Henry  Engle.  She  was  born  in  Ger- 
many and  died  in  this  country  in  1885.  For  his 
second  wife  he  married,  March  10,  1886,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Bliss,  daughter  of  Christopher  Bliss,  a 
native  of  Illinois.  She  died  May  6,  1888.  Feb- 
ruary 26,  1891,  Mr.  Stoffregen  was  married  to 
Miss  Anna,  daughter  of  August  and  Amelia 
(Hossenritter)  Vohl.  She  was  born  in  Apple- 
ton,  Wisconsin,  October  9,  1873 

Mr.  Stoffregen  is  a  member  of  Hutton  Lodge 
No.  398,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
has  passed  through  all  the  chairs.  Mrs.  Stoffre- 
gen is  connected  with  Germania  Lodge  No.  45, 
Daughters  of  Rebekah,  and  is  at  present  the 
Noble  Grand  of  the  lodge.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  German  Order  Isolde  Verein,  and  has  served 
for  a  time  as  financial  secretary.  Mr.  Stoffregen 
votes  in  favor  of  the  Republican  part}'  at  all  times, 
and  has  served  as  judge  of  election. 

He  is  a  fine  example  of  the  Americanized  Ger- 
man of  the  best  type,  and  though  of  small  stature, 
is  possessed  of  much  vitality.  He  has  the  stead- 
fastness of  purpose  and  industry  peculiar  to  his 


722 


VALENTINE  RUSSER.— H.  O.  HANSEN. 


race,  and  his  success  is  proof  of  his  progress  since 
his  first  entrance  into  a  business  career.  Death 
has  seen  fit  to  deprive  him  of  his  partner  twice, 
but  the  present  Mrs.  Stoffregen  is  a  model  woman, 


a  very  charming  lady,  who  would  grace  any 
household.  She  is  well  educated  and  takes 
a  lively  interest  in  questions  of  the  day  and  in 
civic  societies. 


VALENTINE  RUSSER. 


QJALENTINE  RUSSER,  who  was  one  of  the 
\  /  most  promising  young  men  ever  cut  down 
V  by  the  Reaper — Death — was  killed  at  Boone, 
Iowa,  in  the  very  prime  of  manhood,  while  mak- 
ing a  journey  to  Denver,  Colorado.  He  was 
born  May  28,  1839,  being  twenty-nine  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  brass 
moulder  and  married  a  daughter  of  a  very  well- 
known  and  highly  respected  family.  This  lady, 
Mary  Huguelet,  was  born  in  December,  1838,  and 
is  connected  with  the  Chicago  family  of  that  name 
which  is  extensively  represented  in  this  work. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Russer  became  the  parents  of 
four  children,  of  whom  only  one  is  now  living. 
Louisa,  the  oldest,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four 
years.  Julia  lived  to  be  eight  years  of  age,  and 


Henry  died  when  twenty-seven.  He  married 
Clara  Reef,  and  their  children  were  named  Lily 
and  Frances.  John,  the  youngest  of  the  number, 
was  born  March  5,  1862,  and  was  married  May 
22,  1889,  to  Mary  Davis.  Their  children  are  as 
follows:  John  Henry,  born  August  6,  1890; 
Gertrude  Louisa,  April  6,  1892;  and  Thomas 
Edward,  January  7,  1893.  The  family  of  John 
Russer  is  a  very  interesting  one,  and  each  child 
shows  good  breeding  and  does  credit  to  the  rear- 
ing it  has  received. 

Mr.  Russer  is  a  valued  and  respected  employe 
in  the  japanning  department  of  the  American 
Cycle  Company.  He  has  been  with  this  concern 
three  years  and  is  skilled  and  competent  in  this 
line  of  business. 


H.  OLUF  HANSEN. 


NOLUF  HANSEN,  who  is  very  prominent  in 
the  business  of  manufacturing  tobacco  into 
twists  and  snuff,  is  also  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent politicians  and  workers  for  the  city  in  his 
vicinity.     He  has  held  many  public  offices,  and 


is  now  the  possessor  and  conductor  of  a  successful 
business.  Born  November  30,  1844,  in  Denmark, 
he  began  at  an  early  age  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 
sail  maker.  He  served  in  the  Danish  navy  for 
eleven  months  in  1864,  and  came  to  the  United 


C.  F.  BAUM. 


723 


States  in  May  of  the  year  1867.  He  came  direct 
to  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  during  the  first  year 
of  his  residence  in  this  city  sailed  on  the  Great 
Lakes. 

He  subsequently  began  to  occupy  himself  at 
his  chosen  trade,  and  in  1873  obtained  the  position 
of  foreman  at  the  factory  of  David  McCollum. 
Mr.  Hansen  then  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self, at  Nos.  206,  208  Milwaukee  Avenue.  After 
continuing  four  years,  he  was  employed  in  the 
County  Agent's  office,  as  special  agent  to  exam- 
ine applicants  for  aid,  being  able  to  speak  the 
German  and  Scandinavian  languages.  In  1879 
he  was  water  inspector  and  later  division  clerk 
and  subsequently  was  appointed  chief  inspector, 
having  fifty  men  in  his  charge. 

In  1890  and  1891  he  was  West  Town  Collec- 
tor,running  ahead  of  his  ticket  about  two  thousand 


votes  at  the  election  in  1890,  and  about  three 
thousand  in  1891.  He  refused  a  re-nominaticn 
the  next  year.  For  a  period  of  about  ten  years 
he  was  on  the  County  Democratic  Committee,  and 
has  taken  a  great  interest  in  political  matters. 
He  established  his  present  business  in  1885,  and 
since  1892  has  given  it  his  entire  attention.  He 
is  a  past  officer  in  the  order  of  Knights  of  Pythias, 
and  is  now  a  member  of  Denmark  Lodge  No. 
112,  and  is  identified  with  Richard  Yates  Council, 
of  the  Royal  Arcanum. 

Nothing  is  more  conducive  to  the  success  and 
happiness  of  a  man  than  a  congenial  and  helpful 
life  companion.  Such  is  the  harmonious  mind  and 
character  of  the  lady  of  refinement  and  culture 
whom  Mr.  Hansen  obtained  for  a  wife.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1875,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Sophie  F.  N. 
Moller,  a  native  of  Denmark. 


CHRISTOPH  F.  BAUM. 


OHRISTOPH  FREDERICK  BAUM.   Ger- 

I  (  many  loses  many  of  her  best  citizens  by  her 
\J  exacting  military  laws.  In  time  of  peace 
patriotism  does  not  impel  a  man  to  waste  three 
of  the  best  years  of  his  life  in  military  drill  and 
manoeuvre.  If  the  Fatherland  were  threatened  by 
a  foreign  foe  thousands  of  America's  best  citizens 
would  probably  even  now  go  to  her  defense. 

Christoph  Frederick  Baum  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen found  himself  with  a  trade  on  the  threshold 
of  an  active  business  life,  but  compelled  by  the 
laws  of  his  native  land  to  practically  sacrifice 
three  years  in  the  army.  His  thoughts  reverted 
to  our  Land  of  the  Free  and  his  feet  soon  followed 
his  thoughts,  and  he  is  to-day  one  of  the  most 
prominent  business  men  in  the  metropolis  of  the 
West — Chicago. 

He  was  born  January  31,  1853,  in  the  city  of 


Eschwege,  Germany,  a  son  of  Jacob  and  Dorothea 
(Gebhardt)  Baum.  He  attended  school  until 
fourteen  years  of  age,  obtaining  a  practical  edu- 
cation, and  subsequently  learned  the  trade  of 
weaver  and  became  an  expert  in  all  its  lines.  He 
spent  three  years  at  this  occupation.  He  was 
the  only  one  of  his  father's  family  to  emigrate 
from  Germany,  and  reached  Chicago  November 
8,  1872. 

Having  a  taste  for  the  business  of  a  merchant, 
he  purchased  a  lot  of  goods  in  the  spring  of  1873 
and  sold  them  throughout  the  country.  He  fol- 
lowed this  line  of  business  eighteen  months, 
learning  a  great  deal  about  the  country  in  that 
time.  In  the  fall  of  1874  he  entered  the  employ 
of  A.  P.  Fiedler,  located  on  North  Avenue,  deal- 
er in  and  manufacturer  of  dress,  cloak  and  hat 
trimmings.  In  1875  he  became  foreman  of  the 


724 


C.  F.  BAUM. 


concern  and  served  thus  until  September,  1 88 1 . 
He  then  established  a  dress  and  cloak  trim- 
ming business  for  his  own  interest  on  Fifth  Ave- 
nue, having  for  a  partner  Amie  Ernst,  the  firm 
name  being  Baum  &  Ernst.  In  January,  1884, 
Mr.  Baum  purchased  his  partner's  interest,  and 
conducted  business  under  his  individual  name. 
In  January  of  the  next  year  he  admitted  G.  P. 
Gerlach  and  Charles  Wirths  to  partnership,  the 
firm  name  becoming  C.  F.  Baum  &  Company, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  two  years  he  again 
bought  out  his  partners.  Two  years  later  he 
removed  to  Madison  Street,  and  in  January,  1894, 
he  admitted  John  Lefrentz  and  Frank  Wilhelm, 
and  formed  a  corporation  entitled  The  C.  F. 
Baum  Company.  In  November,  1897,  John 
Lefrentz  sold  his  interest  and  retired,  owing  to 
ill-health. 

Mr.  Baum  was  married  February  8,  1876,  to 
Caroline  Kern,  daughter  of  George  Kern.  Mrs. 
Baum  is  a  native  of  Alsace,  France  (now  in  Ger- 
many), and  came  to  America  in  1873.  Her  birth 
occurred  July  12,  1851,  in  the  city  of  Thann. 
The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baum  were 
five  in  number  and  are  accounted  for  as  follows: 
Christoph  Frederick  Edward,  born  December  u, 
1877,  died  October  29,  1892;  Caroline,  born  May 
4,  1879,  died  May  21,  1880;  Oscar  Gustav,  born 
June  3,  1881,  is  employed  in  his  father's  office; 
Emil,  born  August  29,  1883,  died  November  29, 
1883;  Freda  Blanche,  born  September  10,  1888, 
is  a  school  girl,  at  home. 

Mr.  Baum  is  connected  with  Germania  Lodge 
No.  182,  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
He  has  served  in  the  offices  of  Junior  and  Senior 
Warden  and  First  and  Second  Steward.  He  has 
never  risen  higher  in  the  Masonic  order  because 
he  believes  that  the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  order 
is  found  in  the  Blue  Lodge.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baum  are  members  of  the  Normal  Park  Chapter 
No.  211,  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  auxiliary  to 
the  Masons.  He  is  connected  with  Schiller 
Lodge  No.  15,  Knights  of  Pythias,  has  held  all 
offices  in  the  lodge,  and  has  represented  it  six 
terms  in  the  Grand  Lodge.  He  is  independent 
in  political  views,  voting  for  man  rather  than  for 


party.     He  was  reared  a   Protestant  and  is  true 
to  the  teachings  of  his  fathers. 

A  great  lover  of  music,  Mr.  Baum  is  a  patron  of 
musical  organizations.  He  is  an  honorary  member 
of  two  of  the  largest  German  singing  societies  in 
Chicago — the  Sennefelder,  of  the  North  Side,  of 
which  he  has  been  a  member  eighteen  years, 
and  the  Frohsinn,  of  the  South  Side.  Though  he 
does  not  read  music  himself,  he  looks  forward 
with  pleasure  to  the  concerts  given  by  those 
organizations,  and  never  misses  them. 

The  goods  of  the  C.  F.  Baum  Company  re- 
ceived highest  award  at  the  World's  Fair,  1893. 
The  line  of  business  is  peculiar,  and  there  are 
not  more  than  five  first-class  establishments  in 
this  line  in  the  United  States,  two  being  in  New 
York,  one  in  Philadelphia  and  two  in  Chicago. 
Mr.  Baum's  house  ranks  second  only  to  that  of 
his  old  employer,  A.  P.  Fiedler.  The  business 
occupies  two  stories  at  Nos.  220  to  228  East 
Madison  Street,  or  floor  space  of  ninety  by  three 
hundred  eighty  feet,  all  of  which  is  completely 
occupied.  The  machinery  used  is  of  the  latest 
design  and  consists  of  complete  plants  for  braid- 
ing, spinning,  weaving,  knitting,  covering  and 
twisting — in  short,  all  machinery  necessary  for  all 
lines  of  textile  work.  The  firm  manufactures 
about  twenty  different  lines  of  goods,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned,  trimmings  for  ladies' 
and  gentlemen's  wear,  military  suits,  braids  of 
all  kinds  and  millinery  goods.  The  raw  material 
is  practically  all  imported — the  silk  coming  from 
China  and  Japan,  gold  and  silver  from  Germany, 
and  mohair  from  England. 

The  concern  has  six  traveling  salesmen,  who 
are  on  the  road  nearly  all  the  year.  When  Mr. 
Baum  came  to  America  he  was  still  in  his  minor- 
ity and  was  under  obligations  to  his  parents.  He 
therefore  sent  them  part  of  his  earnings,  not 
because  they  particularly  needed  it  nor  that  they 
exacted  it,  but  from  his  sense  of  justice.  He 
showed  that  a  dutiful  son  could  complete  his  ma- 
jority away  from  home  without  the  aid  of  his  par- 
ents, and  still  fulfill  the  requirements  of  such  a 
son,  although  thousands  of  miles  removed  from 
their  loving  presence. 


P.  J.  THORNUM. 


725 


He  is  now  a  man  of  domestic  tastes  and  has  a 
delightful  home,  magnificently  furnished,  located 
at  No.  6543  Lafayette  Avenue,  where  he  has 
resided  for  the  past  nine  years.  His  two  children 
have  every  advantage  that  life  and  the  improve- 
ments in  the  city  of  to-day  can  give  them.  The 
son  assists  his  father  in  his  office,  and  the  daugh- 
ter gives  her  attention  to  her  studies  and  especial- 
ly to  music.  That  Mr.  Baum  is  a  natural  leader 


is  demonstrated  in  his  business  career.  He  was 
not  with  his  old  employer  long  before  he  was 
managing  the  business.  Such  a  man  does  not 
remain  employed  longer  than  pecuniary  condi- 
tions require,  and  much  time  did  not  elapse 
until  Mr.  Baum  was  at  the  head  of  his  own  estab- 
lishment. He  is  now  in  a  leading  position  in  the 
business  of  the  country  and  has  the  best  wishes 
of  his  friends. 


PETER  J.  THORNUM. 


QETER  J.  THORNUM.  Many  men  in  the 
yr  great  whirl  of  the  business  and  social  world 
J«9  of  the  city  of  Chicago  are  prominent  in  one 
line  or  manner,  and  obscure  and  unheard  of  in 
other  enterprises.  Eminent  and  honored  is  the 
one  who  succeeds  in  the  political,  business  or  so- 
cial history  of  his  time.  Peter  J.  Thornum  has 
made  a  place  for  himself  in  the  political  world,  by 
strict  attention  to  the  local  affairs  of  his  neigh- 
borhood, and  still  stricter  notice  of  the  national 
matters  concerning  the  people  of  his  adopted 
country.  He  has  been  recognized  as  a  leader, 
and  partially  recompensed  with  various  offices  in 
the  gift  of  the  people. 

He  has  become  well  known  in  the  business 
world  by  his  enterprising  dealings  and  a  display 
of  tact  and  trustworthiness  to  those  with  whom 
he  has  associated.  Beginning  on  a  small  scale, 
he  has  been  the  head  of  a  business  which  em- 
ployed many  men.  He  has  become  prominent 
socially  through  his  attention  and  practical  aid 
to  fraternal  organizations. 

His  parents  reside  in  Denmark,  where  he  was 
born  March  10,  1844.  He  was  reared  in  the  re- 
gion of  his  birth  until  he  reached  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  and  was  then  employed  as  cook  on  a 
vessel,  leading  the  life  of  the  average  seaman 


until  seventeen  years  old,  when  he  was  promoted 
to  mate.  His  history  goes  to  show  that  he  was 
bound  to  succeed  in  whatever  he  undertook.  In 
1862  he  entered  the  United  States  navy,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  service  four  years.  In  1866  he 
sailed  on  the  Great  Lakes  between  Buffalo  and 
New  York,  and  in  the  same  year  he  located  in 
Chicago,  still  continuing  on  the  Great  Lakes,  but 
making  this  city  his  home.  In  1870,  while  mate 
of  the  vessel '  'Badger  State, ' '  he  was  shipwrecked , 
and  the  vessel  was  lost,  though  the  passengers 
were  all  rescued.  He  continued  sailing  until 
1871,  when  he  was  again  shipwrecked  on  the 
schooner  "Sevant,"  which  went  down  five  miles 
from  shore,  and  everyone  on  board  was  lost  ex- 
cept Mr.  Thornum,  who  was  picked  up  by  a 
passing  vessel  next  morning.  The  vessel  left 
Chicago  the  day  of  the  never-to-be-forgotten  con- 
flagration of  1871,  the  weather  at  the  time  being 
very  cold. 

Mr.  Thornum  then  abandoned  life  on  the  lakes 
and  followed  the  occupation  of  painter,  doing  con- 
tracting, and  employing  many  men  in  his  business. 
He  continued  to  be  thus  occupied  until  1884, 
when  he  located  in  Winslow,  Jackson  &  Talman's 
subdivision,  erecting  a  residence  on  Seymour 
Street.  In  1877  he  removed  the  house  to  his 


726 


HENRY  MALZACHER. 


present  location,  at  No.  704  West  North  Avenue. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  to  locate  on  that  street 
and,  while  still  contracting  for  painting,  in  1880, 
he  engaged  as  agent  for  fire  insurance  and  has 
continued  in  that  business  since.  His  store,  es- 
tablished in  1877,  was  the  first  on  North  Avenue. 
He  transacts  more  insurance  business  than  any 
other  agent  in  that  part  of  the  city.  He  repre- 
sents the  German  of  Freeport  and  the  Milwaukee 
Mechanics'  Insurance  Companies. 

In  1869  Mr.  Thornum  was  married  to  Miss 
Christina  Jepsen,  a  resident  of  Chicago,  but  a 
native  of  Denmark,  having  come  to  America  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years.  Their  four  children  are 
named:  Frederick,  Emma,  Selma  and  Thyra,  and 
all  reside  at  home.  Fred  is  watchman  for  the 
Board  of  Education  and  Selma  is  attending  the 
Chicago  Business  College. 

Mr.  Thornum  always  favored  the  Democratic 


party  with  his  influence,  and  has  been  water  and 
building  inspector,  besides  holding  various 
other  offices.  In  1882  he  was  nominated  for 
the  office  of  state  senator,  as  the  opponent  of 
William  E.  Mason.  He  is  a  member  of  Wicker 
Park  Lodge  No.  281,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  and  has  been  through  the  chairs.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Danish  Brotherhood,  and 
many  other  societies.  He  was  vice-president, 
representing  the  West  Side,  of  the  Democratic 
County  Central  Committee,  with  which  he  has 
been  identified  several  years,  at  the  same  time 
that  Charles  Thornton  was  vice-president  from 
the  South  Side.  Mr.  Thornum  participates  in  all 
important  political  matters,  and  is  authority  on 
all  happenings  since  his  residence  in  Chicago. 
He  is  manager  of  the  Chicago  edition  of  the  Dan- 
ish Pioneer,  the  largest  and  most  important  Danish 
paper  in  America. 


HENRY  MALZACHER. 


HENRY  MALZACHER  is  a  member  of  one 
of  the  oldest  German-American  families  that 
settled  in  Chicago,  if  not  the  very  first 
one  that  located  permanently  in  this  city.  He 
enjoys  the  distinction  of  having  been  the  first 
male  child  born  in  Chicago  of  German  parents. 
He  first  opened  his  eyes  to  a  view  of  this  world 
December  7,  1836,  on  Lake  Street,  between  La 
Salle  and  Wells  Streets,  the  latter  street  being 
now  Fifth  Avenue.  His  parents  were  Louis  and 
Mary  (Beimann)  Malzacher. 

Louis  Malzacher  was  a  native  of  Alsace  and 
came  to  America  about  1826,  locating  in  New 
Orleans.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  re- 
mained in  New  Orleans  until  about  1832  or  1833, 
when  he  came  to  Chicago  on  account  of  yellow 
fever  being  epidemic  in  the  former  city .  In  this 
city  he  married  Miss  Mary  Beimann  and  Henry 


was  the  second  child  born  to  them,  the  first  hav- 
ing died  in  infancy.  Louis  Malzacher  worked  at 
his  trade  a  few  years,  and  owing  to  failing  health 
and  eyesight,  he  engaged  in  keeping  tavern, 
general  store  and  saloon,  or,  as  his  son,  Henry, 
now  terms  it,  "a  department  store." 

He  was  a  successful  business  man  and  accu- 
mulated a  large  property.  He  died  in  Chicago 
in  1868,  aged  sixty-eight  years,  his  wife  surviv- 
ing him  until  the  spring  of  1887.  They  were 
parents  of  eleven  children,  four  of  whom  are  still 
living,  namely:  Henry,  the  subject  of  this  notice; 
Caroline,  wife  of  Ferdinand  Lott,  of  No.  697 
Wells  Street;  Louis,  of  No.  655  North  Park  Ave- 
nue ;  and  William  L. ,  of  No.  2924  Armour  Avenue. 

Henry  Malzacher  received  a  part  of  his  educa- 
tion in  the  Roman  Catholic  parish  school  and 
attended  night  school  for  a  time.  At  the  age  of 


AUGUST  WENDEL. 


727. 


fifteen  years  he  began  learning  the  trade  of 
watchmaker  and  served  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years.  He  was  occupied  at  this  trade  a 
number  of  years,  and  up  to  1868  was  in  the 
jewelry  business  at  No.  160  North  Clark  Street, 
at  which  time  he  sold  out  on  account  of  failing 
eyesight.  He  then  engaged  in  dealing  in  flour, 
continuing  until  the  fire  of  1871,  which  destroyed 
the  business. 

Since  that  time  he  has  not  been  in  business  on 
his  own  account,  but  has  lived  somewhat  retired. 
He  has  taken  considerable  interest  in  public 
affairs  and  was  elected,  in  1884,  south  town 
clerk,  and  was  subsequently  for  some  time  deputy 


collector.  He  was  at  one  time  a  Republican, 
but  has  supported  the  Democratic  party  since 
1884.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Turn- 
gemeinde  and  Germania  Lodge  No.  2,  Knights 
of  Pythias. 

In  1866  Mr.  Malzacher  married  Miss  Vironaja 
Storch,  who  was  born  in  Germany  and  came  to 
Chicago  at  the  age  of  four  years.  They  had  five 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Ada  and 
Henry.  The  mother  died  in  1879. 

At  the  first  German  Old  Settlers'  picnic  held  in 
Chicago  the  mother  of  Mr.  Malzacher  was 
awarded  a  silver  medal  for  being  the  first  female 
German  settler  in  Chicago. 


AUGUST  WENDEL. 


GlUGUST  WENDEL  was  born  October  n, 
LJ  1838,  near  the  River  Rhine,  in  the  parish  of 
/  I  Berkenfeldt,  Grosherzog  Akum  Odenburg, 
Germany,  and  is  a  son  of  Carl  and  Caroline  (Kohl- 
mann)  Wendel,  who  had  ten  children,  only  three 
of  whom  came  to  the  United  States.  Philip  came 
in  1854,  and  lives  in  Ottawa,  Illinois.  August 
came  in  1856  and  John  in  1870,  and  the  latter 
now  lives  at  No.  2220  State  Street,  with  his  son, 
Peter  Wendel. 

August  Wendel  was  educated  in  the  parish 
school  of  his  native  place,  which  he  left  at  the  age 
of  seventeen  years  to  learn  the  trade  of  black- 
smith and  wagon-maker.  He  served  an  appren- 
ticeship of  three  years  and  became  very  competent 
in  this  line.  March  3,  1856,  he  sailed  from 
Havre,  France,  on  the  sailing-ship  "Havre." 
The  trip  to  New  York  occupied  thirty -three  days, 
and  he  traveled  directly  to  Chicago  after  reaching 
America. 

He  was  employed  on  Milwaukee  Avenue  by 
August  Steinhaus  one  year,  and  by  Reis  Brothers 


the  same  length  of  time.  He  established  a  busi- 
ness for  his  own  interests  at  No.  1495  Milwaukee 
Avenue,  and  carried  on  the  manufacture  of  wagons 
and  carriages  for  a  term  of  twenty-eight  years,  in 
which  business  his  sons  have  succeeded  him. 
He  was  a  very  energetic  and  ambitious  business 
man,  and  was  successful  as  a  consequence  of  this 
fact.  In  1880  he  was  elected  to  the  Thirty -third 
General  Assembly  of  Illinois,  serving  two  years. 

In  1886  Mr.  Wendel  erected  Wendel  Hall  and 
Opera  House,  and  has  since  conducted  a  first- 
class  catering  establishment  and  entertainment 
hall.  He  has  always  taken  an  active  interest  in 
politics  and  was  formerly  a  Republican  and  was 
elected  to  the  legislature  as  such,  but  changed  to 
a  Democrat  on  the  expiration  of  his  term.  He  is 
a  staunch  worker  for  his  party,  and  is  always  to 
be  found  at  the  front  in  arguments  on  political 
questions. 

Mr.  Wendel  is  a  member  of  the  Harugari  So- 
ciety, and  Independent  Order  of  Mutual  Aid  of 
Illinois.  He  is  also  connected  with  the  Knights 


E.  A.  HOLMES.— AMBROSE  SAUER. 


and  Ladies  of  Honor.  March  3,  1859,  he  was 
married  to  Elizabeth  Rausch,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  a  pleasant  and  helpful  life  companion. 
Ten  children  were  born  to  this  couple,  of  whom 
six  are  still  living,  namely:  Louise;  Lena,  wife  of 


Charles  Quinten,  of  Chicago;  August,  George, 
Edward  and  Emma.  The  family  is  one  of  peace 
and  harmony,  one  of  the  most  highly  respected  in 
the  community,  and  each  of  the  children  is  a 
credit  to  the  name  they  bear. 


ELIAS  A.  HOLMES. 


(T  LIAS  AVERY  HOLMES,  who  is  one  of  the 
1^  rising  citizens  of  Chicago,  was  born  Decem- 
|_  ber  17,  1842,  a  son  of  Dennison  and  Eliza- 
beth (Reinhardt)  Holmes.  With  his  parents 
and  six  other  children  he  came  to  Rock  Coun- 
ty, Wisconsin,  in  1854. 

Elias  Avery  Holmes  remained  with  his  parents 
and  assisted  in  the  labors  of  the  farm  until  1860, 
when  he  came  to  Chicago.  He  spent  four  win- 
ters in  college  at  Beloit,  and  received  a  fair  edu- 
cation, which  stood  him  in  good  stead  in  after 
years.  On  his  arrival  in  Chicago  he  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Rock  River  Paper  Company,  and 
after  two  years  returned  to  the  home  of  his 
parents. 


Subsequent  to  a  short  visit  at  home  he  returned 
to  the  western  metropolis,  and  was  in  the  service 
of  the  Rock  River  Paper  Company  one  year 
longer.  In  1873  Mr.  Holmes  established  a  livery 
business  at  the  corner  of  Thirty-fifth  Street  and 
Michigan  Avenue.  He  is  at  this  location  at  the 
present  time,  and  deals  in  horses,  buying  and 
selling  at  a  profit. 

In  1868  Mr.  Holmes  was  married  to  Miss 
Annie  E.  Trusdell,  a  native  of  Montgomery  Coun- 
ty, New  York.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  one  child,  named  Sane.  Mr.  Holmes  is  a 
loyal  citizen  and  is  influential  at  all  times  for  the 
good  of  those  surrounding  him.  He  is  a  man  of 
strong  character  and  possessed  of  many  friends. 


AMBROSE  SAUER. 


Gl  MBROSE  SAUER,  who  has  a  finely  fitted 
LJ  establishment  and  a  thriving  business  on 
/  I  the  South  Side,  is  a  German- American  of  the 
typical  sturdy  kind,  energetic  and  persevering. 
He  was  born  August  16,  1857,  in  Bavaria,  a  son 


of  Andrew  and  Eva  (Weidinger)  Sauer.  His  par- 
ents were  ambitious  to  partake  of  the  advan- 
tages offered  in  America,  and  with  their  three 
children  emigrated  from  their  native  land  and  ar- 
rived in  Chicago  in  1866. 


HENRY  NiJRNBERGER. 


729 


Ambrose  Sauer  was  educated  in  a  German 
Catholic  school,  where  he  continued  until  he  was 
thirteen  years  of  age,  when  he  started  to  learn  the 
cigar-maker's  trade,  in  the  employ  of  Fred  Kukle, 
located  at  No.  440  North  Clark  Street.  After  one 
year  he  changed  to  the  service  of  Joseph  Schabel, 
located  at  No.  156  North  Clark  Street,  with 
whom  he  remained  five  years.  The  establish- 
ment was  burned  out  at  the  end  of  that  time  and 
removed  to  the  corner  of  Cottage  Grove  Avenue 
and  Twenty-fifth  Street. 

Mr.  Sauer  was  located  at  different  places  until 
1883,  when  he  became  bar-keeper  for  Frederick 
Klein,  in  his  place  at  the  corner  of  State  and 
Twenty-third  Streets.  He  remained  with  this 
concern  seventeen  years,  and  then  opened  a  busi- 
ness of  his  own  at  No.  5516  State  Street,  in  De- 


cember, 1891.  He  has  been  established  at  this 
location  since,  with  a  catering  business  of  a  first- 
class  kind. 

June  4,  1894,  Mr.  Sauer  was  married  to  Miss 
Bertha,  daughter  of  Frederick  W.  Klein,  and 
took  up  his  residence  at  No.  5044  Cottage  Grove 
Avenue.  One  child,  Minnie,  was  born  June  2, 
1895.  Mrs.  Sauer  died  June  2,  1895,  mourned 
by  her  husband  and  many  friends  and  relatives, 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three  years.  Ambrose  Sauer 
was  married  January  20,  1898,  to  Miss  Annie 
Wiehler,  who  was  born  August  16,  1875. 

Mr.  Sauer  has  a  splendid  business  and  a  fine 
reputation.  He  is  independent  in  political  views, 
preferring  to  vote  for  the  man  rather  than  for 
party.  He  was  reared  a  Roman  Catholic  and  is 
true  to  the  teachings  of  his  people. 


HENRY  NURNBERGER. 


HENRY  NtJRNBERGER,  a  true  citizen  of 
Chicago  and  one  of  the  highly  respected 
and  honored  members  of  the  community 
where  he  resides,  was  born  October  19,  1859,  on 
Pacific  Avenue,  near  Polk  Street,  Chicago,  and 
is  a  son  of  Henry  John  and  Emily  (Hausler) 
Niirnberger.  For  further  mention  of  ancestry, 
refer  to  article  on  the  life  of  Henry  John  Niirn- 
berger, on  another  page  of  this  work. 

Henry  Niirnberger  attended  the  Jones  and 
Haven  Schools  and  also  spent  some  time  in  the 
Douglas  School,  until  he  was  thirteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  entered  the  vast  school  of  exper- 
ience. He  entered  the  employ  of  Field,  Leiter 
&  Company,  as  cash  and  bundle  boy,  where  he  re- 
mained one  year.  Mr.  Niirnberger  subsequently 
learned  the  trade  of  barber,  with  his  father,  and 
was  for  some  time  at  the  head  of  his  father's 
business,  located  at  No.  2968  State  Street. 

October  i,  1880,  Mr.    Niirnberger  entered  the 


Government  postoffice  service  and  has  served 
regularly  up  to  the  present  time.  He  was  married 
May  13,  1886,  to  Miss  Mamie  I.,  daughter  of 
Frederick  J.  and  Carrie  (Steele)  Cune,  who  has 
proven  a  helpmate  in  time  of  trouble  and  joy, 
and  is  conducive,  by  her  congenial  nature,  to  the 
general  welfare  of  her  husband. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Niirnberger  are 
two  interesting  daughters,  named  as  follows: 
Hazel  Emily,  who  was  born  February  21,  1887, 
and  Marie  Jeanette,  born  November  9,  1892.  Mr. 
Niirnberger  was  made  a  Mason  in  1893,  in  Garden 
City  Lodge  No.  139,  and  has  taken  all  degrees  to 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  Mr.  Niirnberger  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  a  Protestant.  He  is  a  man  of  true 
principles  and  is  stanch  and  loyal  to  any  cause  to 
which  he  lends  his  influence.  He  is  recognized 
as  a  valued  citizen,  and  is  ready  at  all  times  to 
do  what  lies  in  his  power  for  the  promotion  of 
the  good  of  humanity.  Being  of  a  very  thrifty 


73« 


F.  G.  LONG.— W.  M.  BLACKBURN. 


nature,  Mr.  Niirnberger  was  enabled,  in  1894,  to 
erect  a  three- story  building  containing  three  flats, 
located  at  No.  5830  Indiana  Avenue. 

Frederick  J.  Cune  was  born  January  10,  1843, 
on  Lake  Street,  near  Fifth  Avenue.  At  that 
time  the  city  was  a  comparative  village,  and  Mr. 
Cune  witnessed  its  growth  until  March  12,  1888, 
when  he  died,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in 
Oakwoods  Cemetery.  He  was  a  jeweler,  and  was 


located  on  State  Street,  near  Van  Buren  Street, 
until  the  fire,  when  he  was  burned  out  and  lived 
retired  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  erected  a 
home  on  Dearborn  Street,  near  Thirty-fifth  Street. 
Mr.  Cune  was  married  June  13,  1863,  to  Miss 
Carrie  Steele,  who  was  born  February  i,  1849, 
in  Buffalo,  New  York.  She  died  October  13, 
1880.  Her  children  were  two  in  number,  name- 
ly: Mrs.  Nurnberger  and  Frederick. 


FREDERICK  G.  LONG. 


[7  REDBRICK  GEORGE  LONG,  who  is  one 
Ty  of  the  most  respected  and  honored  citizens 
|  in  the  vicinity  where  he  resides,  was  born 
August  22,  1857,  in  Devonshire,  England.  His 
parents,  Henry  and  Rebecca  (Spiller)  Long,  came 
of  very  old  families.  They  came  to  America 
with  their  four  children  in  1868,  and  located  in 
Chicago. 

Frederick  G.  Long  attended  the  Hayes  School 
three  years,  and  then  became  cash  boy  for  Mar- 
shall Field  &  Company.  After  one  year  he  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Hovey  Company,  and  in 
October,  1871,  was  employed  by  GOSS&  Phillips, 
in  a  planing  mill,  where  he  remained  one  year. 
He  then  went  to  Martin's  meat  market  on  Four- 
teenth Street,  between  State  Street  and  Wabash 


Avenue,  where  he  remained  six  years.  He  drove 
a  wagon  for  H.  M.  Kinsley  eighteen  months,  and 
was  six  years  in  the  draught  room  at  Chapin  & 
Gore's.  He  was  employed  at  the  stock  yards  by 
Armour  &  Company  two  years,  and  one  year  he 
was  with  F.  A.  Crandall.  After  one  year  in  the 
Pabst  meat  market,  he  entered  the  store  of  Burk 
&  Burns,  who  deal  in  meats  also. 

Mr.  Long  was  married  in  1881  to  Bridget 
Meaney,  a  native  of  Ireland.  Their  two  children 
were  named  Lora  and  Blanche.  Mr.  Long  has  a 
very  pleasant  home  at  No.  6339  Cottage  Grove 
Avenue,  and  his  domestic  life  is  one  of  harmony 
and  peace.  He  is  well  known  and  honored  by 
all  who  come  in  contact  with  his  gentlemanly, 
genial  nature. 


WILLIAM  M.  BLACKBURN. 


M.  BLACKBURN,  who  comes  of 
the  well-known  and  respected  family  by 
his  surname,  was  born  February  26,  1856, 
in  Burnley,  England.  For  ancestry  refer  to  article 
on  the  life  of  Adam  Blackburn,  on  another  page 


of  this  work.  He  attended  the  Skinner  and 
Kinzie  public  schools,  and  left  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen years.  He  continued  in  the  employ  of  the 
Thompson  &  Taylor  Spice  Company,  and  was 
occupied  at  packing  spices.  In  January,  1872, 


W.  S.  BIELFELDT.— C.  C.  SOIBERG. 


he  entered  the  office  and  was  there  until  May  5, 
1875,  when  he  became  city  salesman  for  the  con- 
cern. He  has  been  thus  employed  since,  having 
been  identified  with  this  company  since  July,  1867. 
Mr.  Blackburn  is  identified  with  the  Free  Ma- 
sons, being  a  member  of  Lincoln  Park  Chapter 
No.  611,  and  of  Haven  Council  No.  43,  of 
the  Royal  League.  He  was  not  reared  an  Epis- 


copalian, but  belongs  to  that  denomination  and 
wields  an  influence  for  good.  He  votes  in  favor 
of  the  candidates  of  the  Republican  party  and  is 
always  found  on  their  side,  in  argument.  He 
erected  a  residence  at  No.  81  Seminary  Avenue 
in  1874,  and  has  one  of  the  most  pleasant  homes 
in  that  vicinity.  He  is  a  respected  citizen,  hon- 
ored by  all  his  friends  and  acquaintances. 


WILLIAM  S.  BIELFELDT. 


|3G)ILLIAM  SIMON  BIELFELDT,  who  is 
\  A  /  one  °^  *^e  most  enterprising  young  citizens 
YY  of  the  .city  of  Chicago  at  the  present 
time,  is  a  progressive,  business-like  man,  and 
holds  a  responsible  and  honorable  position  as 
cashier  in  the  county  treasurer's  office.  He  was 
born  November  17,  1860,  at  Thornton,  Illinois, 
and  is  a  son  of  John  Simon  and  Criscentia 
(Ladoux)  Bielfeldt,  of  whom  further  mention  is 
found  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Bielfeldt  received  an  education  by  going 
through  the  public  school  of  Thornton  and  at- 
tending business  college.  After  taking  a  business 
course  at  the  latter  school  he  entered  the  county 
treasurer's  office  under  W.  T.  Johnston,  as  cash 
boy.  He  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  col- 
lector, which  he  occupied  two  years  before  being 
made  cashier,  which  position  he  occupies  at  the 
present  time,  having  held  it  seven  years. 


June  30,  1886,  Mr.  Bielfeldt  was  married  to  Miss 
Catherine,  daughther  of  Claus  and  Catherine 
(Schmidt)  Jurgensen.  They  became  the  parents 
of  John,  Robert,  Walter  Claus,  and  an  infant  son, 
of  which  the  two  first  named  are  dead.  Mr. 
Bielfeldt  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason,  having  taken  the 
degrees  in  May,  1898,  in  Normal  Park  Lodge  No. 
797,  and  Normal  Park  Chapter  No.  210.  He 
has  never  sought  publicity  in  political  matters, 
but  votes  in  favor  of  the  Republican  candidates 
at  all  times. 

Mr.  Bielfeldt  is  one  of  the  rising  young  men 
and  his  ability,  steadfastness  of  purpose  and  good 
qualities  are  demonstrated  by  the  fact  of  his  long 
continued  service  in  the  county  treasurer's  office. 
He  is  a  cultured,  refined  gentleman,  and  comes  of 
very  good  families.  His  home  is  one  of  peace 
and  harmony,  and  he  is  very  domestic  in  his 
tastes,  which  is  to  the  credit  of  any  man. 


CHRISTIAN  C    SOIBERG. 


CHRISTIAN  CHRISTIENSEN  SOIBERG. 
I  (  It  should  be  a  source  of  great  encouragement 
U  to  note  how  many  of  the  business  men  who 
have  gained  financial  independence  in  Chicago 


have  risen  by  their  own  efforts  from  poverty. 
And  it  should  be  a  source  of  satisfaction  to  note 
that  the  key  to  their  success,  industry  and  fru- 
gality, is  within  the  reach  of  all.  Such  is  the 


732 


AUGUST  LARSEN. 


lesson  to  be  learned  from  the  life  of  the  man 
whose  name  heads  this  article,  who,  coming  to 
America  from  a  foreign  land  with  no  capital  but 
his  own  hands  has  won  for  himself  a  name  among 
the  respected  and  substantial  citizens  of  this  city. 
He  was  born  in  Denmark  May  4,  1850,  and 
spent  his  boyhood  and  early  manhood  in  that 
country;  receiving  such  educational  training  as 
his  circumstances  would  permit,  and  then  work- 
ing for  his  daily  bread.  In  1873  he  left  his  native 
land  and,  crossing  the  Atlantic,  stopped  a  short 
time  in  Albany,  New  York,  where  he  found  em- 
ployment as  a  laborer.  The  next  year  he  con- 
tinued his  journey  westward  to  Chicago,  and  for 
awhile  worked  in  various  capacities  until  he  had 
saved  enough  money  to  embark  in  business.  He 
then  opened  a  small  coal  office  at  No.  450  West 
Chicago  Avenue,  where  he  continued  nine  years, 


with  his  usual  energy  and  economy.  He  was 
then  able,  in  1890,  to  purchase  two  lots  atNos. 
664  and  666  West  Chicago  Avenue,  where  he 
erected  a  three-story  building  and  still  conducts 
a  prosperous  business,  dealing  in  coal,  wood, 
flour  and  feed.  He  also  conducts  a  sale  stable  for 
horses.  The  second  story  of  his  building  is  his 
residence,  and  the  third  is  rented  as  a  flat. 

In  1879  Mr.  Soiberg  was  married  to  Miss 
Engeborg  Rowne,  who  was  born  in  Denmark. 
They  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  Thomas, 
Arthur  and  Alice,  all  of  whom  were  born  in 
Chicago.  The  subject  of  this  notice  is  a  member 
of  Norden  Lodge  No.  699,  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  in  which  he  has  held  various 
offices.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Danish  Mu- 
tual Aid  Society.  The  family  is  identified  with 
the  Danish  Lutheran  Church. 


AUGUST  LARSEN. 


Gl  UGUST  LARSEN,  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
LJ  was  born  in  Sjellund,  Denmark,  August  13, 
/  I  1856,  and  is  the  youngest  of  the  six  children 
of  Lars  Hansen  and  Christine  Jensen,  both  na- 
tives of  the  same  place. 

He  passed  his  boyhood  in  his  native  town,  at- 
tending the  local  schools  until  the  age  of  four- 
teen years  and  afterwards  working  with  his  fa- 
ther two  years.  He  then  traveled  with  a  circus 
four  years,  visiting  many  cities  in  the  Old  World 
and  having  many  interesting  experiences. 

On  his  return  to  Sjellund  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Light  Artil- 
lery, and  served  in  that  capacity  eighteen  months 
He  was  then  promoted  to  the  position  of  wagoner, 
and  while  in  Copenhagen  he  handled  a  span  of 
horses  valued  at  three  thousand  dollars. 

Leaving  his  native  town  in  1881  Mr.  Larsen 
came  direct  to  Chicago,  but  did  not  locate  per- 


manently here  at  that  time,  going  on  to  Manis- 
tee,  Michigan,  where  he  engaged  in  teaming  for 
a  period  of  four  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Chicago  and  followed  the  same  business  until 
1892,  when  he  received  an  appointment  to  the 
police  force  of  this  city,  under  Mayor  Wash- 
burne.  He  was  a  member  of  that  body  until 
October  26,  1897,  when  he  engaged  in  a  partner- 
ship with  Peter  G.  Petersen,  at  No.  249 
West  Chicago  Avenue,  where  they  are  located  at 
present. 

Mr.  Larsen  married  Miss  Justine  Johnson,  Oc- 
tober 10,  1884.  Mrs.  Larsen  is  a  native  of 
Sweden.  Their  family  consists  of  two  children; 
they  are  John  P.  and  Robert  R.,  both  of  whom 
are  native  Chicagoans. 

Mr.  Larseu  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order, 
belonging  to  Union  Park  Lodge  No.  610.  He 
is  also  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of 


C.  A.  HENTSCH.— J.  E.  BLACKBURN. 


733 


Foresters  and  the  Dauish  Benevolent  Associa- 
tion, and  is  an  active  worker  in  all  these  organi- 
zations. 

He  is  a  firm  believer  in  Republican  principles, 


but  is  sufficiently  liberal  to  vote  for  the  candidate 
he  considers  best  suited  for  official  responsibilities. 
He  is  essentially  a  self-made  man,  and  is  highly 
esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 


CHARLES  A.  HENTSCH. 


HARLES  AUGUST  HENTSCH,  one  of  the 
valued  and  highly  respected  employes  of  the 
v  vast  manufacturing  concern  of  Gray  &  Tut- 
hill,  was  born  September  17,  1 86 1,  on  a  farm  at 
Tinley  Park,  Cook  County,  Illinois,  son  of  Fred- 
erick and  Fredricka  (Henneberg)  Hentsch.  Be- 
ing a  native  of  the  State,  Charles  August 
Hentsch  takes  proper  pride  in  the  prosperity  of 
the  people  in  the  vicinity  and  is  ready  at  all 
times  to  exercise  any  influence  he  may  have  for 
the  benefit  of  the  same. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  until  he 
was  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  resided  on  his  fa- 
ther's farm  until  1883.  He  subsequently  came 
to  Chicago  and  was  in  the  service  of  Fred  Gates, 
situated  at  No.  221  Twenty-fourth  Place.  Mr. 
Gates  dealt  in  stone  and  Mr.  Hentsch  was  with 
him  until  five  years  later,  when  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Purington  &  Kimbell,  Builders'  Ex- 


change, for  one  year.  He  was  one  year  with 
Harry  Kenkel,  and  until  1893  with  May,  Pur- 
ington &  Bonner.  Since  that  time  he  has  been 
shipping  clerk  for  Gray  &  Tuthill,  manufacturers 
of  brick,  located  at  the  corner  of  Sixty-third  and 
La  Salle  Streets. 

Mr.  Hentsch  has  resided  at  No.  5930  La  Salle 
Street  since  1898.  He  was  married  April  2,  1891, 
to  Miss  Mary,  daughter  of  Peter  Folschweiler. 
Mrs.  Hentsch  was  born  December  10,  1860,  and 
died  April  13,  1895,  and  her  remains  were  interred 
in  Oakwoods  Cemetery.  Mr.  Hentsch  greatly 
mourned  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  was  a  congenial, 
pleasant  companion,  and  a  true  partner  of  his 
joys  and  sorrows.  He  is  an  influential  member 
of  the  German  Lutheran  Church,  and  is  inde- 
pendent in  his  political  views.  He  is  a  man  of 
many  friends,  and  of  upright  character,  honored 
by  all  who  make  his  acquaintance. 


JOHN  E.  BLACKBURN. 


(TOHN  EDWIN  BLACKBURN.  Many  of  the 
I  citizens  of  Chicago  who  hold  positions  of 
(•/  great  trust  and  responsibility  have  risen 
from  the  humblest  employment  and  are,  there- 
fore, much  to  be  admired  for  their  perseverance. 
One  of  the  trusted  and  valued  employes  of  the 


Thompson  &  Taylor  Spice  Company  is  John  Ed- 
win Blackburn.  He  was  born  March  17,  1858, 
in  Burnley,  Lancastershire,  England,  a  son  of 
Adam  and  Elizabeth  Blackburn.  For  further 
mention  of  his  ancestry  refer  to  article  on  the  life 
of  Adam  Blackburn,  on  another  page  of  this  work. 


734 


E.  T.  KINGSBURY. 


After  attending  the  Ogdeu  and  Kinzie  Schools 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  be- 
came office  boy  in  the  office  of  the  Lakeside 
Magazine,  which  position  he  held  two  years.  He 
then  entered  the  mill  of  Thompson  &  Taylor, 
spice  dealers,  located  at  No.  29  South  Canal 
Street,  and  has  been  identified  with  this  concern 
since  1872.  He  was  in  the  mill  ten  years  before 
he  was  given  a  position  in  the  office,  as  clerk. 
He  then  went  among  the  city  jobbing  trade,  as 
salesman,  and  was  thus  occupied  twelve  years. 
For  the  past  two  years  Mr.  Blackburn  has  been 
a  department  manager  in  the  store,  and  gives 
perfect  satisfaction  in  his  trying  and  responsible 
position. 


Mr.  Blackburn  was  married  August  14,  1883, 
to  Minnie  Blanche,  daughter  of  Samuel  Thomas 
and  Elvira  (Scott)  Smith.  Mrs.  Blackburn  was 
born  in  Macomb,  Illinois.  The  first  child  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Blackburn  was  Alice,  who  died  at  the 
age  of  four  years.  The  others  were  named: 
George  Thomas,  Frank  Keys,  John  Willard  and 
Foster.  Mr.  Blackburn  is  a  Republican  in  polit- 
ical principle.  He  has  been  a  resident  of  Engle- 
wood  more  than  fourteen  years,  and  is  honored 
and  respected  by  his  neighbors.  He  is  valuable 
to  his  employers,  being  conscientious  and  pains- 
taking, and  has  risen  from  a  low  position  to  one 
of  the  highest.  He  is  thoroughly  educated  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  the  spice  business. 


EDWARD  T.   KINGSBURY. 


(TOWARD  THOMAS  KINGSBURY,  one  of 
j^  the  enterprising  and  successful  citizens  of 
L_  Chicago,  was  born  February  28,  1842.  His 
parents,  Edward  and  Elizabeth  (Hyde)  Kings- 
bury,  resided  in  St.  Andrews,  Ontario,  Canada, 
at  the  time  of  his  birth.  He  received  a  common- 
school  education,  leaving  school  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years. 

He  immediately  began  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years  was  draw- 
ing journeyman's  wages.  He  learned  his  trade 
in  Hocksburg,  Canada,  but  removed  to  Chicago 
April  13,  1865.  He  entered  the  service  of  War- 
wick &  Casty,  and  worked  on  the. old  Board  of 
Trade  Building.  After  two  years  with  this  con- 
cern, he  entered  the  employ  of  William  Stephens 
in  his  sash  and  door  factory,  and  had  charge  of 
the  frame  department  seven  years.  When  he 
left  there  he  became  identified  with  the  Chicago 
City  Railway  Company,  building  cars,  and  had 
charge  of  outside  work  the  last  two  years  he  was 
with  that  concern.  Since  April,  1884,  he  has 


been  employed  in  the  interest  of  C.  C.  Chandler, 
located  at  No.  3227  State  Street,  and  is  at  the 
present  writing  a  valued  employe.  Mr.  Kings- 
bury  has  done  some  contracting  in  the  city,  and 
is  very  efficient  at  whatever  he  undertakes. 

March  14,  1867,  Mr.  Kingsbury  became 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Marion,  daughter 
of  John  Parrel,  a  native  of  Dublin,  Ireland.  She 
reached  Chicago  in  1864.  Her  children  are 
seven  in  number:  Minnie,  the  eldest,  died  at  the 
age  of  two  years.  Charles  married  Estelle  Ste- 
venson, and  their  children  are  named  Hazel  and 
Kenneth;  he  joined  the  Red  Cross  Society  and  is 
now  at  Huntsville,  Alabama.  The  others  are: 
Edward,  Oscar,  Lester,  Mabel  and  Olive. 

Mr.  Kingsbury  has  never  sought  public  favor 
in  the  form  of  office,  but  votes  for  the  candidates 
of  the  Republican  party  invariably.  His  people 
are  Protestants  and  he  is  true  to  the  teachings  of 
his  fathers.  Withal,  a  high-minded  gentleman, 
he  is  honored  and  respected  by  his  friends  and 
acquaintances  alike. 


E.  J.  VAILE. 


735 


EDWARD  J.  VAILE. 


I""  DWARD  JOSEPH  VAILE,  who  is  a  valued 
1^  and  respected  employe  of  the  Whitman  & 
L_  Barnes  Manufacturing  Company,  was  born 
December  29,  1868,  in  Harvard,  Illinois,  a  son 
of  Thomas  and  Helen  Vaile.  Mr.  Vaile  is  a  true 
and  loyal  citizen  of  Chicago  and  is  ready  to  aid 
in  the  promotion  of  all  that  is  for  the  well-being  of 
the  city.  He  learned  the  trade  of  machinist  in 
the  shops  of  C.  H.  McCormick,  where  he  was 
occupied  four  years.  He  is  now  with  the  agri- 
cultural implement  manufacturing  company  men- 
tioned above,  in  its  shops  at  West  Pullman.  For 
a  time  he  was  in  the  feed  business  on  Fifty-ninth 
Street,  and  later  in  the  real  estate  business.  The 
house  at  No.  5936  State  Street,  where  Mr.  Vaile 
resides,  was  built  by  Mrs.  Vaile's  grandfather 
and  is  a  part  of  her  inheritance. 

Mr.  Vaile  was  married  May  9,  1892,  to  Miss 
Louisa,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  f  Reich) 
Michels.  Mrs.  Vaile  was  born  July  4,  1875,  at 
the  corner  of  Fifty-ninth  and  Dickey  Streets. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vaile  became  the  parents  of  two 
children,  Thomas  Edward,  born  March  3,  1896, 
and  Joseph  Earl,  born  March  4,  1898.  Mr.  Vaile 
is  a  member  of  the  Royal  League  and  is  connected 
with  Vernon  Council  No.  34. 

Joseph  Michels  was  born  November  9,  1850, 
on  a  farm  in  Milwaukee  County,  Wisconsin,  a 
son  of  George  and  Annie  Marie  (Thielan)  Mi- 
chels. He  was  occupied  at  farm  work  and  gen- 


eral labor  until  1866,  and  lived  in  the  village  of 
Jefferson,  Wisconsin,  three  years.  His  parents 
resided  there  nine  years.  He  was  subsequently 
for  four  years  with  Moran  &  Doyle,  painters,  with 
whom  he  learned  the  trade.  In  1875  he  went 
on  a  farm  in  the  town  of  Bloom,  owned  by  his 
father-in-law,  Michael  Reich,  and  tilled  it  nine 
years. 

Mr.  Michels  returned  to  Chicago  and  engaged 
in  teaming  two  years.  Since  that  time  he  has 
given  his  entire  attention  to  contracting  for 
painting.  He  built  a  three  story  brick  building, 
containing  his  business  location  and  residence,  on 
Wentworth  Avenue,  in  1894.  Mr.  Michels  was 
married  August  13,  1871,  to  Miss  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Michael  Reich.  Six  children  blessed  their 
union,  namely  :  Michael,  Louisa,  Christopher, 
Caroline,  Emma  and  Joseph. 

Michael  Reich  was  born  December  13,  1813, 
in  Lorraine,  France.  He  was  a  laborer,  and 
came  to  Chicago  in  1841,  after  a  short  time  spent 
on  a  farm  near  Albany,  New  York.  He  went 
from  there  to  Muskegon,  Michigan,  where  he 
was  employed  in  a  saw  mill  two  years.  He  re- 
turned to  Chicago,  where  he  lived  until  1857, 
when  he  made  a  trip  to  Europe,  and  remained 
there  until  December,  1859.  On  reaching 
Chicago,  after  this  sojourn,  he  began  gardening 
at  the  corner  of  Center  and  Larrabee  Streets, 
where  he  had  two  acres  of  ground.  He  went 


736 


H.  J.  NURNBERGER. 


back  to  Europe  for  two  and  one-half  years,  and 
on  his  return  to  America  located  in  Englewood, 
where  he  remained  until  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  January  i,  1892.  His  wife  was 
born  September  10,  1810,  in  Lorraine,  France, 
and  died  October  27,  1888.  She  was  married  in 
the  land  of  her  birth  and  followed  her  husband 
to  the  United  States  in  1843. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Michael  Reich  became  the  par- 
ents of  six  children.  Michael  was  born  May  2, 
1835,  and  married  Miss  Annia  Reese.  He  was 
among  the  unfortunates  drowned  from  the  "Lady 
Elgin"  September  3,  1860.  Peter,  born  April 
3,  1839,  now  resides  in  Hammond,  Indiana. 
Christopher,  born  March  13,  1844,  lives  in  Ra- 
venswood,  Chicago.  Caroline  was  born  September 
29,  1846.  May,  born  May  12,  1840,  died  June 
15,  1888;  she  married  Joseph  Michels,  as  above 
shown.  Jacob,  born  December  13,  1851,  died 
January  8,  1853.  Michael  Reich,  who  was  a 
progressive  and  wide-awake  citizen,  was  one  of 
the  oldest  and  most  prominent  settlers  of  Engle- 
wood. He  owned  a  large  number  of  lots  and 
built  many  houses. 

Michael,  the  oldest  son  of  Joseph  Michels,  died 
May  n,  1891,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years.  Louisa, 
wife  of  E.  J.  Vaile,  was  the  next  in  order  of  birth. 
Christoph  died  at  the  age  of  nine  days.  Caro- 


line married  John  N.  Brucks.  Emeline,  born 
May  12,  1879,  is  at  home.  Joseph  was  born 
September  15,  1881,  and  is  the  youngest  of  this 
family. 

Joseph  Michels  married  for  his  second  wife 
Margareta,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  (Holz) 
Cook,  July  22,  1890.  Mrs.  Michels  was  born 
May  9,  1858,  in  St.  John's,  Indiana.  Her  par- 
ents came  from  Germany  about  the  year  1857, 
and  she  came  to  Chicago  in  1872.  The  children 
of  Mr.  Michels  by  his  second  marriage  are  as 
follows:  Peter  George,  born  September  20,  1891 , 
died  November  24,  1893.  George  Peter,  born 
July  25,  1893,  and  John  Nicholas,  May  3,  1896. 

The  paternal  grandfather  of  Mrs.  Vaile  was 
born  in  Lorraine,  France,  and  came  to  America 
and  located  in  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  in  1839. 
He  was  in  turn,  laborer,  farmer  and  hotel-keeper, 
and  died  in  1865,  at  the  age  of  sixty-two  years. 
His  wife  died  in  1885,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five 
years.  This  couple  were  united  in  their  native 
land.  Their  children  were:  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried Henry  Jonen,  resides  in  Waterville,  Wiscon- 
sin, and  has  twelve  children;  Anni  married  Jacob 
Holzen,  a  farmer,  and  has  nine  children;  and 
Eva,  who  married  Christoph  Langer,  a  dentist, 
and  has  twelve  children,  resides  in  Milwaukee. 
Joseph,  mentioned  above,  is  the  youngest. 


HENRY  J.  NURNBERGER. 


HENRY  JOHN  NURNBERGER,  who  was  a 
skilled  and  well-known  musician,  was  born 
November   i,    1834,  in  Germany,  the  home 
of  music  and  the  birthplace  of  the  finest  musicians 
the  world  ever  produced.     He  died  December  8, 
1892,  and  his  remains  were  interred  in  Oakwoods 
Cemetery. 

Mr.    Niirnberger  followed  the  profession   of  a 
musician  practically  his  entire  life,  retiring  ten 


years  before  his  death.  He  purchased  property 
at  No.  1366  State  Street  (as  the  street  was  then 
numbered)  and,  in  1868,  six  years  after,  erected 
his  residence,  which  was  the  third  house  in  the 
block,  and  which  he  occupied  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  At  No.  2974  Frederick 
Snyder  resided,  and  the  corner  house  was  owned 
by  a  Mr.  Symon. 
January  15,  1859,  Mr.  Niirnberger  was  mar- 


A.  F.  SCHWARZ. 


737 


ried  to  Emily  Amalie,  daughter  of  Gotfrey  and 
Fredericka  (Schuster)  Hunsler.  Mrs.  Niirnber- 
ger  was  born  January  13,  1838,  in  Germany. 
She  and  her  father  came  to  America  together  in 
April,  1850.  They  were  thirty-five  days  in  a  sail- 
ing-vessel on  the  voyage,  and  landed  in  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  and  six  weeks  later  arrived  in 
Chicago.  The  father  was  born  February  24, 
1804,  and  died  March  n,  1890.  Mrs.  Niirnber- 
ger's  mother  died  April  15,  1872,  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Niirnberger  became  the  parents 
of  six  children,  each  of  whom  is  here  briefly  men- 
tioned: Henry  John,  born  November  19,  1859, 
resides  at  No.  5830  Indiana  Avenue.  He  is  an 
employe  in  the  postoffice  department.  George, 
born  November  19,  1861,  died  at  the  age  of  three 
years.  Emily  Minnie,  born  November  7,  1864, 
married  Henry  Diesel.  He  is  a  bookkeeper  for 


the  Nelson  House,  and  resides  at  No.  5824  Wa- 
bash  Avenue.  Mary  Fredericka,  born  February 
8,  1867,  married  George  W.  Boos,  and  resides  at 
No.  5806  State  Street.  Mr.  Boos  has  charge  of 
a  department  in  Carson,  Pirie,  Scott  &  Com- 
pany's store.  Augusta,  born  August  21,  1869, 
died  at  the  age  of  six  weeks.  Amanda  Augusta, 
born  August  27,  1872,  married  Benjamin  Lund- 
berg.  Mr.  Lundberg  resides  with  his  family  at 
Roseland  and  is  an  undertaker  and  has  a  furniture 
store.  Two  other  children  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Niirnberger  was  a  member  of  Hutton 
Lodge  No.  398,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  lodge. 
He  was  also  connected  with  the  South  Side 
Turners'  Society.  He  was  a  man  of  genial  na- 
ture, highly  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him  and 
beloved  by  family  and  friends.  Many  mourned 
his  loss. 


ALBERT  F.  SCHWARZ. 


aLBERT    FREDERICK    SCHWARZ,    one 
of  the  highly  respected   business  men  and 
citizens   of    the   vicinity   where   he   is     lo- 
cated, comes  of  German  parentage  and  possesses 
all  the  perseverance  and  ambition  of  his  nation. 
He  is  energetic  and  bound  to  succeed  in   what- 
ever he  becomes  interested  in.     Born  in  Prussia, 
Germany,    August  25,    1867,    Albert   Frederick 
Schwarz  is  a  son  of  August  John  and  Augusta 
(Mueller)  Schwarz. 

He  came  to  America  with  his  parents  when  he 
was  two  years  of  age,  and  attended  the  German 
Lutheran  school  until  he  had  reached  the  age  of 
twelve  years.  He  was  sent  to  the  country  to 
reside  with  his  uncle,  Martin  Schramm,  on  a 
farm,  where  he  remained  until  about  the  time  he 
reached  his  majority.  For  a  short  time  he  was 
employed  by  Gust  Rueckheim,  at  the  cigar  trade, 


located  at  the  corner  of  Thirty-ninth  Street  and 
Armour  Avenue.  He  was  subsequently  occupied 
in  the  interest  of  Rueckheim  Brothers,  in  their 
candy  store  at  the  corner  of  Van  Buren  Street 
and  Fourth  Avenue,  remaining  thus  employed 
three  years. 

For  a  period  of  thirteen  years  he  was  in  the 
service  of  Bunte  Brothers  &  Spoehr,  located  on 
Market  Street,  near  Washington.  He  was  fore- 
man for  this  concern  nine  years,  after  which 
time  Mr.  Schwarz  opened  a  coal  office  at  No. 
5912  Wentworth  Avenue,  and  has  since  continued 
as  general  dealer  in  wood  and  coal.  With  Mr. 
Huguelet,  he  opened  business  August  10,  1896, 
the  firm  name  becoming  Huguelet  &  Schwarz. 
For  three  years  Mr.  Schwarz  and  his  family 
have  been  comfortably  located  at  No.  5926  Dear- 
born Street. 


738 


EDWARD  MIKKELSEN. 


Mr.  Schwarz  was  very  fortunate  in  securing  a 
helpful  and  most  worthy  woman  for  his  life  com- 
panion, a  lady  of  refinement  and  education. 
Nothing  is  more  conducive  to  the  financial  suc- 
cess of  a  man  than  such  a  wife  as  Mrs.  Schwarz 
has  proved.  They  were  married  January  4, 
1887.  Mrs.  Schwarz  was  born  on  Wentworth 
Avenue,  near  Eighteenth  Street,  January  6, 
1867,  and  is  a  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Kummly)  Ebert,  christened  Josephine. 

John  Ebert  was  born  November  2,  1838,  in 
Bavaria,  Germany,  and  emigrated  to  America 
before  his  marriage  and  located  in  Chicago.  He 
was  a  cooper  by  trade,  and  conducted  a  shop  at 
the  corner  of  Twenty-eighth  and  Canal  Streets  for 
five  years.  He  died  January  18,  1885,  and  his 
remains  were  interred  in  St.  Mary's  Catholic 
Cemetery.  Mrs.  Ebert  was  born  October  28,  1839, 
and  died  January  2,  1896.  She  was  the  mother 
of  four  children,  of  whom  brief  mention  is  made: 
Albert  died  when  one  year  old.  Josephine  is  the 
wife  of  the  man  whose  name  heads  this  article. 
Theresa  was  born  March  6,  1868.  July  20, 
1891,  she  was  married  to  F.  S.  Huguelet,  and 


they  have  the  following  children:  Louis  Emil, 
born  May  8,  1893;  John  Edward,  February  4, 
1895;  and  Angeline  Barbara,  March  24,  1897. 
Elizabeth  was  born  September  12,  1870,  and  is 
mentioned  in  the  article  on  the  life  of  Emil 
Huguelet. 

Albert  John  Ebert,  grandfather  of  Mrs. 
Schwarz,  came  to  America,  bringing  his  entire 
family.  His  children  were  named:  John,  Julia, 
Theresa,  Elizabeth,  Lena  and  Connie.  All  are 
in  the  land  of  the  living,  excepting  the  first  and 
last,  and  reside  on  the  North  Side. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schwarz  are 
three  in  number:  August  John,  born  October  3, 
1887;  Mamie  Augusta,  November  13,  1892;  and 
Theresa  Josephine,  November  14,  1894.  They 
make  up  a  family  of  well-bred  and  interesting 
children,  a  credit  to  the  name  they  bear.  Mr. 
Schwarz  is  a  member  of  Noble  Lodge  No.  1350, 
Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor.  He  is  a  staunch 
and  loyal  Republican,  and  an  influential  and 
prominent  member  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church,  while  his  wife  was  reared  a  Catholic, 
and  is  true  to  the  teachings  of  her  fathers. 


EDWARD  MIKKELSEN. 


rT  DWARD  MIKKELSEN,  the  subject  of  this 
ry  sketch,  is  noticeable  as  one  of  the  most  in- 
|_.  telligent  and  progressive  men  who  have 
come  from  the  Old  World  to  make  their  homes 
in  America. 

He  was  born  in  North  Schleswig,  Denmark, 
and  is  the  fourth  child  of  Niels  Mikkelsen  and 
his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth 
Hansen.  He  received  his  education  in  the  local 
schools  of  his  native  town,  and  in  the  same  place 
he  learned  the  trade  which  he  has  since  made  his 
life  work,  that  of  cabinet  making.  After  serving 
an  apprenticeship  of  four  years,  as  is  the  custom 


abroad,  and  thus  having  thoroughly  mastered 
the  technicalities  of  his  trade,  he  further  perfected 
himself  in  the  same  by  traveling  and  working  in 
various  cities  of  the  Old  Country  before  coming  to 
America. 

In  1879  he  came  to  the  city  of  Chicago,  and 
after  two  years  spent  in  familiarizing  himself  with 
the  language  and  the  business  of  cabinet-making 
in  this  country,  he  located  at  No.  60  Canal 
Street,  and  started  in  business  for  himself.  In 
1891  he  removed  to  his  present  location,  Nos.  25 
and  27  North  Jefferson  Street.  Here  he  has  an 
extensive  plant,  where  he  makes  a  specialty  of 


EMIL  HUGUELET. 


739 


the  manufacture  of  store  and  office  furniture.  He 
furnishes  employment  to  twenty-five  men,  thus, 
not  only  proving  his  ability  to  run  a  large  busi- 
ness successfully,  but  is  a  benefactor  to  his  fel- 
lows as  well  by  making  it  possible  for  them  to 
make  an  honest  livelihood. 

Mr.  Mikkelsen   married   Miss  Johanna  Jensen 


in  1886.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mikkelsen  have  four 
children,  all  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Eliza- 
beth, Robert,  Stella  and  Berenice,  all  born  in 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Mikkelsen  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Danish  Benevolent  Society  and  the  National 
Union. 


EMIL  HUGUELET. 


"  MIL  HUGUELET,  who  occupies  a  respon- 
Y&  sible  position  with  the  vast  wholesale  con- 
I  cern  of  Marshall  Field  &  Company,  was 
born  in  Chicago  and  has  spent  his  whole  life  here. 
His  birth  occurred  on  the  2gth  of  June,  1870. 
For  his  ancestry  refer  to  the  biography  of 
L.  E.  Huguelet  on  another  page  of  this  vol- 
ume. 

Emil  Huguelet  attended  the  ward  school  until 
nine  years  of  age  and  the  parochial  school  five 
years  subsequently.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  years 
he  entered  the  service  of  James  P.  Dalton,  re- 
maining thus  employed  one  year.  After  a  short 
time  with  the  firm  of  Burley  &  Tyrrell,  who  dealt 
at  wholesale  in  crockery,  he  was  a  short  time 
messenger  boy  for  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Company.  In  December,  1885,  he  entered  the 
wholesale  house  of  Marshall  Field  &  Company, 
as  gate  boy  in  the  packing  room.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  blank  boy,  from  which  he  has  advanced 


steadily,  and  for  the  past  eight  years  has  held  the 
position  of  caller. 

Mr.  Huguelet  was  very  fortunate  in  selecting 
and  securing  a  refined,  intelligent  lady  as  a  life 
companion.  He  was  married  April  22,  1897,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Ebert,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Koumly)  Ebert.  Mrs.  Huguelet's  sister,  Jo- 
sephine, married  Frederick  Schwarz,  and  resides 
at  No.  5926  Dearborn  Street.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Huguelet  have  resided  at  No.  5801  La  Salle 
Street  two  years.  Mrs.  Huguelet  was  born 
September  12,  1870,  in  Chicago,  at  the  corner  of 
Eighteenth  Street  and  Wentworth  Avenue. 

Mr.  Huguelet  is  a  member  of  Englewood  Coun- 
cil No.  324,  Knights  of  Columbus.  He  and  his 
family  are  connected  with  St.  Martin's  Parish  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  Mr.  Huguelet  is 
very  influential  and  aids  in  the  church  work  and 
is  highly  honored  by  all  his  brethren.  He  is  a 
stanch  and  loyal  Republican. 


INDKX. 


Abrahams,  Henry 285 

Adams,  Dr.  Charles 549 

Adams,  E.  J 253 

Adsit,  J.  M 123 

Allison,  R.  J 645 

Alsip,  W.  H 283 

Amick,  Pleasant 493 

Anderson,  John 694 

Anthony,  Elliott 375 

Armour,  P.  D 295 

Arnhold,  C.  C 435 

Atzel  Brothers 22 

Ayars,  C.  G 459 

B 

Bacon,  N.  B 215 

Bailey,  E.  W 133 

Bailey,  George 705 

Balke,  Urban 465 

Barnard,  G.  W 258 

Bartell,  John 14 

Bartelt,  William 437 

Bassett,  O.  P 272 

Bauer,  Augustus 66 

Baum,  C.  F 723 

Beaubien,  Alexander 392 

Beck,  Christoph 511 

Becker,  Philip 704 

Beecher,   Jerome 509 

Bergman,  Frederick 649 

Berner,  John 525 

Beygeh,  Peter 697 

Biehn,  Michael 629 

Bielfeldt,  J.  S 600 

Bielfeldt,  W.  S 731 

Biesen,  P.  F 673 

Blackburn,  Adam 407 

Blackburn,  J.  E 733 

Blackburn,  W.  M 730 

Bloom,  G.  W 713 

Boettiger,   Adam 323 


Bollmann.J.  A 218 

Bradwell,  J.  B 134 

Bradwell,  Myra 135 

Brandt,  William 433 

Braun,  Herman,  Jr 408 

Brauns,  Paul 28 

Brown,  N.  J 202 

Brust,  Charles 478 

Bryan,  C.  P 293 

Buck,  F.  M 369 

Budde,  Henry 550 

Burger,  Adolph 333 

Burhans,  Eugene 220 

Burley,  A.  G 227 

Burnside,  A.  W 205 

Buschwah,  Nicholas 289 

Butler,  T.  J 675 

Byford,  Dr.  H.  T 494 


Camp,  I.  N 346 

Capron,  A.  B 451 

Carman,  W.  H 67 

Carpenter,  G.  B 363 

Carrington,  N.  S 561 

Cary.J.W 131 

Case,  E.  W 427 

Castle,  E.  H 544 

Caton,  J.  D 115 

Chamberlin,  R.  H 194 

Chapin,  Newton 305 

Christensen,  Andrew 664 

Christensen,  J.  C 410 

Christensen,  Louis 700 

Cigrand,  B.  J 604 

Clark,  Jonathan 183 

Clark,  L.  C 543 

Clark,  R.  R 229 

Clausen,  Samuel 445 

Clettenberg,  William 616 

Clifford,  J.  0 273 

Cobb,  S.  B 143 


Cooley,  C.  A 554 

Cossitt,  F.  D.,  Jr 590 

Coulter,  W.  M 583 

Crawford,  H.   P 164 

Crawford,  John 292 

Crawford,  Peter 197 

Creech,  J.  S 471 

Custer,  G.  G 184 

Cutler,  A.  J 279 


Dahtn,  John 436 

Daniels,  E.  F . . .    542 

Darrow,  A.  H 367 

Dearlove,   George 291 

Dearlove,  G.  M .536 

Delsing,  Frederick 626 

Derby,  W.  R 189 

Derkes,  George 512 

De  Wolf,  Calvin 385 

Dickinson,  John 100 

Dieckmann,  J.  W 26 

Diercks,  Frederick 332 

Diesel,  Frank 431 

Dieter,  Philip 674 

Doering,  L.  C.  E 661 

Doepp,  A.  G 10 

Doepp,  F.  F 10 

Doepp,  William 9 

Dollinger,  J.  A 304 

Driggs,  George 209 

Ducat,  Gen.  A.  C 415 

Duensing,  C.  H 61 

Dugas,  B.  N 698 

Dupee,  C.  B Ill 

Duxson,  Ben 606 

Duxson,  William 62 

Dye,  Nathan 276 

E 
Eberhart,  J.  F 151 


742 


INDEX. 


Eckhardt,  Nicholas 402 

Ellis,  Joel 319 

Evans,  E.  W 99 


Farwell,  W.  W 457 

Patch,  E.  P 566 

Fedderson,  J.  L 58 

Felton,  C.  H 489 

Field,  Marshall 303 

Field,  Sargent 64 

Filkins,  E.  A 245 

Fitch,  C.  M 388 

Fonda,  Dr.  D.  B 103 

Forsyth,  Jacob 87 

Frankenstein,  M.  L. . . 514 

Fraser,  George 309 

Fredericks,  C.  W 518 

Frink,H.F 122 

Frink,  John 139 

Frosch,  Frederick 443 

Fuller,  M.  W 127 

Furboom,  C.  R 609 


Gage,  J.  N 223 

Gage,L   J 271 

Galloway,  A.  J 531 

Garber,  William 602 

Gardner,  P.  G 559 

Gastfield,  William 41 

Gauss,  E.  F.  L 172 

German,  W.  H 618 

Goetz,  H.  F 650 

Goode,  Thomas 108 

Gordon,  W.  D 221 

Goudy,  W.  C 119 

Goudy,  W.  J 247 

Gough,  R.  S 299 

Gray,  Prof.  Elisha 79 

Greenebaum,  Henry 567 

Griiner,  C.  F 595 

Gross,  Jacob 63 

Gross,  S.  E 383 

Gund,  Frederick 17 

H 

Haas,  L.  F 463 

Hageman,  F.  C 378 

Hahne,  William 480 

Hallett,  R.  C 114 

Halsey,  Rev.  L.  J 105 

Hauiel,  William 099 


Hamilton,  R.  J 577 

Hamilton,  William 483 

Hammett,  Edward 300 

Hannahs,  J.  M 85 

Hansen,  H.  0 722 

Hansen,  J.  A .329 

Hansen,  William 693 

Hanson,  J.  P 55 

Hanson,  Louis 324 

Harrison,  C.  H 307 

Harrison,  C.  H.,  Jr 563 

Haskell,  L.  P 552 

Hatch,  A.  F 294 

Hatch,  G.  H 469 

Havill,  G.  B 695 

Hawley,  C.  M 343 

Haynes,  M.  W 360 

Haynes,  N.  S 397 

Hector,  J.  F 710 

Heimerdinger,  Frederick 654 

Henderson,  C.  M 391 

Henoch,  Pincus 38 

Henrotin,  Dr.  J.  F 581 

Hermann,  Joseph 515 

Hervey,  Robert 237 

Heslington,  T.  W 212 

Hess,  F.D 513 

Heuck,  August 214 

Heuser,  Christian 614 

Hill,  R.  S 173 

Hill.T.  E 584 

Himler,  G.  A 403 

Hinckley,  S.  T 239 

Hirschfield,  H.  H 666 

Hoefer,  August 20 

Hood,  C.  T 193 

Hoffman,  Mathias 557 

Hoffmann,  Erdmann  660 

Hofmann,  F.  V 325 

Hofmann,  George 647 

Holden,  C.  C.  P 419 

Holmes,  E.  A 728 

Hoxie.J.  R 71 

Hubbard,  Dr.  Theodore 275 

Hudson,  H.  G 611 

Huey,  C.  P 491 

Huguelet,  Emil 739 

Huguelet,  H.  L 411 

Huguelet,  James 526 

Huguelet,  L.   E 641 

Huguelet,  P.  E 322 

Huntington,  Alonzo 430 

Huntington,  Charles 389 

Hutchings,  J.  A 207 

Hutchinson,  C.  G 234 

Hutchinson,  J.  0 553 

Hutchison,  Francis 538 


Ingraham,  G.  S 287 


Jackson,  A.  E 706 

Jacobs,  F.  1 573 

Jaeger,  Ernst 643 

Jenkins,  John 208 

Jennings,  J.  W 467 

Jewett,  E.  A...   348 

Joerndt,  Carl 60 

Johnson,  Capt.  Christopher 93 

Johnson,  E.  M 18 

Johnson,  F.  M 39 

Johnson,  F.  R 470 

Johnson,  Henry 591 

Johnson,  J.  F 46 

Johnson,  James 15 

Johnson,  W.  T 31 

Johnston,  Shepherd 312 

Jones,  F.  E.  R 155 

Jones,  R.  B 36 

Jones,  S.  D 499 

Jones,  S.  J 159 

Jones,  W.  H 311 

K 

Kaeseberg,  Ehregott 672 

Keeler,  W.  0 161 

Keith,  Edson 149 

Keller,  Henry 16 

Keller,  P.  H 613 

Kelso,  A.  W 162 

Kimbell,  M.  N 528 

Kingsbury,  E.  T 734 

Kinzie,  R.  A 355 

Kipley,  Joseph 382 

Kline,  A.  P 399 

Knop,  Frederick 334 

Koch,  A.  C.  F 56 

Koenig,  Michael 519 

Kozlowski,  Candidus 195 

Kruger,  H.  W.,  Jr 709 

Kussel,  Christian 620 


Lacey,  E.  S 461 

Lagoni,  P.  M 687 

Lamparter,  Henry 472 

Lange,  C.  F 691 

Larimore,  Prof.  J.  W 91 

Larsen,  August 732 

Larsen,  Hans 12 

Larsin,  G.  H 625 

Larson,  A.  J 442 


INDEX. 


743 


Laursen,  Anders 603 

Lawrence,  Peter 404 

Leahy.J.  J 166 

Leamon,  S.  E 669 

Leggate,  John 658 

Leonard,  Charles 630 

Leonard,;.  C 659 

Leonard,  Michael 331 

Leonhardt,  J.  F 517 

Lewis,  H.  B 47 

Lewis,  Leslie 78 

Lewis,  T.  E 297 

Lindberg,  A.  T 596 

Linde,  Carl 27 

Lindquist,  P.  O 444 

Link,  Ferdinand 263 

Long,  E.  C 537 

Long,  F.  G 730 

Long,  John 632 

Lott,  Ferdinand 330 

Loveless,  Bratnan 379 

Ludlam,  Dr.  Reuben 497 

Lull,  A.  G 541 

Lunt,  Orrington 503 

M 

Macauley,  George 29 

Macauley,  John 65 

MacDonald,  Godfrey 305 

MacSwain,  W.  R 25 

Mack,  Rev.  J.  A 496 

Madsen,  Anders 644 

Magill,  C.  J 424 

Magill,  W.  C 359 

Maltby,  J.  A 449 

Malzacher,  Henry 726 

Manz,  Jacob 259 

Martin,  William 33 

Massey,  H.  H 501 

Mathis,  J.  M 217 

Matthews,  P.  P 302 

Mayer,  J.  M 619 

McConnell,   Hon.  S.  P 177 

McCorkindale,  W.  J 608 

McCormick,  C.  H 167 

McCormick,  C.  H.,  Jr 487 

McDaniel,  Alexander 188 

McEldowney,  John 484 

McGregor,  William 361 

McKinney,  George. 575 

McLean,  A.  B 255 

McMahon,  James 181 

Mead,  E.  R 662 

Mead,  G.   W 686 

Meinheit,  Henry 413 


Meister,  Charles 598 

Meister,   Oscar 406 

Melzer,  Adam 201 

Menzel,  C.  H 50 

Merz,  Gottlieb 349 

Metzger,  William 635 

Meyer,  Julius 692 

Mikkelsen,  Edward 738 

Mikkelsen,  Karsten 522 

Miller,  B.  C.,  M.  D 83 

Miller,  Christoph 665 

Moe,  Bernt 51 

Mogensen,  William 412 

Moran,  James 720 

Morey,  C.  E 702 

Morris,  John 284 

Morse,  McRome 677 

N 

Naper,  John 371 

Neher,  George 52 

Neher,  George,  Jr 516 

Nelles,  Jacob 405 

Nelson,  A.  V 610 

Nettstraeter,  William 219 

Neuberger,  Hugo 260 

Nichols,  Thomas 612 

Nichols,  C.  L 429 

Niemeyer,  Henry 607 

Novak,  F.  H 165 

Nfirnberger,  C.  H 689 

Nurnberger,  Henry 729 

Narnberger,  H.  J 736 

O 

Ockenholt,  Henry 651 

Oesterle,  Frederick 401 

Ohlendorf,  William 34 

Orriny,  Pascal 708 

Ortmayer,  Andrew 317 

Ott,  John 594 

Otto,  Edward 49 

Orvesat,  J.  J 434 


Parmelee,  E.  D 548 

Parsons,  W.  B 422 

Paulsen,  Lauritz 44 

Pearsons,  J.  A 112 

Peck,  F.  W 339 

Pedersen,  Erik 439 

Petersen,  Christian 688 

Petersen,  P.  C.  B 59 

Peterson,  Charles 593 

Pettersen,  J.  M 438 


Pettigrew,  James 466 

Peugeot,  E.  F 262 

Pfau,  William 6&3 

Phelps,  O.  B 140 

Phelps,  W.  W 266 

Pinney,  D.  H 154 

Piper,  C.  E 268 

Plagge,  J.  C 667 

Polk,  Wesley 562 

Powell,  G.  N 109 

Pratt,  Dr.  Leonard 589 

Pretzsch,  J.  F 684 

Prindiville,  John 129 

Prosser,  T.  T 89 

Pullman,  George  M 231 


Ranney,  O.  D 527 

Rasmussen,  Christen 655 

Rasmussen,  Jens 653 

Raymond,  Rev.  M 178 

Reisenhus,  P.  P 719 

Reissenweber,  M.  H 633 

Rexford,  Norman 481 

Rexford,  Stephen 250 

Rice,  J.  H 98 

Ripley,  J.  H 638 

Robbins,  E.  A 523 

Roberts,  C.  C 639 

Robinson,  H.  M 125 

Rogers,  G.  M 235 

Rogers,  J.  G 147 

Rogers,  J.  W 701 

Rogers,  T.  S 558 

Rollo,  R.  R 249 

Rollo,  W.  E 146 

Rosen  thai,  Charles 473 

Rough,  J.  F 468 

Rumsey,  J.  S 314 

Rush,  R.  W 670 

Russell,  Menzo 196 

Russell,  J.  J 310 

Russer,  Valentine ...    722 

Ruth,  L.  C 586 


S 


Sandtneyer,  Henry 524 

Santa,  Joseph 11 

Sauer,  Ambrose 728 

Sauer,  Andrew 696 

Schaefer,  Maternus 505 

Schermann,  Anton 521 

Schiess,  Michael 327 

Schimmels,  Christian 715 

Schmidt,  K.  G 535 


744 


INDEX. 


Schnable,  Jacob 592 

Schnadel,  Louis 679 

Schoeneck,  Nicholas 53 

Schultz,  Frederick 446 

Schutt,  John 628 

Schwarz,  A.  F 737 

Scott,  H.  M 657 

Scott,  Willard 423 

Seegers,  Charles 703 

Senger,  William 599 

Sexton,  Stephen 254 

Sexton,  J.  A 251 

Shedd,  E.  T 353 

Shortall,  J.  G  447 

Shurtleff,  Benjamin 101 

Sink,  Bernhardt 520 

Sink,  Christian 414 

Sixt,  Francis 204 

Skallerup,  James 601 

Slade,  Dana 35 

Smeaton,  James 21 

Smith,  C.  B 587 

Smith,  C.  H 54 

Smith,  Dr.  D.  S 571 

Snow,  W.  B 540 

Soderberg,  Charles 717 

Sodergren,  Andrew 631 

Sohm,  A 556 

Soiberg,  C.  C 731 

Sollitt,  John 199 

Spalding,  Jesse 175 

Spalding,  W.  A 381 

Spamer,  Frank 321 

Spamer,  Frank,  Jr 13 

Spaulding,  S.  G 243 

Spofford,  G.  W 373 

Spooner,  E.  D 69 

Stafford,  A.  A 716 

Stafford,  F.  P 624 

Stafford,  J.  F 341 

Stang,  C.  J 656 

Stelter,  Frederick 718 

Stevens,  A.  B 474 

Stevens,  A.  D 24 

Stevens,  J.  V 191 

Stewart,  Gen.  H.  L .95 


St.  John,  Everitte 485 

Stoffregen,  J.  C 721 

Stoffregen,  T.  F 597 

Stotz,  J.  W 671 

Storms,  F.  B 30 

Storms,  H.  L 685 

Storms,  James 637 

Storms,  Peter 623 

Storms,  W.  H 680 

Swain,  E.  D 479 

Swanson,  A.  G 711 

Swanson,  N.  J 634 

Sweet,  J.  A 426 

Swett,  Leonard 73 

Symons,  John 712 


Tagney,  Thomas 278 

Talbot,  Sargeant 43 

Teall,  E.  M 225 

Tempel,  William 19 

Terry,  H.  J 663 

Thalmann,  Barnard 200 

Thiele,  Christian 564 

Thornum,  P.  J 725 

Thorsen,  James 328 

Tobey,  J.  D 187 

Tobey,  Wales 163 

Tollakson,  Thore 326 

Tompkins,  Rev.  James 533 

Toppan,  J.  S 394 

Trimingham,  R.  N 256 

Turner,  J.  B 170 

Turner,  Matthew 617 

Tyler,  W.  0 281 

u 

Ubellar,  C.  G 464 

Unoldjohn 551 


Vaile,  E.  J 735 

Van  Cleef ,  Adolph 681 

Voltz,  Frederick 440 

Voltz,  Louis 555 


W 

Wahl,  Julius 23 

Warner,   Francis 269 

Warren,  Daniel 418 

Warren,  J.  M 337 

Webb,  A.  F 565 

Weber,  Henry 455 

Webster,  T.  H 118 

Wedekind,  Henry 648 

Weimer,  George 506 

Welbourn,  G.  H 409 

Welbourn,  W.  T 42 

Welker,  J.  J 668 

Wendel,  August 727 

Wentworth,  John 7 

West,  William 186 

Weyer,  Frederick 652 

Weyer,  Joseph 605 

Wheeler,  J.  R 588 

White,  Dr.  W.  S 508 

Wick,  C.  K.  F 621 

Wiediuger,  B.  M 156 

Wilber,  E.  J 213 

Wilk,  Frederick 646 

Wilke,  C.  W.  A 400 

Wilke,  Frank 615 

Williamson,  J.  G 57 

Wilmarth,  H.   M 351 

Windheim,  J.  O 45 

Wingate,  Albert 488 

Wilson,  J.  B 707 

Wilson,  William 682 

Withrow,  T.  F 335 

Wohler,  Peter 222 

Wolverton,  F.  L 678 

Wunder,  Henry 477 


Yochem,  Adam. 
Yochem,  Peter. . 
Young,  J.  P 


.622 
.627 
500 


Ziska,  Julius 441 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


